Frost/Nixon (2008) - full transcript

They'd better not push me on him,

or I'll just kick them
in the teeth on it.

Well, I think, if they...

Internal Revenue people
that are kicking

Billy Graham around is Rosenberg.

He is to be out.

I don't give a goddamn
what the story is.

He went on television.

I have not. I've already
ordered Connally,

we're going after the Chandlers,

every one individually,
collectively,



their income taxes are
starting this week.

Every one of those
sons of bitches.

Well, this is something that
we can really hang Teddy or...

Yeah.

Or the Kennedy clan with.

I'm gonna want to put
that in Colson's hands.

And we're gonna want
to run with it.

A controversial day in politics.

A man arrested trying
to bug the offices

of the Democratic National
Committee in Washington

turns out to be an employee

of President Richard Nixon's
re-election campaign committee.

He is one of five persons
surprised and arrested yesterday

inside the headquarters of the
Democratic National Committee



in Washington.

And guess what else he is.

A consultant of President
Richard Nixon's

re-election campaign committee.

The trial started today
at the federal courthouse

for the five burglars
caught breaking into

the Democratic National
Party headquarters.

Stand by for camera.

John Dean, the ex-White House
Counsel, testified today

that President Nixon knew
about the Watergate cover-up.

At one point in the conversation,

I recall the President telling me

to keep a good list of the press
people giving us trouble because

we will make life difficult
for them after the election.

Dean read through a
245-page statement

characterising a president
who was easily outraged

over war protesters and
political adversaries,

and outlining a range of offences,

including wiretapping of newsmen,

a Charles Colson plan to firebomb

and burgle the
Brookings Institution,

and spying on Senator Kennedy
and other Democrats.

The misuse of power is the
very essence of tyranny.

And consider, if you will,

the frightening implications
of that for a free society.

The President today accepted the

resignation of three
of his closest aides.

Out is H.R. Haldeman,
Chief of Staff.

Also quitting under fire
is John Ehrlichman.

Ehrlichman was a key
political advisor.

Good morning. The Supreme Court

has just ruled on the
tapes controversy,

and here is Carl Stern,
who has that ruling.

It is a unanimous decision,
Doug, eight to zero.

Justice Rehnquist took no
part in the decision ordering

the President of the United
States to turn over the tapes.

It's an eight-to-zero
unanimous opinion.

A White House aide
told NBC News today

that impeachment of
the President by

the full House of Representatives
now is a virtual certainty.

These are, with no serious doubt,

the last hours of the 37th
presidency of the United States.

This is indeed an historic day,

the only time a president has
ever resigned from office

in our nearly 200
years of history.

You see the White House there,
and in the White House,

in just a few moments now,

President Nixon will be
appearing before the people,

perhaps for the last time as
President of the United States.

15 seconds, Mr President.

Okay, that's five, four, three...

Good evening. This
is the 37th time

I have spoken to you
from this office

where so many decisions
have been made

that have shaped the
history of our nation.

I remember exactly where I was.

My father called. The phone rang,
my father called and he said,

Turn on the TV right now.
Richard Nixon's going down.

I was at home with friends, and we
were watching television at home.

We stayed up and, like everyone
else, I'd been glued to

the Select and Judiciary Committee
hearings night after night.

And then finally, it
had come to this.

Therefore, I shall resign the

presidency effective
at noon tomorrow.

But instead of the satisfaction
I imagined I'd feel,

I just got angrier and angrier,

because there was no
admission of guilt.

There was no apology.

Little did I know

that I would one day
be part of the team

that would try and
elicit that apology.

To leave office before
my term is completed

is abhorrent to every
instinct in my body.

I have never been a quitter.

And that that team would be led

by the most unlikely
of white knights,

a man with no political
convictions whatsoever,

a man who, as far as I know, had
never even voted once in his life.

But he was a man who had one big
advantage over the rest of us.

He understood television.

And now, the host of
Frost Over Australia,

Mr David Frost.

Thank you, thank you.

Hello. Good evening.

And with the eyes of the world
focused on the White House,

here in Australia,
burglars have broken into

a meat factory in Brisbane

and stolen a ton of pork sausages.

The Queensland police
are looking for

men in a long, thin getaway car.

Now, my first guest tonight...

Well, we in the Nixon camp

really didn't know that
much about David Frost,

other than he was a
British talk show host

with something of a
playboy reputation.

He'd had a talk show here in the
US that had won some awards

but hadn't syndicated well and
had been dropped by the network.

He ended up taking it
down to Australia,

which is, I believe, where he was
when the President resigned.

Next week's guest will
be Evonne Goolagong.

We'll see you then. God bless.

- Great show, David.
- Thanks, Noah.

Come and look at this.

Nixon leaving the White House.

A dark day for Richard
Nixon, who has drawn crowds

to the vast Ellipse south
of the White House before.

- What, this is live?
- Yeah.

But those were
triumphs. This is not.

What time is it in Washington?

9:00 a.m.

Why didn't he wait?

It's 6:00 in the morning
on the West Coast.

Half his audience is still asleep.

All right, you blokes, let's
get the set broken down.

Are witnesses to the saddest day
in the life of Richard Nixon,

his last moments as President
of the United States,

a moment unlike any other in
the history of this country.

Richard Nixon, who goes now

from the power of the presidency

to a form of exile in California.

Find out the numbers for
this, will you? Worldwide.

I remember his face.

Staring out the window.

Down below him, a liberal
America cheered, gloated.

Hippies, draft
dodgers, dilettantes,

the same people who'd spit on me
when I got back from Vietnam.

They'd gotten rid of Richard
Nixon, their bogeyman.

So what's so important
that it couldn't

wait, that it had to be today?

I've had an idea, John, rather
a bold idea for an interview.

Fish and chips, please.

And in a moment...

Well, it's too late
now. It's done.

I've called his people...

You?

Beans, peas and lamb, please.

And made an offer.

Now, if the subject
were to say yes,

well, he's rather a big fish that
swims in not untricky waters.

So it goes without saying
that I'd want a dear friend

and the finest producer
I know by my side.

So who is it?

Richard Nixon.

Richard Nixon?

Well, come on, don't
look like that.

Well, how would you
expect me to look?

I spent yesterday evening watching
you interview the Bee Gees.

Weren't they terrific?

Come on, John, we've done
political interviews before.

So, okay, so what
kind of interview?

A full, extensive look-back
over his life, his presidency.

And?

- And what?
- Come on, David.

Surely the only thing that
would interest anyone

about Richard Nixon
would be a confession.

A full, no-holds-barred
confession.

Well, we'll get that, too.

From Richard Nixon?

Come on, John.

Just think of the
numbers it would get.

Do you know how
many people watched

his farewell speech
in the White House?

Four hundred million.

But in the end, David
heard nothing.

And soon after arriving
in California,

Nixon was rushed to hospital with
an acute attack of phlebitis.

I think it was around this
time that Gerald Ford,

who was the new President,

and who was desperate to move
the agenda on from Watergate,

gave Nixon a full, free
and absolute pardon.

Now therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford,

President of the United States,

have granted, and by
these presents do grant,

a full, free and
absolute pardon unto

Richard Nixon for all offences
against the United States.

It meant that the man who had
committed the greatest felony

in American political history
would never stand trial.

It was like he slipped
out the back door.

A public opinion poll indicates

a two-to-one disapproval of the
pardoning of Richard Nixon.

One telegram from Virginia said,
Roosevelt had his New Deal,

Truman had his Fair Deal, now
Ford has his crooked deal.

There was no deal, period.

I don't think the truth
will ever come out.

The American people
need to know the truth,

and I don't think it will
ever now be fully known.

So how do we want to address
the college protests?

Well, do we want to
lift some quotes

from the "stand up and be
counted" speech in 1970? Sir?

You know, maybe we're
just better off

using the whole Lincoln
Memorial memo.

Just include the whole thing.

Mr President, Swifty
Lazar is here.

Okay. No, no, stick around.

You're gonna get a
kick out of this.

This is my literary
agent from Hollywood.

Hygiene obsessive.

Mr President, good to see you.

Nice to see you.

These are folks helping
me with my book.

Diane Sawyer, Frank
Gannon, Irving Lazar.

- Nice to meet you.
- Miss Sawyer.

- Pleasure.
- Mr Gannon.

Okay, that's it. I'll
see you after lunch.

So how you feeling, sir?

I'm better, thank you. Though
not yet well enough to golf,

thank God. I despise that game.

Imagine, six weeks out of office

as President of the United States,

and they'd have me putting
in my hospital room.

Never retire, Mr Lazar.

To me, the unhappiest people
of the world are retired.

No purpose.

What makes life mean
something is purpose.

A goal. A battle. A struggle.

Well, even if you don't win it.

When my doctor declared me unfit

to give testimony in
the Watergate trial,

everybody thought I'd be relieved.

Well, they were wrong.

That was the lowest I got.

Well, if it's a challenge you
want, here's one you might enjoy.

How to spend $2 million,
2.3 to be precise.

It's what I got for your memoirs.

Well, thank you.

It might be a little
short of what I wanted,

but let me assure you, it's a
whole lot more than they wanted.

That book is important to me.

It's probably the only chance I'm

gonna get to put the
record straight

and remind people the Nixon
years weren't all bad.

You know, if you're trying
to put the record straight,

I'd at least talk to him.

Who?

David Frost. English
talk show guy.

Why would I want to
talk to David Frost?

Well, a while back, he wrote
asking for an interview.

No.

Well, we didn't get back to him.

Frankly, we didn't
find him appropriate.

Well, I thought that we
were doing one with CBS.

We are. I just figured
doing it with Frost

would be a whole lot easier than
doing it with Mike Wallace.

It would, but it would have a lot
less, you know, credibility.

True, true. Could
probably get more money.

- Really?
- Look.

We'll always have 350
on the table from CBS.

But if I could get Frost to pay
more and secure better terms,

it might be a shame to pass.

It'd be interesting to know
where he is right now.

We tied him to railway
tracks, and he escaped.

We buried him alive,
and he walked free.

Today we're lowering escape artist
Derek Harrison into the water

to see if he can miraculously
cheat death once more.

Good evening, and welcome
to Great Escapes.

My name is David Frost.

Okay, that is a cut.

Thank you.

In any deal, you need to know
your opponent's breaking point.

To assess that, you
might call them

late at night or at the weekend.

If they take the call, you
know they're desperate.

And from that moment on, you
know you have the upper hand.

Hello?

Mr Frost? Irving Lazar.

Who?

Swifty Lazar. I represent
President Nixon.

What time is it?

Bad time?

No. Not at all.

I'm calling with regard to
your request for an interview

and to say, having considered it,

my client is not necessarily
opposed to the idea.

Really? Well, that's
terrific news.

For God's sake.

I got $500,000.

Is that good?

Mr President, it's
a half a million

dollars for a news interview.

It's unprecedented.

Yeah? Well, what's the catch?

With Frost? None. It'll
be a big wet kiss.

This guy'll be so grateful
to be getting it at all,

he'll pitch puffballs all night

and pay a half a million
dollars for the privilege.

Well, you think you could get 550?

I got 6.

David, how could you
have done that?

- What?
- $600,000. That's a fortune.

200 on signature?

Don't worry about the money.

My God. Most Americans
think he belongs in jail.

You're making him a rich man.

Plus, by outbidding them,
you've already made enemies

- of the networks.
- They're just jealous.

They're already sounding off
about chequebook journalism.

And if the networks
are against you,

syndication's always
going to be a struggle.

No syndication, no advance sales.

No advance sales, no commercials.

No commercials, no revenue.

And here's the bigger question,
why do it? You don't need it.

Your career's in great shape.

This will just spread you
across three continents,

jeopardise the other shows.

Isn't it true that Channel
Nine in Australia

want you to do another season
of your talk show for them?

- Yes.
- And London, too?

Yes, but that would be
London and Australia.

- This would be...
- What?

You wouldn't understand, John.

You were never part of
the show in New York,

but it's indescribable.

Success in America is unlike
success anywhere else.

And the emptiness when it's gone.

And the sickening thought
that it may never come back.

You know, there's a restaurant
in New York called Sardi's.

Ordinary mortals
can't get a table.

John, the place was my canteen.

You know, I'd be happier

if I heard some kind of vision

that you had for this interview.

Excuse me, Mr Frost.

I'd heard you were
going to be here.

- Would you mind?
- Of course.

But I don't. I just
hear a man doing it

because it would create headlines

or give him a place
at the top table.

And that is what makes me nervous.

And you do nervous so
beautifully, John.

Hello, good evening and welcome.

I don't actually say that.

Hello, Mr Frost.

Champagne?

No, thank you.

Another glass, sir?

You don't like champagne?

Not on aeroplanes.

Yes, it dehydrates one terribly.

The trick is to have a glass
of water on the go, too.

Like the Viennese serve coffee.

Well, I've never been to Vienna.

Oh. Well, you'd like it.

It's like Paris
without the French.

What's your name?

Caroline.

David.

Yes, I know. David Frost.

Hello and good
evening and welcome.

You know, I heard an interview
with you recently on the radio.

You were giving it from the
back of your Rolls-Royce.

Bentley.

On the phone.

They said that you were a person

who defined the age we live in.

Really?

You and Vidal Sassoon.

But what made you
exceptional, they said,

was that you were a person
who had achieved great fame

without possessing any
discernible quality.

How kind.

And that you fly
around a great deal.

Well, that's true.

Why?

I like to keep busy.

Why?

I find it more interesting
than keeping still.

You know, you have very sad eyes.

Do I?

Has anyone told you that before?

No.

Are you a sad person?

Let's talk about you a little bit.

Of course, you feel more
comfortable asking questions.

How right you are.

This is your captain speaking.

You may have noticed we've begun

our final descent
into Los Angeles.

If you could please return to your
seats and fasten your seat belts,

we'll be landing very
shortly. Thank you.

So how about you?
Where are you going?

To meet Richard Nixon.

Really?

You know, they say he has
the most enormous head,

but the sexiest voice.

Where is he now?

In some dark underground
cave licking his wounds?

Actually, no. In his rather
smart beachside villa

in California.

Really? Richard Nixon
in a beachside villa?

How incongruous.

You can come if you'd like.

To meet Nixon?

Why not?

Are you sure?

You know, I would love that.

Cabin crew, please
prepare for arrival.

Well, I'll get my office to call
you first thing in the morning

and send a car with a phone.

Oh.

He did, too. Money no object.

Everything glittered
and was golden.

Well, on the outside.

Of course, what I didn't know
was that in the meantime,

he'd gone to all
the major networks

to try and get interest
in the interviews.

I'm sorry, David, but
we have a policy

of not paying for
a news interview.

Look, we love your work
as an entertainer.

That Guinness show?

Love it. You're a funny guy.

But an interview like this?

You're asking us to pay a
British talk show host

to interview an American president

with absolutely no editorial
controls whatsoever in return?

Well, you can't say it's
not a fresh approach.

I know you're very busy.

I'm not gonna keep you from it.

Thank you for coming in.

I'm gonna have to get back to you.

Okay, thank you so
much for your time.

David, good luck.

He never let on to
anyone at the time,

not even me. You know,
that would have meant...

Thanks.

Admitting failure, and
David doesn't do failure.

There you are.

See, you don't have to
do a thing yourself.

Well.

You found it okay.

Yes, thank you.

Pleasure to meet you, Mr Frost.

And you, sir.

May I present Caroline Cushing?

Miss Cushing.

Hello. Your house
is very beautiful.

Really. Very romantic.

Well, thank you.

And my producer, John Birt.

- Nice to meet you.
- How do you do?

This is Mr Lazar, and
this is Jack Brennan.

Now, Miss Cushing, would
you like to take a tour,

you know, maybe stretch your
legs after your long journey?

Yes, please. I'd love
that. Thank you.

Come on in. This is my office.

Now, this is where Brezhnev
and I had our summit.

Yeah. Brezhnev was there, and
Gromyko there, Dobrynin there.

We talked for nine hours straight.

After the meeting, as a
souvenir of the visit,

I remember that we had a
Lincoln specially made.

Dark blue, cherry wood, leather.

Well, we got inside for
the photographers,

when the next thing you
know, he steps on the gas.

Now, the first rule
of political life is

you never let a president get
behind the wheel of a car, ever.

I mean, we're not used
to doing anything

for ourselves, let alone drive.

And the Chairman, Jesus, the
way he put his foot down,

my guess is the last
thing he drove was

a tractor on some
Ukrainian potato farm.

He crashed into curbs.

He went over speed bumps.

He went twice around
my whole estate.

Finally, we ended up at some
remote point on the coast,

out there overlooking the sea.

He turns off the gas, and
he talks for two hours

about his favourite
subject, steel mills.

He said, Mr President,
most politicians

have tragedy in their early lives.

Well, I told him that I lost
two brothers to tuberculosis.

And he watched his
father die from the

cancer he caught
in the steelworks.

He was a sad man and
a noble adversary.

I wouldn't want to
be a Russian leader.

They never know when
they're being taped.

Okay, I guess that's it then, huh?

Until March. I look forward to it.

Well, thank you, Mr
President. So do I.

You know, it's a funny thing that

I've never been challenged
to a duel before.

I guess that's what this is.

Yeah, well, not really.

Of course it is.

And I like that.

No holds barred? No holds barred.

Mr Frost, there's still the
small matter of the...

Of course.

I do beg your pardon.

Right. $200,000.

I do hope that isn't coming
out of your own pocket.

Well, believe me, sir, I wish
my pockets were that deep.

Made out in the name of?

Irving Paul Lazar.

Richard M. Nixon.

Here you go.

Okay, smile.

There. Now you can put that in
your apartment in New York,

and all your liberal friends
can use it as a dartboard.

Well, actually, I'm living in
Monte Carlo at the moment.

Really?

Yes. Goodbye, Mr President.

Hey. Take my advice.

You should marry that woman.

Yes. Lovely, isn't she?

More important than that,
she comes from Monaco.

They pay no taxes there.

- Bye-bye.
- Goodbye.

I bet you it did.

What?

Come out of his own pocket.

You know, he couldn't
look me in the eye.

Well, I hear the
networks aren't biting.

Without the networks, the ad
agencies don't want to know.

So if you ask me,
there's a good chance

this whole thing may never happen.

Really? So that meeting we just
had might have cost him $200,000?

Correct.

Had I known that, I would have
offered him a cup of tea.

Say, did you notice his shoes?

No.

Italian. No laces.
What do you think?

My people tried to get me
to wear a pair like that.

I think a man's shoes
should have laces, sir.

You do?

Yeah. Personally, I find those
Italian shoes very effeminate.

Yes, quite right.

I'm sorry, David, but it's a no.

Try to look at it from
our point of view.

Why would an American network
hire a total outsider,

and someone who's already had his
own show cancelled, incidentally?

I see. Well, I'm sorry
you feel this way.

Obviously, I think you're
making a terrible mistake.

NBC.

Well, that's the networks
out, all of them.

Well, that's the
end of that, then.

I'm sorry, David.

Not so fast.

Where's your adventurer's spirit?

The idea is we pay
for the programme

and syndicate it ourselves,
completely bypassing the networks.

Just imagine it, we'd be our
own network for the night.

- Hey, Bob.
- How does that grab you?

Hey, come on in.
David's on the phone.

No, never been done before.

Historic stuff.

Just think about it,
okay? And call me back.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

David, I'd like you to meet
Jim Reston and Bob Zelnick,

our two prospective corner men.

Delighted to meet you.

Come on in. Make
yourselves at home.

Bob's been Washington
correspondent

for Public Radio for
the past 10 years.

Moving to ABC in the new year.

The general feeling, David,

is that I have been wasting my
matinee idol looks on radio.

Jim here teaches at the
University of North Carolina

and is writing a book about the
criminal dishonesty, corruption,

paranoia and abuses of
power of Richard Nixon.

Second on the subject.

Fourth.

Well, delighted to
have you both aboard.

Actually, before I sign
on, I would like to hear

what you were hoping to
achieve with this interview.

What I want to achieve?

Yeah.

Jim, well, I've secured
12 taping days.

That's close to 30 hours

with the most compelling and
controversial politician

of our times.

Isn't that enough?

Well, not for me.

Look, I'd be giving up a year of
my life. I'm leaving my family

to work on a subject
matter that means more

than you can probably imagine,

and the idea of doing all that

without achieving what
I want to, personally,

would be unthinkable to me.

No, all right.

Well, what is it that
you want to achieve?

I'd like to give Richard Nixon
the trial he never had.

Of course, we'll be asking
difficult questions.

Difficult questions.

The man lost 21,000 Americans

and a million Indo-Chinese
during his administration.

He only escaped jail
because of Ford's pardon.

Yes, but equally, going after
him in some knee-jerk way,

you know, assuming he's a
terrible guy, wouldn't

that only create more sympathy
for him than anything else?

You know...

Right now, I submit
it's impossible

to feel anything close to
sympathy for Richard Nixon.

He devalued the presidency,

and he left the country
that elected him in trauma.

The American people need a
conviction, pure and simple.

The integrity of our
political system,

of democracy as an idea,
entirely depends on it.

And if in years to
come, people look back

and say it was in this interview

that Richard Nixon
exonerated himself,

that would be the
worst crime of all.

Did you know that Mike Wallace
is doing a piece on this?

And that in the bars around
Capitol Hill and Georgetown

this entire project is a joke?

Come on. Jim, come on.

Thanks for that, Jim.

Could you give us a
couple of minutes?

- You're unbelievable.
- I'm sorry, Bob.

You know, Jim, I went way
out on a limb for you.

I mean, some of us
actually want this job.

I want it, too, if
it's done right.

Well, how do you know they're
not gonna do it right?

Little Lord Fauntleroy in there?

Sympathy for Richard Nixon?

What the... He's
full of shit, man.

How do you know that?

Is Mike Wallace doing
a piece on this?

Apparently.

Why didn't you tell me?

It isn't relevant.

What's the angle?
British talk show host,

good with actresses, not so good
with stonewalling presidents.

That's the general idea, yeah.

Right.

It's hard not to feel a
little insulted by that.

Well, Bob's obviously a pro.

What are we gonna do about Reston?

Well, the man's an idiot.
He's overemotional.

Send him home.

- Well, I think he should stay.
- Why?

I liked his passion.

He will drive us all bloody mad.

Well, maybe, but sometimes
being out of your comfort zone

is a good thing, I'm told.

He stays.

I took my seat next to Mrs
Mao at the banquet table.

Now, one of the challenges
of life as a president

is the endless round of cocktail

parties, social
engagements, banquets.

And people who know
me would tell you

that small talk is not one of
my strong suits, either. No.

Particularly not in Mandarin.

So Mrs Mao and I, we just, well,
you know, stared at one another.

And then across the
table, Mrs Nixon

and Chairman Mao himself, well,

they stared at one another, too.

And then further
down, Dr Kissinger

and their foreign minister, well,

you're getting the picture now.

I can't stand it, Jack.

Reducing the presidency to a
series of banal anecdotes.

I feel like a circus
animal doing tricks.

And I thought I made it clear.

I didn't want to take any
questions on Watergate, damn it.

Soon as it came to question time,

all those sons of bitches ever
want to hear about is Watergate.

It's as if all my other
achievements have ceased to exist.

Well, sir, you're
gonna get a chance

to talk about them
sooner than you think.

Yeah? How?

Frost got there. He got the money.

What?

I understand most
of it's borrowed,

that his friends
have bailed him out.

But the point is, we start
taping at the end of March.

Really? Now, that's terrific.

How much time is
devoted to Watergate?

25%. Just one of four
90-minute shows.

What are the other
three divided into?

Domestic Affairs, Foreign Policy,

and Nixon the Man.

Nixon the Man?

As opposed to what?
Nixon the horse?

Well, I imagine it's some
kind of biographical piece.

I can see it now. The father that

neglected me, the
brothers that died.

Spare me.

Still, now, the fact
it's come together,

now, that's a good thing, no?

Mr President, it's fantastic.

Frost is just not in your
intellectual class, sir.

You're gonna be able to dictate
terms, rebuild your reputation.

If this went well,
if enough people

saw it, revised their opinion,

you could move back East way,
way earlier than we expected.

- You think?
- I'm certain.

It would be so good to go
back to where the action is.

You know?

The hunger in my belly
is still there, Jack.

I guess it all boils
down to Watergate, huh?

Well, that's nothing
to worry about, sir.

It's not as if there's
gonna be any revelations.

That stuff's been combed
over a million times.

No one has pinned anything on you.

Yeah, still, it's been a while

since I spoke about
it on the record.

I'm gonna start doing my homework.

Hey, you know what would be an
interesting thing to find out?

What his strategy is.

Now, where's he staying?

I believe The Beverly Hilton.

The Beverly Hilton, you say.

Well, I got the numbers some place

of some fellows that
we could send in.

Cubans with CIA training.

Jesus, Jack, it was a joke.

Yes, sir.

A week later, we said
goodbye to our families,

we hopped on a plane, and we
moved into The Beverly Hilton.

And that's where we started
to dig into our research

and prepare for the interviews.

Yeah, as it happens, we took

the whole question of
security very seriously.

And from day one, we kept all
our files in a locked safe.

Who was the guy that Mike
interviewed? Was that Haldeman?

- Haldeman.
- Haldeman. And Ehrlichman, too.

I always get the Germans mixed up.

I'm a little confused by that.

What is Haldeman's
official... Hello, darling.

As for the work over the months,
we divided it into three sections.

Birt took Vietnam, Bob took
Foreign and Domestic Policy,

and I got Watergate and
the abuses of power.

And David, we never
really saw much of David.

All right, so what
about the Huston Plan?

You can see the seeds
of dirty tricks.

Essentially, it's an attempt
to legalise dirty tricks.

That's why you gotta get David
to put it in the question.

Wiretapping students.

But they've traced
the money to him.

Opening people's mail.

What about wiretapping?

How many people has he wiretapped?

This guy wiretapped 17 people.

Seventeen?

Including his own brother.

But you know what? We can't
ask him about his brother,

because frankly, if Donald
Nixon was my brother,

I'd wiretap him, too.

But wait, okay, so we have
breaking and entering.

We have wiretapping, conspiracy
to foster prostitution.

And that's Liddy, right?

Delivery courtesy of Nate 'n Al's

finest deli selection.

We're going to need napkins.
We'd better have some napkins.

How do we frame a
question about Cambodia,

about the illicit
bombing of Cambodia?

I think you should say,

How far do you take
executive privilege

before it becomes an
undemocratic event?

I think you frame the
question to him as a Quaker.

How do you feel as a Quaker about
annihilating an entire people?

Come on. Are they really
interested in buying time?

Are they going to
give us the money?

How serious are they?

You have to set up that he has
an anti-democratic personality.

There's a reason they
call him Tricky Dick.

Because I had written about
and watched Nixon for years,

I got to play him
in our rehearsals.

You know, the fellas would
throw me a question,

and I would try and anticipate
what his response might be.

Okay, the White House
taping system.

Ours is not the first
administration

to use taping systems.

Lyndon Johnson's White House
used them. So did Kennedy's.

Huston Plan. Wiretapping and
alleged abuses of power.

Let me tell you, other
administrations

were up to far worse.

And just for fun, your
close friend Jack Kennedy.

That man, he screwed
anything that moved,

fixed elections and
took us into Vietnam.

And the American people,
they loved him for it.

Whereas I, Richard Milhous Nixon,

worked around the clock in their
service, and they hated me.

Look. Look. Now I'm sweating.

Damn it. Damn it.

And Kennedy's so goddamn
handsome and blue-eyed.

And women all over him.

He screwed anything that
moved, and everything.

Had a go at Checkers once.

The poor little bitch
was never the same.

Gentlemen, finally a friend
in the American press.

Jack Anderson in The
Washington Post,

When Richard Nixon faces
the television cameras

for his first interview since
he abandoned the White House,

he'll be cross-examined as if
he were on the witness stand.

Frost has hired three
crack investigators

to help him with the research.

Clearly the famous TV interviewer
will pull no punches.

Crack investigators?

Can I be Crack One?

Can I be Deep Crack?

David, can I talk
to you for a sec?

After researching my last book,

I was pretty certain Colson...

You know, Charles Colson?
His darkest henchman?

- Colson, right.
- Colson had a meeting with Nixon.

Sometime before June 23,

but I never knew the exact date,

so I couldn't find the transcript.

But if you gave me a week back in
the Federal Courthouse library...

A week? Goodness, Jim, we
can't lose you for that long.

I think this is really
good stuff, Dave.

Would there be something
I could help you with?

You know, if we're gonna nail
Nixon in these interviews,

we're gonna have to ambush him.

We're gonna have to
take him by surprise.

Don't worry, Jim.
We'll get him anyway.

Hang on a second.
David, Jack Brennan.

He sounds a little emotional.

I'll take it in here.

He'll be right with you. Yeah.

- Jack.
- Watergate.

Yes, Jack.

Our lawyers want us to agree
on a definition of the word.

Well, I believe it's a large hotel

and office complex
in Washington, Jack.

You know what I'm talking about.

For the interviews.

We want to propose that Watergate

be an umbrella term for
everything negative.

Hold on a minute.

So all the other domestic charges

against him, the
Brookings Institute,

the Plumbers Union,
the Enemies List,

you're saying all that
goes into Watergate?

Correct.

That is absurd and a clear breach

of the terms of our agreement.

Okay. How would you
define Watergate?

Well, that it covers just that.

The Watergate
break-in of June 17th

and the subsequent cover-up
and investigation.

Fine. In which case,
the deal is off.

Fine. In which case, you
can expect a lawsuit

for something in
excess of $20 million

in damages and loss of earnings.

The terms of the contract
clearly stipulate

that Watergate take up no
more than 25% of the time.

Yes, but nowhere does it say
that for the rest of the 75%

he gets to drone on and
sound presidential.

Drone on? Jesus Christ.
Where's your respect?

You remember who you're
talking about here.

You know as well as I do that 60%

of what he did in
office was right,

and 30% may have
been wrong, but he

thought it was right at the time.

Yes, but that still leaves 10%

where he was doing the
wrong thing and knew it.

You goddamn media people.
You are so smug.

Well, I can guarantee you
if you screw us on the 60%,

I will ruin you if it takes
the rest of my life.

Prick.

Look at you. Gorgeous.

Good night, sweet princes.

- Cheerio.
- Bye.

See you in the morning.

Why the monkey suit?

David has a film premiere
he needs to attend.

What? The night before
we start taping?

What's the movie?

It's The Slipper and the Rose.

The Cinderella movie?

Yeah. David's the
executive producer.

You don't think it might be
an idea for our interviewer

to be rested and focused
on the job in hand?

Don't worry.

David is a performer of
the highest calibre.

He's been in these pressure
situations many times before.

Come the hour, he'll
be fine. Okay?

What did he say? Did
he say performer?

- Yeah.
- That's the word he used?

Yeah, he said performer.

Not journalist or interviewer?

No. He said performer.

Out of curiosity, where are you
at this moment? Psychically?

I am imagining the
dust, the darkness,

the agony and the
unimaginable loneliness

of the wilderness I am
about to be dispatched to

by my Washington
political colleagues.

So any opportunity
you get, go right

to foreign policy,
go right to Mao,

go right to Khrushchev.

Just go right.

You could do all day on
foreign policy, sir.

I disagree that the Mao
banquet story is stale.

Excuse me, sir. Something
I think you should see.

People love that story.

Why don't we save it for the book?

Yeah, right, come on.

- David.
- Mr Frost.

David, some people in the
media have suggested

that you're not the
right man for the job,

that you'll be too
soft on the President.

What will you do if
he stonewalls you?

Well, I shall say
so again and again.

But I should say right now
that I'm not expecting

his approach to be to stonewall.

I'm hoping that it'll be that
of a cascade of candour.

A cascade of candour?

From Richard Nixon?

You think that's what you'll get?

No, I just thought it was a
phrase that might appeal to you.

So what about the money?

That's a strange fellow.

Started life as a comic, you know.

Is that so?

Almost married Diahann Carroll.

Who?

The singer.

Isn't she black?

Yes, sir.

Right here in the Frost
file, which we put together

as part of our general
preparations.

Okay. Let's get back to work.

That's fact, this is fiction.

So now it's about The
Slipper and the Rose.

It's a cracker of a movie.

I hope you'll all come
and see it, and...

I shouldn't have
ordered that coffee.

Just don't drink any more.

- Good luck.
- Thank you.

I'll be thinking of you.

Dick. Wait.

For the record, I'm gonna be
starting with John's idea.

Why didn't you burn the tapes?

- No.
- Fuck.

Please, God, no. You can't.

David, you can't do that.
It would be a disaster.

It would get us into Watergate
way ahead of the agreed time.

What is the point of
having contractually set

specific times to deal
with certain subjects

if you're just going to
ignore it right off the bat?

Because it's war,
isn't it? Gloves off.

I like it. It's ballsy.

Strategically, it'll
give us the upper hand.

It's insanely risky.

He could walk right off the set,

and there's nothing
we could do about it.

Worse, he could sue you.

We were sadly unable to do
the taping at Casa Pacifica

because of the Coast Guard
radio interference,

so we ended up at the rather
more modest Smith house,

which was owned by a local
Republican businessman.

Right here.

Mr Frost, look over here.

Over here, sir.

- Here we go.
- Back up behind the kerb.

A few questions, please.

Right here, Mr Frost.

David. David. David.

Well, hello there.

Excuse me, fellas.

Nixon, there's blood
on your hands.

Liar.

Here comes the President.

Mr President.

Mr President.

How are you feeling, Mr President?

The Smith family
requested that the

furniture be put back in place.

They talked to you
about that, too?

They're bugging everybody.

You know, I've written
four books about him,

but this is the first time I've
actually seen him in the flesh.

He's taller than I
imagined, and tanned.

The least he could
do is look ravaged.

You gonna shake his hand?

Am I gonna shake...

Are you kidding me?

After everything that prick's
done to this country?

I'm not gonna shake his hand.

Gentlemen.

May I present Bob Zelnick,
my executive editor?

How do you do?

Pleasure, Mr President.

And Jim Reston, one
of my researchers.

Pleasure to meet you, Mr Reston.

Mr President.

Excuse me, sir? Got a
room for you right here.

Wow. That was
devastating, withering.

I mean, I don't think he's
ever gonna get over that.

Yeah, fuck off.

I got you guys set up back here.

Now this is your green room.

And the President will
be on the large monitor.

Craft services is that way.

Keep it about that
temperature, okay?

Mr President?

Yeah.

Before we start, I
just want to say

how delighted we all are
by Mrs Nixon's recovery.

Well, thank you. It's true.

She's much better now.

She's just getting round to the

business of replying
to all the cards.

And from our point of view, well,

I'd just like to say
how pleased we are

that you got this all together.

Thank you.

As I understand it, it's
been quite a struggle.

Well...

How much has it cost?

You mind me asking? Hey, come on.

Come on, it's just between us.

Very well. Two million.

Two million? Jeez. I didn't
realise we were making Ben-Hur.

But tell me something.

You raised it all now?

Not quite. But we're
getting there.

Everyone's been kind
and deferred fees.

Well, not quite everyone.

David, I'm gonna go in
with you on camera.

Excuse me.

I want to put a handkerchief
here, if I may.

Is that out of shot?

That's fine, Mr President.

Contractually, I
think that we made

an agreement that
after each question

I might dab my upper lip
before answering it.

Which you won't show, you know,
when you cut it together.

You're probably aware of my
history with perspiration.

If you're referring to your TV
debate with Jack Kennedy in 1960.

They say that moisture on my upper
lip cost me the presidency.

People who heard it on the radio,
well, they thought I'd won.

But television and the close-up,

they create their own
sets of meanings.

So now they insist I
bring a handkerchief

and that I have my
eyebrows trimmed.

Sixty seconds, everyone.

- You trim yours?
- No.

No, of course not.

Yeah, you're light-skinned. Yeah.

You got blue eyes. You've got no

troubles with
perspiration, I imagine.

No, not that I'm aware.

You were obviously born
to be on the tube.

Stand by to roll
tape in 30 seconds.

Settling.

Those shoes.

They're Italian, aren't they?

My shoes? I believe so.

Yeah, that's interesting.

You don't find them
too effeminate?

No.

Well, I guess somebody
in your field

can get away with them, you know.

Manolo, just check
my collar, will you?

David, starting with camera two,

in four, three, two.
Cue David. And...

Mr President. Now, we're going
to be covering a lot of subjects

in a great deal of detail over
the course of these interviews,

but I'd like to begin
completely out of context

by asking you one question,

more than any other,
almost every American

and people all over the
world want me to ask.

Why didn't you burn the tapes?

Son of a bitch.

Well, Mr Frost, I'm
surprised by your question

since we have an agreement, a
contractual agreement, I believe,

that we would cover Watergate
in our last taping session.

But if your viewers really
do have a major concern,

then perhaps I should
briefly respond to it now.

What probably very
few people realise

is that the taping system
in the White House

was set up by my predecessor,
President Johnson,

partly to avoid the necessity
of having a secretary in every

meeting, and partly
to ensure there was

a record kept of every
verbal agreement,

no matter how off
the cuff or casual.

Now, initially, on coming
into the White House,

I insisted on
dismantling the system.

I hadn't liked the idea at
all, but the former President,

President Johnson,
had repeatedly said

how crazy it would be
to remove the system,

which he felt was the best way...

Well, in boxing, you know, there's
always that first moment,

and you see it in the
challenger's face.

It's that moment that he feels

the impact from the
champ's first jab.

It's kind of a sickening
moment, when he realises that

all those months of pep
talks and the hype,

the psyching yourself up, had
been delusional all along.

You could see it in Frost's face.

If he didn't know the
calibre of the man

that he was up against before
the interview started,

he certainly knew
it halfway through

the President's first answer.

You see, since the best advice is

almost always of the
confidential variety,

now the tapes have
been made public,

people are unlikely ever
to feel comfortable

speaking in confidence
at the White House.

They're less likely to offer
that advice. So in the end,

it's the whole
political system and,

by implication, it's the
country that suffers.

So much for our "ballsy" opening.

So when did you actually decide...

At what moment did you know
you were going to resign?

That's good. That's good.

I remember exactly.
It was July 23.

After it was clear the
Southern Democrats

that were still against
impeachment had

had the screws put on them
by the Speaker of the House.

That night I said
to Al Haig, "Well,

that's it. There goes
the presidency."

And, of course, you
know, being Al,

he tried to talk me out of it.

And Vice President Ford,
I mean, let's not forget

he had the most to gain
personally from my stepping down,

he was still absolutely
convinced that

we were gonna win the impeachment
vote, and comfortably.

John, we have to do something.

We have to move this along.

This is desperate,
John. Do something.

Twenty-three minutes
on one question?

Okay, let's take a break.

- Let's change the tapes.
- Come on, man.

Stop tape.

I'm sorry, gentlemen.

We have to take a
break. Tape change.

Oh. Okay, how's that? You
getting what you need?

It's fantastic.

Good. Good. Thank you.

Excuse me. One moment, sir.

Yeah, sure. Take your time.

What are you doing, David?
You've got to stop him rambling.

It's all right. These are
just introductory exchanges.

But this session only
lasts two hours.

Nearly half of it's
gone, and we're

wasting valuable material, okay?

The moment that he made
the decision to resign,

we should be scoring
points with that stuff.

Want me to switch to Vietnam?

No. No. We've got to get something

out of that resignation
night. All right?

That was Nixon at
his lowest point,

a total wreck. On his knees?

Praying with Kissinger? Come on,
you can nail him with that stuff.

Listen, was that okay?

Perfect, sir.

It didn't sound too
arrogant or self-serving?

Not at all. You
sounded controlled,

even-handed, statesmanlike.

Good.

Now continue exactly the same way.

Long answers. Control the space.

Don't let him in.

Okay, got you.

Set. And roll.

We're coming back on camera three
in four, three, two and...

Reading the account of those
extraordinary final days,

it seems your most
emotional moment came

in that heart-to-heart you
had with Henry Kissinger.

Was that perhaps the most
emotional moment of your career?

- Good, good.
- Yes.

I would say it was
about as emotional

a moment as I've ever had.

Except, well, you know,
it's hard to say

what is the most emotional moment,

because each is different.

I remember the day
Eisenhower died.

For God's sake.

And the day I walked my eldest
daughter Tricia down the aisle.

And the day during the
impeachment hearings

when Julie, that's my youngest,
she came into my office,

she threw her arms around me, she
kissed me. She cried, you know?

And she so seldom cries.

She said, Daddy, you're
the finest man I know.

Daddy, you're the
finest man I know?

And whatever you do,
I will support you.

You just gotta go through the
fire, you know, a little longer.

This is beautiful.

So Kissinger and I were in
the Lincoln Sitting Room,

and together we began to reminisce

about some of the great decisions
that we'd participated in.

There was China, the Soviet Union,

the peace settlement in Vietnam.

Now, let me tell you something
that I never told anybody.

Whenever I have had a really
tough decision to make...

Now, we were in the Lincoln
Sitting Room at that time.

I have come into this room
for the purpose of praying.

Now, Henry, I'm a
Quaker. You're a Jew.

Neither of us is
particularly orthodox,

but I'd like to think that
each of us in our own way

has a deep religious sensitivity.

So if you don't
mind, could we just

have a moment of silent prayer?

So we knelt down. Now, this was
in front of that table where

Lincoln signed the
Emancipation Proclamation.

And then after a few moments, we

both got up again,
and Henry says...

Is there... I'm sorry.

Is there a problem?

That's time.

We're over two hours.

Really? So soon?

Well, Mr President, I
gather our time is up.

Gee, now, that's a pity.

You know, I was beginning
to enjoy that.

That was terrific, both of you.

We're getting some great material.

You know, it's so funny, too,

because I was expecting
questions on Vietnam.

And we prepared for
that, hadn't we, Jack?

Yes, so did I.

I guess we just got caught
up, you know, reminiscing.

Indeed.

So, day after tomorrow,
10:00, right?

Yes, indeed.

I look forward to it. Bye-bye.

There's no need to say anything.

- Mr President.
- Mr President.

Mr President.

Mr President, please.

What are you gonna tell him?

I'm gonna tell him he's
gotta get involved.

He's gotta be able to shut him up.

David, we have some
fundamental problems

in our approach that I think...

Don't worry, Bob. I'm on it.

We can use some of
the Kissinger stuff.

Yeah, but we need to discuss
it sooner rather than later...

Look, I'm disappointed, too.

But I wonder, could we possibly
spare the post-mortem for now?

I don't mean to minimise it. It's
just I've got to get back to LA

to meet some people
from Weed Eater.

Thanks, everyone. Great work.

- Marv, Lloyd, great day.
- Bye, David.

I'll see you soon. God bless.

What the hell is Weed Eater?

It's a horticultural mechanism.

One of our sponsors.

What happened to Xerox?

What about General Motors or IBM?

I gather that not all of the
blue-chip accounts came through.

We do have Alpo.

Dog food?

Wait, John. We're already taping.

So we're close, right?
We're very close?

That's probably a question
you should ask David.

Are we close, John?

I believe we're at 30%.

To go? Or 30% sold?

Again, that's probably a
question you should...

Sold, 30% sold.

Jesus...

I thought we were
practically fully financed.

We were. But the
financing was always

conditional on advertising sales,

and no one predicted that
they'd fall apart like this.

Well, why have they fallen
apart? Based on what?

Credibility of the project. What

else are advertising
sales based on?

Listen, I understand your concern.

But could I ask you
to go a little easier

on David over the
next couple of days,

bearing in mind the extraordinary
pressure that he's under?

Because at the moment,
he's effectively

paying for all this himself.

So he's in it for a lot more
than just his reputation.

And we're not?

You seemed very
confident last time.

I don't understand. Why this
sudden change of heart?

All right, this is just
madness. It's Richard Nixon.

These interviews will do mid-30s
audience share, minimum.

Jimmy. Yes. Yes, back again,
like the proverbial bad penny.

Look, I hate to do
this to a friend,

and I know you're already in
for more than I asked for,

but I need you to dig
a little deeper.

I'm right up against it now.

So, I had a chance to
review yesterday's tapes.

And?

Honestly? Far too soft, David.

Go on. Beat me, John.
Beat me with a stick.

Look. No, I'm serious.

You have got to make it
more uncomfortable for him.

You can start by sitting forward.
You've gotta attack more.

If he starts tailing off, bang,

jump in with another question.

Don't trade generalisations.

Be specific.

And above all, don't
let him give these

self-serving, 23-minute homilies.

- Right.
- And keep your distance

before the tape starts running.

He was toying with you yesterday.

All that shit about Ben-Hur and
struggling to raise the money.

Those are mind
games. Don't engage.

Never forget, you are in
there with a major operator.

Got it.

Ah.

The Grand Inquisitor.

No, just your friendly
neighbourhood confidant.

It's okay. We just blew a bulb.

This is why I got all these
Secret Service guys around.

There's nothing to worry about.

As a president, you get
used to this kind of stuff.

Ed, we gotta get in here and
change out this 750, ASAP.

- Focus, sir.
- Yeah.

Okay, we are back. Okay,
take it on my count.

Okay, stand by to roll
tape. 30 seconds.

Settling.

You have a pleasant
evening last night?

Yes, thank you.

Did you do any fornicating?

David, we're starting
with camera two in four,

Three, two and...

Mr President, you came to
office promising peace,

but no sooner did you get
into the White House

than US involvement in Vietnam
deepened and the war was prolonged

with calamitous consequences.

Did you feel that you'd betrayed
the people that had elected you?

Well, Vietnam was not my war.

It was my inheritance.

- And it looked to me...
- Jump in.

As if the reason for
our being there

had perhaps not been adequately
understood by the American people.

It seemed to me they
hadn't realised

how important a test this was
of American credibility.

The whole world was
watching to see

if we have the character
to see it through.

Now, look, I could have
bugged out. I could have.

I could have blamed it
on my predecessors.

I could have pulled the
troops out of Vietnam early,

and very possibly,
I would have won

some Scandinavian peace
prize into the bargain.

But I believed in the cause.

And sometimes, you know, what you
believe in, it's the harder path.

You might even say that I was the
last casualty of the Vietnam War.

Yeah, tell that to
the paraplegics.

Come on, David, Cambodia.

And Cambodia? An invasion which
everybody advised you against.

All the CIA and
Pentagon intelligence

suggested it would fail.

So why did you do it?

Well, first of all, as a result

of our incursion into Cambodia,
we picked up 22,000 rifles,

15 million rounds of ammunition,
150,000 rockets, mortars.

That's all belonging to
the North Vietnamese,

which would only otherwise
have been directed

right onto American soldiers.

But one of the principal
justifications

you gave for the incursion

was the supposed existence of

the headquarters of
the entire Communist

military operation
in South Vietnam,

a sort of bamboo Pentagon which
proved not to exist at all.

No, no. Wait a minute there.
No, I was... And by sending...

And by sending B-52s to
carpet bomb a country,

wiping out whole civilian areas,

you end up radicalising
a once moderate people,

uniting them in
anti-American sentiment

and creating a monster
in the Khmer Rouge

that would lead to civil war...

- All right...
- And genocide.

- Yes, good, good, good.
- There it is.

Okay, run VT.

Roll tape.

Well, sir, I'm sure you'd agree,

some pretty stirring images there.

Look, it was never
US policy to kill

civilians. That's the enemy's way.

Well, I'm not suggesting...

And if you're asking the question

do I regret the
casualties on both sides

in the war, yeah,
sure, of course I do.

Let me tell you something.
It can just wear you down.

Well, all right, sir, when you
are faced with someone who...

But whenever I have had my doubts,

I remembered the construction
worker in Philadelphia,

because he came up to me

and he said, sir, I got only one
criticism of that Cambodia thing.

If you'd gone in earlier,

you might have captured the gun

that killed my boy
three months ago.

So you're asking me, do I
regret going into Cambodia?

No. I don't. You know what?

I wish I'd gone in
sooner and harder.

- Got him.
- Safe.

It was horrifying.
It was horrifying.

And he was so confident.

What are you gonna
say about Watergate?

Sorry, boys, just all
talked out, you know?

Better?

It was. Unquestionably better.

What's next?

Foreign policy.

Great. Russia, China,
the big power stuff.

Yeah, so?

So if he beats him up
like that on Vietnam,

imagine what he's gonna do
with his real achievements.

It ain't gonna be pretty.

The answer was grow by six inches.

It was agony to watch.

Now, that's when Khrushchev called
me, begging me to intervene.

You see, he and Mao
didn't get along,

and Khrushchev knew
that the Chairman

would talk to me, no one else.

You see, I was the
only one that Mao

would trust personally,
man-to-man.

When David tried to
lay a finger on him,

Nixon made mincemeat out of him.

What revolution, David?

You just let Richard Nixon claim

the country was in a
state of revolution?

What, with protestors bombing
and assaulting police officers?

That's not how I remember it.

What I remember is
people protesting

peacefully and legitimately

against the Vietnam War.

- That's what I remember.
- Music off, please. Off.

By the end, wiretapping
students and

breaking into journalists' homes

was beginning to sound
like a rational response.

Well, I'm sorry you feel this way,

but I simply cannot
share your view.

About what exactly?

About any of it, frankly.

I thought today was
a huge improvement.

Are you nuts?

Let me tell you how bad
things were today.

After the taping
finished, I overheard

two members of the crew say

they never voted for him
when they had the chance,

but if he ran for office again
today, he'd get their support.

You're making him look
presidential, for Christ's sake.

And forget about
the trivia, David.

Who cares whether Nixon took
the White House bed to Europe

- when he travelled?
- I do.

Well, it's irrelevant.

And it's just the sort of banal

anecdote that would
distract a talk...

A what?

Go on. No, say it.

What, you were gonna
say talk show host?

Yeah. Yeah, I was.

All right, look, it's useless me
trying to answer your points.

Frankly, I don't share any of
your sense of pessimism or alarm.

And this ridiculous
self-flagellation,

in my view, is just depressing.

No.

And threatening to derail
the whole enterprise.

Look. If there is anyone here
who thinks we're gonna fail,

they better leave now,

or it'll infect everyone else.

No one?

Right.

Good.

Now, I suggest
instead of festering

around the hotel for
the next five days,

we all go our separate
ways over Easter.

But before we go, Caroline
and I would like you

to join us for a little
celebratory dinner

at Patrick Terrail's new place.

Celebrate? Celebrate what, David?

The fact that we're all gonna
be working at Burger King?

- What are we celebrating?
- It's my birthday, Bob.

I'd like to celebrate my
birthday with a few friends.

Look, is that Neil Diamond?

Frost and Nixon, Frost and Nixon.

And is that Sammy Cahn?

Go together like Prancer and Vixen

David, did you hear that?

Soaring through the airwaves

Jesus, that's Hugh Hefner.

Oh, my God.

Hoping for several hefty paydays.

Yeah, I think it is.
With Michael York.

That's gotta be Bunnies.

Those are Bunnies? Those
are real Bunnies?

Frost and Nixon, Frost and Nixon.

Go together like Mason and Dixon

David, just putting
it all together it's

the most extraordinary
accomplishment.

Frost lines up with Dicky...

No one else could have done that.

And these interviews
are always gonna

be around for future generations

of academics and
political historians.

That bad?

He saved it.

He wrote a book Now
here's the hook

David.

Patrick.

He's not a crook
He's paid by David.

My, what a festive atmosphere.
Please, don't get up.

I take it from this that the
interviews have gone well?

Better than that,
ma'am. It's a shutout.

The President's sitting
on an 11-0 lead.

- Really? Well.
- Yeah.

Well, that is most gratifying.

I'm so glad it's all
gone according to plan.

I see.

Is there nothing we can do?

Really?

Right. Well, thanks
for letting me know.

It's true. They've dropped
the Australian show.

Oh, no, David.

They felt that I needed to
re-evaluate my priorities.

Now my producer's worried that
the London show will follow.

I'm in this for
everything I've got,

and there's still no guarantee
it'll ever see the light of day.

What have I done? What was I

thinking? Why didn't
anyone stop me?

They should have
physically stopped me.

No, no, no.

Look, we don't have to go out
tonight. Why don't we stay in?

I'll go down to Trader Vic's
and bring something back.

Steak or fish?

David?

Don't worry. I'll call
from the restaurant.

I'll have a cheeseburger.

That sounds good. I used
to love cheeseburgers,

but Dr Lundgren made
me give them up.

He switched me to cottage
cheese and pineapple instead.

He calls them my Hawaiian burgers,

but they don't taste
like burgers at all.

They taste like Styrofoam.

I hope I'm not disturbing.

No.

It's a Friday night.

You've probably got somebody
there whom you're entertaining.

No.

Well, then what are you doing?

A handsome young fellow,

an eligible young bachelor
alone on a Friday night.

If you must know, I'm preparing
for our final session.

The all-important final session.

- Yes.
- Watergate.

Because I guess the way you handle
Watergate's gonna determine

whether these interviews are
a success or a failure.

Should I be nervous?

Well, I'm gonna give
it my best shot.

Quite right. No holds
barred. No holds barred.

You know, it's strange.

Now, we have sat in chairs
opposite one another,

talking for hours, it
seems, days on end,

and yet I've hardly
gotten to know you.

One of my people, as
part of the preparation

for this interview, she
did a profile on you.

And I'm sorry to say that I just
got around to reading it tonight.

There's some interesting
stuff in there.

Your Methodist background,
the modest circumstances,

and then you're off to a grand

university full of
richer, posher types.

What was it? Oxford?

Cambridge.

Did the snobs there
look down on you, too?

Of course they did. That's our
tragedy, isn't it, Mr Frost?

No matter how high we get,
they still look down at us.

I really don't know what
you're talking about.

Yes, you do.

Now, come on. No
matter how many awards

or column inches are
written about you

or how high the elected office is
for me, it's still not enough.

We still feel like the little man,

the loser they told us
we were a hundred times.

The smart-asses at college,
the high-ups, the well-born,

the people whose respect we
really wanted, really craved.

And isn't that why we work so hard
now, why we fight for every inch,

scrambling our way up
in undignified fashion?

If we're honest for
a minute, if we

reflect privately
just for a moment,

if we allow ourselves
a glimpse into

that shadowy place
we call our soul,

isn't that why we're
here now? The two of us?

Looking for a way
back into the sun,

into the limelight, back
onto the winner's podium.

Because we could feel
it slipping away.

We were headed, both
of us, for the dirt.

A place the snobs always
told us that we'd end up.

Face in the dust.

Humiliated all the more for
having tried so pitifully hard.

Well, to hell with that.

We're not gonna let that
happen, either of us.

We're gonna show those bums.

We're gonna make them choke
on our continued success,

our continued headlines,
our continued

awards and power and glory.

We are gonna make those
motherfuckers choke.

Am I right?

You are. Except only
one of us can win.

Yes.

And I shall be your
fiercest adversary.

I shall come at you
with everything I got,

because the limelight can
only shine on one of us.

And for the other, it'll
be the wilderness,

with nothing and
no one for company

but those voices
ringing in our head.

You can probably tell
I've had a drink.

It's not too many.
Just one or two.

But you believe me,

when the time comes, I'm gonna
be focused and ready for battle.

Good night, Mr Frost.

Good night,

Mr President.

So with or without cheese?
I brought burgers.

David?

I've got to work.

Well, who was the
asshole that did?

Jesus, is that Liddy?

He must be a little nuts.

Yeah, he is.

I mean, he just isn't
well screwed on, is he?

Isn't that the problem?

Yeah, screw the Cabinet
and the rest of those.

But no more sucking around.
From now on, they come to me.

There is one thing
that I want done,

and I don't want any
argument about it.

I want you to direct the
most trusted person you have

in the Immigration Service

that they are to look over all the

activities at the
Los Angeles Times.

All, underlined. And they are
to send their teams in to see

whether they are violating
the wetback thing.

- Is that clear?
- Yes, sir.

You open that scab, there's a
hell of a lot of things that

we just feel that it would
be very detrimental

to have this thing go any further.

Hello?

Jim, it's David.

Hey. What time is it?

How much longer are you
gonna be in DC for?

Tuesday. Till Tuesday.

Great. Well, you
remember you mentioned

going to the Federal
Courthouse library?

Honey, can you check
on him, please?

Yes, for the Colson stuff?

Well, I've been doing a little
light reading this end,

and you remember that hunch
you had about the meeting

between Nixon and Colson?

Huh. What are you thinking?

- Hey.
- Hey.

Good morning.

And?

Excuse me, sir.

It's 8:30. Bob, have
you seen David?

No. No Frost, no Reston.

- Morning.
- Good morning. Come on, let's go.

What's that about?

First time he's late.

Mr President.

Morning.

Mr President.

Mr Frost.

Thirty seconds to tape roll.

Thirty seconds. Settling. Settle.

Well, if today's session
is anything like

our phone call, it
should be explosive.

What phone call?

The phone call to my hotel room.

David, starting on camera three
in four, three, two and...

Now, looking back on your
final year in office,

do you feel you ever
obstructed justice

or were part of a conspiracy to
cover up or obstruct justice?

No.

And I'm interested that you used
the term obstruction of justice.

Now, you perhaps have
not read the statute

with regard to the
obstruction of justice.

As it happens, I have.

You have, you say?
Well, then, you'll

know it doesn't just
require an act.

It requires a specific
corrupt motive.

And in this case, I didn't
have a corrupt motive.

What I was doing was in the

interests of political
containment.

Be that as it may, the
direct consequences

of your actions would have been

that two of the convicted burglars

would have escaped
criminal prosecution.

Now, how can that
not be a cover-up

or obstruction of justice?

Well, I think the
record shows, Mr Frost,

that far from obstructing justice,

I was actively facilitating it.

When Pat Grey of the FBI
telephoned me, this was July 6,

I said, Pat, you go right ahead
with your investigation.

That's hardly what you'd
call obstructing justice.

Well, that may be, but for
two weeks prior to July 6,

we now know that you
were desperately

trying to contain or
block the investigation.

No, no. Hang on a minute
there. I wasn't...

No, no. Obstruction of justice
is obstruction of justice,

whether it's for a
minute or five minutes,

and it's no defence to say
that your plan failed.

I mean, if I try to rob a bank
and fail, that's no defence.

I still tried to rob the bank.

Will you just wait one
minute there, Mr Frost?

There is no evidence of
any kind that I was...

Well, the reason
there is no evidence

is because 18 and a half minutes

of the conversation with Bob
Haldeman from this June period

have mysteriously been erased.

That was an unfortunate oversight.

And Bob Haldeman is a rigorous

and a conscientious notetaker.

His notes are there
for all to see.

Well, we found something
rather better than his notes,

a conversation with
Charles Colson,

which I don't think has
ever been published.

Okay, here we go.

It hasn't been published, you say?

No, but one of my researchers
found it in Washington

where it's available to anyone
who consults the records.

Well, I just wondered, you
know, if we'd seen it.

More than seen it, Mr President.

You spoke the actual words.

Now, you've always
claimed you first

learned of the
break-in on June 23.

Yeah.

But this transcript of a
tape made three days earlier

clearly shows that
to be a falsehood.

Now, in it you say to Colson,
This whole investigation rests

unless one of the
seven begins to talk.

That's the problem.

Well, what do we mean when we say

one of the seven
beginning to talk?

Then moving on to a conversation
you had with John Dean

on March 21, the following year.

In one transcript alone,
there in black and white,

I picked out, and
these are your words,

one, "You could get $1 million,
and you could get it in cash.

"I know where it could be gotten."

Two, "Your major guy to keep
under control is Hunt."

Three, "Don't we have to
handle the Hunt situation?"

Four, "Get the million bucks.

"It would seem to me that
would be worthwhile."

Five, "Don't you agree that you'd
better get the Hunt thing going?"

Six, "First you've got
the Hunt problem.

"That ought to be handled."
Seven, "The money can be provided.

"Ehrlichman could provide
the way to deliver it."

Eight, "We've no choice with Hunt

"but the $120,000 or
whatever it is, right?"

Nine, "Christ, turn over
any cash we've got."

And I could go on.
Now, it seems to me

that someone running a cover-up

couldn't have expressed it more
clearly than that, could they?

Look, let me just stop
you now right there,

because you're doing
something here

which I am not doing,
and I will not do

throughout these
entire broadcasts.

You're quoting me out of context,

out of order. And I might add,

I have participated in
all these interviews

without a single
note in front of me.

Well, it is your
life, Mr President.

Now, you've always maintained

that you knew nothing about
any of this until March 21.

But in February, your personal
lawyer came to Washington

to start the raising of $219,000

of hush money to be
paid to the burglars.

Now, do you seriously
expect us to believe

that you had no knowledge of that?

None. I believed the money was
for humanitarian purposes.

To help disadvantaged
people with their defences.

Well, it was being
delivered on the

tops of phone booths with aliases,

and at airports by
people with gloves on.

That's not normally the way

lawyers' fees are
delivered, is it?

Look, I have made statements
to this effect before.

All that was Haldeman and
Ehrlichman's business.

I knew nothing. Okay, fine. Fine.

You made a conclusion there.

I stated my view,
now let's move on.

Let's get on to the rest of it.

No, hold on. No, hold on.

No, I don't want to talk...

If Haldeman and Ehrlichman were
the ones really responsible,

when you subsequently
found out about it,

why didn't you call the police
and have them arrested?

Isn't that just a
cover-up of another kind?

Yeah, maybe I should have done
that. Maybe I should have.

Just called the
Feds into my office

and said, Hey,
there's the two men.

Haul them down to the dock,

fingerprint them and then
throw them in the can.

I'm not made that way.

These men, Haldeman, Ehrlichman,
I knew their families.

I knew them since
they were just kids.

Yeah, but you know, politically,

the pressure on me to let them
go, that became overwhelming.

So I did it. I cut off one arm,

then I cut off the other,
and I'm not a good butcher.

And I have always maintained
what they were doing,

what we were all doing,
was not criminal.

Look, when you're in office,

you gotta do a lot of things
sometimes that are not always,

in the strictest sense of the
law, legal, but you do them

because they're in the greater
interests of the nation.

Right. Wait, just so I
understand correctly,

are you really saying that
in certain situations,

the President can
decide whether it's

in the best interests
of the nation

and then do something illegal?

I'm saying that when the President

does it, that means
it's not illegal.

I'm sorry?

That's what I believe.

Oh, my God.

But I realise no one
else shares that view.

So, in that case, will
you accept, then,

to clear the air once and for all,

that you were part of a cover-up

and that you did break the law?

- Oh, my God, we got him.
- I...

Shit.

Okay, let's take a break there.

What the fuck is going on?

Cut it. Cut it.

- Excuse me?
- Shut it down.

Shut it down now.

That's not my call. You're gonna
have to talk to the director.

- He's in that truck out there.
- Get him in here.

Listen, we have an issue in here.

Jack, what are you doing? A break?

Change the tapes.

David, can I talk to you
for a minute, please?

What the hell is going on, Jack?

He was about to blow
and you know it.

Fellas, this is a critical
moment in his life.

You realise we could
sue you for this?

You have deliberately sabotaged
the interview, Jack.

Look, we're all in this together.

I'm sure we can find a solution.

A solution? What the hell are you
talking about? It's an interview.

Bob, may I remind you...

This is a breach of
contract. We could sue.

For heaven's sake, Jim. Why
don't you give him a week off?

Give him a year off.

Give him a fucking massage.

Watch your language,
for crying out loud.

What'd you do? Throw
in the towel, Jack?

Did you take pity on me?

Sir, I just felt that

if you were going to make some
kind of emotional disclosure,

that we should just take a moment

to think it through,
sketch it out.

I just want to impress upon you

how crucially important
this moment is

and how many potentially
devastating consequences

unplanned emotional
disclosures could have.

I know.

But to go on and carry
on denying it all...

I appreciate the gesture.

We ought to call it a snafu.

Jack, are we on?

We're on. Okay, he's had
plenty of time to cook up

some sort of slippery new
bullshit, so stay on your toes.

Listen, it's gonna be fine.
Pick up where you left off.

Thirty seconds, everyone.

Ten seconds.

David? Four, three, two, and...

Mr President, we
were talking about

the period March 21 to April 30,

and the mistakes you made, and
so on, and I was wondering

would you go further
than mistakes?

The word that seems not enough
for people to understand.

Well, what word would you express?

My goodness.

All right.

Since you've asked me, I
think there are three things

that people would
like to hear you say.

One, that there was probably
more than mistakes.

There was wrongdoing.

And, yes, it might have
been a crime, too.

Secondly, that I did abuse the
power I had as President.

And thirdly, I put
the American people

through two years
of needless agony,

and I apologise for that. And
I know how difficult it is

for anyone, especially you,

but I think the people
need to hear it.

And I think that
unless you say it,

you're going to be haunted
for the rest of your life.

Well, it's true. I made
mistakes, horrendous ones,

ones that were not
worthy of a president,

ones that did not meet the
standards of excellence

that I always dreamed
of as a young boy.

But, if you remember, it
was a difficult time.

I was caught up in
a five-front war

against a partisan media, a
partisan House of Congress,

a partisan Ervin Committee.

But, yes, I will admit
there were times

I did not fully meet
that responsibility

and I was involved in a
cover-up, as you call it.

And for all those mistakes
I have a very deep regret.

No one can know what it's like
to resign the presidency.

Now,

if you want me to get down
on the floor and grovel...

No. Never.

I still insist they were
mistakes of the heart.

They were not
mistakes of the head.

But they were my mistakes.
I don't blame anybody.

I brought myself down.

I gave them a sword,
and they stuck it in,

and they twisted it with relish.

And I guess if I'd been in their

place, I'd have done
the same thing.

And the American people?

I let them down.

I let down my friends.

I let down the country.

And worst of all,

I let down our system
of government.

And the dreams of all
those young people

that ought to get into government,

but now they think, It's all
too corrupt, and the rest.

Yeah.

I let the American people down,

and I'm gonna have to
carry that burden with me

for the rest of my life.

My political life is over.

You know, the first and greatest
sin or deception of television

is that it simplifies,
it diminishes,

great, complex ideas,
tranches of time.

Whole careers become reduced
to a single snapshot.

At first, I couldn't
understand why

Bob Zelnick was quite as euphoric

as he was after the interviews,

or why John Birt felt
moved to strip naked

and rush into the
ocean to celebrate.

But that was before
I really understood

the reductive power
of the close-up.

Because David had succeeded
on that final day

in getting, for a fleeting moment,

what no investigative journalist,

no state prosecutor,
no judiciary committee

or political enemy
had managed to get.

Richard Nixon's face,

swollen and ravaged by loneliness,
self-loathing and defeat.

The rest of the project and its

failings would not
only be forgotten,

they would totally cease to exist.

Who came out on top, Mr President?

Is this what you call a dachshund?

Very sweet.

The Nixon/Frost interviews
were wildly successful.

I think they attracted the largest
audience for a news programme

in the history of
American television.

David was on the cover of Time
magazine and Newsweek magazine.

And even the political
press corps,

the hard-bitten
political press corps,

called David up with messages of
contrition and congratulation.

David, I want to say
congratulations.

The interviews?

No, I didn't watch
them. I couldn't.

Hey.

Hello.

I believe David saw the former
President just one more time.

Before he left California
for London again,

he drove down to San
Clemente to say goodbye.

Hey, Mr Frost. It's
nice to see you.

- Miss Cushing.
- Hello.

Please excuse my golf outfit.

It's the official
uniform of the retired.

Are you on your way home?

Yes.

Into a bright new dawn of fresh
enterprises and challenges?

Well, let's hope so.

Good for you.

I didn't catch the
interviews as they went out,

but they tell me that they
were a great success.

I gather the journalists
that were so positive

about you weren't so kind to me.

Yes, I was sorry to see that.

There's no condolences necessary.

I've grown to expect nothing
else from those sons of whores.

Yeah.

Jeez, please forgive
me, Miss Cushing.

You know, I would've
said sons of bitches,

but Manolo here is
a lover of dogs,

and he hates me to defame animals.

Can I get something for somebody?

Yes. Would you like
some tea or champagne?

Hey, you know, we got that
caviar the Shah of Iran sent me.

- No, thank you.
- You sure?

Come on. It'll be
no trouble at all.

No, really, we must be...

Okay, fine, fine.
Thanks for coming by.

You were a worthy opponent.

Goodbye, Mr President.

Bye-bye.

Goodbye, Mr President.

Goodbye.

Oh, God. I almost forgot. I...

I brought you a present,
those shoes you admired.

I brought you a pair.

Well, jeez. Thank you.

I'm touched. Safe trip, now.

Oh. Say, David, you
think I could speak

to you, privately,
just for a minute?

Do you know those
parties of yours?

The ones that I read
about in all the papers?

Do you actually enjoy those?

Of course.

You got no idea how
fortunate that makes you.

You know? Liking people,
and being liked.

Having that facility, that
lightness, that charm.

I don't have it. I never did.

It kind of makes you
wonder why I chose a life

that hinged on being liked.

I'm better suited to
a life of thought,

debate, intellectual discipline.

Maybe we got it wrong.

Maybe you should have
been a politician

and I the rigorous interviewer.

Maybe.

David.

Did I really call you that night?

Yes.

Did we discuss anything important?

Cheeseburgers.

Cheeseburgers?

Goodbye, sir.

Well, New York, London and Sydney

welcomed David back
with open arms,

as did his friends and investors,

who've made a fortune
from these interviews.

He got back all of his shows.

He even got back his
table at Sardi's.

As for Richard Nixon,

well, he certainly never achieved

the rehabilitation he
so desperately craved.

His most lasting legacy

is that today any
political wrongdoing

is immediately given
the suffix "gate."