The Post Page #3

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which is why they

want more control.

They want assurances that she's

not gonna squander it all.

I mean, come on.

Fritz, Kay throws a great party,

but her father gave the

paper to her husband.

The only reason she's running

things is because he-because...

Phil died.

Don't get me wrong, I think

she is a lovely woman.

But she got rid of Al Friendly

and brought in a pirate

who does nothing but

bleed our margins.

I mean, you can't be surprised

that the buyers are concerned

that she doesn't have the resolve

to turn a serious profit.

Kay, it's your decision.

But in my opinion,

if you want this to be more

than a little family paper,

it has to be more than

a little family business.

Thank you, Arthur,

for your frankness.

All right.

-We're set?

-All set, Mr. Parsons.

Accident.

I...

It wasn't an accident.

Phil's suicide--I don't know why

people insist on calling

it an accident.

Is it to make them feel better?

Or do they think they're...

being kind? I don't know.

I don't know.

So, do you think I should

give up more seats on the board?

Of course not.

We're going to be fine.

Hmm.

This passage...

in the prospectus that I--

I read it earlier today.

The uh, oh, yes...

"In the unlikely

instance of disaster

"or catastrophic event

in the week

"following the initial

public offering,

"Lazard Frres & Co. retains

full right to cancel the issue."

It's boiler plate, Kay.

It's standard

contractual language.

Uh...but, so, that bankers

could pull out?

Only if there's a true disaster.

Ben gets hit by a truck...

the world runs out

of newspaper ink...

the...truck goes around the

block and hits Ben again...

You think one of

those is possible.

I don't but, you know.

The Nixon White House is

nothing if not vindictive.

Just this morning,

they barred us from covering

Tricia Nixon's wedding.

Somehow, I doubt that will rise

to the level of catastrophe.

No, probably not--although,

when Ben sets his

mind to plunder,

it's not hard to imagine

something more serious.

Catastrophic events...

do occur, you know.

Yeah, but the right to

cancel is only for a week.

A week from the public offering.

Seven days after they ring

that bell on Tuesday,

the deal is done.

Hm.

It's gonna be fine, Kay.

Do you know what floor

the newsroom's on?

Five.

Uh, no, no, no,

six, yeah, six.

You think that he's

not beneath Pakistan?

Well, five million refugees

could destabilize West Bengal.

So, Lindsay's lowering

the boom tomorrow.

How's he gonna cut

a hundred million?

There's gonna be some blood on

the floor of a greasy mansion.

I heard the mayors gave

it to Nixon in Philly.

Yeah, I told you those

guys are violent.

Take a look at this.

You guys see that piece

on the hijacking?

You think six pages is enough?

We got three columns on

the front page. I'll take it.

-On the flight?

-The flight.

Can I help you, mac?

Just delivering a package

to Mr. Mietson.

Maston, I'll see that he gets it.

I knew a couple

whose yacht was shipwrecked

in the South Pacific.

Hold on, quiet, quiet.

I know a couple whose yacht was

shipwrecked in the South Pacific.

It looks bleak, so the man asks,

"Does the will take

care of the kids?"

his wife nods.

"What about your mother?"

Yes. Okay.

"Did we donate to Nixon?"

His wife shakes her head.

Yes.

"Did we pledge or give?"

"We pledged."

"Thank God!", shouts the man.

"Nixon'll find us."

"We're saved!"

Speaking of Nixon,

I just talked to Kissinger

who was going on about the

end of the China embargo.

He's convinced it's a rather

clever geo-political move.

Oh, I think this is

our cue, ladies.

Someone at this

table of luminaries

must have an idea

what they're up to.

I wonder what his buddy

Joe McCarthy would say.

The new Style section did a

lovely piece on Lawrence Durrell.

Well, it's about time

Style had a good piece.

I think it's a bit improved.

I hear he's at work on

another series of novels.

I hear he's at work on

finding a fourth wife.

I will say, he's one of the

few individuals who could

probably cozy up

to communist China

without fear of

major political cost.

Ah, but is Nixon that smart?

He never laughed at one of my jokes.

Oh, Kay, I don't

know how you do it.

I don't know how you keep

up with it over here--

Have this day job.

-Oh!

-Well.

You need to read her book.

Kay, can I have--just a word?

Did you get a chance

to read his--

Um.

Everything all right?

-Marg okay?

-Yeah, she's- she's fine.

The procedure went very well.

Oh, good, I've

been meaning to...

I, uh...

I wanted to tell you and I want

you to hear from me first.

There's an article about me

coming out in

The Times tomorrow.

It's not flattering.

Running...me?

Now you know me

better than that.

Three days and three nights

and not a word from you.

Well, I've been very busy.

For all I knew, you were

lying in the gutter somewhere

with a knife in your back.

Lying in the gutter?

Now, look, sweetheart, I'll

tell ya what happened.

I was in Birmingham.

Hello.

Hello, Ben.

Hello, Katharine.

I'm sorry to bother you

so late, but listen.

Were you able to make any

headway with Mr. Sheehan?

No, no, no.

I haven't.

I just had an odd conversation

with Bob McNamara.

And...I think The Times may

have a big story tomorrow.

Ah, dammit.

You know, he wouldn't

give me any details, but

Bob said it was quite...

detrimental to him that--

Ben.

We got 'em.

We got 'em.

-Ah.

-Ah?

-Yeah, quite good.

-The happy couple?

-Hey! Chief!

-Mr. Bradlee.

So, did you track down Sheehan?

No, but I saw a mock up

of tomorrow's front page.

There's a big gap.

Nothing there but the name.

Sh*t.

Sh*t.

Sh*t!

-Give us three.

-Here you go, here you go, here.

Here, here, here, here.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thanks, got it.

General Haig, sir.

-Hi, Al.

-Yes, sir.

How, uh, what about

the casualties list--

you got that figure yet?

No, sir, but I think it's

gonna be quite low, uh...

Fine. Okay.

Nothing else

of interest in the world?

Yes, sir, very

significant this uh,

goddamn New York Times expos of

the most highly-classified

documents of the war.

You mean that-that was

leaked out of the Pentagon?

The-the whole study that

was done for McNamara.

This is a devastating,

uh, security breach of

of the greatest

magnitude of anything

-I've ever seen

-Well...

Well, what, uh, what's being

done about it, then?

-I...

-Did we know this was coming out?

No, we did not, sir.

I have Dr. Kissinger.

Uh, Henry, that thing to

me is just unconscionable--

this is treasonable action

on the part of the

bastards that put it out.

I'm absolutely certain

that this violates all

sorts of security...laws--

People have got to be put to the

torch for this sort of thing.

Christ!

McNamara knew we

couldn't win in '65--

that's six goddamn years ago.

Well, at least we

got the wedding.

Is anybody else tired or reading

the news instead of reporting it?

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