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Key Player in Watergate Scandal Converses with Business Students

Seattle law student and member of President Nixon's deputy counsel in 1969, Egil “Bud” Krogh, recently visited the campus of Western Washington University. During his day long visit, which included lectures in numerous departments and colleges throughout the university, Krogh spent time with CBE students to discuss the implications of ethical decision making in business, government and life.

In 1971, the disclosure of the Pentagon Papers (the documents that would in part lead to the Watergate scandal) led Krogh, and his “Mr. Clean” reputation, to become the unlikely choice to co-direct the secret unit,” White House Plumbers," a unit specifically constructed to stop information leaks from the Nixon White House.  Krogh approved the September 1971 burglary, an event which now lives in infamy, and later came forward and pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy against the rights of citizens in 1973. He was the first former Nixon staffer to be jailed for his involvement in the scandal and was sentenced to six months in prison.

In his lecture to undergraduate and MBA students, Krogh discussed the ethical implications of decision making.  He highlighted specific examples from his experiences in the Nixon White House and illustrated how “poor decisions” are made. Transferring insight in legal ethics into the business field, Krogh demonstrated how his general principal of the “integrity zone” can be applied to business situations as well.  He emphasized that in business, just as in politics, professionals are under the same pressures to perform and meet deadlines, which sometimes can lead to poor decisions with disastrous results.

To illustrate his point that poor decisions can be made surrounding any topic, and that context has more power than our ethical ideas, Krogh divulged a story about how he facilitated the famous meeting between President Nixon and Elvis Presley. In December of 1970, Elvis showed up at the White House gate with a letter for President Nixon requesting a personal meeting because he wanted to see how he could help the government fight the drug trade (Krogh is the third person in the famous photo that was snapped during their meeting).  Elvis “left the building” with an actual narcotics agent badge and no objection from anyone in the Oval Office. Krogh points out that he did not consider the ramifications of his actions and his willingness to provide these credentials to a private citizen. He admits that he never considered the possibility for improper use and that there are reasons members of that organization have to take an oath to carry a Department of Justice badge. In short, we simply don’t see things as unethical because the context they are in blinds us to the ethical implications.

Today, Krogh spends his time as a public speaker and advocate for ethical decision making. In August 2007 he published a book, co-authored with his son Mathew, entitled Integrity: Good People, Bad Choices and Life Lessons from the White House. More information about Krogh’s message on ethical decision making, his book, a schedule of upcoming lectures, as well as important documents from his past can be found on his website, www.budkrogh.com.

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