Did Woodward Violate Agreement With Felt?

One of the key points that came out of this morning’s first-person Bob Woodward article on W. Mark Felt becoming ‘Deep Throat’ was Felt’s adamancy that he not be identified.

A few examples:

“[Felt] was relatively free with me but insisted that he, the FBI and the Justice Department be kept out of anything I might use indirectly or pass onto others. He was stern and strict about those rules with a booming, insistent voice.”

“On May 18, I did a Page One article that said, among other things, ‘High federal officials who have reviewed investigative reports on the Wallace shooting said yesterday that there is no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Bremer was a hired killer.’ It was rather brazen of me. Though I was technically protecting my source and talked to others besides Felt, I did not do a good job of concealing where the information was coming from. Felt chastised me mildly.”

“I tried to call Felt, but he wouldn’t take the call. I tried his home in Virginia and had no better luck. So one night I showed up at his Fairfax home. It was a plain-vanilla, perfectly kept, everything-in-its-place suburban house. His manner made me nervous. He said no more phone calls, no more visits to his home, nothing in the open.”

Much has been made about how great, honest, and true-to-his-word Woodward has been over the last 30 years in protecting Deep Throat’s identity. But if one considers what Felt was saying to Woodward about not telling anyone about Felt, did Woodward violate that agreement by creating ‘Deep Throat’ as a literary figure in his books?

As one person commented to us today: “Felt had repeatedly insisted not only that he not be named, but that his existence not be referred to to anyone. Sure seems like turning the guy (via a catchy name and late night theatrics) into the most famous anonymous source in history violated the letter and spirit of that arrangement.”

Did Woodward break his word to Felt in order to make his books more dramatic?

Anyone agree or disagree?

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