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| TIME | SPEAKER | TEXT |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00:23 |
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DON HEWITT |
| 00:00:25 |
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DON HEWITT, WHY DID YOU CALL YOUR BOOK "TELL ME A STORY"? |
| 00:00:28 |
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BECAUSE THAT'S THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF "60 MINUTES." I'VE ALWAYS SAID THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS... |
| 00:00:58 |
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NOW, YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN YOUR OWN BOOK. IF THIS BOOK WAS POPPED DOWN ON YOUR DESK, POTENTIAL "60 MINUTES"... |
| 00:01:11 |
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I THINK YOU'D BETTER ASK BARBARA WALTERS. BEST STORY FOR TELEVISION? SINATRA. |
| 00:01:19 |
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WHAT ABOUT SINATRA? |
| 00:01:23 |
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THREAT TOND KILL ME. HE CAME TO NEW YORK -- FIRST OF ALL I WAS TRYING TO GET HIM TO SIT DOWN AND DO... |
| 00:02:02 |
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FRED FRIENDLY? |
| 00:02:05 |
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FRED FRIENDLY, PRESIDENT OF CBS NEWS AT THE TIME. THEY SAID, WELL, SINATRA WILL DO IT, BUT THERE WERE... |
| 00:02:56 |
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I SAID, WELL, I'D LIKE TO DO A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT YOU. WHY? I SAID I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, LIKE HUBERT... |
| 00:09:53 |
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IS THERE A STORY THAT YOU WERE GOING TO WRITE ABOUT IN YOUR BOOK THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON YOU DECIDED... |
| 00:10:02 |
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I DON'T THINK SO. I DON'T THINK SO. IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN THERE THAT I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT ... |
| 00:10:12 |
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WHO INVENTED THE TICK TICK TICK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE "60 MINUTES"? |
| 00:10:18 |
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I DID, BUT IT WASN'T AT THE BEGINNING OF "60 MINUTES." IT WAS THE CLODSING THING OVER THE CREDITS.... |
| 00:10:53 |
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WHO NAMED THE PROGRAM "60 MINUTES," AND WHY? |
| 00:10:57 |
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IT ALL CAME OUT OF A -- I'D WRITTEN A MEMO TO DICK SALANT, WHO WAS THEN PRESIDENT OF CBS NEWS TO ASK... |
| 00:11:41 |
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THE FIRST SHOW WHAT DATE? |
| 00:11:42 |
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1968, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT DATE. WE WERE ON TUESDAY NIGHTS. EVERY OTHER TUESDAY NIGHT. ... |
| 00:16:09 |
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I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT ANOTHER "60 MINUTES" TECHNIQUE. I'M GOING TO TURN ON THE MONITOR AND SHOW... |
| 00:16:21 |
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OK. IN BIG. |
| 00:16:23 |
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BINGO. |
| 00:16:26 |
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WOE, THAT'S TERRIBLE. I WOULDN'T WANT IT DONE TO ME. |
| 00:16:31 |
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WHAT DO YOU LIKE BETTER? |
| 00:16:33 |
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WELL, I DON'T HAVE THE KIND OF FACE THAT CAN TAKE THAT KIND OF CLOSE-UP. |
| 00:16:38 |
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WHERE DID YOU START THIS IDEA, THOUGH? MOST OF YOUR SHOTS ARE LIKE THIS, OR A LOT OF THEM. |
| 00:16:45 |
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A LOT OF IT CAME OUT OF MIKE WALLACE'S "NIGHTBEAT" THAT ZEROED IN ON PEOPLE. IF YOU LOOK RECENTLY,... |
| 00:17:48 |
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YOU SAY IN THE BOOK THAT "60 MINUTES" MAY HAVE MADE $2 BILLION FOR CBS OVER 33 YEARS. |
| 00:17:55 |
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YES. |
| 00:17:57 |
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$2 BILLION. |
| 00:17:58 |
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WELL, WE WERE MAKING A PROFIT OF ABOUT $100,000 A SHOW. FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. WELL, IF YOU TAKE... |
| 00:18:26 |
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IT'S GOT TO BE -- THAT'S $260 MILLION. YOU MEAN MAKING ABOUT $1 MILLION A SHOW? |
| 00:18:32 |
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RIGHT. |
| 00:18:34 |
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YOU SAID $100,000. |
| 00:18:35 |
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I'M SORRY. WE WERE MAKING ABOUT $1 MILLION EACH SHOW. AM I DOING THE MATH RIGHT? |
| 00:18:51 |
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I'M STILL AT $2.6 MILLION. |
| 00:18:54 |
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WHATEVER IT WAS, I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT MATH. |
| 00:18:58 |
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IF YOU GROSSED OUT 30 SOME MILLION OVER 30 YEARS, YOU'RE TALKING CLOSE TO A BILLION DOLLARS. |
| 00:19:03 |
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BUT IT WAS THE MOST PROFITABLE BROADCAST IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION. I DON'T KNOW IF IT STILL IS,... |
| 00:19:53 |
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| 00:19:56 |
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WHAT'S THE ONE THING SOMEBODY WOULD SAY ABOUT YOU THAT'S WORKED FOR YOU OVER THE YEARS? |
| 00:20:03 |
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I WOULD THINK MAYBE I HAVE A TENDENCY TO BE DOGMATIC. I HAVE A VERY, VERY CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT I THINK... |
| 00:20:40 |
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HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK THERE? |
| 00:20:43 |
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WELL, THERE ARE 22 PRODUCERS AND THERE ARE SIX CORRESPONDENTS IF YOU COUNT ANDY ROONEY. AND THERE... |
| 00:20:56 |
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WHAT WOULD IT COST TO RUN IT A YEAR? |
| 00:20:59 |
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I DON'T KNOW. I REALLY DON'T KNOW. YOU KNOW, WHEN I BELIEVE IN NEWS , BACK IN THE STONE AGE, I ONCE... |
| 00:21:41 |
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THIS SHOW? |
| 00:21:42 |
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YES. |
| 00:21:43 |
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IT'S ABOUT $1.95. |
| 00:21:48 |
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THERE ARE GUYS THAT WORK WITH ME THAT KNOW WHAT THE BUDGET IS. I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT DETAIL WORK. ... |
| 00:22:23 |
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I WANT TO READ YOU A QUOTE FROM YOUR BOOK. WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT SPACE. YOU SAY, "IF WE CONTINUED... |
| 00:22:50 |
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WALTER CRONKITE -- WALTER, AS YOU CAN SEE, HAS A GREAT BLUSH IN THE BOOK. I THOUGHT THE WORLD OF IT.... |
| 00:25:56 |
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YOU TELL US IN THE BOOK YOU VOTED FOR EISENHOWER, YOU VOTED FOR HUMPHREY, THEN YOU VOTED FOR NIXON... |
| 00:26:09 |
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CLINTON FIRST. |
| 00:26:11 |
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THEN BUSH. |
| 00:26:13 |
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NO, I VOTED FOR BUSH AND THEN I VOTED FOR -- I VOTED FOR CLINTON OVER I GUESS DOLE. |
| 00:26:18 |
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AND YOU VOTED FOR BUSH OVER |
| 00:26:20 |
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YES. |
| 00:26:23 |
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BUT THEN IN THE END YOU VOTED FOR GORE. |
| 00:26:28 |
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BUT I WASN'T TOO SURE. |
| 00:26:30 |
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WHY DO YOU WANT US TO KNOW THAT? |
| 00:26:33 |
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IT'S A SECRET BALLOT, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. IT'S KIND OF LIKE PAINTING A PORTRAIT OF YOURSELF.... |
| 00:29:29 |
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YOU TELL US IN THE BOOK THAT YOUR WIFE HELPED ROSS PEROT WITH SOME FOREIGN POLITICS? |
| 00:29:38 |
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YES, THAT'S RIGHT. LLOYD CUT LETTER -- CUTLER WAS COUNSEL TO JIMMIE CARTER AND THEN BECAME COUNSEL... |
| 00:32:15 |
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LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT PRESIDENTS YOU'VE KNOWN AND JUST GIVE US A SNAPSHOT, SOMETHING THAT YOU REMEMBER... |
| 00:32:27 |
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THAT WAS LIKE BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. YOU HAVE TO REALIZE, I CAME FROM A TIME OF LIFE WHEN THE... |
| 00:32:50 |
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WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER SEEING OF HIM LAST IN PERSON? |
| 00:32:54 |
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AT HIS HOUSE, OUTSIDE OF PALM SPRINGS. WENT OUT THERE WITH CRONKITE, AND WE DID ONE OF THOSE ONE-ON-ONE... |
| 00:33:07 |
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WHAT WAS HE LIKE THEN? |
| 00:33:10 |
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HE WAS LIKE A GRANDFATHER. IT WAS NICE. HE WAS A NICE MAN. HE REALLY WAS A NICE MAN. |
| 00:33:22 |
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JOHN F. KENNEDY. |
| 00:33:25 |
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JOHN F. KENNEDY WAS THE FIRST MATINEE IDOL PRESIDENT. JACK KENNEDY WAS -- HE WAS CARY GRANT. HE WAS... |
| 00:35:27 |
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SEPTEMBER 6, 1963, THE INTERVIEW THAT YOU WERE THERE FOR WITH JOHN F. KENNEDY AND HE TALKED ABOUT... |
| 00:35:41 |
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WHY? |
| 00:35:43 |
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BECAUSE HE WAS GOING TO PUT IT OUT -- HE WAS GOING TO DO SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T DO, HE WAS GOING... |
| 00:36:42 |
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FAMOUS INTERVIEW, THOUGH. |
| 00:36:43 |
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YEAH. SO WE SAID IT A LITTLE DIFFERENT. WE LIKED THE WAY HE SAID IT SOMEWHERE ELSE. |
| 00:36:49 |
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BUT THE WHOLE ISSUE OF WHETHER OR NOT -- THE WHOLE VIETNAM ISSUE, WHETHER THEY WERE GOING TO STAY... |
| 00:37:18 |
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RICHARD M. NIXON. |
| 00:37:24 |
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STRANGE MAN. NEVER REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT THAT FIRST NIXON-KENNEDY DEBATE WAS. I MET KENNEDY AT A... |
| 00:42:02 |
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THE CLINTONS AND JAMES CARVEL. |
| 00:42:05 |
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JAMES CARVEL -- LISTEN, TO SHOW YOU HOW DOWN THE MIDDLE I AM, I HAVE NEVER HEARD JAMES CARVEL OR ROBERT... |
| 00:47:40 |
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SHE SENT TO HIM. AND I SAID, AS SAMUEL JOHNSON SAID, IF THE LAST REFUGE OF A SCOUNDRELL IS PATRIOTISM,... |
| 00:49:07 |
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IF HE CALLED YOU TODAY AND SAID WOULD YOU -- I WOULD LIKE TO DO "60 MINUTES," HOW MUCH TIME WOULD... |
| 00:49:19 |
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I TRIED. WE GOT NOWHERE. HE'S GOING TO DO SOMETHING WITH SOMEBODY. MY GUESS IS HE MAY DO IT WITH... |
| 00:49:48 |
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78 YEARS OLD? |
| 00:49:49 |
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YES. |
| 00:49:52 |
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WHY DO YOU STILL DO THIS? |
| 00:49:53 |
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I DREAD RETIRING. I WOULD RATHER DIE AT MY DESK. THIS IS GOING TO SOUND BIZARRE AND WIGGY AND YOU'RE... |
| 00:50:36 |
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INSIDE POLITICS, CBS, FRED FRIENDLY, WHEN DID HE DIE? HOW MANY YEARS AGO? |
| 00:50:43 |
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TWO, THREE. |
| 00:50:45 |
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WHEN WAS HE PRESIDENT OF CBS NEWS? |
| 00:50:49 |
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HE HAD TWO -- WAS HE PRESIDENT TWICE? |
| 00:50:53 |
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NO, THAT WAS SALANT. |
| 00:50:55 |
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WHEN HE FIRED ME HE WAS PRESIDENT OF CBS NEWS. FRED WAS ONE OF THESE GUYS -- I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING,... |
| 00:53:51 |
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BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU'VE EVER MADE. YOU'D TAKE IT BACK IF YOU COULD, WITH "60 MINUTES." |
| 00:54:05 |
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THIS WILL SEEM ME NYE CAL -- CRAZY, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WERE ANY BIG MISTAKES. |
| 00:54:12 |
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WOULD YOU DO THE AUDI THING AGAIN? |
| 00:54:15 |
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ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS WAS THE BIGGEST IMPORTER OF AUDIS IN AMERICA, AND WE WERE VERY CLOSE. AND... |
| 00:55:08 |
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WHO'S GOING TO RETIRE FIRST? WHO'S GOING TO LEAVE FIRST, YOU OR MIKE WALLACE? |
| 00:55:15 |
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WELL, SOMEBODY AT NBC OR ABC, I DON'T KNOW WHICH, ONCE SAID, WALLACE AND YOU CAN'T LIVE FOREVER, AND... |
| 00:55:28 |
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WHAT MAKES A GOOD INTERVIEWER? |
| 00:55:32 |
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A GOOD INTERVIEWER IS SOMEBODY -- IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THEN YOU'VE NEVER LOOKED IN THE MIRROR. WHAT... |
| 00:56:22 |
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GOT A MINUTE LEFT. WHY DID YOU WRITE THE BOOK? |
| 00:56:29 |
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BECAUSE PETER OSNOS SAID THERE'S A BOOK IN YOU. I SAID I DID A BOOK. HE SAID, NO, THERE'S A GOOD BOCK... |
| 00:57:26 |
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OUR GUEST HAS BEEN DON HEWITT. HERE'S WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE. |
NOTE: The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.
