The New York Times, standing immediately at Muskie's feet, could not confirm that Muskie cried. Denunciation Whether true or false, fear of Muskie's alleged unstable emotional condition led some New Hampshire Democrats to defect to George McGovern. Muskie's winning margin, 46% to McGovern's 37%, was smaller than his campaign had predicted. The bounce and second-place finish led the McGovern campaign to boast of its momentum. By the time of the Florida primary, with McGovern clearing other left-leaning candidates from the field, Muskie's campaign was dead. Washington Post staff writer Marilyn Berger reported that Nixon White House staffer Ken Clawson had bragged to her about authoring the letter. Clawson denied Berger's account. In October 1972, FBI investigators asserted that the Canuck Letter was part of the dirty tricks campaign against Democrats orchestrated by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President. Loeb, the publisher of the Manchester Union Leader, maintained that the letter was not a fabrication, but later admitted to having some doubt, however, after receiving another letter claiming that someone had been paid $1,000 to write the Canuck Letter. The purported author, Paul Morrison of Deerfield Beach, Florida, was never found. The authorship of the letter is covered at length in the 1974 book All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and its 1976 film adaptation. References Further reading David Broder, "The Story That Still Nags at Me -- Edmund S. Muskie," Washington Monthly. February 1987. "Nixon's Nightmare: Fighting to be Believed," Time. May 14, 1973. Theodore H. White, The Making of the President 1972. Election scandals in the United States Political controversies in the United States Political forgery 1972 in American politics Canada–United States relations 1972 United States presidential election Anti-Quebec sentiment Presidency of Richard Nixon Watergate scandal 1972 documents