The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat

By Bob Woodward

In America's capital city, where little stays secret for long, the identity of Deep Throat - the mysterious source who helped Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein break open the Watergate scandal in 1972 - remained hidden for thirty-three years. Now, Woodward tells the story of his long, complex relationship with Mark Felt, the enigmatic former No. 2 man in the FBI who helped end the presidency of Richard Nixon.

The Secret Man chronicles the story in intimate detail, from Woodward's first, chance encounter with Felt in the Nixon White House, to their covert, middle-of-the-night meetings in an underground parking garage, to the aftermath of Watergate and decades beyond, until Felt finally stepped forward at age 91 to unmask himself as Deep Throat. It is an intense, 33-year journey and the gripping final chapter to one of the most exciting periods in journalistic and political history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Dec 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781471104701

Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward is an associate editor at The Washington Post, where he has worked for more than 50 years. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes, one for his Watergate coverage and the other for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has authored 21 bestselling books, 15 of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers.

Reviews for The Secret Man

[olegalca · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't even in the womb when the Watergate story broke. However, the Judicial committee did pass articles of impeachment on Richard Nixon on my first birthday! Regardless of that, I can't appreciate the effect of Watergate on the people who were around at that time. Still, I do remember growing up, that we would use the term "Deep Throat" in the context of secrets and unknown subjects, without a proper understanding of where the term came from.

I do, however, remember the announcement in 2005 that Mark Felt was Deep Throat. There were only a handful of people who knew his identity - but still, I consider the fact that the secret was kept for so long to be amazing. I suppose more than one alive person can keep a secret in certain situations.

Bob Woodward's book is readable but lacking the fast-paced excitement that "All the President's Men" generated, at least in me. Still, it was fun to read and see all the different theories that people have had over the years and compare them to the real story.

[carolfoisset · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Listened to this book in the car and must admit my mind wandered at times, but I did learn a lot about Watergate and found the information fascinating.

[whirled_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Secret Man provides a summary of the Watergate story, with one important piece of the puzzle finally in place. The background on W. Mark Felt and his relationship with Bob Woodward make it a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the Nixon years. And, of course, Woodward brings his usual highly readable narrative non-fiction style to the proceedings. It's just a shame Felt left it so long to 'out' himself as Deep Throat, because some of his (and Woodward's) recollections are very vague indeed.

[mrminjares · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This compelling sequel to All the President's Men offers rich detail about the relationship between Bob Woodward and W. Mark Felt, the FBI agent otherwise known as Deepthroat. Both men had a personal relationship with origins before the Watergate scandal. We learn that Mark Felt was a loyalist to Hoover, and that one of his motives may have been to preserve the integrity of the FBI that he and Hoover had helped to construct. But Mark Felt was not altogether clear with his motives. The slow pace and dribble of clues he provided to Bob Woodward may have been deliberately calculated, or the product of mixed motives. Was Mark Felt the type of man who wished to serve his country, but also not betray it? These are questions that we and Bob Woodward are unable to answer. By the time Felt's famy decided to reveal the identity of deepthroat, Felt had lost all memory of Watergate with the onset of dementia.This book was a nice exploration of the relationship between Woodward and Felt. It helped to clarify for me the discussions with Deepthroat and his incredibly important role in the breaking of the Watergate story.

[yeremenko_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story about how Woodward met Feld, how they communicated, etc, is fascinating. You can tell Woodward was rushed and caught off guard by Feld's family's decision to name him as Deep Throat. The lat part of the book seems rushed and full of self-justification. Woodward seems a bit miffed to lose control of the secret, but you can also feel the stress he was under to protect a source.A must read for anyone interested in Watergate.

[thorswitch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this while I was in the hospital, and this book was interesting enough that it helped distract me from how I was feeling. Woodward could easily have turned this into a hagiography of Mark Felt, but instead present a portrait of a complicated and conflicted man. It's also a nice companion for "All the President's Men," helping to round out those stories a bit more by bringing the shadowy figure of Deep Throat into the light.