John Dean Rips New 'Deep Throat' Book in Review

John Dean Rips New 'Deep Throat' Book in Review
By E&P Staff
Published: May 06, 2006 2:35 PM ET

John Dean, the former Nixon counsel, knows a thing or two about Watergate, and in a review to be published in The New York Times on Sunday, he lacerates the new memoir by (or claimed to be by) "Deep Throat," a.k.a. W. Mark Felt.

Dean writes bluntly that the book "adds absolutely nothing to our understanding about Felt's role as Bob Woodward's source during Watergate. "

He notes that at 92, Felt is suffering from memory problems and the book, "A G-Man's Life," was "assembled" by California lawyer, John O'Connor.

Dean, who eventually blew the whistle on Watergate in testifying before Congress, recalls that one of the most fascinating aspects of the Deep Throat saga concerned how much of what Felt told Woodward was actually wrong, and now "he is no longer able to" explain why. Instead, the book relies mainly on Felt's previous memoir, "The FBI Pyramid."

Added to that, the material on Watergate in the new book "is riddled with errors, some minor, others major," Dean complains.

"With genuine disappointment," Dean concludes that the book "is weak biography or autobiography (for it is a bit of both), but it is even worse history. To borrow old Watergate vernacular, it isn't even a good 'modified limited hangout.'"