L. Patrick Gray facts for kids
Louis Patrick Gray III (born July 18, 1916 – died July 6, 2005) was an important figure in American history. He served as the temporary leader of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from May 1972 to April 1973. During this time, the FBI began investigating the Watergate scandal. This scandal eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
Gray was nominated to be the permanent FBI Director in 1973. However, he did not get approval from the Senate. He resigned as acting director after admitting he destroyed documents. These documents came from E. Howard Hunt, who was involved in the Watergate break-in.
Gray did not speak publicly about the Watergate scandal for 32 years. He only talked to the press once, near the end of his life. This was after Mark Felt, a high-ranking FBI official who worked under Gray, revealed he was the secret source for The Washington Post.
Quick facts for kids
L. Patrick Gray
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | |
| In office May 3, 1972 – April 27, 1973 |
|
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Clyde Tolson (acting) |
| Succeeded by | William Ruckelshaus (acting) |
| Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division | |
| In office 1970–1972 |
|
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | William Ruckelshaus |
| Succeeded by | Harlington Wood Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Louis Patrick Gray III
July 18, 1916 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 2005 (aged 88) Atlantic Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Beatrice Castle Kirk
(m. 1946) |
| Children | 4 (2 adopted) |
| Education | Rice University United States Naval Academy (BS) George Washington University (JD) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1940–1960 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
Contents
Early Life and Education
Louis Patrick Gray III was born on July 18, 1916, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the oldest son of a railroad worker. Gray worked three jobs while going to school in St. Louis and Houston, Texas. He finished St. Thomas High School in 1932 when he was only 16. He had skipped two grades.
Gray first went to Rice University. However, his main goal was to get into the United States Naval Academy. He was finally accepted into the Naval Academy in 1936. He left Rice University in his senior year to attend.
At that time, Gray could not afford the bus or train ticket to Annapolis. So, he worked as an apprentice sailor on a cargo ship. On the way to Philadelphia, Gray taught calculus to the ship's captain. In return, the captain taught him basic navigation. From Philadelphia, Gray hitchhiked to Annapolis.
At the Naval Academy, Gray became the starting quarterback for the football team. He also played lacrosse and boxed. In 1940, Gray earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Naval Academy.
The United States Navy made Gray a line officer. He served on five submarine war patrols during World War II in the Pacific Ocean. In 1945, Gray visited Beatrice Castle Kirk (1923–2019). She was the widow of his Naval Academy classmate. They got married in 1946. He adopted her two sons, Alan and Ed. They also had two sons of their own, Patrick and Stephen.
In 1949, Gray earned a law degree from George Washington University Law School. By 1960, Gray had achieved a lot in the Navy. He commanded three submarines, including the U.S.S. Tiru (SS-416), during the Korean War. He also became a captain. He decided to retire from the Navy in 1961 and joined a law firm.
Working for the Government
In 1969, Gray returned to work for the federal government. He held several jobs under President Nixon. In 1970, President Nixon appointed him as an Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. This was part of the Department of Justice. In 1972, Gray was nominated to be Deputy Attorney General. However, his nomination was withdrawn before he could be confirmed.
Acting Director of the FBI
Instead, President Nixon chose Gray to be the temporary leader of the FBI. This happened after the death of J. Edgar Hoover. Gray served for less than a year. The day-to-day operations of the FBI were mostly handled by Associate Director Mark Felt.
Watergate Scandal Involvement
The Watergate Investigation
On June 17, 1972, just six weeks after Gray started at the FBI, five men were arrested. They had broken into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. This was at the Watergate hotel complex in Washington, D.C..
Gray first learned about the break-ins from a special agent in Los Angeles. He immediately called Mark Felt, his second in command. Felt had limited information at first. The next day, Felt told Gray that the burglars were connected to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President.
For the first six months, Gray was very involved in the investigation. However, when it seemed the White House might be involved, Gray stepped back. He gave control of the investigation to Mark Felt.
Efforts to Hide Information
On June 23, 1972, White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman and President Nixon talked about using the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to stop the FBI investigation. They wanted to hide the money trail that led from the burglars to the re-election committee.
Gray said that Vernon A. Walters, the deputy director of the CIA, told him to slow down the investigation. Walters suggested that going "south of the border" could interfere with secret CIA projects. This meant the FBI should not interview certain people connected to the money.
Later, the Director of the CIA, Richard Helms, also told Gray not to interview other individuals. He said they were active CIA agents. This was based on an agreement between the CIA and FBI not to reveal each other's secret sources.
This effort by the White House and CIA delayed the interviews for about a week. Then, Gray and his senior FBI staff decided they needed a written request from the CIA. This request would have to explain why they should not interview these people. Gray demanded the written request.
The next morning, Vernon Walters delivered a memo. It did not ask the FBI to stop the interviews. Walters also suggested Gray warn the President that some White House staff were hindering the FBI's investigation. After this, Gray ordered the interviews to continue right away. The CIA's efforts to hide information delayed the FBI investigation by no more than two weeks.
Gray knew the White House was worried about what the FBI investigation might find. He explored ways to limit the investigation. John Dean, a White House lawyer, used Gray to keep information from becoming public. Gray wanted to help the President, but he came very close to being involved in the cover-up.
Mark Felt and the Secret Source
Recordings from the Nixon White House tapes showed that Bob Haldeman told Nixon that Mark Felt was leaking secret FBI information to the press. Gray said he refused five times when the White House demanded he fire Felt. Gray believed Felt's promises that he was not the source.
After Felt admitted in a 2005 Vanity Fair article that he lied to Gray about leaking, Gray said Felt's anger about not getting a promotion caused him to leak information.
Confirmation Hearings and Resignation
In 1973, Gray was nominated to be the permanent FBI Director. This happened when details about the Watergate scandal were becoming public. The FBI, under Gray, had been accused of not handling the investigation well. Gray's Senate hearing was the first chance for senators to ask questions about the Watergate investigation.
During the hearing, Gray defended the FBI's investigation. He said he had given copies of some investigation files to White House Counsel John Dean. Dean had told Gray he was investigating for the President. Gray testified that the FBI's legal team advised him to give the files to Dean. He also confirmed that the FBI investigation supported claims made by The Washington Post about illegal activities.
Gray testified that Dean had "probably lied" to the FBI. This made many people more suspicious of a cover-up.
On June 21, 1972, Gray met with John Dean and John Ehrlichman. Gray was given several envelopes of documents from E. Howard Hunt's safe. Dean told Gray that the documents were "national security documents" and should "never see the light of day." Dean also repeatedly told Gray the documents were not related to Watergate.
Six months later, Gray said he finally looked at the papers as he burned them in a fireplace. He said some papers were fake secret cables about the Kennedy administration and the assassination of the Vietnamese president (Diem). Other papers were letters supposedly written by Senator Kennedy.
After learning that John Dean was cooperating with prosecutors, Gray told Senator Lowell Weicker. Senator Weicker then shared this information with reporters. Because of this, Gray was forced to resign from the FBI on April 27, 1973.
Legal Challenges
For the next eight years, Gray defended his actions as Acting Director of the FBI. He testified before many grand juries and Congress committees.
On October 7, 1975, the Watergate Special Prosecutor closed the last investigation related to Gray. Gray was never officially charged with any crime related to Watergate. However, the scandal continued to affect him.
In 1978, Gray was accused of approving illegal break-ins during the Nixon administration. Gray strongly denied these charges, which were dropped in 1980. Mark Felt and Edward Miller, who had approved similar break-ins, were convicted but later pardoned by President Ronald Reagan. After being cleared by the Department of Justice, Gray went back to his law practice.
Later Life and Legacy
After his time in Washington, Gray returned to practicing law in New London, Connecticut.
In a 2005 Vanity Fair article, Mark Felt said he was the secret source for Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Woodward, Bernstein, and Post editor Benjamin C. Bradlee confirmed this. Gray spoke about Watergate for the first time in 32 years on June 26, 2005. This was ten days before he died from pancreatic cancer. He told ABC's This Week that he was in "total shock" when he heard Felt's claim.
Gray died on July 6, 2005. He was working on his life story with his stepson, Edward Gray. His stepson finished the book, called In Nixon's Web: A Year in the Crosshairs of Watergate.
Important Records
Gray was very careful about keeping records. He took 40 boxes of personal records with him from his year at the FBI. This collection grew even more because of the legal cases he was involved in later.
This collection of records is considered the "most complete set of Watergate investigative records outside the government."
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal
- World War II Victory Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Korean Service Medal
- United Nations Korea Medal
See also
- Helen Gandy
