The Post Page #24

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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.

Well, thank you for the call,

Mr. Rehnquist.

But I'm sure you understand,

I must respectfully decline.

I appreciate your time.

What's next?

We're going to court.

Today.

If we get a ruling in our

favor or The Times does,

we'll be at the Supreme

Court sometime next week.

We're focusing on Johnson.

I don't want any more arguments,

it's about shoes and about dresses.

Sorry.

Your Honor, the stories

published in The Times

and now The Post have created a

diplomatic and security disaster

for the United States.

How exactly have these papers

created a diplomatic disaster?

Why would other countries

talk to us in confidence

if secrets like these

can be leaked?

So, does this make it difficult

for the President to govern?

If the President can't keep

secrets, he can't govern.

Nothing less than the integrity

of the presidency is at stake.

Yes, I know.

I'm sure it has rattled

investors, Terry.

That's why I'm calling you.

Yes, I understand a number of

them have considered pulling out

but we feel...

Of course. I stand

behind the decision.

Well, you know,

one could argue it's

raising the profile of The Post.

Would The Post have published

military plans for D-Day

if they'd had them in advance?

Well, I don't think

there's any comparison

between a pending

invasion of Europe

and a historical survey of American

involvement in the Vietnam war.

The Supreme Court has decided to

hold a hearing tomorrow morning

to resolve the tangle of

conflicting decisions

over what of the Pentagon

papers can be published

and more broadly, the issue

of freedom of the press

versus government security.

But in agreeing

to hear the cases

of The New York Times and

The Washington Post--

The Supremes granted us a

emergency expedited basis--

We're in court with

The Times tomorrow.

What are you so happy about?

I always wanted to be part

of a small rebellion.

I ask him what he considers the

most important revelations to date

from the Pentagon documents.

I think the lesson is the

people of this country

can't afford to let the President

run the country by himself--

even foreign affairs any

more than domestic affairs

without the help of Congress.

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

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