Mark Felt

Lore & Background

Felt joined the FBI in 1942 after a brief stint at the Federal Trade Commission. He rose through the ranks, serving in field offices across the country and overseeing early organized crime investigations in Nevada. Felt became Associate Director of the FBI in December 1971, before J. Edgar Hoover's death in May 1972.

While his only superior was on sick leave, Felt provided information to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein under the pseudonym 'Deep Throat'. He resigned on June 22, 1973, after L. Patrick Gray resigned and he was not appointed Director. In 1980, he was convicted of violating civil rights by ordering FBI agents to break into homes of people thought to be associated with the Weather Underground; he was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, before his appeal was resolved.

Felt revealed his identity as Deep Throat in 2005 to Vanity Fair magazine at age 91, after being persuaded by his daughter. Woodward confirmed the claim. Felt had published a memoir, 'The FBI Pyramid: From the Inside', in 1979, later republished as 'A G-Man's Life: The FBI, Being 'Deep Throat,' and the Struggle for Honor in Washington' in 2006.

Reader's Guide

Mark Felt's legacy is defined by his dual role as a high-ranking FBI official and the secret source who helped expose the Watergate scandal. As deputy director, he was the bureau's second-in-command, yet he covertly fed information to journalists that led to President Nixon's resignation. His actions remain a subject of debate: some view him as a whistleblower who upheld the rule of law, while others note his later conviction for authorizing illegal break-ins against suspected radicals. Felt's identity as Deep Throat remained secret for 30 years, and his eventual revelation reshaped public understanding of the Watergate story. His career illustrates the tensions within the FBI during a period of political upheaval and the complex ethics of law enforcement and journalism.

Did You Know?

• Felt was convicted in 1980 for violating civil rights by ordering FBI break-ins against people thought to be associated with the Weather Underground.
• He was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, before his appeal was resolved.
• Felt's father was a carpenter and building contractor; his paternal grandfather was a Free Will Baptist minister.
• He earned his J.D. degree from George Washington University Law School in 1940.