WITH TOM HANKS.
NOW, ARE YOU STARRING IN A
WONDERFUL MOVIE A STEVEN
SPIELBERG MOVIE WITH MERYL
STREEP AND TOM HANKS CALLED "THE
POST."
IT'S ABOUT "THE POST" AND "THE
NEW YORK TIMES," RACING TO
PUBLISH THE PENTAGON PAPERS.
>> IN ALL FAIRNESS AND THE
HISTORICAL RECORD, "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" BROKE THE STORY, THEY PUT
THIS TOP-SECRET STUDY.
THEY HAD THE PAPERS AND THEY PUT
IT-- THEY RAN IT I THINK A
COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THE NIXON
ADMINISTRATION, THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT ENJOINED THEM,
CONJOINED THEM-- ENJOINED THEM.
STOPPED THEM FROM PUBLISHING
THIS-- THIS REPORT THAT HAD BEEN
AROUND AN AWFUL LOT, ABOUT THE
HISTORY-- AMERICA'S HISTORY
RECORD IN VIETNAM.
>> Stephen: AND THE THING
ABOUT IT IS THE RECORD SHOWS
THAT--
>> EVERY SINGLE PERSON SAID WE
SHOULD NOT BE THERE.
>> Stephen: EVER-- EISENHOWER,
KENNEDY, JOHNSON.
>> THEY ALL SAID THE WAR IS NOT
UNWINNABLE.
WE SHOULD NOT BE THERE, AND YET
WE KEPT BEING THERE.
BY THE TIME 1970 ROLLED AROUND,
30,000, 40,000 TROOPS HAD
ALREADY BEEN KILLED, NEVER MIND
COUNTLESS VIETNAMESE.
IT WAS ACTUALLY ALREADY FIVE
YEARS OLD, ROBERT MACK NAMARA,
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE,
COMMISSIONED IT, AND IT GOT OUT.
AND BECAUSE OF-- IT'S REALLY THE
WEEK-- WHEN KATHERINE GRAHAM
BECAME KATHERINE GRAHAM, AND BEN
BRADLEE --
>> Stephen: WHO YOU PLAY.
>> WHO I PLAY.
IT'S FUNNY, THOUGH, "THE
WASHINGTON POST" AT THE TIME,
CERTAINLY WANTED TO COMPETE WITH
THE "NEW YORK TIMES" ON A
NATIONAL LEVEL, BUT THEY ALSO
WANTED TO BE THE NUMBER ONE
PAPER IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WHICH
WAS CALLED "THE WASHINGTON
STAR."
THAT WAS THE NUMBER ONE PAPER IN
D.C. AT THE TIME.
AND WHERE IS "THE WASHINGTON
STAR" NOW, MY FRIEND IS IT'S ON
THE ASH HEAP OF HISTORY.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: IN THIS SCENE,
"THE WASHINGTON POST," WHO WAS
BEATEN--
>> YOU HAVE A SCENE?
>> Stephen: WE HAVE A SCENE.
WE HAVE A CLIP RIGHT HERE.
I BELIEVE IT'S AFTER "THE
WASHINGTON POST" HAS ACQUIRED A
LARGE PORTION OF "THE PENTAGON
PAPERS" DIRECTLY FROM DANIEL
ELLSBERG, WHO IS THE MAN WHO HAD
BEEN A MARINE, WORKED FOR THE
RAND CORPORATION, AND HAD STOLEN
IT FROM THE RAND CORPORATION.
>> HE HAD SPIRITED IT AWAY FROM
THE RAND CORPORATION.
THE PROBLEM WAS IS THAT IF THEY
RAN-- IF "THE WASHINGTON POST"
RAN THE STORY, THEY COULD ALL BE
FOUND GUILTY OF TREASON AND THEY
COULD ALL HAVE GONE TO JAIL.
>> Stephen: AND KATHERINE
GRAHAM COULD LOSE "THE
WASHINGTON POST."
>> AND HER FROOEM, AMONG OTHER
THINGS.
>> BEN, HOW ARE WE SPEZZED TO
COMB THROUGH 4,000 PAPERS.
>> WE'VE GOT LESS THAN EIGHT
HOURS.
>> HEY, HEY, THE LAST SIX YEARS
WE'VE BEEN PLAYING CATCH-UP, AND
NOW THANKS TO THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES, WHO, BY THE
WAY, HAS TAKEN (BLEEP) ALL OVER
THE FIRST AMENDMENT, WE HAVE THE
GOODS.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY COMPETITION.
THERE'S DOZENS OF STORIES IN
HERE.
"THE TIMES" HAS BARELY SCRATCHED
THE SURFACE.
WE HAVE 10 HOURS TILL THE
DEADLINE, SO WE DIG IN.
>> Stephen: "WE DIG IN."
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
HE WAS LIKE A MOLD OF A NEWSMAN.
HE WAS LIKE A MODEL OF A
NEWSMAN, LIKE A LOT OF--
>> OH, HE LIVED AND DIED FOR IT.
BEN BRADLEE-- THERE WAS A GREAT,
THERE WAS ALL SORT OF--
ACTUALLY, I MET THE MAN.
I HAD DINNER WITH HIM.
AND HE WAS JUST LIKE THAT.
HE SAID, "YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA
MAKE SURE-- IF YOU'RE GOING TO
PUT IT ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE
PAPER, YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE
IT'S RIGHT, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE
WRONG, YOU GOTTA EAT IT FOR THE
NEXT 24 HOURS!"
"AND IT DOESN'T TASTE GOOD!"
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: YOU KNOW, A LOT OF
PEOPLE TRUST YOU AND...
( LAUGHTER )
IT'S TRUE.
AND ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO TRUFTZ
YOU IS YOUR COSTAR MERYL STREEP.
WHO THIS MORNING IN A BUZZFEED--
>> CAN I SAY YOU MEAN MERRILL
"HIGH MAINTENANCE" STREEP.
>> Stephen: OH, REALLY?
REALLY?
YEAH?
DIVA?
>> LOOK, THE SHOES ALONE, MAN,
THE BIG DEAL-- NO, I-- I AM SO--
I AM SO JOKING.
SHE'S-- SHE'S FABULOUS.
YOU KNOW WHAT'S SCARY ABOUT
MERRILL?
SHE COMES IN AND DOES IT JUST
LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE DOES, YOU
KNOW.
YOU'RE EXPECTING FRENCH HORNS
BEFORE SHE ENTERS THE STAGE.
YOU EXPECT A GUY IN LIVERY TO
COME OUT, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
THE ACTRESS KNOWN AS MERYL
STREEP."
AND THEN DA-DA-DA!
LITTLE FLAGS HANGING DOWN.
AND SHE COMES IN AND WAVES TO
THE CREW THE WAY THE ROYALS USED
TO, YOU KNOW.
SHE DOESN'T GO LIKE THIS.
SHE KIND OF LIKE WAVES LIKE,
"HELLO, HELLO.
SHALL WE RUN THE SCENE?
SHALL WE RUN THE SCENE?"
SHE WAS MAD AT ME BECAUSE I
DIDN'T HER HER THAT STEPHEN
DOESN'T REHEARSE.
>> Stephen: SPIELBERG DOESN'T
REHEARSE?
>> HE DOESN'T REHEARSE.
>> Stephen: WHY?
>> SHE HEE JUST WANTS TO-- HE
WANTS TO FIGURE IT OUT AS HE
GOES ALONG.
HE SAYS, "I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO
SHOOT THE SCENE.
I NEED YOU GUYS TO HELP ME.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS?
AND I SAY, "YES, STEPHEN, AS A
MATTER OF FACT I I DO.
I THINK I'LL BE SITTING HERE
LIKE THIS."
AND I DO THE WHOLE SCENE.
NOW HE'S A VERY-- HE'S ALMOST
LIKE A GUERRILLA FILMMAKER.
HE HAS THE SET AND HE HAS THE
SPACE AND HE WANTS TO FILL IT UP
AS SOMETHING HE HASN'T IMAGINED
BEFORE.
I DON'T MEAN THAT HE IS NOT
PREPARED.
HE'S THE MOST PREPARED MAN IN
THE WORLD.
BOB OWEN, KIRK, KERI-- A
MURDERERS' ROW.
>> Stephen: IF YOU WORK ON A
SPIELBERG FILM, EVERYBODY IS
GOOD.
THEY SHOW UP-- HE'S NOT GOING TO
HIRE SOMEBODY WHO ISN'T GOOD.
>> HE MAKES THIS THING WHERE
THERE'S A GUY WHOSE JOB--
ACCORDING TO AS HE KNOWS IT--
HE'S GOING TO DELIVER A SHOE
BOX, AND HE'S GOING TO SAY, I
THINK I HAVE SOMETHING."
THAT'S THE ONLY LINE HE HAS IN
THE SCRIPT, "I THINK I HAVE
SOMETHING."
WELL, THE FELLOW THAT DID IT, WE
THOUGHT WE WERE DOING A SCENE
ABOUT US-- THE CAST TALKING
ABOUT PUTTING THE PAPER
TOGETHER.
WE THOUGHT IT WAS ALL ABOUT US.
AND THEN WE STARTED SHOOTI SHOOT
STEPHEN SAID, "OKAY, YOU GUYS
ARE JUST GOING TO BE OVER IN
YOUR OFFICE.
YOU'LL BE SAYING YOUR LINES
THERE."
AND WE THOUGHT THEY'LL COVER US
AND GET BIG CLOSE-UPS OF ME, AND
BOB ODEN KIRK-- IT TURNED UP ON
THE THE CAMERA WAS FOLLOWING A
GUY WITH A SHOE BOX.
HE'S THE STAR OF THE SCENE NOW
BECAUSE THE SHOE BOX HOLDS 200
PAGES OF "THE PENTAGON PAPERS."
AND THIS WAS WHAT WE'VE BEEN
WAITING FOR.
SO I THOUGHT THE SCENE WAS ABOUT
BEN BRADLEE!
( LAUGHTER )
AND IT WAS INSTEAD "GUY WITH
SHOE BOX."
( LAUGHTER )
BUT THAT'S WHAT HE DOES.
YOU'LL THINK-- YOU THINK YOU'RE
JUST A GUY IN A MOVIE, AND THE
NEXT THING YOU KNOW STEPHEN WILL
SAY, "HERE'S WHAT I WANT YOU TO
DO."
IT TURNS OUT TO BE GREAT-- I
WISH I KNEW THE GUY'S NAME.
BUT I DON'T LEARN ANYBODY'S NAPE
IN THE COURSE OF MOVIES.
>> Stephen, OF COURSE,.
>> IT'S ALL "SKIPPER AND BUDDY
AND CAPTAIN."
AND IF I DON'T KNOW THEIR NAMES
IT'S ALWAYS, "THERE YOU ARE!
THERE YOU ARE."
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: TELL YOU WHAT,
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE ANOTHER
BREAK.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE
TOM HANKS, EVERYBODY.
