Good Night, and Good Luck

PEOPLE CHATTER

ELEGANT, DREAMY JAZZ PLAYS

In 1935, Ed Murrow began his career with CBS.

When World War II broke out, it was his voice

that brought the Battle of Britain home to us

through his This Is London radio series.

He started with us all, many of us here tonight,

when television was in its infancy,

with the news documentary show See It Now.

He threw stones at giants.

Segregation, exploitation of migrant workers,

apartheid, J Edgar Hoover,

not the least of which,

his historical fight with Senator McCarthy.

He is the host of our enormously popular show Person To Person.

And tonight,

he is here with his son Casey, wife Janet,

and all of you who he's worked with, inspired,

lectured and taught.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the Radio-Television News Directors

Association & Foundation welcomes

Mr Edward R Murrow.

APPLAUSE

This might just do nobody any good.

At the end of this discourse,

a few people may accuse this reporter

of fouling his own comfortable nest,

and your organisation may be accused

of having given hospitality

to heretical and even dangerous ideas.

But the elaborate structure of networks,

advertising agencies and sponsors

will not be shaken or altered.

It is my desire, if not my duty,

to try to talk to you journeymen with some candour

about what is happening to radio and television.

And if what I say is responsible,

I alone am responsible for the saying of it.

Our history will be what we make of it.

And if there are any historians about 50 or 100 years from now,

and there should be preserved the kinescopes

of one week of all three networks,

they will there find,

recorded in black and white and in colour,

evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation

from the realities of the world in which we live.

We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent.

We have a built-in allergy

to unpleasant or disturbing information.

Our mass media reflect this.

But unless we get up off our fat surpluses

and recognise that television in the main

is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us,

then television and those who finance it,

those who look at it and those who work at it,

may see a totally different picture too late.

MUSIC: "TV Is The Thing This Year" by Dianne Reeves

# If you wanna have fun come home with me

# You can stay all night and play with my TV

# TV is the thing this year

# TV is the thing this year

# Radio was great but it's out-of-date

# TV is the thing this year

# Last night I was watchin' ol' Tom Mix

# My TV broke I was in a fix

# I got on the phone I called my man

# Said, "Get here, Daddy as fast as you can

# TV is the thing this year

# TV is the thing this year

# Radio was great but it's out-of-date

# TV is the thing this year. #

Up until a year ago... - Millie.

..he was typing with one finger.

Millie, just the person I wanted to see. Come here.

# Yeah TV is the thing this year... #

This needs to go to the top of the Roy Campanella piece.

Gimme about a half an hour. Half an hour?

No, I need it quicker than that. Can I get a cup of coffee first?

Please. Come on. Oh, get me a cup of coffee.

Mornin', Johnny.

Oh, m... I have some new notes

that go with the Tito footage for Fred.

- Fred's not in for about an hour. - I already put 'em on his desk.

Can you just make sure that... he doesn't look at the film

until he reads the notes? Thank you.

Hey, Joe, Shirley.

- Hey. - John.

What's goin' on in here?

JOE: What do you mean?

Two attractive people alone in the copy room.

Don't tell Paley, he'll fire me. Both of us, Shirley.

We'll see. Rules are made to be broken.

You can afford to say that. JOHN LAUGHS

QUIETLY: Let me see this.

It's simply a loyalty oath. To CBS?

And to America.

You promise to be a loyal American?

All of the reporters have signed this.

Who are you promising this to? CBS, Paley?

Fred signed it. Murrow signed it.

Murrow signed it. Murrow signed it? Yeah.

"Are you now or have you ever been...?"

I thought it was a joke, but there's a lot of pressure.

"...that appear on the Attorney General's list

of subversive groups"? I don't know.

Let's think. What is it really saying?

Is it a civil-liberties issue or censorship?

I'm simply stating to CBS that I'm not a communist.

Murrow signed this? Yeah. And Fred and Stanton.

Well, maybe you should talk to Murrow.

Maybe I should sign it.

If you...if you don't sign this, are you and I a target?

If I don't sign it, they'll fire me.

Sign it.

Finally, we can tell everyone the truth.

KEEFE (ON TV): If I could express it

in what's in my heart right now,

I'd do it in the terms of the poet who once said:

"Ah, tis but a dainty flower I bring to you

"yes, tis but a violet glistening with dew

"but still in its heart there lie beauties concealed

"so in our heart

"our love for you

"lies unrevealed".

You know, I used to...

..pride myself on the idea that I was a bit...

tough.

Especially over the past...

18 or 19 months, when we've been kicked around

and bullwhipped and damned.

I didn't think that...

..I could be touched very deeply...

FRIENDLY: OK, that's enough. That's enough, Leo.

How long is the piece? What's it at now, Millie?

It's about four minutes now, but we can cut it down.

PALMER: It can't stand alone,

but it might be a nice companion piece.

Let's go through this one more time. Palmer?

Yep. Got a call from the office of Senator Morse this morning.

Interested in setting up a debate,

possibly with Senator Kerr, over some of the comments

Benson made on last night's show.

Secretary of Agriculture. I think that's a good idea.

Can they do it by this week?

No, it would have to be two weeks at the earliest,

depending on Morse's schedule.

But, uh, still think it's a great idea.

Let's follow up on that.

The "Hoover speaks on Benjamin Franklin" piece?

Well, we re having better luck with Mr Benjamin Franklin

than we are with Mr Hoover.

It may progress better as a person-to-person.

"At home with Ben Franklin." His electricity awards...

ZOUSMER: We've got the footage. They need to contact him.

FRIENDLY: See if you can get in touch with him

and get the shot, he wants to do the story. Joe?

Remember, Delbert Clark, no longer with us.

FRIENDLY: New York Times?

Right, our friend at The Times. WILLIAMS: When?

This is yesterday morning. They're saying it's, uh...

How old was he? 53.

Illness. Uh, sudden illness.

Home of a friend. No, it's not an obit piece.

Natalie, send some flowers over there from CBS news.

Couple things: "Case before the supreme court

"involving the constitutionality

"of a section of the internal security act

"provides for the deportation of any alien

"if he becomes a communist after entering this country."

No takers? WOMAN LAUGHS, MOCK SNORING

"McCarthy interrupting his wedding trip

"to take charge of the investigation

"of communist infiltration."

FRIENDLY: Natalie, send some flowers.

Poor Mrs McCarthy. May I finish?

It's national security. A real ladies' man.

SCOTT: Well, they're in love. They're in love.

FRIENDLY: We have no show for Tuesday, fellas.

So get out there and make some news.

Rob a bank. Mug an old lady. Do something.

You guys look at the Secretary Stevens footage?

Watch it all the way to the end. It's worth it.

Thank you, John.

There's not much there.

I can tie it to the "Eisenhower in the back of the train" piece.

You ever spend any time in Detroit, Fred?

Not recently.

There s a story here in The Detroit News,

Dexter, Michigan.

Kid named Milo Radulovich.

Italian? Irish.

Air Force kicked him out

because his dad read some Serbian newspaper.

His dad a communist? I don't know.

Who brought the charges? Air Force.

Charges were in a sealed envelope.

Nobody saw them. Not even at the hearing?

He was declared guilty without a trial

and told, if he wanted to keep his job,

he had to denounce his father and his sister.

Thank you, Natalie.

His sister?

Yeah, he told them to take a hike.

Let's send Joe and Charlie down there,

see if he s any good on camera.

Is he being brought before the Committee?

No.

Then it's not McCarthy.

Isn't it?

Milo Radulovich.

WERSHBA: What happens to your children...

that is, your five-year-old and your five-month-old...

..in terms of you? Yes, if I am being judged

on my relatives, if...

Are my children going to be asked to denounce me?

Are they going to be judged

on what their father was labelled?

Are they going to...

have to explain to their friends, et cetera,

why their father is a security risk?

If...if...if the thing is let stand as...

as the first recommendation was sent out by the board,

I see a chain reaction

that has no end to anybody for anybody.

Well, that's new.

I don't think you can call this a neutral piece.

The other side's been represented well

for the last couple years.

We tried to talk to the Air Force.

They haven't gone on the record. You just want to forego

the standards you've stuck to for 15 years?

Both sides, no commentary. We all editorialise...

I'm just identifying what you're both doing.

We're giving them the information up front,

and asking them to comment. Hold on, Fred.

I've searched my conscience.

I can't for the life of me find any justification for this.

And I simply cannot accept that there are, on every story,

two equal and logical sides to an argument.

Call it editorialising if you'd like.

It is editorialising, Ed. They'll have equal time.

Do you understand the position you're putting us in?

We are all in this together.

If the senate wants to investigate...

Do me this favour, Fred. Avoid any big speeches

about how we're all in a big boat together, OK?

Please don't insult me.

I have to go back to Mr Paley,

and Alcoa, who sponsors your show

and also happens to have some military contracts,

and I have to tell them

that they're going to be in a bit of a tough bind

because of a beef you had with Joe McCarthy.

We're not going at McCarthy.

Well, you're starting the goddamn fire.

NATALIE: Excuse me, gentlemen.

Mr Friendly, there's a Colonel Anderson to see you.

Colonel? Yeah, he's in your office.

How many? There's two of them.

Maybe they liked the transcript and want to compliment us on it.

Excuse me.

Go after Joe Kennedy. We'll pay for it.

I've got a great story about Hoover.

Ah, well... You know how many Person To Persons

you're going to have to do to make up for this?

Judy and her daughter Liza next week.

No, no, no. You're interviewing Rin Tin Tin.

I'll talk to Mr Paley.

Alcoa won't pay for the ads.

And we probably won't either.

But nobody'll stop you. How much are the ads?

Three thousand.

I'll split it with Fred.

He just won't have Christmas presents

for his kids this year.

He s a Jew.

Well, don't tell him that, he loves Christmas.

FRIENDLY: To be clear, you did speak with the lawyers?

Yes, we did. And we read the transcript.

We've not been allowed to see the footage.

We're still shooting it. Charlie Mack is on a plane

from Dexter right now with the rest of the interview.

We'll be going right down to the wire...

Your show airs tomorrow.

How can we possibly approve and check the story

that you are running in the limited amount of time

you have given us? With all due respect,

you have been invited to participate in this piece,

not to approve this piece.

We are going with the story

that says that the US Air Force

tried Milo Radulovich without one shred of evidence

and found him guilty of being a security risk without...

And you, who also have not seen the evidence,

are claiming he's not a security risk.

Wouldn't you guess

that the people who have seen the contents of that envelope...

Who? ..might have a better idea

of what makes someone a danger to his country?

Who are these people, sir?

Or should it be just you who decides?

Who are these people? Are they elected?

Are they appointed? Do they have an axe to grind?

Is it you, sir? Or you, Colonel Jenkins?

Do you know the contents of that sealed envelope?

Mr Friendly, we have been a friend and ally

of both Mr Murrow and CBS News for many years.

The story you are going to run tomorrow is without merit.

So before you take any steps that cannot be undone,

I strongly urge you to reconsider your stand.

These are very dangerous waters you are attempting to navigate.

As a matter of fact, we had no hearing at all.

We have had no day in court.

In all the 32 years

that I have been a practicing attorney in Detroit,

I have never witnessed

such a farce and travesty upon justice

as this thing has developed.

Now, this whole... Eddie, just take the first reel.

Tell John I left five-seconds extra leader.

Five-seconds extra. I got it, I got it.

Palmer, where's Joe? Have you seen Joe?

He's on his way to the control room.

We're gonna have to do the voice-over live.

Natalie, I need a booth with a live mic.

It's there, already set.

We didn't have time to sync it up.

HEWITT: That's not what I asked for.

It's front-loaded about five seconds.

It's missing the voice-over on the last piece.

Don, there's a commercial in the booth.

What do you want me to do?

Two minutes to air, fellas.

There's not supposed to be a commercial. Get him out.

You can't have a mic set up here.

You go up and do it in the booth.

Two and a half minutes on the Ed piece.

Ed, we've got three minutes on the bottom.

HEWITT: Fellas, keep it down. It's a little loud.

Two minutes to air, fellas.

Charlie, let me borrow your lighter.

Thanks.

WILLIAMS: I swapped those two pieces of parents on the end...

ZOUSMER: Well, as long as he talks fast.

WILLIAMS: He will talk fast.

We got the film.

Will it be ready?

You bet.

Funny thing, Freddy.

Every time you light a cigarette for me, I know you're lying.

You know, it occurs to me

we might not get away with this one.

Ten seconds. You fellas ready? OK.

Ready on camera one.

FRIENDLY: Five,

four, three, two...

HEWITT: Pan, camera one.

Good evening.

A few weeks ago, there occurred a few obscure notices

in the newspapers about a Lieutenant Milo Radulovich,

a lieutenant in the Air Force reserves.

And also, something about Air Force regulation 35-62.

That is a regulation which states

that a man may be regarded as a security risk

if he has close and continuing association with communists

or people believed to have communist sympathies.

OVER SPEAKERS: Lieutenant Radulovich was asked to resign in August.

He declined.

A board was called and heard his case.

At the end, it was recommended

that he be severed from the Air Force,

although it was also stated

that there was no question whatever

as to the lieutenant's loyalty.

We propose to examine, insofar as we can,

the case of Lieutenant Radulovich.

Our reporter, Joe Wershba, cameraman, Charlie Mack.

WERSHBA: This is the town of Dexter, Michigan. Population 1,500.

This statue is at the end...

WERSHBA CONTINUES IN THE BACKGROUND

What did the General tell you yesterday?

It was a colonel, and there were two of them.

That makes a general. They weren't too pleased.

You're gonna get audited this year.

Not me, you.

I told them I didn't want to do the story.

You always were yellow.

Better than red.

In ten seconds...

This is the sister, Margaret Radulovich Fishman.

She neither defends nor explains her political activities.

I feel that my activities,

well, be they what they may, or my political beliefs,

are my own private affair.

MILO: If, uh...?

Are my children going to be asked to, uh, denounce me?

Are they going to be judged

on what their father was labelled?

Are they going to, uh...

have to explain to their friends, et cetera,

why their father is a security risk?

I see, absolutely, uh,

that this is a chain reaction.

If the thing is let stand as...

the first recommendation was sent out by the board,

I see a chain reaction

that has no end to anybody, for anybody.

MURROW: Perhaps you will permit me

to read a few sentences just at the end

because I would like to say rather precisely what I mean.

We have told the Air Force that we will provide facilities

for any comment, criticism or corrections it may wish to make

in regard to the case of Milo Radulovich.

We are unable to judge the charges

against the Lieutenant's father or sister

because neither we, nor you, nor they, nor the lawyers,

nor the Lieutenant know precisely

what was contained in that manila envelope.

Was it hearsay, rumour, gossip, slander,

or hard ascertainable facts

that could be backed by credible witnesses?

We do not know.

We believe the son

shall not bear the iniquity of the father.

Even though that iniquity be proved,

and in this case it was not.

But we believe, too,

that this case illustrates the urgent need

for the armed forces to communicate more fully

than they have so far done,

the procedures and regulations to be followed

in attempting to protect the national security

and the rights of the individual at the same time.

Whatever happens in this whole area

of the relationship between the individual and the state,

we will do it ourselves.

It cannot be blamed on Malenkov or Mao Tse-tung,

or even our allies.

And it seems to us,

that is, Fred Friendly and myself,

that this is a subject

that should be argued about endlessly.

Good night, and good luck.

And we're out.

MUSIC: "I've Got My Eyes On You" by Dianne Reeves

# I've got

# My eyes on you

# So best beware

# Where you roam

# I've set

# My spies on you

# I'm checkin' on all you do

# From a to z

# So, darling

# Don't be wise

# Keep your eyes

# On

# Me. #

May I tell you something about yourself,

as a member of the Person To Person audience?

Based on audience research studies,

you are well above average in education and intelligence.

Your interests are wide,

from world affairs and science to sports and show business.

And you have one characteristic

that's rather encouraging to me,

and that's the fact

that you are not easily persuaded by advertising.

Now, the makers of Kent

considered all these characteristics

when they chose Mr Murrow's programme

to tell you about Kent.

Of all leading filter cigarettes,

Kent filters best.

Now, if you'll try Kent with that in mind,

I think you'll agree with many, many other thinking people

who have changed to Kent.

They find that it makes good sense to smoke Kent

and good smoking too.

Did you get the change on that? OK.

Let's roll that... OK.

No, no. You there? OK. We got it.

ANNOUNCER(OVER SPEAKERS): Now back to Ed Murrow.

Not since the silent movies and the idols they produced

has Hollywood witnessed the sort of pilgrimage

that is now going on.

Each day, oblivious to time, weather,

and the state of the world, sightseers head in the direction

of California's San Fernando Valley.

For there, at the end of the tourist line, is Sherman Oaks,

and the home Liberace has built for himself and his mother.

This is the front,

and nobody knows how many people have seen that view.

This is the back of the house, and that's Liberace's bedroom.

Good evening, Lee.

(OVER PHONE) Good evening, Ed.

What are you doing?

Well, I'm just dictating

my weekly syndicated newspaper column and...

on my trusty tape recorder here.

I also am dictating a book.

It's an inspirational book...

What about you? Have you given much thought

to getting married and settling down?

LIBERACE: Actually, I've given a lot of thought to marriage,

but I don't believe in getting married

just for the sake of getting married.

I want to someday find the perfect mate

and settle down to, what I hope will be,

a marriage that will be blessed by faith

and will be a lasting union.

In fact, I was reading

about lovely young Princess Margaret,

and she's looking for her dream man too,

and I hope she finds him someday.

Uh-huh. Well, Lee, thanks very much

for letting us come and visit you.

It's been very pleasant.

And will you say good night to the rest of your family for us?

I certainly would. Thanks a lot.

Good night, Ed. Good night, Lee.

Next week, we'll take you to Beverly Hills, California,

to the house of Mickey Rooney and his new bride.

Until then, good night, and good luck.

MAN: Good show, Mr Murrow.

NATALIE: Excuse me, Mr Murrow.

When you have a moment, can you take a look at this

and sign it for me?

Thank you. Oh, Dr Stanton wanted to know

if you could have a drink with him.

When? Now. He's at the Pentagon Bar.

I can't. What the hell is he doing there?

I believe he's waiting for you.

Well, just call him, Natalie. That's fine.

Oppenheimer next week.

It's a good show, Ed.

Hey, Don. Ed.

You're getting good at this.

They're gonna think you like it.

Heh. Pays the bills.

How are you, Don?

Ah, it's...

day-to-day.

Well, if she saw how good you look right now,

she'd be back.

You tell her that if you see her, will you?

I read the O'Brian piece.

Yeah, it's tough.

I'm a pinko. I slant the news.

I'm just waiting for him to say my wife left me too.

Nobody worth their salt reads him.

You read him.

Well, see, I rest my case.

Does Paley read him?

Bill Paley's not gonna do anything, Don.

Well...

thanks, Ed.

Oh, I just came by to tell you

how great the lieutenant piece was.

Thanks. How's the fallout?

Mostly good, surprisingly.

Is this the start?

Are you taking sides?

It's just a little poke with a stick,

see what happens.

You let me know if I can help.

But you're a pinko, Don.

DON LAUGHS

I'll see you, Ed.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

SURINE: Hey, Joe, what's all this Radwich junk you're putting out?

Don, I can't talk to you right now. I gotta get this film back to New York.

What would you say if I told you Murrow was on the Soviet payroll in 1935?

Uh, Charlie, you want to...

Sure. I'll set up outside.

McCarthy going to the Eisenhower dinner?

I have no idea. I don t keep the Senator's calendar for him, Joe.

Really?

Don, ever seen... any spy films?

You don't just hand me a classified folder.

You're supposed to slip it in my briefcase when I'm not looking.

It's perfect. I didn't know who to give this information to, Paley or Murrow.

As you can imagine, Fred and I aren't very friendly.

No pun intended.

Well, no pun elocuted.

What do you got? In short?

Murrow's been a communist sympathiser since the 1930s.

Member of the International Workers,

sponsored educational trips to Moscow,

and on the Soviet payroll in 1935. It's all there.

You wanna know why that's not possible?

Why you'll lose this one, Donald?

Because everyone in this country knows

Ed Murrow is a loyal American.

He's a patriot.

DONALD SCOFFS

Did you know the word "gullible" isn't in the dictionary, Joe?

Can I give this to him?

Oh, I'd love it. I have copies.

I think you guys go too far.

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck.

MARY: Yes, Mr Paley.

Right away. Yes, sir.

No, he hasn't called.

Yes, sir, the second he calls.

If you're in a meeting, shall I...?

Yes, sir. Of course, sir.

Mr Murrow...

Mr Paley will see you now.

Mr Paley, Mr Murrow is here.

Thank you, Miss Mary.

Hello, Ed. Bill.

Sit over here, will you?

How's Janet? Your son?

All well, thanks. How's Babe?

Oh, she's fine. She's fine.

Her fundraiser got rained on, so...

Oh. That's why I never plan on anything.

Really?

You'd never know.

Reading fiction?

I hope so. You tell me.

Well, now we know how they're gonna come at us.

That's just their first shot.

Somebody's going to go down.

Have you checked your facts?

Are you sure you're on safe ground?

Bill, it's time. Show our cards.

My cards. You lose, what happens?

Five guys find themselves out of work.

I'm responsible for a hell of a lot more

than five goddamn reporters.

Let it go.

McCarthy will self-destruct, Cohn, all of them.

Bill, you said corporate would not interfere with editorial,

and that the news was to be left our own...

We don't make the news, we report the news.

99% of the time, he's wrong about the people he's marked as communists.

And if he goes too far, the senate will investigate him,

and we will report on that. But he's wrong 100% of the time

when he oversteps people's civil liberties.

You're trying him in the press.

Does he get to face his accuser?

You've just decided on this,

and now you're presenting it as fact.

What I am doing, Bill... I write your cheque.

I put you in your country house,

and I put your son through school.

You should have told me about this

before it went so far down the road.

Every one of your boys needs to be clean.

Do you understand? No ties.

If Aaron's mother

so much as went to a group fundraiser in 1932,

he's out. Hewitt too.

Anyone in that room. You make no mistake,

I will cut them loose.

Corporate won't interfere with editorial.

But editorial will not... INTERCOM BUZZES

..jeopardise the hundreds of employees

of the Columbia Broadcasting System.

Do I make myself clear?

..Yes?

FRIENDLY: Fellas,

our next show is gonna be about Senator McCarthy.

And we re gonna go right at him.

I don't need to tell you how careful we have to be.

If we are to do this,

then Ed and I need you to be straight with us.

We need to know, for the good of the piece,

if any of you have any connection at all,

if you subscribed to a newsletter,

if you attended a party, anything.

Anything that could compromise this,

anything at all, because now would be the time to tell us.

Ed, I think I should excuse myself.

ZOUSMER: Palmer, you kidding?

PALMER: My ex was a...

well, I wouldn't say she was a communist,

but she certainly attended meetings.

It was before we were married.

I didn't even really know about it until after the divorce.

But it was different then. We were all on the same side.

I'm not telling you guys anything you don't know.

The thing of it is, somebody'll find out.

They'll hurt us with it.

I should have told you sooner, Ed. I'm sorry.

Fred.

Oh, if none of us had ever read a dangerous book

or had a friend who was different,

never joined an organisation that advocated change,

we'd all be just the kind of people Joe McCarthy wants.

We're gonna go with the story,

cos the terror is right here in this room.

FRIENDLY: John, Jesse,

go through the HUAC hearings.

Eddie, Palmer, look into the interviews

and any speeches.

OK, fellas, here we go.

His own words,

that's what we need.

MCCARTHY: He wouldn't remove a general from the army

who cleared a communist major.

I said, "Then, General,

"you should be removed from any command.

"Any man who says,

"I will protect another general

"who protects communists,

"is not fit to wear that uniform, General."

WILLIAMS: All right, so hold on.

Ethically, we're fine.

But legally, if we air this,

are we leaking closed-hearing testimony?

SCOTT: Well, we're not misquoting him.

There are other reporters. I think legally we're safe.

If it's a legal issue, it's his.

SCOTT: I'll check with legal.

And wait till you hear the bleeding hearts

scream and cry about our methods

of trying to drag the truth

from those who know or should know,

who covered up

a Fifth Amendment communist major.

But they say, "Oh,

"it's all right to uncover them,

"but don't get rough doing it, McCarthy."

CROWD CHUCKLES

Did the Civil... Civil Liberties Union

provide you with an attorney at that time?

HARRIS: I had many offers of attorneys,

and one of those was from the American Civil Liberties Union, yes.

MCCARTHY: The questions is,

did they supply you with an attorney?

- They did supply an attorney.

- The answer is yes? - The answer is yes.

- You know the Civil Liberties Union

has been listed as a front for and doing the work

of the communist party?

- Mr Chairman, this was 1932.

- Yeah, I know that was 1932.

Do you know that they since have been listed

as a front for and doing the work of the communist party?

- I do not know that they have been listed.

- You don't know they have been listed?

- I have heard that mentioned...

All right, Leo. Turn it off.

ZOUSMER: I need those three cans.

FRIENDLY: Has anybody read this book yet? It would be nice

if this guy isn't actually a commie.

WILLIAMS: I wanna read the book.

WERSHBA: I hear you, boss.

I'll put it on a kinescope. Push through to the end.

FRIENDLY: Palmer, cut it at 2:30.

ZOUSMER: I prefer it one on each end, let it run through.

I think it'd be more powerful. Cut Kennedy, shorten the piece.

FRIENDLY: Joe, file it for me. I'll see the Mundt piece later.

MURROW: Are we gonna make it, Fred?

FRIENDLY: We lost the telecine, but we'll make it.

Did you finish your closing piece?

MURROW: It's Shakespeare.

FRIENDLY: Write your closing.

WERSHBA: My argument was,

if you just show the images of McCarthy,

it doesn't make any difference.

If you agree with him, you're gonna hate it.

If you don't, you'll love it.

Maybe they should wait till they get more footage.

I don't think we can take that chance.

See, we've gotta hit McCarthy before he comes after Ed.

The blue one.

Well, they haven't gone after the Alsops or Herb Block.

Well, honey...

the Alsops and Herb Block didn't work

for the Institute of International Education in 1934.

Then I guess it's time.

You worried?

I didn't think I was. Hm.

I don't know why. I was in the office on Friday.

And I answered the phone, and it was Howard calling from London.

And he asked what was going on with McCarthy.

And before I answered him

I turned and looked over my shoulder

to see who was listening.

And who was listening?

Chairman Mao.

See you at the office.

Hey, your ring.

Name me another wife

who reminds her husband to take off

his wedding ring before he goes to the office.

Ava Gardner.

NATALIE: Excuse me, Mr Friendly. Mr Murrow?

Uh, Mr Paley's on the line for you.

Maybe he wants to reimburse us for those ads.

Ah, you'd like that. I would like that.

This is Ed.

PALEY: There s a Knickerbocker game tonight.

I've got front row seats. Are you interested?

I'm a little busy bringing down the network tonight, Bill.

Is that tonight?

We're covered, Bill.

All right.

I'm with you today, Ed,

and I'm with you tomorrow.

Thanks, Bill.

LINE CLICKS

PHONE RINGS

Do you know the timing on this first piece?

SIMON: You have the wrong extension.

Can we hold all the calls, please, Simon?

All the calls till after the show, thank you.

MACK: You fellas awake down there?

AARON: OK.

What are we, 20?

FRIENDLY: 30 seconds.

INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER TV

FRIENDLY: Ten seconds.

FRIENDLY: Five, four,

three, two...

ZOUSMER: And pan, camera one.

Because a report

on Senator McCarthy is, by definition, controversial,

we want to say exactly what we mean to say

and request your permission to read from a script

whatever remarks Murrow and Friendly may make.

If the Senator feels that we have done violence

to his words or pictures,

and desires, so to speak, to answer himself,

an opportunity will be afforded him on this programme.

Our working thesis tonight is this quotation:

"If this fight against communism has made a fight

"between America's two great political parties,

"the American people know that one of these parties will be destroyed.

"And the Republic cannot endure very long

"as a one-party system."

We applaud that statement,

and we think Senator McCarthy ought to.

He said it 17 months ago in Milwaukee.

MCCARTHY (OVER SPEAKERS): The American people realise that this cannot be made

a fight between America's two great political parties.

If this fight against communism is made a fight

against America's two great political parties,

the American people know

that one of those parties will be destroyed,

and the Republic can't endure very long

as a one-party system.

MURROW: On one thing,

the Senator has been consistent.

Often operating as a one-man committee,

he has travelled far, interviewed many,

terrorised some.

Accused civilian and military leaders

of the past administration of a great conspiracy

to turn over the country to communism.

MCCARTHY: Well, may I say that I was extremely shocked

when I heard that Secretary Stevens

told two army officers that they...

had to take part in the cover-up

of those who promoted and coddled communists.

As I read his statement, I, uh...

thought of that quotation,

"On what meat doth this our Caesar feed?"

MCCARTHY: The question is, did the Civil Liberties Union

supply you with an attorney?

HARRIS: They did supply an attorney.

-The answer is yes?

- The answer is yes.

- Do you think this book did considerable harm,

its publication,

by an expression of the views contained in it?

- The sale of that book was so abysmally small,

it was so unsuccessful,

that a question of its influence, uh...

Really, you can go back to the publisher.

You'll see it was one of the most unsuccessful books

he ever put out.

He's still sorry about it, just as I am.

- I think that's a compliment to American intelligence...

CROWD CHUCKLES

..I'll say that.

The Reed Harris hearing demonstrates

one of the Senator's techniques.

Twice he said,

"The American Civil Liberties Union was listed

"as a subversive front."

The Attorney General's list does not and never has

listed the ACLU as subversive, nor does the FBI

or any other federal government agency.

And the American Civil Liberties Union holds in its files

letters of commendation from President Truman,

President Eisenhower, and General Macarthur.

Earlier, the Senator asked,

"Upon what meat does this our Caesar feed?"

Had he looked three lines earlier in Shakespeare's Caesar,

he would have found this line,

which is not all together inappropriate.

"The fault, dear Brutus,

"is not in our stars, but in ourselves."

No one familiar with the history of this country can deny

that congressional committees are useful.

It is necessary to investigate before legislating,

but the line between investigating and persecuting

is a very fine one.

And the Junior Senator from Wisconsin

has stepped over it repeatedly.

We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.

We must remember always that accusation is not proof,

and that conviction depends upon evidence

and due process of law.

We will not walk in fear, one of another.

We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason.

If we dig deep in our history and our doctrine,

and remember that we are not descended from fearful men,

not from men who feared to write, to associate, to speak,

and to defend the causes that were, for the moment, unpopular.

This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy's methods

to keep silent, or for those who approve.

We can deny our heritage and our history,

but we cannot escape responsibility for the results.

We proclaim ourselves, indeed as we are,

the defenders of freedom

wherever it continues to exist in the world.

But we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

The actions of the Junior Senator from Wisconsin

have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad

and given considerable comfort to our enemies.

And whose fault is that?

Not really his.

He didn't create this situation of fear,

he merely exploited it, and rather successfully.

Cassius was right.

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

"but in ourselves."

Good night, and good luck.

FRIENDLY: And we're out.

Nothing?

Well, maybe nobody watched.

WILLIAMS: We got nothing.

I don't know. Nothing.

SIMON: Should I turn the phones back on, Mr Williams?

Yes, I think now would be a good time for that.

Turn the phones on! PHONES RING

Turn the phones right on.

It's the Junior Senator calling collect.

Don't kid yourself. It's Reed Harris

thanking us for putting him on the best-seller list.

I don t know whether all of you have seen what I just saw,

but I want to associate myself and this programme

with what Ed Murrow has just said,

and say I have never been prouder of CBS.

Great show.

HOLLENBECK: ...McCarthy said today that he would demand equal free...

PHONES STILL RING

PHONES RING

HOLLENBECK: ...charged that the senator made demagoguery and deceit

the national policy of the Republican Party.

You got Hollenbeck?

Congratulations. Great show. Good work.

Feel like a scotch?

I think everybody could use a scotch.

MUSIC PLAYS: "You're Driving Me Crazy" by Dianne Reeves

# You You're drivin' me crazy

# What did I do?

# What did I do?

# My tears for you

# Make everything hazy

# Cloudin' the sky of blue

# How true

# Were the friends who were near me to cheer me?

# Believe me, they knew But you

# Were the one who would hurt me, desert me

# When I needed you

# Oh, you You're drivin' me crazy

# What did I do to you...? #

It's 3:30. Early editions are out.

MURROW: I'm not worried.

No, of course not.

Shirley, honey, would you go across the street

and get the early editions? All of them?

Just get O'Brian.

LAUGHTER

Hey, watch my drink.

Yeah.

# ..What did I do to you? #

ZOUSMER: Well?

SHIRLEY: OK, here we go.

At last.

The Times.

Right on time.

SCOTT: Good. Who wrote it?

Jack Gould.

Gould? Ah...

"Edward R Murrow's television programme

"on Senator Joseph R McCarthy

"was an exciting and provocative examination

"of the man and his methods.

"It was crusading journalism

"of high responsibility and courage.

"For TV so often plagued by timidity and hesitation,

"the programme was a milestone

"that reflected enlightened citizenship..."

"The programme..." Hold on.

"The programme was no less an indictment of those who wish

"the problems posed by the Senator's tactics

"and theatrics would just go away and leave them alone."

"That was Mr Murrow's and television's triumph

"and a very great one."

Hear, hear.

FRIENDLY: He hated it.

MURROW: Yeah, what's his beef, huh?

Send the New York Times a bottle of scotch.

I did. How do you think we got that review?

ZOUSMER: How's The Post?

WERSHBA: Pretty good.

What about O'Brian?

SHIRLEY: Uh, the same.

LAUGHTER

Go on, go on. Read O'Brian.

Uh, I don't have it. Got it.

Oh, here. Here we go.

Shirley, that...

"We can't say we were surprised

"at Edward R Murrow's Hate McCarthy telecast last evening,

"when his explosively one-sided propaganda,

"edited with deviously clever selectivity from McCarthy's

"march against communism, was finished last evening.

"By equally machiavellian coincidence

"the following telecast featured Murrow's PM protege, Hollenbeck.

"In an obviously gloating mood,

"Hollenbeck hoped viewers had witnessed

"his patron's triumph from and for the Left."

Hm.

So on.

HOLLENBECK: Shirley, it's OK. Finish it.

No, that's it. Shirley, please.

Finish it.

"The Columbia Broadcasting System has been in a lengthy

"clean house of Lefties mood.

"The worst offenders on lesser levels

"have been quietly pushed out of the company.

"Don Hollenbeck, a graduate of the demised

"pinko publication PM, attacked conservative papers

"with sly and slanted propaganda.

"He then proceeded through an equally..."

SHIRLEY SIGHS

"..tilted review of the day's events with McCarthy

"dominating his words, actions, attitudes."

So on, so on.

It's O'Brian.

Yeah. He didn't get the scotch, that's all.

SCOTT: Grammatically correct?

I'll have that cigarette, Ed.

PALMER: Thanks, Shirley. SHIRLEY: Ah.

ZOUSMER: Thank you. Joe, Shirley.

For the leg work.

FRIENDLY: It doesn't add up.

SHIRLEY: Yeah.

SHE CHUCKLES To Jack Gould.

FRIENDLY: To Jack, to Jack, to Jack Gould.

SHIRLEY: I love Jack Gould!

AARON: A scholar and a gentleman.

SCOTT: May he rest in peace.

Hello, Jimmy.

Fred, congratulations.

Thank you.

I got a hangover you wouldn't believe.

All the ad guys on the third floor watched the show.

Got a good review in The New York Times.

Switchboard lit up all night. Jack Gould.

Putting out a press release that said calls came in 15-1

in favour of the show. Really?

We got calls from everywhere.

East coast or the west coast?

Yeah. Kansas City, Cincinnati.

Mr Paley.

Morning, Fred.

Good morning, Mr Paley.

How's your wife?

She's fine. Getting ready to move.

Really? Where to?

Riverdale. We found a nice house there.

Yeah. It's nice there.

Yes, sir.

Excuse me.

Fred,

McCarthy wants William Buckley to do his rebuttal.

I said no.

Yes, sir.

Hey, Johnny.

Radulovich has been reinstated.

AARON: What?

Guys, guys, Radulovich has been reinstated.

AARON: Jesse, Jesse!

Where did you hear this?

Got some good news. Got some very good news.

Special announcement from the Secretary of the Air Force.

Fellas. Fellas, listen up!

Everyone.

"I have decided that it is consistent

"with the interests of the national security

"to retain Lieutenant Radulovich in the United States Air Force.

"Stop.

"He is not, in my opinion, a security risk.

"Full stop."

CHEERS AND LAUGHTER

There you go.

Harold E Talbott, Secretary from the Air Force.

FRIENDLY: Congratulations. Great job.

Make a copy of that for me. I will do, Fred.

Good job, Don.

All right! SCOTT: this means something.

This absolutely means something, you know it does.

ZOUSMER: Absolutely. This is the start of...

TYPEWRITER CLACKS

Palmer?

The CBS lawyers wanna talk to you.

When? Tomorrow.

FRIENDLY: I don't want you to get paranoid.

They're talking to everybody.

PALMER: Any ideas?

Just tell them what you know.

COHN (ON TV): Now, is that testimony true?

MOSS: No, sir, it is not.

Not at any time have I been a member

of a communist party,

and I have never seen a communist card.

You've never seen a communist card?

That's right.

Have you ever attended any meetings?

No, sir, I ve never attended any communist meetings.

Have you ever subscribed to The Daily Worker?

No, sir, I didn t subscribe for The Daily Worker,

and I wouldn't pay for it.

McCARTHY: Uh, now, Mrs Markward,

who was working for the FBI,

who joined the Communist Party under orders from the FBI,

has testified that while she never met you

personally at a communist meeting,

that your name was on the list

of communists who were paying dues.

Uh, can you shed any light upon that?

No, sir. I don t even know

what the dues are or where they were paid.

McCARTHY: So I understand you have never paid any money

to the Communist Party, is that correct?

That's right.

You've never paid any dues...

Right, thank you, Leo. Thank you very much.

Good work, Joe, Charlie.

Now, what is the show?

Is it defending Annie Lee Moss as not being a communist?

Or is it her constitutional rights?

I think we're much better sticking up for constitutional issues.

Agreed? The woman is not a spy.

FRIENDLY: McCarthy said that they have a spy in the Pentagon,

that spy has gotten into the code room,

and that that spy is Annie Lee Moss.

I've got New York Times reports,

"McCarthy asserts he has a new red link to army."

Quote, "Senator mccarthy charged today that the army

"now employs a woman in its code room

"who was, and still may be,

an active communist," unquote.

Front page of The New York Times. Three days ago.

WERSHBA: No sooner is he done chastising the other committee members

for wanting to push it to the afternoon,

then seven questions in, he ducks out.

FRIENDLY: He leaves.

It's all over the headlines all over the country.

MURROW: Eddie, get me copies

from any newspaper that printed anything

about that assertion. Absolutely.|

FRIENDLY: Get The Cincinnati Enquirer, all of them.

Have a stack for the show.

Couple other pieces I think we should include.

The fact that there's three Annie Lee Mosses in the phone book.

There are two Robert Halls.

One's coloured, one's white.

WILLIAMS: Charlie said we have some footage of the empty chair.

That says it all. That picture of McCarthy not...

McCarthy leaving the hearing after seven questions,

and then we'll cut to the shot of the chair.

All right, so to that end...

Excuse me, fellas. Mr Murrow.

McCarthy wants April 6th.

Thank you, Natalie.

Fine. If Charlie shoots it, we get to see it first.

We should ask. We should offer.

What the hell could McCarthy possibly do?

Is he gonna debate himself? We just used his words.

Can't he use Buckley?

We used the original transcripts.

Johnny, Johnny, we know what it's going to be.

He's going to come after me. There's nothing more he can do.

He's gonna bet that a senator trumps a newsman.

FRIENDLY: He'll lose.

Well, not if we're playing bridge.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Oh, I m sorry, guys.

Didn't mean to interrupt. FRIENDLY: Hey, don.

Uh, Ed, you have a minute?

Yes, Don, I ll be right there.

FRIENDLY: All right, boys.

WERSHBA: All right, playtime's over.

We have four days to do a 28-minute show.

MURROW: Sorry. Oh, that s all right, Ed.

Hi, Mary. Hello, Mr Hollenbeck.

Give us a moment, please, dear?

MARY: Certainly.

HOLLENBECK: Thank you, dear. Thank you.

I have to ask you something, Ed.

It's about O'Brian.

He doesn't matter. He's killing me.

Doesn't matter in the newsroom.

It's not just him. We ought to let that guy have it.

We have to expose O'Brian.

I will not take on McCarthy and Hearst.

I can't defeat them both.

Just don't read the papers.

Or don't read O'Brian, anyway.

OK.

I guess not.

I'm sorry, Don.

Although Miss Moss offered to testify...

Senator Mundt, South Dakota.

...Senator McCarthy suggested that she was too sick...

Mr Cohn wanted to know about Mrs Moss's connection...

McCARTHY: Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,

so help you God?

COHN: May we get your full name for the record, please?

Annie Lee Moss.

M-o-s-s?

That's right.

McCARTHY: Mrs Moss, let me say for the record,

for your information,

for the information of your counsel,

that you are not here because...

you are considered important in the communist apparatus.

We have the testimony that you are a...

have been a communist.

We are rather curious, however, to know that

how you suddenly, uh, were shifted from,

uh, a worker in a cafeteria to the code room.

In other words,

I am today much more interested

in the handling of your case by your superiors

than in your own personal activities.

However, counsel will question you

about your own activities also.

MAN: Uh, Mr Chairman...

We will not hear from counsel.

You have been told what the rule is.

If you have anything to say, say it through your client.

OK, then.

COHN: Did you begin work at the general accounting office in,

uh, 1945?

Yes, sir.

And, uh, prior to that time,

had you been a cafeteria worker?

Yes, I had.

I see.

Uh, while in the Pentagon, since 1950,

have you had any connections with coded messages?

Have you ever handled coded messages?

No more than to transmit 'em.

Pardon me?

No more than to transmit the message.

Than to transmit them? Mm-hmm.

Did you transmit codes?

Receive or to transmit messages was all I had to do.

And then the courtroom,

I've never been into a courtroom in my life.

McCARTHY: Do you know the, uh... type of classification...?

Do you know if they were secret, top-secret, confidential?

No, sir.

Other words, you wouldn't know

the degree of classification?

No, sir. I see.

HE CLEARS THROAT

I'm afraid I'm going to have to excuse myself,

I've got, uh,

a rather important appointment tonight,

which I've got to work on right now,

and I wonder if, Senator Mundt,

you would take over as chairman.

Chairman, uh... MUNDT: Cohn?

..I have no further questions of this witness at this time.

I can say this, we have the testimony

of Mrs Markward, the undercover agent for the FBI,

stating that Annie Lee Moss was a member,

a due-paying member of the Communist Party,

uh, the Northeast Club of the Communist Party.

We have corroboration of that testimony

by another witness,

who was called before the committee

and gave a sworn statement to the effect

that she also knew Mrs Moss

as a member of the Northeast Club of the Communist Party.

She's already lost her job.

She's been suspended because of this action.

I'm not defending her.

If she's a communist, I want her exposed.

But to make these statements

as we've got corroborating evidence

that she is a communist,

under these circumstances, I think she's entitled

to have it produced here in her presence

and let the public know about it

and let her know about it.

APPLAUSE

McCLELLAN: I don't like to try people by hearsay evidence.

I'd like to get the witnesses here and try them...

APPLAUSE

...by testimony under oath.

MUNDT: The chair will rule that the comment of Mr Cohn