About
"When television news began, they trusted us completely, and should have because none of us had any ax to grind; none of us had any political ambitions. Our only real purpose in life, and in work, was to tell people what we knew to be true."
In his over two-and-a-half-hour interview, David Brinkley (1920-2003) recalls his early years in the United Press and as a writer/announcer for radio. He speaks of his association with NBC, which began in 1943 in Washington, D.C. He outlines the network's transition to television, and talks of providing the Washington report for the Camel News Caravan with John Cameron Swayze. He recounts his work on all national conventions beginning in 1952, including his first teaming with Chet Huntley for the 1956 conventions. He discusses his long collaboration with Huntley on The Huntley-Brinkley Report, and recalls Huntley's retirement. Brinkley describes his landmark documentary series David Brinkley's Journal, which pioneered the newsmagazine format, and his later series NBC Magazine with David Brinkley. He speaks of his transition to ABC and his groundbreaking work on This Week With David Brinkley (1981-96). He details covering and interviewing Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Don Carleton conducted the interview on December 8, 1999 in Bal Harbor, FL.
Highlights
David Brinkley on his first on-camera appearances for NBC News and writing for NBC News
David Brinkley on Senator Joseph McCarthy's "list" of 205 alleged Communists
David Brinkley on co-anchoring The Huntley-Brinkley Report and his chemistry with Chet Huntley
David Brinkley on covering John F. Kennedy's assassination
David Brinkley on covering President Richard M. Nixon
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on his World War II experience
On being hired at NBC Radio; on his early days working for NBC Radio; on covering President Roosevelt
Chapter 2
On the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt; on covering President Harry S. Truman; on his first foray into television
On NBC reporter John Cameron Swayze; on getting on the air at NBC; on Joseph McCarthy's blacklist
Chapter 3
On Chet Huntley; on interviewing Martin Luther King, Jr.
On co-anchoring The Huntley-Brinkley Report; on hosting news documentaries; on former NBC News President Reuven Frank
Chapter 4
On how he and Chet Huntley were perceived; on anchoring David Brinkley's Journal; on covering President John F. Kennedy
On covering the assassination of John F. Kennedy; on covering the 1964 political conventions and the death of Winston Churchill; on the end of The Huntley-Brinkley Report
Chapter 5
On covering President Richard M. Nixon; on co-anchoring The NBC Nightly News; on anchoring This Week with David Brinkley
On interviewing President Ronald Reagan; on his retirement and interviewing President Bill Clinton; on controversy over being a spokesman for Archer Daniels Midland and career highlights
Chapter 6
On the public perception of network news; on the then-current state of television; on the most important stories of the 20th Century
Shows
Camel News Caravan
David Brinkley on NBC's John Cameron Swayze
David Brinkley's Journal
David Brinkley on anchoring David Brinkley's Journal
Huntley-Brinkley Report, The
David Brinkley on teaming up with Chet Huntley for The Huntley-Brinkley Report
David Brinkley on co-anchoring The Huntley-Brinkley Report and his chemistry with Chet Huntley
David Brinkley on anchoring political conventions
David Brinkley on concerns that he and Chet Huntley were too "boring"
David Brinkley on the end of The Huntley-Brinkley Report
NBC News
David Brinkley on his first on-camera appearances for NBC News and writing for NBC News
NBC Nightly News
David Brinkley on hosting NBC Nightly News after the retirement of Chet Huntley
This Week with David Brinkley
David Brinkley on anchoring This Week with David Brinkley
Topics
Advertising and Sponsorship
David Brinkley on becoming a spokesman for Archer Daniels Midland
Bill Clinton
David Brinkley on his incident with President Bill Clinton
Characters & Catchphrases
David Brinkley on teaming up with Chet Huntley (and the origin of their "Good Night" signoffs)
Civil Rights Movement
David Brinkley on covering the Civil Rights Movement
David Brinkley on interviewing a young Martin Luther King, Jr. before the Brown vs Board of Education ruling came down
David Brinkley on Jesse Helms, at the time, a local Southern reporter who went on the air to "answer Brinkley's lies"
First Big Break
David Brinkley on being hired by NBC Radio
Franklin D. Roosevelt
David Brinkley on covering President Franklin D. Roosevelt for NBC Radio
David Brinkley on the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
David Brinkley on covering President Harry S. Truman
Historic Events and Social Change
David Brinkley on his World War II experience
David Brinkley on covering the Civil Rights Movement
David Brinkley on interviewing a young Martin Luther King, Jr. before the Brown vs Board of Education ruling came down
David Brinkley on Jesse Helms, at the time, a local Southern reporter who went on the air to "answer Brinkley's lies"
David Brinkley on covering John F. Kennedy's assassination
Hollywood Blacklist
David Brinkley on Senator Joseph McCarthy's "list" of 205 alleged Communists
Industry Crossroads
David Brinkley on Senator Joseph McCarthy's "list" of 205 alleged Communists
JFK Assassination and Funeral
David Brinkley on covering John F. Kennedy's assassination
John F. Kennedy
David Brinkley on covering President John F. Kennedy
David Brinkley on covering John F. Kennedy's assassination
Pivotal Career Moments
David Brinkley on being hired by NBC Radio
Pop Culture
David Brinkley on teaming up with Chet Huntley (and the origin of their "Good Night" signoffs)
Richard M. Nixon
David Brinkley on covering President Richard M. Nixon
Ronald Reagan
David Brinkley on interviewing President Ronald Reagan
Television and the Presidency
David Brinkley on covering President Franklin D. Roosevelt for NBC Radio
David Brinkley on the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
David Brinkley on covering President Harry S. Truman
David Brinkley on covering President Richard M. Nixon
David Brinkley on interviewing President Ronald Reagan
David Brinkley on his incident with President Bill Clinton
David Brinkley on covering President John F. Kennedy
David Brinkley on covering John F. Kennedy's assassination
Television Industry
David Brinkley on Senator Joseph McCarthy's "list" of 205 alleged Communists
David Brinkley on becoming a spokesman for Archer Daniels Midland
War
David Brinkley on his World War II experience
World War II
David Brinkley on his World War II experience
Genres
News and Documentary
David Brinkley on anchoring This Week with David Brinkley
David Brinkley on co-anchoring The Huntley-Brinkley Report
David Brinkley on anchoring David Brinkley's Journal
People
Roone Arledge
David Brinkley on anchoring This Week with David Brinkley
John Chancellor
David Brinkley on John Chancellor
Reuven Frank
David Brinkley on NBC News President Reuven Frank
Jesse Helms
David Brinkley on Jesse Helms, at the time, a local Southern reporter who went on the air to "answer Brinkley's lies"
Chet Huntley
David Brinkley on how Chet Huntley was hired by the NBC network
David Brinkley on Chet Huntley's personality
David Brinkley on co-hosting The Huntley-Brinkley Report and his chemistry with Chet Huntley
David Brinkley on the end of The Huntley-Brinkley Report
Lyndon B. Johnson
David Brinkley on covering the 1964 political conventions
John F. Kennedy
David Brinkley on covering President John F. Kennedy
David Brinkley on covering John F. Kennedy's assassination
Martin Luther King, Jr.
David Brinkley on interviewing a young Martin Luther King, Jr. before the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling came down
Edward R. Murrow
David Brinkley on Senator Joseph McCarthy's "list" of 205 alleged Communists
Franklin D. Roosevelt
David Brinkley on covering President Franklin D. Roosevelt for NBC Radio
David Brinkley on the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
John Cameron Swayze
David Brinkley on NBC's John Cameron Swayze
Harry S. Truman
David Brinkley on covering President Harry S. Truman