I never admired Elliot Richardson, who I thought postured as morally superior when he really just was playing up to the Washington liberal power structure. However, de mortuis nihil nisi bonum, so let him rest in peace. He was a devoted public servant, even if I did not agree with him.

At first we were a little unsure about anyone who didn't like Elliot Richardson. But Ben Stein, the former Nixon Speechwriter/Ferris Bueller's teacher turned game show host, was the first person to answer our email re:Nixon and Watergate.

Here's

what we wrote him:

Dear Mr. Stein-

First, I'd like to say that I'm a huge fan. I didn't think I could enjoy a game show more than Jeopardy, but I was wrong.

I'm emailing you because my friend Hadley and I are creating a website about Watergate and were wondering if you could share any anecdotes from your experiences in the Nixon White House, or from your friendship with Carl Bernstein.

We have a few specific questions as well, but anything you could share would be enormously appreciated.

I read that you went bowling with Bernstein. Did you ever go bowling with President Nixon?

What do you think of G. Gordon Liddy? Do you think there's a demand for G. Gordon Liddy action figures? Did you see him when he was on McGyver?

Do you know why the plumbers seemed to use Cubans for everything? Do you think Watergate could have been a Communist conspiracy?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this-

And here's what he wrote back:

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That is a big subject. I think a pro-Soviet faction at the CIA helped get rid of RN for checkmating them by opening relations with China.

So he gets a special place in our book for writing to us. Some of our other Watergate faves are incurring our wrath by not answering our email (G. Gordon Liddy, we're looking in your direction) so it's heartwarming for a big Hollywood celebrity to take time out to share his own Watergate theories with us.