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NPR News

Watergate Figure E. Howard Hunt Dies at 88

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E. Howard Hunt, one of the key figures who organized the Watergate break-in, has died at the age of 88. A longtime CIA operative, Hunt helped plan both a coup in Guatemala in 1954 and the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. The man once known as a "White House Plumber" died in Miami after a struggle with pneumonia.

Hunt served 33 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in the Watergate burglary.

In 1973, Hunt appeared before the Senate committee investigating the Watergate scandal. He said the break-in was "an unwise operation, but I viewed it as lawful."

Bob Woodward broke the Watergate story in The Washington Post, working with Carl Bernstein. Melissa Block talks with Woodward, who is now assistant managing editor at the Post.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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