Reply #7: Here is a best guess

[newscaster]

By Lisa Todorovich
washingtonpost.com
Friday, June 13, 1997
T he identity of Bob Woodward's deep background source during the Watergate investigation remains simply the best-kept secret in American politics and journalism. Only four people on the planet are known to have the name -- Woodward; his partner, Carl Bernstein; Ben Bradlee, the former executive editor of The Washington Post; and of course, Deep Throat himself.

In "All the President's Men," their 1974 account of the Watergate scandal, Woodward and Bernstein describe their source as holding an extremely sensitive position in the executive branch, and as one "who could be contacted only on very important occasions." Dubbed "Deep Throat" by managing editor Howard Simons after a popular porn film at the time, the source encouraged Woodward and Bernstein to "follow the money" and confirmed or denied reports from other sources. "Deep Throat had access to information from the White House, Justice, the FBI and CRP ," Woodward and Bernstein wrote. "What he knew represented an aggregate of hard information flowing in and out of many stations."

Woodward has kept his 1972 promise to protect his source's identity because he says Deep Throat wishes to remain anonymous. But some bits of information have been disclosed over the years: Deep Throat is one person, not a composite of several sources, he is a man and he is still living. Woodward noted that Deep Throat was a smoker and that he drank Scotch. "Aware of his own weaknesses, he readily conceded his flaws," the reporters wrote. "He was, incongruously, an incurable gossip, careful to label rumor for what it was, but fascinated by it. ... He could be rowdy, drink too much, overreach. He was not good at concealing his feelings, hardly ideal for a man in his position."

The most-cited Deep Throat suspects include Nixon administration members Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig; CIA officials Cord Meyer and William E. Colby; and FBI officials L. Patrick Gray, W. Mark Felt, Charles W. Bates and Robert Kunkel.