The Post Movie Quotes
Meg Greenfield
Listen up, everybody. Listen up. Justice Black's opinion. Okay. "The founding fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors."
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Kay Graham
Do you know what my husband said about the news? He called it the first rough draft of history.
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Kay Graham
My decision stands, and I'm going to bed.
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Fritz Beebe
If the government wins and we're convicted, the Washington Post as we know it will cease to exist.
Ben Bradlee
Well, if we live in a world where the government could tell us what we can and cannot print, then the Washington Post as we know it has already ceased to exist.
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Ben Bradlee
He says we can't, I say we can. There, you're caught up.
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[behind closed doors]
Ben Bradlee
So, can I ask you a hypothetical question?
Kay Graham
Oh, dear. I don't like hypothetical questions.
Ben Bradlee
Well, I don't think you're gonna like the real one, either.
[pause]
Kay Graham
Do you have the Papers?
[pause]
Ben Bradlee
Not yet.
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Ben Bagdikian
I always wanted to be part of a small rebellion.
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Ben Bagdikian
They're going to lock you up, Dan.
Daniel Ellsberg
Wouldn't you go to prison to stop this war?
Ben Bagdikian
Theoretically, sure.
Daniel Ellsberg
You are gonna publish these documents?
Ben Bagdikian
Yeah.
Daniel Ellsberg
Even with the injunction.
Ben Bagdikian
Yes.
Daniel Ellsberg
Well, then. It's not so theoretical then, is it?
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Kay Graham
Quality drives profitability
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Robert McNamara
If you publish, you'll get the very worst of him, the Colsons and the Ehrlichmans and he'll crush you.
Kay Graham
I know, he's just awful, but I...
Robert McNamara
[Interrupting and getting extremely angry]
He's a... Nixon's a son of a bitch! He hates you, he hates Ben, he's wanted to ruin the paper for years and you will not get a second chance, Kay. The Richard Nixon I know will muster the full power of the presidency and if there's a way to destroy your paper, by God, he'll find it.
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Roger Clark
What if we wait? What if we hold off on printing today. Instead we call the Attorney General and we tell them that we intend to print on Sunday. That way we give them and us time to figure out the legality of all of it, while the Court in New York decides the Times case.
Ben Bradlee
Are you suggesting we alert the Attorney General to the fact that we have these documents, that we're going to print, in a few days?
Roger Clark
Well, yes, that is the idea.
Ben Bagdikian
Yeah, well, outside of landing the Hindenburg in a lightning storm, that's about the shittiest idea I've ever heard.
Fritz Beebe
Oh boy!
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Tony Bradlee
But Kay. Kay is in a position she never thought she'd be in, a position I'm sure plenty of people don't think she should have. When you're told time and time again that you're not good enough, that your opinion doesn't matter as much. When they don't just look past you, when, to them, you're not even there, when that's been your reality for so long, it's hard not to let yourself think it's true. So to make this decision, to risk her fortune and the company that's been her entire life, well, I think that's brave.
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[last lines]
Nixon
[on telephone] No reporter from The Washington Post is ever to be in the White House again... . None ever to be in. Now that is a total order... .
[cut to guard making rounds]
Police Dispatcher
DC Police, 2nd Precinct...
Watergate Security Guard
Yes, hello, this is Frank Wills. I think we might have a burglary in progress at the Watergate.
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Daniel Ellsberg
Someone said this at some point about why we stayed when we knew we were losing. Ten percent was to help the South Vietnamese. Twenty percent was to hold back the Commies. Seventy percent was to avoid the humiliation of an American defeat. Seventy percent of those boys just to avoid being humiliated? That stuck with me.
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Ben Bradlee
We have to be the check on their power. If we don't hold them accountable, then, my God, who will?
Kay Graham
Well, I've never smoked a cigar. And I have no problem holding Lyndon or Jack or Bob or any of them accountable. We can't hold them accountable if we don't have a newspaper.
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Ben Bradlee
Jack Kennedy. The night he was assassinated, Tony and I were down at the Naval Hospital so we would be there to meet Jackie when she landed. She was bringing Jack's body back on the plane from Dallas and she walked into the room. She was still wearing that pink suit, with Jack's blood all over it. She fell into Tony's arms and they held each other for quite a long time. And then Jackie looked at me and said, "None of this. None of what you see. None of what I say, is *ever* going to be in your newspaper, Ben." And that just about broke my heart. I never - never thought of Jack as a source. I thought of him as a friend. And that was my mistake. And it was something that Jack knew all along. We can't be both. We have to choose. And - that's the point. The days of us smoking cigars together on Pennsylvania Avenue were over.
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Kay Graham
This is no longer my father's company. It's no longer my husband's company. It's my company.
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Ben Bradlee
[to Kay]
You know, the only couple I knew that both Kennedy and LBJ wanted to socialize with was you and your husband.
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Fritz Beebe
The company's selling how many shares?
Kay Graham
1.35 million shares.
Fritz Beebe
Price range is?
Kay Graham
Between 24.50 and 27 dollars per share.
Fritz Beebe
Not exactly a huge difference.
Kay Graham
For them! But, you know, the bankers always fiddle with the prices. But, for *us*, that's over 3 million dollars and that represents over 5 years salary for 25 good reporters.
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Anthony Essaye
Ben, look, we know your reporters are talented. But, The New York Times spent three months going over these documents. You've got, what? Seven hours now until the paper goes to press? Can you honestly tell me that that is enough time to make sure not a single military plan, not a single U.S. soldier, not a single American life will be put in harms way? That this will do no damage to the United States if you publish?
Ben Bradlee
Yes.
Roger Clark
And you're sure about that?
Ben Bradlee
No! That's why I've called you guys.
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Daniel Ellsberg
Someone said this, at some point, about why we stayed when we knew we were losing. Ten percent was to help the South Vietnamese. Twenty percent was to hold back the Commies. Seventy percent was to avoid the humiliation of an American defeat. Seventy percent of those boys just to avoid being humiliated? That stuck with me.
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Ben Bradlee
They'll be defending the first amendment. We'll tell them that the only way to protect the right to publish - is to publish.
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Daniel Ellsberg
But it didn't take him long to figure out, well, for us to figure out if the public ever saw these papers they would turn against the war. Covert ops, guaranteed debt, rigged elections? It's all in there. Ike, Kennedy, Johnson... they violated the Geneva Convention. They lied to Congress and they lied to the public. They knew we couldn't win and still sent boys to die.
Ben Bagdikian
What about Nixon?
Daniel Ellsberg
He's just carrying on like all the others, too afraid to be the one who loses the war on his watch.
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Ben Bradlee
My god, the fun!
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Daniel Ellsberg
The study had 47 volumes. I slipped out a couple at a time. It took me months to copy it all.
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Ben Bagdikian
They're going to come after you, you know. I got to be honest, the bread crumbs weren't too hard to follow.
Daniel Ellsberg
I know.
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Ben Bradlee
Join the fight?
Tony Bradlee
Yeah, who's winning?
Ben Bradlee
Nixon!
Tony Bradlee
I didn't see him come in.
Ben Bradlee
Really? He's got his hands so far up Fritz's ass.
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Kay Graham
Oh well, we don't always get it right. You know, we're not always perfect. But, I think if we just - keep on it, you know, that's the job, isn't it?
Ben Bradlee
Yes, it is.
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Kay Graham
I don't think I could ever live through something like this again!
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Kay Graham
When Phil died it was just - I was 45 years old and I had never held - I never had to hold a job in my life. But, I just, I loved the paper, you know. I do. I do so love the paper. I don't want it to be my fault. I don't want to be the one - I don't want to let Phil and my father and all of you kids and everybody down.
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Kay Graham
This company has been in my life for longer than most of the people working there have been alive. So, I don't need the lecture on legacy.
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Kay Graham
Oh, Ken Clawson came by to see me earlier.
Ben Bradlee
Oh?
Kay Graham
Apparently, Justice is still considering criminal charges against us.
Ben Bradlee
Yeah, well, I bet they are.
Kay Graham
And you're not worried.
Ben Bradlee
Nope. No, Katharine, that's your job.
Kay Graham
I suppose it is. Oh, thank God the court ruling was very clear.
Ben Bradlee
Yeah. Yeah, well, I'm sure Nixon will fall right in line.
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Daniel Ellsberg
I was struck, in fact, by President Johnson's reaction to these revelations as close to treason. Because it reflected to me the sense that what was damaging to the reputation of a particular administration, a particular individual, was in itself treason. Which is very close to saying, "I am the State".
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Daniel Ellsberg
I think the lesson is the people of this country can't afford to let the President run the country by himself.
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Ben Bradlee
No matter what happens tomorrow, we are not a little local paper anymore.
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Kay Graham
She compared Trisha Nixon to a vanilla ice cream cone.
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Kay Graham
Are you sure we're striking the right tone here, Ben?
Ben Bradlee
Oh, we're going to do this again.
Kay Graham
No. The new Style section, sometimes that stiletto party coverage can be a little mean.
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Kay Graham
The Nixon White House is nothing if not vindictive. Just this morning they barred us from covering Trisha Nixon's wedding.
Fritz Beebe
Somehow, I doubt that will rise to the level of catastrophe.
Kay Graham
[laughs]
No. Probably not. Although, when Ben sets his mind to plunder, its not hard to imagine something more serious. Catastrophic events - do occur, you know.
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Kay Graham
Its hard to say - no to the President of the United States.
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Kay Graham
Ben, that's not my role. You know that. I wouldn't presume to tell you how to write about him. Just as I wouldn't take it upon myself to tell him he should hand over a classified study, which would be a crime, by the way, just so he can serve as your source.
Ben Bradlee
Our source, Katherine.
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Kay Graham
A bit hard to read, isn't it?
Lally Graham
Harder for you, I imagine.
Kay Graham
No. Why?
Lally Graham
These were your people: McNamara and Kennedy and Johnson.
Kay Graham
Well, Jack and Lyndon were your father's friends.
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Eastern Air Stewardess
Must be precious cargo.
Ben Bagdikian
Yeah. Just government secrets.
Eastern Air Stewardess
[laughs]
Please fasten your seatbelt.
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Ben Bradlee
When I get my hands on that study, what are you going to do, Mrs. Graham? Oh, happy birthday, by the way.
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Kay Graham
Quality and profitability do go hand in hand.
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Arthur Parsons
Kay throws a great party; but, her father gave the paper to her husband. The only reason she's running things is because he - because, Phil died.
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Ben Bagdikian
There's a fella I overlapped with at RAND. He was a bit of a showboat; but, smart. And he worked for McNamara and he had opinions on the decision-making that went into Vietnam.
Ben Bradlee
Okay.
Ben Bagdikian
The word is, he doved. Pretty hard.
Ben Bradlee
Would he have access to the study?
Ben Bagdikian
I'm sure RAND had a copy.
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Roger Clark
If you got the study from the same source, that would amount to collusion.
Ben Bagdikian
Yeah, we could all be executed at dawn.
Roger Clark
And we could be held in contempt of court - which means Mr. Bradlee and Mrs. Graham could go to jail. Mr. Bagdikian, how likely is it that your source and the Times source are the same person?
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Ben Bradlee
The only way to assert the right to publish is to publish.
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Arthur Parsons
Ben, there are concerns here that are frankly above your pay grade.
Ben Bradlee
Well, there're a few above yours, Artie, like fucking freedom of the press!
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Kay Graham
Alright, then. My decision stands. And I'm - going to bed.
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Arthur Parsons
No offense. Kay, it's unfortunate, the buyers are obviously skittish about having a woman in charge.
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Nixon
You mean, to prosecute the Times? My view is to prosecute the goddamn pricks that gave it to them. If you can find out who that is.
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[after publishing, Ben Bradlee receives a phone call from William Rehnquist, the United States Assistant Attorney General from the Department of Justice]
Ben Bradlee
Good morning.
Rehnquist (Asst AG)
Good morning. This is William Rehnquist from the Office of Legal Counsel at Justice.
Ben Bradlee
Yes, sir.
Rehnquist (Asst AG)
Mr. Bradlee, I have been advised by the Secretary of Defense that the material published in The Washington Post this morning contains information relating to the national defense of the United States and bears a top-secret classification. As such, the publication of this information is directly prohibited by the Espionage Act, title 18 of the United States code, section 793. As publication will cause irreparable injury to the defense interests of the United States, I respectfully request that you publish no further information of this character and advise me that you have made arrangements for the return of these documents to the Department of Defense.
Ben Bradlee
Well, thank you for the call, Mr. Rehnquist, but I'm sure you understand I must respectfully decline.
Rehnquist (Asst AG)
I appreciate your time.
[hangs up]
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