▁the ▁break - in ▁Despite ▁the ▁enorm ous ▁impact ▁of ▁the ▁Water gate ▁sc andal , ▁the ▁purpose ▁of ▁the ▁break - in ▁of ▁the ▁D NC ▁offices ▁has ▁never ▁been ▁conclus ively ▁established . ▁Records ▁from ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁v . ▁L idd y ▁trial , ▁made ▁public ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 3 , ▁showed ▁that ▁four ▁of ▁the ▁five ▁burg l ars ▁test ified ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁told ▁the ▁campaign ▁operation ▁hoped ▁to ▁find ▁evidence ▁that ▁linked ▁Cub an ▁fund ing ▁to ▁Democratic ▁campaign s . ▁The ▁long time ▁hypothesis ▁suggests ▁that ▁the ▁target ▁of ▁the ▁break - in ▁was ▁the ▁offices ▁of ▁Larry ▁O ' B rien , ▁the ▁D NC ▁Chair man . ▁However , ▁O ' B rien ' s ▁name ▁was ▁not ▁on ▁Alfred ▁C . ▁Bald win ▁III ' s ▁list ▁of ▁targets ▁that ▁was ▁released ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 3 . ▁Among ▁those ▁listed ▁were ▁senior ▁D NC ▁official ▁R . ▁Sp encer ▁Oliver , ▁Oliver ' s ▁secretary ▁I da ▁" Max ine " ▁Well s , ▁co - worker ▁Robert ▁Allen ▁and ▁secretary ▁Barbara ▁Kennedy . ▁ ▁Based ▁on ▁these ▁revel ations , ▁Texas ▁A & M ▁history ▁professor ▁Luke ▁Nich ter , ▁who ▁had ▁successfully ▁pet ition ed ▁for ▁the ▁release ▁of ▁the ▁information , ▁argued ▁that ▁Wood ward ▁and ▁Bern stein ▁were ▁incorrect ▁in ▁con cluding , ▁based ▁largely ▁on ▁Water gate ▁burg lar ▁James ▁McC ord ' s ▁word , ▁that ▁the ▁purpose ▁of ▁the ▁break - in