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Did Walter Cronkite’s Life Live up to the Legend?

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    “Cronkite” author Douglas Brinkley on Walter Cronkite’s life and career in broadcasting.

  • Duration 3:12
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Most trusted man in America.

Who was apparently not quite this virtuous.

Uncle Walter we thought looking out -- market -- Walter also spent.

A lot of time looking out for -- -- -- -- -- one glaring case.

Walter appear to be on the take with pan am I see arranging three flight three and his family at all apparently well known within the CBS family now is Nelson's winds.

But at the time historian Douglas Brinkley says in the end his -- is simply blinked for good reason.

As prickly points out in his epic best selling -- on the TV anchor legend.

Cronkite -- cash in effect for CBS Cronkite author Douglas Brinkley here with me now to see them nice to see you -- Weird I don't wasn't the dominant team yearbook and that stood out as the business of -- here that.

That would get a lot of bankers.

In a lot of trouble.

You know I think about a lot of TV shows -- to be sponsored you know on bomb Maxwell Howell solution electorate in you know they -- -- Cameron Swayze it and yet that they had that connection think -- -- was of that generation because so he.

Had befriended the corporate leader of -- -- for so long I think he just didn't think it through.

But once that pat was even a sponsorship not I don't know it was to block work on this person write about in the book it it it is gases did raise -- -- very angry about what had options where do you get rid of Walter Cronkite over.

Do you put him suspended.

Or do you just -- -- as a warning he basically was -- a very serious warning don't do we begin but.

There were some people it created a controversy Mike Wallace you know of well.

When he worked there to be -- -- -- Cronkite accountable on a couple of other occasions so.

Sometimes a particularly was going after a pentagon -- historian Nixon administration and found that the Cronkite he did some.

Pro Bono work for of the US government in the Kennedy years Mike Wallace went after -- also so why didn't we known -- before you want -- -- Hello researching you do your -- A lot of resource and I thought I knew -- -- -- -- and -- person but.

-- -- of his -- very well and I didn't know a lot system lot of -- -- was -- Pepsi com I think key they first office papers open so I've gotten into this probe of the Cronkite papers.

Home he died Walter Cronkite in 2009 so people or more free with -- anecdotes.

But also was a culture of secrecy around what went on in the news media you know they were there was a closeness to.

The White House and government in the news mean it was a kind of an old boys club and Walter Cronkite had immunity people liked him.

And so nobody ever feel like giving Walter -- time there were reports of Cronkite doing other things of going into -- I'll strip clubs on business and all this and they -- a little I don't.

And then people would just drop the -- enough to strip club in -- -- alone would have -- hello here but I don't believe that it.

Feel like it was surplus that you know he -- -- India and suddenly got reported and he so he did start feeling at least one -- didn't realize it was a -- but relative it that he got in heat later on these -- who would -- be George McGovern's vice president in 72 in would you run with Johnny Anderson.

And as you know you say one little commented today imagine what politicians go through all from both parties on the YouTube moment -- -- law.