LARRY KING TAKES IT EASY ON BRADLEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00845R000201250012-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: January 2, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-
AFTICLE APPEARED WASHINGTON TLMES
2 January 1985
ON PAGE
Larry King takes
it easy on Bradilee;
It's 7 p.m. Saturday night. I'm watching
Larry King's "Let's Valk" show on Channel 7.
Mr. King's guest is a man a lot of us would give
our eye teeth to interview - Ben Bradlee,
executive editor of The Washington Post. The
opportunity is truly golden, because Mr. Brad-
lee is very much in the news. His paper has run
a front-page story about a military intelligence
satellite that has caused Defense Secretary
Weinberger to accuse the Post, in essence, of
treason: that is, giving aid and comfort to our
enemiesEven Sen. Patrick Leahy. a moderate
Democrat from Vermont who is a member of
the Intelligence Committee, has said the Post's
story if true, is "extraordinarily damaging" to
our country.
As the King show begins, the graphics flash
across the screen. A Wall Street Journal head-
line says of Mr. King, the host of Mutual Radio's
national late-night radio talk show: "King Of
The Night; Larry King Gives Fans A Big Lift."
A New York Times story is headlined: "King Of
The Airwaves." A.big, booming voice says that
Mr. King is a "nationally acclaimed" talk-show
host. The voice says Mr. King is going "one-
on-one" with the newsmakers and personalities
.,you most want to hear about." Mr. King him-
self introduces Mr. Bradlee as "arguably the
most powerful newsman in America."
But the interview is off to a flying stop. Mr.
King begins by noting that the day he is con-
ducting his interview (Dec. 19) is "one of those
days when Mr. Bradlee is under siege over the
stories in the Post about satellites and recon-
naissance and the like:'
And then, to my absolute astonishment, Mr.
King says to Mr. Bradlee: "And we have agreed,
as per your request, not to talk about it." That's
right! Mr. King and Mr. Bradlee have agreed
not to talk about the Post's controversial satel-
lite story, even though Mr. Bradlee had issued a
statement about this matter and had given an
interview to CBS radio about it. Mr. Bradlee,
nodding his head in appreciation for Mr. King's
complicity in this blatant act of stonewalling,
says: "I appreciate it a lot" Incredible!
The rest of the King interview is pathetic.
More probing questions would have been asked
by any of the kids who run "The Childrens'
Express." For example, Mr. King wants to know
if Mr. Bradlee was happy with actor Jason
Robard's portrayal of him in the movie about
the Post and Watergate titled "All The
President's Men."
Well, yes, said Mr. Bradlee, he.was. But you
never get used to this kind of thing, he notes,
saying that, at least, Mr. Robards "said nothing
that embarrassed me." Mr. Bradlee says Mr.
Robards is a wonderful man, a wonderful actor
and he's "as lucky as can be" to have had Mr:
Robards play his role.
Do you ever feel, Ben, your own power, asks
Mr. King? Are you aware of it? Well, Mr. Brad-
lee guesses that "the office" - "if you abused
it" - "would have power." For example, he spec-
ulates, it would be an abuse if you made "some
absolutely nutty decision" to keep some per-
son's name out of the paper or killed a story.
But you couldn't do this more than once, he
says.
Does this mean you can't have close friends
in the business of making news? Mr. King asks.
Mr. Bradlee laments that this is "awfully
hard." Do you like the heat, asks Mr. King? Says
Mr. Bradlee: "Yeah, I don't mind it. It's fun. It
keeps you young, on your toes. It keeps your
energy up."
Mr. King wants to know what it's like to be an
"older father." Well, it's great, says Mr. Bradlee,
who is 63 and the father of a 21h-year-old. So,
the relationship is "fatherly," asks Mr. King, not
grandfatherly? Yes, says Mr. Bradlee, the rela-
tionship is fatherly.
Do presidents call the Post? Mr. King asks.
But enough already. Who cares what his answer
was.
In the course of this embarrassingly syco-
phantic and inane conversation, Mr. Bradlee
notes that at the Post, as regards his job, "the
buck stops here ... the buck stops at my feet"
At another point, Mr. Bradlee says he "gets out
of bed competitive" and he would "drop off
the vine in a month" if he retired.
But Mr. Bradlee is a buck passer par excel-
lence. He has already dropped off the vine. If
he likes the heat because it is fun, it keeps him
young and his energy up, then why did he ask
Mr. King not to question him about the Post's
military intelligence satellite story? And why
did Mr. King agree to be a party to this
cover-up?
Ben Bradlee is an arrogant phony, a typical
bully who can dish it out but can't take it. In his
interview, he told Mr. King that the Grahams,
who own and publish the Post, are getting their
money's worth by employing him. Maybe so.
But those of us who watched Mr. King's
program Saturday night sure didn't. It was a
disgrace from start to finish.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP9O-00845ROO0201250012-5