President Warren G. Harding's short term was saturated with many scandals including the famous Teapot Dome, the most shocking display of federal corruption seen in the US before the Watergate Scandal.
The scandal was centered around a teapot shaped plot of land in Wyoming which the US government set aside for the Navy because the area was believed to contain oil. The US Navy had been converting to oil rather than coal based fuel. After World War I, the Navy wanted access to oil in case another war occurred and the US designated the Teapot Dome to fulfill this need.
Harding appointed Senator Albert Falls oversight of the land. Falls issued exclusive leases of drilling rights of the land to the Mammoth Oil Company and the Pan-American Petroleum Company, both owned by friends of Falls'.
These companies were allowed to extract hundreds of millions of gallons of oil if they built a pipeline and some oil storage accommodations for the government. After sightings of the companies' logos at the Teapot Dome, the Wall Street Journal published details of the deal.
Falls received backlash not only from the public but from other oil companies who felt they should have been included in the deal. The Denver Post blackmailed the oilmen involved, threatening to expose more details if the oilmen did not pay them. President Harding encouraged the oilmen to pay up in order to avoid more bad press.
Senator Falls stepped down from his position but rumors of further corruption in the Cabinet turned the attention back to Harding who had originally endorsed Falls' lease plan. Harding decided to keep other federal scandals quiet, perhaps in an effort to preserve his reputation which was already tainted by his violation of Prohibition and activity with mistresses.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/teapot-dome-scandal
https://www.britannica.com/event/Teapot-Dome-Scandal
I really enjoyed how you covered a story that isn't often discussed. As you stated in your article, the federal corruption in Harding's administration is often overshadowed by the Watergate Scandal and President Nixon's corruption. In 1972, while seeking reelection, the former President hired a set of burglars to rob the DNC office and take highly secretive documents. After the burglars were arrested, President Nixon tried to cover up the break-in, but was eventually revealed to have arranged the robbery. This story, similarly to The Teapot Dome Scandal demonstrates how President's, like any other government official, can abuse their power and corrupt the government.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.history.com/topics/1970s/watergate
This was a really interesting topic that highlights a pattern of some presidents becoming involved in secretive deals that when surfaced, make their corruption as leaders apparent. This sort of secretive deal is also seen in the 1980s Iran Contra Affair that occurred during Reagan's second term where the National Security Council became involved in secret weapon sales to Iran to push for the release of American hostages in Lebanon. Money from these sales was used to fund a freedom fighting, guerrilla group called the "Contras," whose funding was publicly rejected, to protect Nicaragua from Marxist government. Although they were at fault, Reagan and his vice president, George Bush, were never explicitly blamed, revealing the sad truth that presidential power is often abused and can even lead to corruption.
ReplyDeleteSources: https://www.britannica.com/event/Iran-Contra-Affair
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/topics/1980s/iran-contra-affair