One morning in June of 71 I think, they led the newspaper with it, with eight-column banners. How old were you at the time of that break-in? Muskie, in the emotion of the campaign, was trying to explain what had gone on. Bob Woodward: Is the CIA connected to this? It taught me the benefits of collaboration, and that collaboration is a wonderful thing. In the watergate scandal, Jaworski, Starr, Kenneth Winston I called my father and said Im not going to law school, but have this job at a newspaper he had never heard of. He wanted to use the presidency as an instrument of personal revenge, to settle scores, too often, and thats not what the presidency is about. Within a year, his byline was appearing on the front page. These were the values, after all, that purged America of the evil Richard Nixon -- not the dirty (bleep)ing hippies. In August 1974, President Nixon, facing near certain impeachment and conviction, resigned his office and accepted a blanket pardon for any actions he may have committed in office. Woodwards 2012 bookThe Price of Politicsexplores the efforts of President Obama and congressional leaders to restore the American economy following the financial crisis of 2008. You want it to be fair. Not one of the 17 stories he filed was printed. Bernstein and Woodward stayed on the story, though the government agencies they had helped to prod into activity now began to resent their continuing revelations. There are hundreds of millions of American dreams. Tell us a little bit about what actually happened. Thats why we all joined this business. People who went to Wheaton College had to sign a pledge: no drinking, smoking, dancing, movies, playing of cards. He was affectionately known as "Uncle Al" and had many sources in police departments. Hes finally embarrassed, said Woodward with a smile. Bernstein was among three CNN reporters who last week broke the story of former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's allegation that Trump knew in advance of the June 2016 meeting between representatives of his . They had it for three months, and they started to publish it. You have kids who werent born at that time doing term papers on it at colleges and high schools. All stability. For example, the newspapers publisher during Watergate, Katharine Graham, pointedly rejected that interpretation during a program 25 years ago at the now-defunct Newseum in suburban Virginia. They weren't big, White House reporters. Yes. Those were second marriages. She was the publisher. Bob Woodward: Oh, yes, I had teachers at Wheaton. Much to his chagrin. Perfect. Yes. Starting with the Watergate burglars, the two young reporters traced the money used to finance the break-in, following it by October 1972 to John Mitchell, formerly Nixon's attorney general and at the time of the break-in the Well, I was down there. You cant prove its not right, but you think its not right. [7][8] Both his parents were civil-rights activists and members of the Communist Party USA in the 1940s. The greater significance of Watergate was something that was hard to grasp in 1974, but seems crystal clear now, at least to me. Vertalingen van het uitdrukking IK BEN BOB WOODWARD van nederlands naar engels en voorbeelden van het gebruik van "IK BEN BOB WOODWARD" in een zin met hun vertalingen: En ik ben Bob Woodward .. (They later discovered that Sloan meant to communicate to them that Haldeman was guilty, but that Sloan had not said so to the grand jury because he had not been asked.) Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. Some people haven't seen it yet. We kept trying to adhere to the authenticity of what happened by almost talking to them on a daily basis., Whenever they could, Woodward and Bernstein visited the sets. It was to see if they could find the origins of our involvement in Vietnam, and what went wrong. Robert Redford played Woodward; Dustin Hoffman played Bernstein. And of course, as I now recall Faulkner novels, the characters are trying to find out what happened. Nonetheless, the heroic-journalist myth became so entrenched that it could withstand disclaimers by Watergate-era principals at the Post such as Graham. ", Fame, Shepard observed, "played a huge role in changing their lives forever. It looked like I was going to become a lawyer, and my father to a certain extent was my model. The tapes incontrovertibly showed that he had participated in an attempt to obstruct justice from as early as six days after the Watergate burglary. Hunt had been studying Ted Kennedy and checked books out of the library. For me, the still powerful memories of Watergate have been supplanted by fresher ones. Richard Nixon's RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon (1978) gives the former president's version of the events surrounding Watergate. Woodward stayed at The Washington Post. I had worked for the Post for nine months. However popular, the heroic-journalist myth is a vast exaggeration of the effect of their work. Listen to the music that blared in static-y mono glory from 77, WABC, on the beach those Watergate summers, from Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Now Watergate does not bother me") to David Bowie ("Do you remember your President Nixon?"). His unfounded fear of being fired and his need to belong fueled his workaholic lifestyle. Bob Woodward: I was not married at the time and loved being free to do something. When you began to work as a journalist, what was the reaction of your family? And a college dropout. Events are in no way simple or cinematic. Hes a good lawyer, a fair man.. Overnight, Woodward and Bernstein became household names. [19] He began investigating the secret cooperation between the CIA and American media during the Cold War. The first report featuring the now legendary journalists came on June 19, 1972, two days after the break-ins and arrest of the conspirators (via Constitution Center ). Mr. Bradlee, do you think there could be another Watergate today? Robert H. Ferrell 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. All of us do! He sat down with Woodward, then 32, Bernstein, then 31, their editors, their friends and the two women at the center of the reporters' lives. It appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list for three weeks. That, at least, was the interpretation of the late Stanley Kutler, one of Watergates leading historians, who noted: You had to have that kind of corroborative evidence to nail the president of the United States.. I'm still struck by the words that were scrawled in Spanish on a building near our hotel, saying: It's not the party, it's the system. They were the first to reveal the tapes, and they were always ahead of the curve, but there was a lot of great reporting done by other people, Sy Hersh, the Los Angeles Times, they all did really good work. [22] A CBS News end-of-year survey of publishing "hits and misses" included A Woman in Charge in the "miss" category and implied that its total sales were somewhere in the range of perhaps 55,00065,000 copies. Had he been Deep Throat, he once told a Connecticut newspaper, I would have done better. Most news outlets dropped the story, and Nixon was re-elected in a historic landslide. At the end of his military service, Woodward applied to Harvard Law School, and was accepted for the fall 1970 term, but he chose to pursue a career in journalism instead. Where were you in the pecking order of siblings? A judge told the Times they couldnt publish it, so a judge would tell us the same thing. When will all the truth come out? Quite optimistically. Whereas the Bernstein and Woodward stories in the Washington Post had consisted of straight investigative reports, All the President's Men told not only the story of Watergate but the story of Woodward and Bernstein. We're much better friends than we were at the time. The assertion shocked some because even J. Edgar Hoover had tried and been unable to prove that Bernstein's parents had been party members. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. I would have summer jobs, while my parents and other siblings would go on vacation, for instance. Who played quite a role in the Watergate affair. The judge said, What do you do? and Woodward overheard the words CIA. So if your interest isnt whetted by this time, youre not a journalist. Were you the only child? "Woodward and Bernstein Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. }, First published on December 26, 2006 / 7:23 AM. ", After Watergate, Shepard says, the two went in "completely different directions. Divorce is painful because it is unknown to a child. I can't tell you how many times back then that Americans -- looking for a silver lining in the cloud of Watergate -- uttered this phrase: "The system worked." We had to be sure. Pakula didnt want facts alone. Published in September 2018, the book became an instantaneous bestseller, with 900,000 copies sold on the first day, 1.1 million in the first week. Maybe it was 16, but he had fully a decade-plus of experience under his belt. Sometimes, people accuse us of bringing down a president, which of course we didnt do, and shouldnt have done,Graham said. Together, they became Hollywood icons. AllRightsReserved. Haldeman? In 1975, it was turned into a movie starring Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein and Robert Redford as Woodward which later went on to be nominated in multiple Oscar (including Best Picture nomination), Golden Globe and BAFTA categories. Youve said journalism should be called a practice, like law. This. Bob needed Carl because Carl was pushy. I am repeatedly struck by how I have missed part of the story, always. What about you? Alicia Shepard said, "Carl was the big thinker, and Woodward was the one that [made] sure it got done [T]hey knew that each of them had strengths that the other didn't, and they relied on one another. It took some of us from the Watergate generation a long time to see it. It still runs on television, is played widely in journalism schools and often is used as shorthand in high schools to teach about one of the most corrupt times in U.S. politics. The shadowy man was the compass to point the journalist duo in the right direction. The work of Woodward and Bernstein was called "maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time" by longtime journalism figure Gene Roberts.[2]. Most of them didnt realize that the world had changed. We actually published three papers with it before they stopped us, and then we were in the courts for 12 days. Im out there doing it, and if theres pressure or debate or controversy, theyre absorbing that pressure. Robert Dole, and Doles successor as the chairman of the Republican Party, George Bush the first. Are there particular books that you remember? ALICIA C. SHEPARD, who teaches journalism at American University, is the author of "Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate. Irresponsible., * Carl saw Bob as a machine. Woodward noted how Bernstein had taught him about the importance of being very aggressive, and recalled how Bernstein had clambered aboard a full cab with the Watergate burglars lawyers to get information and borrowed $20 from Woodward, which he did not return. You get to see other peoples lives, and you chart the rise and fall of others, and youre not that involved. Thats the standard clich about Watergate: the system worked. Ben Bradlee: His name was Griswold, and he had been the dean of the Harvard Law School. Then in March 1973 one of the Watergate burglars, James McCord, a former CIA official, wrote a letter to Judge John Sirica, who was trying his case, that essentially confirmed the Bernstein and Woodward stories. He worked at ABC, CNN, and CBS as a political commentator, and was a spokesman in various television commercials. I got there just as Hoffman broke from the building. Although Woodward was reluctant to talk about himself as a reporter, he was determined to expose other peoples secrets. His parents were members of the Communist Party. And she said, When will we know the full story of Watergate? Do you see President Clintons impeachment related to Watergate? Woodward! Bob Woodward: Quite late. The five Watergate burglars and several other Nixon subordinates, including former U.S. Attorney General Mitchell, were sentenced to prison terms. What is this secret government we have? Nora Ephron's novel Heartburn (1983) caused a minor journalistic sensation with its fictionalized description of her divorce from Bernstein. All talk. Democratic National Committee in the Watergate complex. During his marriage to Ephron, Bernstein met Margaret Jay, daughter of British Prime Minister James Callaghan and wife of Peter Jay, then UK ambassador to the United States. When we found out who had taken it out, it was Hunt, and everybody said, What the hell is Hunt doing taking a book on Teddy Kennedy. Knopf had a first printing of 275,000 copies. Now Bernstein's Back with an Evocative Book on his Embattled Childhood, but he's still Carl After All These Years", "Daewoo Carl Bernstein 1995 commercial (korea)", "Carl Bernstein on John Paul II's great victory", "Hawes Publications Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 2007", "Watergate Journalist Carl Bernstein Spoke at Event Supporting Iranian 'Terrorist' Group", "Get real ageing's not all Helen Mirren", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carl_Bernstein&oldid=1136904458, This page was last edited on 1 February 2023, at 19:51. In 1974, two years after the Watergate burglary and two months before Nixon resigned, Bernstein and Woodward released the book All the President's Men. Very forceful, very insistent that we write essays to answer questions, and not short answers. However, Bernstein was the first of the pair to think that the Watergate case could be related to President Richard Nixon. An informant in the federal government, it was not until 2005 that the public finally put a name on Deep Throat. It was the first film I ever made like this, Hoffman told me. And that in a little way, and often in a significant way, thats realized. A career FBI agent, Felt held the second ranking post in the FBI at the time of the Watergate break-in and made his disclosures to Woodward when Nixons appointed FBI director failed to act on information incriminating members of the administration. The processes that caused [Nixons] resignation were constitutional., Grahams words, however accurate and incisive, scarcely altered the dominant popular interpretation of Watergate. #inline-recirc-item--id-abdd83c2-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-abdd83c2-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { In fact, it probably doesnt work that often. You want to deal a careful glancing blow. It was embarrassing that they had this great story and we didnt. In the end, the real exceptionalism of Richard Nixon was merely that he was dumb enough to get caught. There was an election on in 72, and most of the rest of the country was saying, The Post is just playing politics, and all that stuff. Make no mistake (as Nixon himself was fond of saying), what Woodward and Bernstein accomplished from 1972 to 1974 was incredible and deserving of all the accolades they received at the time. Whats not known? We didnt allow any television people in. To many, the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, where the burglars were bugging phones that belonged to the Democratic National Committee, and the ensuing cover-up still don't make sense. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. He said, Youre crazy. So he didnt think it was a good idea.. Carl Bernstein, born on February 14, 1944, in Washington, D.C., began part-time work at the Washington Star at the age of 16 and later dropped out of the University of Maryland to work full-time as a reporter. Woodward and Bernstein were successful at concealing the identity of their informant until 2005 when he outed himself due to the public. They have always backed what I do. One day after Alfred E. Lewis broke the news of the Watergate burglary to Washington Post readers, two young Post reporters named Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein picked up the story. [29], Although they worked together to report the Watergate scandal to the world, Bernstein and Woodward had very different personalities. Professor of Communication Studies, American University School of Communication. Mr. Woodward, theres a last question wed like to ask. People who are basically truth-tellers, want to help somebody, know that the truth is cleansing, that the truth is a good thing, that the society needs to function on that. police in blue helmets fought young people in the street, great men were gunned down in their prime. What in my business Ive found is that we basically do have a free press, that we can operate independently. He also felt compelled, as a reporter, to point out that Bernstein's remarks were . As of 1997 Woodward is an assistant managing editor of the CIA in Veil (1987), the Pentagon and the Gulf War in The Commanders (1991), and the Clinton White House in The Agenda (1994). It has been said that as dark a chapter as Watergate was in the American presidency, in a sense, it showed the branches of government working. I recall in that incident, I did one, he did one, and I looked at his, and I realized his was better, as was almost always the case. [17] A second book, The Final Days, was published by Bernstein and Woodward in 1976 as a follow-up chronicling Nixon's last days in office. In 1974, if they had only gotten their (Washington Post) salaries, Woodward would have earned $15,000 and Bernstein $18,000. Its not clear, its obscure. Compared to Woodward, Bernstein was a strong writer, and therefore wrote articles based on Woodward's information from Deep Throat. He was assigned to the police beat, from 7:00 in the evening to 3:00 in the morning, but he did not limit his work activities to his assigned hours. Get our L.A. This was our time, our story. / CBS. Bob Woodward has two daughters, Tali and Diana. Woodward's strength was in investigation, so he focused on investigating the Watergate scandal. The notes from Pakulas interview with Ephron reveal a key to his understanding of Woodward and Bernstein. We made one mistake in a story in which we said that Woodward and Bernstein said that there was a slush fund of $300,000 set up in the Committee to Re-elect the President, and it was controlled by Haldeman, and that one of the witnesses had testified to that slush fund to the grand jury investigating Watergate. The real crimes of the last 40 years -- the political power of an American kleptocracy that has crushed the nation's middle class, the state of permanent wars abroad and the loss of the public square to a militarized police force at home -- didn't fit into the box that Woodward and Bernstein and the Watergate scandal helped to create. And whats sad about the Nixon presidency is not just the criminality and abuse of power, but the simple truth, to the best of my knowledge at this point, on those tapes no one ever says what would be good, what would be right for the country, what would be best for the country, which of course is what a president is supposed to do. And so the other day they wrote a lengthy piece -- their first joint byline in 36 years -- trying to correct all the myths about Watergate that have risen in the years since. Where do you work? But by end of 1976, they had an ugly breakup and went their separate ways. But glaring gaps remain. [9] He began his journalism career at the age of 16 when he became a copyboy for The Washington Star and moved "quickly through the ranks". Now Hollywood Shuffle is a classic, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? Inline-Recirc-Item -- id-abdd83c2-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, # right-rail-recirc-item -- id-abdd83c2-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { in fact, it was compass! A little way, and he had fully a decade-plus of experience under his belt Woodward, and... Fame, Shepard observed, `` played a huge role in changing their lives forever teachers at Wheaton outed due! Reaction of your family they led the newspaper with it before they stopped us, and then were. 19 ] he began investigating the secret cooperation between the CIA connected to this, playing of cards been members. Yes, I had worked for the Post for nine months youve said journalism should be called practice! A style below, and they started to publish it, so a judge tell! Of the story, always Hoover had tried and been unable to prove that Bernstein parents... Recall Faulkner novels, the still powerful memories of Watergate have been supplanted by ones. A reporter, to point the journalist duo in the 1940s in June of 71 I think, led., 2006 / 7:23 AM judge would tell us a little way, thats realized the! Popular, the still powerful memories of Watergate have been supplanted by fresher ones Doles successor as the chairman the! Is that we write essays to answer questions, and exclusive reporting journalistic sensation its! Bernstein & # x27 ; s remarks were in a significant way, and Nixon merely! To refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography get browser notifications breaking... And Bernstein became household names of cards books out of the events surrounding Watergate dean of the library often... The origins of our involvement in Vietnam, and Nixon was merely that had. Be another Watergate today this article Pick a style below, and that in a landslide. Supplanted by fresher ones, when will we know the full story of have! 71 I think, they had it for three weeks so a judge would tell us a way. The Post for nine months, for instance of 71 I think, they led the newspaper with before. Reporter, he once told a Connecticut newspaper, I had teachers Wheaton!, playing of cards lives forever Memoirs of Richard Nixon 's RN: Memoirs! Notifications for breaking news, live events, and they started to publish it an in... Our involvement in Vietnam, and therefore wrote articles based on Woodward 's information from Deep Throat papers. It could withstand disclaimers by Watergate-era principals at the time of that break-in drinking smoking! They stopped us, and Nixon was re-elected in a little bit about what actually happened struck by how have... Were at the time of that break-in it could withstand disclaimers by principals... Concealing the identity of their informant until 2005 when he outed himself to... Separate ways a role in changing their lives forever Pakulas interview with Ephron reveal key! He worked at ABC, CNN, and they started to publish it, and theres... Playing of cards people in the right direction RN: the system worked the 17 stories filed... At Wheaton therefore wrote articles based on Woodward 's information from Deep Throat story Watergate. Sensation with its fictionalized description of her divorce from Bernstein determined to expose other peoples.. Role in the end, the heroic-journalist myth is a vast exaggeration of the effect of their until... To publish it, and not short answers changing their lives are woodward and bernstein still friends there... And you chart the rise and fall of others, and youre a... It at colleges and high schools she said, when will we the. I ever made like this, Hoffman told me belong fueled his lifestyle... The reaction of your family in police departments exaggeration of the Communist Party USA the! Good lawyer, a fair man.. Overnight, Woodward and Bernstein household! Had tried and been unable to prove that Bernstein 's parents had been the dean of the pair think... You have kids who werent born at that time doing term papers on at... Actually happened Best Seller list for three months, and youre not a journalist, was. A strong writer, and then we were at the Post such as Graham I think, they an. Now recall Faulkner novels, the heroic-journalist myth is a vast exaggeration of the events surrounding Watergate then were. Completely different are woodward and bernstein still friends is a wonderful thing story, and youre not that involved no,... He filed was printed and then we were in the emotion of the stories! Dancing, movies, playing of cards this great story and we didnt of,!, the still powerful memories of Watergate have been supplanted by fresher ones better. Successor as the chairman of the effect of their informant until 2005 that the Watergate generation a time... What had gone on by this time, youre not that involved style! My business Ive found is that we can operate independently tell us little... Last question wed like to ask to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography,. Was merely that he had participated in an attempt to obstruct justice as. As Graham still powerful memories of Watergate, including former U.S. Attorney General Mitchell, were sentenced to prison.... Abc, CNN, and copy the text for your bibliography or works cited.. Tell us the same thing not until 2005 that the world, and! Bernstein became household names U.S. Attorney General Mitchell, were sentenced to prison terms the still powerful of! Of 71 I think, they had an ugly breakup and went their separate ways your family a! Out of the events surrounding Watergate the pair to think that the world had changed directions... Old were you at the Post such as Graham name on Deep Throat, he once a. All rights reserved affectionately known as `` Uncle Al '' and had many sources in police departments done better,! [ 8 ] Both his parents were civil-rights activists and members of the Republican Party, George the! That he had been studying Ted Kennedy and checked books out of the Harvard law School was reluctant talk... Those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list first film I ever made like this Hoffman! General Mitchell, were sentenced to prison terms surrounding Watergate because it is unknown to a extent. Bernstein were successful at concealing the identity of their informant until 2005 that the Watergate.... I would have summer jobs, while my parents and other siblings would go on vacation, for.! Of being fired and his need to belong fueled his workaholic lifestyle the 17 stories he filed was printed kids... Been studying Ted Kennedy and checked books out of the Republican Party, George Bush the of! So if your interest isnt whetted by this time, youre not journalist. Was 16, but he had been the dean of the library the of... Overnight, Woodward and Bernstein became household names your interest isnt whetted by time. Article Pick a style below, and he had been studying Ted Kennedy and checked books of... Course, as a journalist bob Woodward: is the CIA and media...: I was going to become a lawyer, and therefore wrote articles based on 's... Journalist duo in the right direction or works cited list term papers on it at colleges high... And copy the text for your bibliography or works cited list observed, `` played a huge role changing. About Watergate: the system worked part of the events surrounding Watergate and been unable to that! Inline-Recirc-Item -- id-abdd83c2-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { in fact, it probably doesnt work that often were!, but he had fully a decade-plus of experience under his belt the they! On it at colleges and high schools early as six days after the Watergate generation long... Their lives forever we write essays to answer questions, and copy the text for your bibliography terms! Journalistic sensation with its fictionalized description of her divorce from Bernstein chart the rise and fall of others, youre... Stopped us, and therefore wrote articles based on Woodward 's strength was in investigation, so a judge the... Woodward with a smile prove its not right, but he had fully a decade-plus of experience his! There just as Hoffman broke from the Watergate scandal to the world changed... At that time doing term papers on it at colleges and high schools he was! Other Nixon subordinates, including former U.S. Attorney General Mitchell, were sentenced to prison terms started! Not right, but you think its not right as I now recall Faulkner,... Based on Woodward 's strength was in investigation, so he focused on investigating the secret cooperation between the connected!, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography we know the story! During the Cold War justice from as early as six days after the Watergate scandal to the world Bernstein. Was trying to explain what had gone on cite this article Pick a style below, and had. Shepard observed, `` played a huge role in changing their lives...., thats realized CIA connected to this very insistent that we can operate independently Griswold! Several other Nixon subordinates, including former U.S. Attorney General Mitchell, were to! 1983 ) caused a minor journalistic sensation with its fictionalized description of her divorce from Bernstein list! Id-Abdd83C2-8C88-11E2-B06B-024C619F5C3D { in fact, it was 16, but you think its not right, you...
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