The Post

---

Well

Take me back down where

cool water flows, y'all.

Let me remember things I love

Dan, your rifle.

All right, kill 'em all.

Stoppin' at the log

where catfish bite,

Who's the long hair?

That's Ellsberg--

works with Langsdale

at the Embassy.

He's observing.

I can hear the bullfrog

callin' me, oh

Wonder if my rope's still

hangin' to the tree

Let's move out.

Move out!

Love to kick my feet way

down the shallow water

Shoo fly, dragonfly,

get back t'mother

-Take good care.

-Good luck.

Skip it across Green River

Well!

Bravo-two-seven,

this is Kilo-four-tango.

Fire mission:

Grid:
Two-niner-eight-four-

seven-one.

Lay down.

Hang in there, buddy.

They're gonna fix you up.

We're gonna get you outta here,

don't you worry 'bout it.

Dan?

Dan?

Dan?

Secretary would like a word,

wanna follow me?

Well, y-you can say what you

want to the President--

I've read every one of

Ellsberg's reports,

and I'm telling you,

it's just not the case.

Dan, you know Mr. Komer.

He's been discussing the

war with the President

and, well, his sense is

that we've made real progress

over the past year, but I've

been doing my own review

and it seems to me that

things have gotten worse.

But neither of us have

been in the field--

you have--you're

the one who knows

so, what do you say?

Are things better or worse?

Well, Mr. Secretary, what

I'm most impressed by

is how much things

are the same.

See, that's exactly

what I'm saying.

We put another 100,000

troops in the field,

things are no better?

To me, that seems like

things are actually worse.

Thank you, Dan.

Mr. Secretary!

Mr. Secretary, sir!

How was your trip, sir?

Sir?

Good afternoon, gentlemen,

I don't have any uh,

prepared remarks but I'd be very

happy to take your questions

one at a time-- Jim?

Mr. Secretary, I'm wondering

if the trip left you optimistic

or pessimistic about our

prospects in this war

and our ability to win it?

Well, you asked whether I was

optimistic or pessimistic.

Today, I can tell you that military

progress over the past 12 months

has exceeded our expectations.

We're very encouraged by what

we're seeing in Vietnam.

In every respect,

we're making progress.

I'm especially pleased to have

Bob Komer along for the trip--

so he can see for himself

that we've been showing

great improvement in every

dimension of the war effort.

Derrick.

-Goodnight, Dan.

-Goodnight, Dan.

Night, guys.

You okay, Dan?

Yeah, yeah, I thought I'd, uh...

forgot something. I didn't.

Next left, on Melrose.

We have committed ourselves

to the cause of a just

and peaceful world order

through the United Nations.

May 3rd, 1950.

President Truman approved

ten million dollars in military aid

to Indochina.

America's leadership

and prestige depend

on how we use our power

in the interest of world peace.

I feel concerned

about paragraph six

which gives authority to control

general elections in Vietnam.

The United States,

as the world knows,

will never start a war.

May 11th, 1961.

President Kennedy orders

a full examination

by the Defense Department

of a possible commitment

of U.S. forces to Vietnam.

We are not about to send

American boys

nine or ten thousand

miles away from home

to do what Asian boys ought

to be doing for themselves.

President Johnson chose to

reaffirm the Kennedy policy's

military operation to be initiated

under close political control.

Can we just do the-

can we do the numbers one-

just one more time?

The company's selling

how many shares?

1.35 million shares.

And the price range is?

Uh, between-between $24.50 and

twenty-f--seven dollars per share.

Not exactly a huge difference.

For them but, you know, the bankers

always do fiddle with the prices--

but for us, that's over three

million dollars and that

represents over five years

salary for 25 good reporters.

Good. But why spend

in the newsroom?

You're far less profitable than

Gannett or Knight and Ridder.

Gannett and Knight and Ridder own

monopoly papers in smaller cities

and-and our readers are-are

leaders, you know?

they're-they're educated,

they demand more.

That's why we invest in

really good reporters.

-And so...

-B-Because

quality and-and profitability

do go hand in hand.

See? You know all this already.

Oh, God!

I don't know if I do.

-I should get to breakfast.

-Yeah.

We don't want Paul

or Arthur too antsy at this

-No.

-at the meeting.

Good luck.

-And thank you, Fritz.

-Mm-hmm.

-See you downtown.

-I'll see you.

You think this is really necessary?

Oh, God, yes, darling.

You should hear how they

talk at these meetings.

It's as if it's in a foreign language.

No, I meant taking

the company public.

It seems we are...cash poor.

You know, barely solvent.

That's the newspaper business.

That's our newspaper business.

And we need the public

offering to stay in business--

and to continue to grow.

That's what Fritz says.

And he also says that the family

can maintain control if we...

Anyway, I'm just not sure your

grandfather would've wanted us

to give up any control at all.

Hello?

-Mrs. Graham?

-Yes, this is she.

Please hold for

the Chief of Staff.

Who is it?

Haldeman.

-Mrs. Graham, Bob Haldeman.

-Yes, hello.

We've got a bit of

an issue over here.

Oh?

Jesus.

Oh.

I'm so sorry.

-Sorry, sorry, sorry.

-Well, good morning.

I'm so late. I had to get all this...

stuff together and uh...

then I had an unexpected call.

Well, what is with the suitcase?

Ben, I told you...

this is the day, we're

meeting with the bankers

-Oh, yes, yes, right, right.

-today, you know this.

-Well, I bet you every dollar

-Thank you.

in my wallet that you are the

only person in that boardroom

who's read through

all their nonsense.

I'm probably the only

one who needs to.

What do you think

of Neil Sheehan?

Oh, gosh, his coverage of Vietnam

is just absolutely marvelous. Why?

You thinking of trying to

steal him from The Times?

I'm not sure we can afford him.

He, uh, he hasn't had a

piece in three months.

Oh?

You think he's onto something?

Well, I saw Abe at a

dinner party last week

and he was looking

mighty, mighty smug.

Isn't he always?

-So who was it?

-Who was what?

Your unexpected call.

Oh.

I buried the lead.

The White House.

-Haldeman rang.

-Yeah?

It seems the President

has decided

not to provide Judith

with credentials

to cover the Nixon wedding.

-Oh, Jesus Christ.

-Yeah.

They said we could

send another reporter.

Oh, yeah?

-Can't believe that.

-I know.

-I know, but don't...

-Jesus.

But what?

I'm not sure I entirely

blame the President

-on this one, Dan.

-No?

Would you want Judith to cover

your daughter's wedding?

Well, my daughter's

only ten years old.

I think she burned her bridges when

she crashed Julie's reception.

-They're being punitive.

-Her pen is so sharp.

-Of course it's punitive.

-This is punitive.

Of course it's punitive.

She compared Tricia Nixon

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