A&E: Bill Kurtis- Investigative Reports: 'Watergate -- Reasons Behind The Burglary (1992)'

Source:A&E- Frank Sturgis was one of the Watergate burglars.

"It's amazing that this was ever made, but here it is -- in six parts. "The Key to Watergate" (Barbara Newman's 1992 documentary) explores what was behind the Watergate burglary. In particular, why did the burglars have a key to a particular desk drawer at the DNC? The key -- and the reasons -- have been long suppressed. A real shocker! Don't miss it." 

From Eric Scheie

The reasons for the Watergate scandal, had to do with the paranoia of the Nixon White House. President Nixon, as far as we know didn't order the Watergate burglary, but he did establish this type of culture, where actions like this, as legal and unconstitutional as they were, were acceptable if there were a national security reason behind them. And the more intelligence that we have against their enemies, that are trying to destroy America. (As they see it) 

That was reason enough to do things like that, even if that means breaking into the Democratic National Headquarters. A party at the time that was in debt, because they knew they were probably going to lose a landslide in the presidential election. But that you could never get enough solid intelligence about the opposition.

This was the mindset of the Nixon White House, us against them, American vs Un American, you are either with them or against them, no middle ground or compromise and so-forth. And is what led to the fall of the Nixon Administration, where several of its key leaders ended up doing time in prison.