The Nixon Interviews
Encyclopedia
The Nixon Interviews were a series of interviews of former United States President
Richard Nixon
conducted by British
journalist Sir David Frost, and produced by John Birt
. They were recorded and broadcast on television in four programs in 1977. The interviews became the subject of the play Frost/Nixon, which was later made into a film
; both starred Michael Sheen
as Frost and Frank Langella
as Nixon.
believed that by using television Nixon could reach a mass audience. At the same time, Frost sought redemption because his New York
-based talk show had been recently cancelled, leaving him consigned to a career based around the stories covered by the proto-reality show Great Escapes. As Frost had agreed to pay Nixon for the interviews, the American news networks were not interested, regarding them as checkbook journalism
. They refused to distribute the program, forcing Frost and a group of investors to syndicate the series themselves.
Frost recruited James Reston, Jr. and ABC News
producer Bob Zelnick to evaluate the Watergate
minutiae prior to the interview. This allowed Frost to take control of the interview by revealing details of a previously unknown conversation between Nixon and Charles Colson
. Nixon's resulting admissions would support the widespread conclusion that Nixon had obstructed justice. Nixon continued to deny the allegation until his death, and it was never tested in a court of law because his successor, President Gerald Ford
, issued a pardon to Nixon after his resignation.
Frost personally funded the project while seeking other investors, who eventually bought the air time themselves and syndicated the four programs. Nixon's negotiated fee was $600,000 and a 20 percent share of any profits.
Nixon chief of staff Jack Brennan
negotiated the terms of the interview with Frost. Nixon's staff assumed that Frost would be easily outwitted, and that the interview would be an opportunity for the disgraced politician to restore his reputation with the public. Previously, in 1968, Frost had interviewed Nixon in a manner described by Time
magazine as "so softly that in 1970 President Richard Nixon ferried Frost and Mum to the White House
, where the Englishman was appointed to produce a show in celebration of the American Christmas
."
Marvin Minoff
, president of Frost's David Paradine Productions
, and by British current affairs producer John Birt.
Recording took place at a seaside home in Monarch Bay
, California
, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Harold H. Smith, who were both longtime Nixon supporters. This location was chosen instead of Nixon's San Clemente home, La Casa Pacifica
, on account of interference with the television relay equipment by the Coast Guard
navigational-aid transmitters near San Clemente. Frost rented the Smith home for $6,000 on a part-time basis.
In the weeks leading up to the interviews with Nixon, David Frost was interviewed by Mike Wallace
of CBS's
60 Minutes
, the same news organization that Frost had "scooped" (CBS had also been in negotiations to interview Nixon, but Frost outbid them). Frost talked about looking forward to Nixon's "cascade of candor".
The interviews were broadcast in four parts, with a fifth part containing material edited from the earlier parts broadcast months later:
{| class="wikitable"
!Part!!Broadcast!!Content
|-
|Part 1 || 4 May 1977 || Watergate
|-
|Part 2 ||12 May 1977 || Nixon and the world
|-
|Part 3 ||19 May 1977 || War at home and abroad
|-
|Part 4 ||26 May 1977 || Nixon, the man
|-
|Part 5 ||10 September 1977|| additional material from parts 1-4
|}
The premiere episode drew 45 million viewers, the largest television audience for a political interview in history — a record which still stands today.
In Part 3, Frost asked Nixon about the legality of the president's actions. Nixon replied: "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."
Part 5 opened with Frost's blunt question, "Why didn't you burn the tapes
?"
Frost was expected to make $1 million from the interviews.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
conducted by British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
journalist Sir David Frost, and produced by John Birt
John Birt, Baron Birt
John Birt, Baron Birt is a former Director-General of the BBC who was in the post from 1992 to 2000.After a successful career in commercial television, first at Granada and then at LWT, Birt was brought in as deputy director-general of the BBC in 1987 for his current affairs expertise...
. They were recorded and broadcast on television in four programs in 1977. The interviews became the subject of the play Frost/Nixon, which was later made into a film
Frost/Nixon (film)
Frost/Nixon is a 2008 historical drama film based on the 2006 play by Peter Morgan which dramatizes the Frost/Nixon interviews of 1977. The film was directed by Ron Howard and produced for Universal Pictures by Howard, Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working...
; both starred Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
as Frost and Frank Langella
Frank Langella
-Early life:Langella, an Italian American, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr., a business executive who was the president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company. Langella attended Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne...
as Nixon.
Background
After his resignation in 1974, Nixon spent more than two years away from public life. In 1977, he granted Frost an exclusive series of interviews. Nixon was already publishing his memoirs at the time; however, his publicist Irving "Swifty" LazarIrving Paul Lazar
Irving Paul "Swifty" Lazar was a talent agent and deal-maker, representing both movie stars and authors.Born as Samuel Lazar in Brooklyn, New York, he graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1931...
believed that by using television Nixon could reach a mass audience. At the same time, Frost sought redemption because his New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based talk show had been recently cancelled, leaving him consigned to a career based around the stories covered by the proto-reality show Great Escapes. As Frost had agreed to pay Nixon for the interviews, the American news networks were not interested, regarding them as checkbook journalism
Chequebook journalism
Chequebook journalism is the form of journalism where the essential characteristic is that the journalist pays the subject of the work money for the right to publish his story....
. They refused to distribute the program, forcing Frost and a group of investors to syndicate the series themselves.
Frost recruited James Reston, Jr. and ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
producer Bob Zelnick to evaluate the Watergate
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
minutiae prior to the interview. This allowed Frost to take control of the interview by revealing details of a previously unknown conversation between Nixon and Charles Colson
Charles Colson
Charles Wendell "Chuck" Colson is a Christian leader, cultural commentator, and former Special Counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973....
. Nixon's resulting admissions would support the widespread conclusion that Nixon had obstructed justice. Nixon continued to deny the allegation until his death, and it was never tested in a court of law because his successor, President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, issued a pardon to Nixon after his resignation.
Frost personally funded the project while seeking other investors, who eventually bought the air time themselves and syndicated the four programs. Nixon's negotiated fee was $600,000 and a 20 percent share of any profits.
Nixon chief of staff Jack Brennan
Jack Brennan
John "Jack" Vincent Brennan is a retired American United States Marine Corps Reserve officer and political aide. He is best known as President Richard Nixon's post-resignation chief of staff.-Early life:...
negotiated the terms of the interview with Frost. Nixon's staff assumed that Frost would be easily outwitted, and that the interview would be an opportunity for the disgraced politician to restore his reputation with the public. Previously, in 1968, Frost had interviewed Nixon in a manner described by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine as "so softly that in 1970 President Richard Nixon ferried Frost and Mum to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, where the Englishman was appointed to produce a show in celebration of the American Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
."
Interviews
The interviews began on March 23, 1977 and lasted 12 days. They were taped for two hours a day, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, for a total of 28 hours and 45 minutes. The interviews were managed by executive producerExecutive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Marvin Minoff
Marvin Minoff
Marvin Minoff was an American film and television producer best known for producing The Nixon Interviews between British journalist David Frost and former U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1977...
, president of Frost's David Paradine Productions
David Paradine Productions
David Paradine Productions is a television production company formed by Sir David Frost.-References:* Accessed 30 March 2007....
, and by British current affairs producer John Birt.
Recording took place at a seaside home in Monarch Bay
Monarch Beach, Dana Point, California
Monarch Beach is a small, wealthy gated community in Orange County, California located within Dana Point. Its distinction is the St. Regis and the Ritz Carlton-Laguna Niguel which are beachside resorts located within the town of Monarch Beach...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Harold H. Smith, who were both longtime Nixon supporters. This location was chosen instead of Nixon's San Clemente home, La Casa Pacifica
La Casa Pacifica
La Casa Pacifica is a mansion located in the Cottons Point Estates gated community on the beaches of San Clemente, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean...
, on account of interference with the television relay equipment by the Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
navigational-aid transmitters near San Clemente. Frost rented the Smith home for $6,000 on a part-time basis.
Broadcasts
The interviews were broadcast in the US and some other countries in 1977. They were edited into four programs, each 90 minutes long.In the weeks leading up to the interviews with Nixon, David Frost was interviewed by Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace (journalist)
Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist, former game show host, actor and media personality. During his 60+ year career, he has interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers....
of CBS's
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, the same news organization that Frost had "scooped" (CBS had also been in negotiations to interview Nixon, but Frost outbid them). Frost talked about looking forward to Nixon's "cascade of candor".
The interviews were broadcast in four parts, with a fifth part containing material edited from the earlier parts broadcast months later:
{| class="wikitable"
!Part!!Broadcast!!Content
|-
|Part 1 || 4 May 1977 || Watergate
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
|-
|Part 2 ||12 May 1977 || Nixon and the world
|-
|Part 3 ||19 May 1977 || War at home and abroad
|-
|Part 4 ||26 May 1977 || Nixon, the man
|-
|Part 5 ||10 September 1977|| additional material from parts 1-4
|}
The premiere episode drew 45 million viewers, the largest television audience for a political interview in history — a record which still stands today.
In Part 3, Frost asked Nixon about the legality of the president's actions. Nixon replied: "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."
Part 5 opened with Frost's blunt question, "Why didn't you burn the tapes
Watergate tapes
The Watergate tapes, a subset of the Nixon tapes, are a collection of recordings of conversations between Richard Nixon and his fellow conspirators plotting a break in to the Watergate Hotel. U.S. President Richard Nixon and various White House staff started communicating on February 1971 and...
?"
Aftermath
A Gallup poll conducted after the interviews aired showed that 69 percent of the public thought that Nixon was still trying to cover up, 72 percent still thought he was guilty of obstruction of justice, and 75 percent thought he deserved no further role in public life.Frost was expected to make $1 million from the interviews.
DVD releases
There have been several releases on DVD:- 1 disc edition, 85 minutes
- 2 disc edition, 377 minutes
See also
- Frost/Nixon (film)Frost/Nixon (film)Frost/Nixon is a 2008 historical drama film based on the 2006 play by Peter Morgan which dramatizes the Frost/Nixon interviews of 1977. The film was directed by Ron Howard and produced for Universal Pictures by Howard, Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working...
- Frost/Nixon (play)