Mark Felt, the FBI officer who was the legendary "Deep Throat" of Watergate fame, has died at the age of 95. There are those who would argue otherwise but I think the guy was a genuine American hero…for a brief time. He was also behind a good deal of illegal surveillance that the bureau conducted, and I don't think one act cancels out the other.
The legend, of course, is that Felt gave Bob Woodward the inside info that enabled the reporter (and his partner, Carl Bernstein) to blow the Watergate scandal wide open and bring down Richard Nixon. What I've gleaned from my readings is that Nixon was undone more by his friends (and himself) than his enemies or any reportage. A lot of what Felt told Woodward, at least as quoted in All the President's Men, was wrong. Still, he was right enough to keep the Washington Post on the story when others thought the investigation had gone as far as it would ever go. That it went the distance is attributable, at least in part, to Felt.
According to this news report, Woodward and Bernstein went to visit Felt a month ago while they were in the area to give a speech. For Woodward and Felt, it was a reunion. For Bernstein and Felt, it was an introduction. They'd never met. I'll bet the reporters are glad they made that detour.