John Dean��s E-Throat

It��s been 30 years since Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward began meeting with Deep Throat, his secret Watergate source. John Dean, then serving as counsel to the president (who memorably warned Nixon of the cancer on his presidency), has speculated twice before on the identity of Deep Throat. Now he��s sure he��s got it��and he��s spilling it in an e-book. Titled Unmasking of Deep Throat, it��s available now on Salon.com [salon.com/deepthroat]. The name should be known by the time you read this.

We asked Dean, Why an e-book? ��Necessity,�� he replied. ��Given the buzz and the interest in getting my information before I was ready to release it, an e-book was a natural way to protect confidentiality. I also wanted to work on it close to the June 17th publication date, to confront Throat and Woodward as late as possible so they would not preempt me.��

Will people read an e-book? ��I��ve read many e-books,�� Dean writes, ��and typically carry one in my laptop. If they are not too long, I find an on-screen book read is terrific. And if anyone wants a hardcover edition, the e-book can be done as a print-on-demand book. So I��ve got both forms of publishing covered.�� He adds, ��I��ve been online for 15 years, way before www. I hope doing this e-book will get media interest to help develop the medium. So far, e-books have been a disappointment.��

Any challenges in publishing an e-book? ��The downside is that newspapers and magazines don��t review e-books. [Y-Life does.��Ed.] But I��m trying to bring some publications into the 21st century.��

Any concerns about piracy? ��Sure, I��m interested to see if an author gets ripped off so badly with an e-book that the only safe route is a hardbound or paperback book. I hope not.��

Identity aside, any surprises? ��While not seeking to trash either Throat or Woodward, I was startled to find that over half the information Deep Throat gave Woodward about Watergate turned out to be dead wrong. But Woodward was absolutely truthful with his readers: Throat is (or was, circa 1972�C74) exactly as he is described in All the President��s Men. Hal Holbrook, who played Deep Throat in the movie, is a bit thinner than the real Throat.��

Copyright © 2002 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Yahoo! Internet Life.