Mrs. Graham (part 2) aids her Washington Post Team with the Pentagon Papers, and Watergate.
Do you ever really look at political cartoons? Trudeau, Conrad, Herblock.... If you examine these carefully, it's possible to get a sense of the times.
And, my absolute favorite artist, Conrad:
So, why am I showing you political cartoons, beginning with (ahem, cough, gag) the Trump White House, and ending with the Nixon administration? Well, Dear Reader, in order to provide you with some idea of the tenor of the day; and to hopefully convey something of these chaotic, ridiculous events. When you combine terror with absurdity, you begin to understand something of the unbelievable, dangerous qualities of politics during the Trump and Nixon administrations.
So, do you remember the Pentagon Papers and Daniel Ellsberg?
Do you remember Watergate?
Now, most believe that Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward were the chief figures of this political drama. They were not. There were others: Mark Felt of the FBI, Bradlee, Graham, the editor of the NYT, Ben Bagdikian, and Daniel Ellsberg. The constitutionally challenging (i.e. horrifying) events that Mrs. Graham and her team of journalists at the 'Post' confronted during the Nixon years is legendary. Can you imagine being the publisher of a major newspaper at this time? The excitement? The feeling of jumping into an abyss? No thank you, amigo. I would never have been that brave.
* * *
Thus, we embark on the second part of Katherine Graham's experiences with, and contributions to, the American political consciousness.
After the death of her husband Phil, Mrs. Graham took over control of the paper. One of the key figures in her professional life, at this time, was her editor-in-chief, Ben Bradlee (a veritable legend in the industry, right up there with Cronkite and Murrow). Although Bradlee put Katherine under immense pressure during these troubled years, their partnership was incredibly fruitful.
Did you know that Katherine Graham was one of the first women to serve on the board of a major news corporation (the Associated Press)? She was also awarded an honorary doctorate in the law by Colby College. And, these were just two of her accomplishments. However, as you might already have ascertained, I believe that her decision to publish reportage critical of the Nixon administration, were the most important contributions to the American political process.
In the last entry, I described how her husband Phil Graham, suffering from what we now know as severe bi-polar disorder, committed suicide in the early sixties. Katherine then made the courageous, but necessary decision to take her husband's place as publisher of the Washington Post. I'm sure that this was a difficult period in her life, but she faced the challenge caused by Phil's death, and succeeded.
Prior to 1972, this country reeled under a series of devastating revelations from the US government, in the form of a detailed report for Secretary Robert McNamara. It detailed our policy towards Vietnam over the previous 20 + years. The report irrefutably showed that our government consistently lied to the American people about the extent of our involvement with that country, including fixing elections, assassinations, and covert military missions. Not good folks. Not at all good.
It was a State Dept. advisor (he was also working for the Rand Corporation), named Daniel Ellsberg who was responsible for secretly copying the 100+ page report (there were something like 900 billion volumes of it), subsequently arranging for it to be distributed to major American newspapers, such as the New York Times, and later, The Washington Post. The report was classified as Top Secret, so publication of the 'Papers' could be construed by the courts as a violation of that ephemeral concept, "national security." The publishers of the Times and the Post faced possible jail time. In the face of this threat, Katherine Graham made the executive decision to publish the papers. In her view, the egregious fact of governmental lying and cover-up demanded that the McNamara report be made public. In her view, it was more than just a juicy story--it was the primary duty of the press to cast light on the murkier decisions of the presidency. And, I agree. What is more dangerous than an Executive Order by the President? It’s sort of side steps the concept of balance of powers, doesn’t it?
With the publication of the papers, the Post was vaulted into the national spotlight. It went from a neat local paper, to a major media player. Immediately following publication of the papers, the Dept of Justice brought suit against both papers, trying to prevent further revelations. When the case was ultimately argued before the US Supreme Court, the Justices decided in favor of the press. It was the primary function of that estate to cast a light on the government.
Remember, Dear Reader, that this was a time before the 24 hour news cycle (gack, gasp, hack). This was a time where Walter Cronkite and major newspapers were virtually the only avenues for the public digestion of information.
Which brings us to Watergate.
Have you ever seen the film "All the President's Men"? This was a classic 70s film, starring Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, and Jason Robards. Based on the book written by Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the film depicts their reportage about Watergate, from the break-in, to Nixon's pardon by Pres. Gerald Ford. I've gotta tell ya, that the actors were a hell of a lot prettier than real life, but that's entertainment!
I know, I know. I'm not really being fair, but come on!
If you'd like to take a look-see:
The Post was one of the more persistent newspapers going after Nixon and his band of Merry Men, following the break-in. Cub-reporters, hungry, they began to work obsessively on the story. But, although these guys were good, we must remember Dear Reader, that they had a lot of help--Bradlee and Mrs. Graham. Without their consent and encouragement, who the hell knows what would have happened? Would Nixon's cover-up have succeeded?
An Aside:
There's a famous story, that when "Woodstein" finished writing an expose on Atty. Gen. John Mitchell, they called him up for comment. After reading him the first couple of paragraphs, he reportedly said "you tell Kitty Graham that if she prints that, she's going to get her tit caught in the ringer." What a nice guy. Well, the stories were written, along with other papers, leading ultimately to Nixon's resignation in 1974. He was the only president to have left office before his term was completed.
For one woman, Mrs. Graham really accomplished a great deal, leaving an indelible mark on American history. In a way, it was also the 'swan song' if you will, of hard nosed journalism. In just a few years, both male and female bubble headed bleach blondes would appear all over television, thrashing what remained of our beloved "fourth estate." I mean, what the hell is "Access Hollywood" ever going to contribute to our democracy?
Think about it...this country went from Cronkite and Bradlee, to Ann Coulter and Glen Beck in less than thirty years. F*&k me.
Eventually, Katherine left the paper, retiring into the social life of Washington DC and New York City. She seems to have known everyone, and gone everywhere. She involved herself in charitable activities. In the late 90s, she finished her autobiography entitled "My Story." It won the Pulitzer Prize. Pretty neat, huh?
I wish I could tell you that she left an indelible legacy, but the world of modern news is ephemeral. It is also increasingly vapid. OK, so you might be saying right now, that this is my opinion. You might be right. But I have spent the entire day with my mother watching CNN and MSNBC, etc., and I saw the same 4 stories repeated over and over and over. Shit, I even spent one more recently, watching a balloon travel across the American sky on every news channel. Don't remember that one? The supposed Chinese spy balloon? After watching the same white dot inch across the sky all day long, and I began to gouge out my eyeballs in frustration and boredom, I realized that this was only the beginning of the end.... It's all gossip from here on in.
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