David Brinkley

In his over two-and-a-half-hour interview, David Brinkley (1920-2003) recalls his early years in the United Press and as a writer/announcer for radio. He speaks of his association with NBC, which began in 1943 in Washington, D.C. He outlines the network's transition to television, and talks of providing the Washington report for the Camel News Caravan with John Cameron Swayze. He recounts his work on all national conventions beginning in 1952, including his first teaming with Chet Huntley for the 1956 conventions. He discusses his long collaboration with Huntley on The Huntley-Brinkley Report, and recalls Huntley's retirement. Brinkley describes his landmark documentary series David Brinkley's Journal, which pioneered the newsmagazine format, and his later series NBC Magazine with David Brinkley. He speaks of his transition to ABC and his groundbreaking work on This Week With David Brinkley (1981-96). He details covering and interviewing Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Don Carleton conducted the interview on December 8, 1999 in Bal Harbor, FL.