Scene III. Washington, D.C. a newsroom.

[Enter Walter Cronkite.]
Cronkite. Another day, another surprise. I
wonder what news will turn up today in
this Watergate affair. What, ho! A press
release from the Western White House.
[He reads.]
“This investigation has gone on 5
too long. It wearies the public and
taxes the minds of sane men. The Select
Committee wastes the taxpayers time with
absurd accusations and unjustified
snooping. They have asked me to give them 10
all manner of documents and aides to
testify. But Presidents, from the
very first, have Executive Privilege.
And it is to our discretion what we
may release. Any illegal actions? 15
Let’s give them to the courts, where all things are
fairly tried. Let’s not wallow in Watergate,
but get on with the business of the
country. I am not a crook.”
A fair news story. The President 20
attacks his critics. And, ho, a Gallup Poll!
We’ll see how many critics he has!
[He reads.]
“Job Performance: Good -thirty-three percent.
Average - twelve percent. Poor - thirty-three percent.
No opinion - almost twenty-one percent. 25
Do you think the President committed
or knew of people who committed a crime?
Yes - fifty-nine percent. No - thirty-three
percent. And no opinion - only eight
percent. Should the President resign? Yes- 30
fifteen percent. No - seventy percent.
And no opinion climbs to fifteen percent.”
Interesting. Very interesting.
Methinks the public mood is very mixed.
Or at least divided evenly. One 35
half the population are such avid
Nixon lovers, yet the other half can
fair be said to say that they’re out to ring
[Enter Howard K. Smith.]
his neck. Here comes a man who looks like he
knows what he’s doing. Any news, Smith? 40
Smith. John Mitchell appeared before the Committee.
His lawyer and Ervin were engaged in
many a sundry controversy.
Cronkite. Oh, really? ‘Twould seem I missed
the most lively witness. 45
Smith. ‘Twasn’t just the witness, but his lawyer, too.
The Chairman asked Mitchell if he knew of
the break-in of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist.
Cronkite. Ah, yes, Mitchell was Attorney General,
then. And here, this was an illegal act. 50
An important point.
Smith. Mitchell said the burglary was ordered
on the basis of National Security.
And Ervin exploded, wherein he
variously condemned many men for 55
the defiling of Personal Security
in the name of National Security.
Whereby he charged the President
with violation of the Constitution
by an unlawful search and seizure 60
of a person’s private effects.
Cronkite. A strong point. How did Mitchell
defend this tyranny?
Smith. He didn’t. His lawyer jumped into the argument
and spent the most part of an hour citing 65
numerous legislation that gave
the President power to do many
things in the best interest of National
Security. And this made Ervin and
and other honest Senators irate. 70
Well it should, for a person’s liberties
were violated without due process of
the law. A heinous crime.
Cronkite. And what happened next?
Smith. Well, Ervin charged them with these words, 75
“Didn’t you know that this was an illegal act?
That you could’ve gotten the information
by a legal court order? Yet, yet you
hire a burglar and get the documents
by theft?” To which Mr. Mitchell did reply, 80
“We did what we thought best. Doing what
Mr. Nixon told us to do.” This answer
annoyed the Committee, wherein
Baker asked, “Didn’t anyone tell the
President this was wrong?” To which the 85
former Attorney General replied, “No.”
Then Ervin said, “You mean to say that out
of sheer loyalty to the President
you performed illegal activities?”
Whereas the witness said, “We did this to 90
prevent the Pentagon Papers from falling
into the hands of Communists and
Anarchists. Yes, loyalty to the
President. Loyalty to the Nation.”
To which Baker muttered to himself, 95
“So loyal as to steal a doctor’s
confidential files.” Therewith the lawyer
and Ervin again fell to arguing.
Cronkite. Astounding! Here, go and write this story.
We’ll use it first. An amazing tale. 100
[Exit Smith.]
Methinks the President is in trouble.
[Enter John Chancellor.]
Here comes another. What wild eyes and harried
expression. Come quick, Chancellor, you look stunned.
Chancellor. A stunning event.
Cronkite. John Mitchell’s testimony? Yes it was. 105
Chancellor. No, I mean what has just happened by
a report from the Secret Service
concerning the tapes.
Cronkite. What tapes? Is there something to be measured here?
Chancellor. No! Tape recordings of the President’s 110
Oval Office conversations.
Cronkite. What’s this? Steady nerves! Shall there be no end
to these revelations? He tapes
his very own conversations?
Chancellor. Aye! Since coming into office 115
the President has secretly recorded
all his meetings to keep the exact words
for historical material. All the meetings
where Watergate matters have been discussed
are now on magnetic tape. Preserved 120
for us to hear!
Cronkite. O Happy Days! An end to this matter!
We’ll soon know if the President’s involved
by listening to the tapes! An easy
matter, now, to prove guilt or innocence. 125
This’ll help Archibald Cox in bringing
indictments before the courts of justice.
Where are these tapes?
Chancellor. Under lock and key, so supervised by the Secret Service.
Cronkite. Good! And safe. Nothing will happen to this 130
evidence. The Secret Service will keep
the tapes high and dry away from culprits
who’d like to destroy the evidence.
Chancellor. This is true.
[Exit Chancellor.]
Cronkite. That’s three, the number of new stories I’ll 135
present on the evening news. A busy day!
[Enter Eric Severied.]
Come, Severied, old colleague, what thinks you
of today’s advantages?
Severied. I think they’re intolerable. There’s no excuse.
Cronkite. What’s this? Methinks ‘twas such a grand idea 140
to record all of his Oval Office
conversations for all posterity.
Severied. I mean not the tapes. ‘Tis despicable.
Cronkite. What? Can this be more news? More stunning than
the first three revelations? 145
Severied. Aye. Howard Hughes, that rich and recluse
millionaire gave to the Presidential
campaign fund one hundred thousand dollars,
in unmarked bills. They did the deed by
the services of an ex-CIA man 150
who carried the money in brown paper
bags and made contact with persons unknown
in designated telephone booths.
Cronkite. Sounds melodramatic. Full of espionage.
Severied. It was! I wish you could just have heard the 155
witness describe how he was paid to deliver
money in paper bags, receiving his
orders from some party unknown, o’er the phone.
Cronkite. This can’t but show the folly and total
absurdity of this whole affair, 160
my friend. The use of a cannon to kill
a fly. It amazes, that the President
should so order a campaign with such designs!
Especially when you consider that
the election was almost uncontested. 165
I can’t understand it.
Severied. Nor can I.
[Exeunt.]