
Good Night, and Good Luck. Page #7
- It's getting fun now!
- Ed, you have a minute?
- Yes, I'll be right there.
- All right, boys. Playtime's over.
We have 4 days...
...to do a 28 minute show.
- Yeah. - All right.
All right, go ahead.
Hi, Mary.
Hello, Mr. Hollenbeck.
Mr. Murrow...
- Could you give us a moment?
- Sure.
Thank you, dear.
I have to ask you something, Ed.
It's about O'Brian.
- O'Brian doesn't matter.
- He's killing me, Ed.
He doesn't amount to that much
in the newsroom.
We've got to let that guy have it.
We're not going after 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.
Okay. I guess not.
Sorry, Don.
Although Mrs. Moss
offered to testify...
...Senator McCarthy suggested
that she was too sick.
- She agreed... - Mr. Cohn wanted
to know about Mrs. Moss's connection...
...to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth...
...so help you God?
May we get your full name
for the record, please?
Annie Lee Moss.
- M-O-S-S?
- That's right.
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,
and have been, a Communist.
We are rather curious, however,
to know how you suddenly...
...were shifted from...
...a worker in a cafeteria
to the code room.
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.
- 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.
Chairman. Did you begin work
at the General Accounting Office in...
...1945?
- Yes, sir.
And, prior to that time,
had you been a cafeteria worker?
Yes, I had.
I see. 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?
Did you transmit codes?
To receive or transmit messages
was all I had to do.
And I've never been
into a courtroom in my life.
Do you know the...
...type of classification...
- Do you know if they were secret,
top secret, confidential? - No, sir.
- You wouldn't know the degree
of classification? - No, sir.
I see.
I'm afraid I'm going
to have to excuse myself, I've got...
...a rather important appointment
to work on right now...
...and I wonder if, Senator Mundt,
you would take over as Chairman?
- Chairman. Uh...
- Cohn.
I have no further questions
of this witness at this time.
We have the testimony of Mrs. Markward,
the undercover agent for the FBI...
...stating that Annie Lee Moss
was a member, a dues-paying member...
...of the Communist Party...
...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.
I don't like to try people
by hearsay evidence.
I'd like to get the witnesses here
and try them...
...by testimony, under oath.
The Chair will rule
that the comment of Mr. Cohn...
...be stricken from the record.
I didn't ask that, Mr. Chairman!
...whether we should try to produce
a witness in public...
...because the FBI may have
her undercover and we don't want to...
You can't strike these statements
made by counsel here as to evidence...
...that we're having and withholding.
You cannot strike that from the press...
...nor from the public mind
once it's planted there. That's the...
...evil of it!
- Well, I'd look at it...
- I don't think it's fair to a witness...
...to a citizen of this country...
...to bring them up here
and cross-examine them...
...then when they get through, say...
..."The FBI has got something on you
that condemns you."
- The Chair agrees...
- It is not sworn testimony...
...it's convicting people
by rumor and hearsay and innuendo.
You will notice that neither Senator
McClellan or Senator Symington...
...nor this reporter know or claim
that Mrs. Moss was or is a Communist.
They simply claimed that she had the
right to meet her accusers face to face.
They simply claimed that she had the
right to meet her accusers face to face.
One month ago tonight we presented
a report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy.
We labeled it as controversial.
Most of that report consisted
of words and pictures of the Senator.
At that time, we said...
..."If the Senator believes we have done
violence to his words or pictures..."
"...if he desires to speak,
to answer himself..."
"...an opportunity would be
afforded him on this program."
The Senator sought the opportunity
after 3 weeks...
...because he was very busy and wished
adequate time to prepare his reply.
We agreed.
We placed no restrictions on the manner
of the presentation of his reply...
...and we suggested that we would not
take time to comment...
...on this particular program.
Here now is Senator Joseph R. McCarthy,
junior Senator from Wisconsin.
Good evening. Mr. Edward R. Murrow,
Educational Director of the CBS...
...devoted his program
to an attack...
...on the work of the US Senate
Investigating Committee...
...and on me personally
as its Chairman.
Now, over the past 4 years,
he has made repeated attacks upon me...
...and those fighting Communists.
Of course, neither Joe McCarthy
nor Edward R. Murrow...
...is of any great importance
as individuals.
We are only important...
...in our relation to the great struggle
to preserve our American liberties.
Now ordinarily, I wouldn't take time
out from the important work at hand...
...to answer Murrow.
However, in this case...
...I feel justified in doing so
because Murrow is the symbol...
...the leader...
...and the cleverest of the jackal pack
which is always found at the throat...
...of anyone who dares to expose
individual Communists and traitors.
And I am compelled by the fact...
...to say to you
that Mr. Edward R. Murrow...
...as far back as 20 years ago...
...was engaged in propaganda
for Communist causes.
For example, the Institute
of International Education...
...of which he was
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"Good Night, and Good Luck." Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 15 Mar. 2025. <https://www.scripts.com/script/good_night,_and_good_luck._9195>.
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