His son added, "Making the decision (to go to the press) would have been difficult, painful and excruciating, and outside the bounds of his life's work. He would not have done it if he didn't feel it was the only way to get around the corruption at the White House and Justice Department."

While Felt did not disclose his role until now, many had long suspected him of it — including, apparently, Richard Nixon himself.

Vanity Fair notes tapes showed that in October 1972, Nixon insisted he would "fire the whole goddamn bureau" and singled out Felt, whom he thought to be part of a plot to undermine him through frequent press leaks.

Also, Nixon's former presidential counsel, John W. Dean, once testified that former Attorney General Richard Kleindienst told former acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray to fire Felt because he was the source of Watergate leaks. Gray never attempted to fire him, however.

The Hartford Courant in 1999 also ran a story saying Bernstein's son had told others that Felt was Deep Throat — but Bernstein said his son was apparently reporting speculation by his ex-wife, and that he had never disclosed Deep Throat's identity.

Felt finished fourth in an informal 2002 online poll by CNN about whom people believe Deep Throat was. In that poll, 13 percent said Felt was; 20 percent said Gray was; 14 percent said former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was; and 29 percent said "someone else" was. Other names that have been guessed at include Alexander Haig, Patrick Buchanan, David Gergen and, more recently, George H.W. Bush.

About Felt's condition now, Vanity Fair says he "watches TV sitting beneath a large oil painting of his late wife, Audrey, and goes for rides with a new caregiver. Felt is 91, and his memory for details seems to wax and wane."

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Contributing: Sharon Theimer, Associated Press; Nina J. Easton, Boston Globe; and other wire service reports

E-mail: lee@desnews.com