Judith Hoback Miller (born May 10, 1937) acted as an investigative source in the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the Presidency of Richard Nixon, administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Resignation of Richard Nixon, Nix ...

in 1972 during the presidency of

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

. She served as the bookkeeper for the

Committee for the Re-Election of the President The Committee for the Re-election of the President (or the Committee to Re-elect the President, CRP, but often mocked by the acronym CREEP) was, officially, a fundraising organization of United States President Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election ...

Personal life

Miller was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Lois (née Litchfield, 1899–1955) and Charles Luther Graham (1895–1951). Her father was an athletic coach at West Chester University with its swimming pool named in his honor. He had served in World War I and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery with her mother. She has a sister, Ross Graham, and a brother David Graham (d. 2013). Miller was married and had a daughter Kelly with her first husband James Hoback (1938–1970), who died of a heart attack. In 1984, she married Grover Miller, owner of the firm H&M Marketing, for which she worked as the accountant. Miller is retired and lives in Florida with her second husband. Her daughter is a teacher.

Watergate

Miller (then Hoback) was working as the bookkeeper for

's re-election campaign in 1972 when

Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for ''The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the honorific title of associate editor though the Post no longer employs ...

and

Carl Bernstein Carl Milton Bernstein ( ; born February 14, 1944) is an American investigative journalist and author. While a young reporter for ''The Washington Post'' in 1972, Bernstein was teamed up with Bob Woodward, and the two did much of the original ne ...

contacted her for information. Woodward has stated that she was just as important as Deep Throat for unveiling the Watergate Scandal because she had knowledge about where money was going and who it was coming from. Hoback was one of the few people who talked freely with Woodward and Bernstein, allowing them to come to her home, although she has stated she was "pretty nervous and scared" and was "frustrated that the truth wasn't coming out". She had notified the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

and felt it was not handling the investigation properly. She revealed to Woodward and Bernstein that evidence of financial misconduct had been destroyed, and some of the committee members, including G. Gordon Liddy and Jeb Stuart Magruder, were receiving payouts from a secret fund. This information advanced the investigation that led to

's resignation as president of the United States.

Portrayal in media

In the 1976 film '' All the President's Men'', actress

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American-Canadian actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 ...

portrayed Hoback, who is referred to as "The Bookkeeper" in the screenplay. Alexander met with Hoback to prepare for the role, and the production rented Hoback's former home for her character's scenes with Bernstein, played by

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...

. Some historians have criticized the film for downplaying the importance of Hoback's role in the scandal. Alexander was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

for her performance. In the 2022 television

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Gaslit'', Hoback, portrayed by actress Marin Ireland, appears more extensively through the FBI's early investigation of the break-in, starting with an interview by two agents cut short by Nixon's White House Counsel

John Dean John Wesley Dean III (born October 14, 1938) is a disbarred American attorney who served as White House Counsel for U.S. President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. Dean is known for his role in the cover-up of the Watergate scan ...

as soon as she mentions having worked for Liddy. At a subsequent midnight diner meeting alone with the agents, Hoback then recounts in detail the operation's principal criminal figures and their activities as well as one particular example of Liddy's bizarre

worldview A worldview (also world-view) or is said to be the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and Perspective (cognitive), point of view. However, whe ...

s. Hoback first told her story on television in the

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

1992 special ''Watergate: The Secret Story'', hosted by

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...

and marking 20 years since the Watergate break-in.''Watergate: The Secret Story''
YouTube (originally broadcast by CBS)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Judy Hoback 1937 births Living people American accountants American women accountants Staff Watergate scandal investigators