They were spying on Democratic camp with the intent of providing evidence to the president. Nixon's authorization of such illegal surveillance was apparently common in the White House, as Nixon kept a famous "enemies list" of all of the people whom he disliked in America, and taped most conversations that took place in the Oval Office. Capone similarly, as 'Boss' used underlings to do his dirty work. A "typical Capone murder consisted of men renting an apartment across the street from the victim's residence and gunning him down when he stepped outside. The operations were quick and complete and Capone always had an alibi." ("History Files: Al Capone," The Chicago Historical Society, 1999) Capone was only finally incarcerated on charges of tax evasion, not orchestrating murders, which most law enforcement officials thought merely scratched the surface of his evildoings, much as many of Nixon's critics felt that his spying activities during Watergate were only the tip of a massive iceberg of corruption and lying to the American public that is the true legacy of the Nixon administration. Nixon's Watergate involvement pales in comparison, according to his many critics, in light of his more lasting negative legacy regarding Vietnam...
He claimed to speak for the silent majority of Americans, whose voices were lost during the polarized years of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Capone also was popular in his own neighborhood. "Although Capone ordered dozens of deaths and even killed with his own hands, he often treated people fairly and generously. He was equally known for his violent temper and for his strong sense of loyalty and honor. He was the first to open soup kitchens after the 1929 stock market crash and he ordered merchants to give clothes and food to the needy at his expense." ("History Files: Al Capone," The Chicago Historical Society, 1999) The paradoxical nature of both men, both simultaneously hated and beloved, is their lasting legacy as leaders.
Works Cited
Biography of Richard Nixon." Watergate Info. 1995. [8 Dec 2006] http://www.watergate.info/nixon/
History Files: Al Capone." The Chicago Historical Society. 1999. http://www.chicagohs.org/history/capone/cpn2.html
