Five men known as the plumbers successfully broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. They searched files, installed wiretaps on phones and left without being caught. The Committee for the Re-election of the President had funded the operation under the direction of the White House.

On this Memorial Day, forty years after the first Watergate break-in, remember the value of transparency, public integrity and the rule of law. Disclosure of campaign contributions and spending will only strengthen our democracy.