Howard K. Smith
Journalist / News Anchor
About This Interview
Howard K. Smith (1914-2002) was interviewed for three hours in Bethesda, MD. Smith details his time in Europe at the outbreak of World War II, at first as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, later as a member of the United Press, and finally as a foreign correspondent for CBS radio. He describes covering the Nuremberg Trials, meeting Edward R. Murrow, and getting into the realm of television. Smith discusses the challenges of writing news for television, and how it differed from writing for print and radio, and chronicles his experiences working on See it Now, CBS Evening News, and Howard K. Smith: News and Comment. He reflects on what it meant to be one of "Murrow's Boys," comments on moderating the first Kennedy-Nixon debate, and speaks of his one-on-one interviews with some of the greatest political figures of the 20th century. George Herman conducted the interview on October 24, 1997.
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Highlights
Howard K. Smith on meeting Edward R. Murrow
Clip begins at: 18:08, Duration: 01m 58s
Howard K. Smith on "scoring" the Kennedy-Nixon debates
Clip begins at: 16:53, Duration: 01m 00s
Howard K. Smith on covering the Nuremberg Trials
Clip begins at: 05:16, Duration: 01m 17s
Howard K. Smith on "Murrow's Boys"
Clip begins at: 20:12, Duration: 00m 31s
Howard K. Smith on getting arrested by the Gestapo
Clip begins at: 22:02, Duration: 00m 47s
Interview
- Part 1
- On his childhood and early influences; on growing up in Louisiana; on wanting to be a journalist; on his college years at Tulane; on traveling to Germany after college for a summer scholarship; on hearing Hitler in Germany before the start of World War II
Clip begins at: 0:93 - On returning to New Orleans and working for newspaper The New Orleans Item; on winning a Rhodes scholarship and returning to Europe - Austria; on President Roosevelt's visit to New Orleans; on his Rhodes scholarship at Oxford and joining the Labor Party to fight appeasement; on visiting Germany; on getting arrested by the Gestapo
Clip begins at: 15:07 - On German television; on the outbreak of World War II in September of 1939; on leaving Oxford to work for the United Press in London and Berlin; on leaving United Press to work for CBS; on how American reporters in Germany were treated during the war
Clip begins at: 23:15 - Part 2
- On journalists being arrested in Germany during World War II; on broadcasting from Germany; on not receiving an exit visa to leave Germany; on meeting his future wife; on leaving Germany on Devember 7, 1941
Clip begins at: 0:54 - On being a radio broadcaster in Germany; on writing a book while in Switzerland and it almost becoming a Hollywood movie; on his wife arriving in Switzerland; on becoming correspodent for the Europe Underground; on meeting Edward R. Murrow
Clip begins at: 07:31 - On meeting Bill Paley; on traveling to Holland with the U.S. Army and reporting on the Battle of the Bulge; on the Signal Corp; on returning to Berlin when the war ended; on broadcasting for all three networks
Clip begins at: 20:06 - Part 3
- On returning to New York after the war ended and going back to Germany; on radio man Paul White; on covering the Nuremberg Trials; on recording news pieces; on taking over Murrow's role as CBS chief European correspondent; on his 15 minute broadcasts
Clip begins at: 0:59 - On how he encountered television - through Edward R. Murrow; on BBC television; on covering the 1948 political conventions in Philadelphia; on pushing for aid to Europe after the war; on Sig Mickelson creating a CBS news network for television; on his first in-studio television work
Clip begins at: 14:23 - On conducting one-on-one news interviews
Clip begins at: 24:38 - Part 4
- On returning to America in 1956-7; on covering Little Rock; on the beginning of the end of his relationship with CBS; on working on Edward R. on Murrow's documentary Who Speaks for Birmingham? and being suspended from his job as chief Washington correspondent; on the importance of television in the Civil Rights Movement; on being a recognizable face in the South during this time
Clip begins at: 0:59 - On his 3 month unemployment after leaving CBS; on returning to television on ABC with Howard K. Smith: News and Comment; on moderating the first of the Kennedy-Nixon Presidential Debates; on preparation for ABC's Howard K. Smith: News and Comment
Clip begins at: 11:44 - On The March on Washington; on JFK's assassination; on Lyndon Johnson; on coverage of The Hill; on Edward R. Murrow becoming head of the USIA
Clip begins at: 20:01 - Part 5
- On on his friendship with and the legacy of Edward R. Murrow; on ad-libbing; on his son and the Vietnam War; on how his opinion on the Vietnam War changed; on his retirement; on wanting to write a book on Vietnam
Clip begins at: 0:61 - On the 1968 political conventions in Chicago; on working with a co-anchor; on interviewing President Nixon in 1971; on Barbabra Walters replacing him after he left ABC News; on working for public television, lecturing, and moderating presidential debates; on his preparation for presidential debates
Clip begins at: 12:29 - Part 6
- On his proudest career achievements; on career regrets; on the impact of television news and how instant viewing has changed over the years; on the impact of television on the presidency; on what he considers the event of the 20th century; on the cult of personality; on the integrity of the news; on the future of television news; on how he'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 0:62 - On his thoughts on people with whom he's worked; on Paul White and the invention of broadcast news; on his family
Clip begins at: 11:31
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