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Bruce Givner (The Watergate Mystery Man)

Bruce Givner (Born November 16, 1950 - Lorain, Ohio), tax attorney, has been referred to as “The Mystery Man” in the Watergate Scandal. He has found himself in the spotlight numerous times throughout his four-decade career, as an "accidental bystander" in some of the most pivotal legal scandals that have marked the 20th and 21st centuries. In addition to Watergate, Givner handled legal matters for three of the most acclaimed alleged murderers in Hollywood: O.J. Simpson and Phil Spector (pension plans); and Robert Blake (probating his late wife’s estate). He also was quoted in a number of top-tier news sources when the Monica Lewinsky/Bill Clinton scandal broke. Givner’s former partner, William Ginsburg, represented Dr. Bernard Lewinsky, Monica’s father. Media sought out Givner for comment.

Bruce Givner
Born	Bruce Givner (1950-11-16) November 16, 1950 Lorain, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles, Columbia Law School, New York University
Occupation	Attorney

Early Life

Givner was born and raised in Lorain, Ohio. Givner’s father, Eugene, was diagnosed with M.S. when Givner was 8-years-old. Givner’s father was forced to leave the family business in Lorain—Givner’s Luggage and Jewelry, a general store of sorts that sold luggage, jewelry, and the engraving of it; and men’s clothing. Due to his illness, Eugene Givner was restricted to a wheel chair and was told he would have to move his family to a less humid climate. That meant the family could choose between Texas, Arizona and California. He chose the latter, and the city of Encino, California, after finding a wheel-chair friendly home in that town. Givner’s mother, Sonia Ann (“Sunny”) worked as a realtor (and sometimes in the Givner store’s jewelry department).

Bildung

• Washington Elementary School (1956 to 1963)
• Hawthorne Junior High (1963 to 1964)
• Admiral King High School (1965-1969)
• University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1973; B.A. - Major: History
• Columbia Law School, New York, New York, 1976; J.D.
• New York University School of Law, New York, New York, 1977; LL.M. (Tax)

The day after Givner graduated from Admiral King High School, he flew to L.A. and moved into Sproul Hall at UCLA. By the end of 1971, his sophomore year, he became involved in student government. The faculty assigned him to a group that Rick Tuttle was in, an original freedom rider with Martin Luther King, who later became treasurer of the city of L.A.; and Sheila Kuehl, currently an L.A. County Commissioner. At the end of his junior year at UCLA, Givner entered the Summer Internship Program which placed students in various government offices in the city of L.A., the state capitol, and in Washington D.C. Givner landed an internship at the DNC, not the most coveted position; those who were lucky were given ones with members of Congress.

Watergate

On November 10, 1974, when the Sunday New York Times Magazine, published an article by Sol Sternnov about the Watergate break-in, “A Watergate Footnote,” wherein Sternnov alleged that Givner was “a mystery man” in the Watergate event, Givner wrote to the Times explaining who he was; denouncing any participation in the critical and historical event. The Times published his letter. He also was interviewed by Bob Fink, a researcher for the Washington Post, who had been hired by Woodward and Bernstein to work on their book, “All the President’s Men.” Fink confronted Givner, at first, strongly suggesting that Givner may have been a part of the botched event, a plant, but shortly after that conversation, Fink was convinced Givner had not played a role in the crime.

With regard to Watergate, Givner is cited in many articles such as Harper’s, January 1980 feature story, “The McCord File,” by Jim Hougan . He also was the subject in Columbia Law School News “If Not For Him, Nixon Might Still Be President,” by Jim Shaw , referring to Givner as the person “if not for….” He also has been written about in a book by Roger Stone and Mike Colapietro, Tricky Dick: The Rise and Fall of Richard M. Nixon , and, White House Call Girl: The Real Story written by Phil Stanford .

Givner was a 21-year-old intern working at the DNC on the 6th floor of the Watergate when his prolonged stay on that floor precluded the group of “bandits” from entering the building to correct their earlier wiretap work. The criminals on watch were staked out across the street until everyone working on that 6th floor departed, including Givner. Though Givner finished his intern duties around 7:30 p.m., On June 16, 1972, Givner stayed on to use a use a WATS line to call friends and family, both in L.A. and Ohio. Sometime during the middle of those calls, Givner needed to relieve himself of a full bladder. Realizing he could not re-enter the suites using a bathroom in the hallway because he had no key to re-enter, Givner stepped out onto the balcony and relieved himself in a cement planter. It has been reported that the Watergate burglars likely witnessed that event through binoculars as they lay in wait inside a suite above the Howard Johnson’s awaiting the right time to make their move, which they finally did during the early morning hours of Saturday, June 17, 1972, long after they had hoped to get in.

After his phone calls that evening, Givner finally turned off the lights on Saturday, June 17, 1972) at 12:05 p.m., he told numerous reporters over the years. He then bolted down the stairwell where he began chatting in the lobby with Frank Wills, the security guard on duty at Watergate. After some friendly small talk, Wills and Givner headed across the street to the Howard Johnson’s restaurant for cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes. After ordering, Givner sat and ate his meal while Wills scurried back to his post. Wills began to follow up with his supervisor’s supervisor (he couldn’t reach his own)—the guy to whom he reported the tape on the level two basement door before he left for the Howard Johnson’s. The tape was still there which prevented the door from locking. Shortly after reconnecting with his supervisor’s supervisor, Wills called police, who arrived within minutes. The burglars had snuck in. Arrests were quickly made.

When Givner returned to his office at the DNC the following day—Saturday afternoon, around 3 p.m.—the 6th floor was swarming with police, FBI and other authorities. Givner let them know he had not left the building until shortly after midnight. That critical piece of information was pivotal to the investigation (and the beginning of what would lead to the ultimate impeachment of Nixon).

Wills was lauded as the hero who alerted police of the break-in, though later, Givner was credited as having provided critical information. Givner was not only questioned by the D.C. police, and the FBI, but in October 1973, he also was interviewed by Senator Fred Thompson, who was the minority counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. Givner was credited with having stopped the McCord group from getting into the building to do their dirty work “on time.” Had it not been for Givner thwarting the burglar’s plans to enter the building for so many hours (as many historians have reported), Nixon may never have been made to resign .

Career

Bruce Givner, tax attorney, was admitted to the State Bar of California in December, 1976 and began practicing law in Encino, California. He currently practices in tax law in Los Angeles, California.

References

Sharon, W. (n.d.). In Words and Guise, Lewinsky's Attorney Tries the Fatherly Approach. Retrieved December 05, 2017, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/ginsburg012598.htm

Adkisson, J. (2017, May 16). No, There Is No Important Public Policy Exception To Recognizing A Sister-State Judgment. Retrieved December 05, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jayadkisson/2017/05/16/no-there-is-no-important-public-policy-exception-to-recognizing-a-sister-state-judgment/#4d0bcb8839ce

Stern, S. (1974, November 10). A Watergate footnote*; *The selling of Frank Wills Frank Wills ‘After all the applause is over, Wills must go back to the same neighborhood to wait for the next appearance and to reflect that what he is being feted for is nothing but the result of blind chance.’. Retrieved December 05, 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/10/archives/a-watergate-footnote-the-selling-of-frank-wills-frank-wills-after-a.html

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2011/09/keeping-control-of-irrevocable-trusts.html

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-ocurt-of-appeal/1841865.htmlfotnote 22