[Bommer]

Rev. Billy Graham openly voiced a belief that Jews control the American media, calling it a "stranglehold" during a 1972 conversation with President Richard Nixon, according to a tape of the Oval Office meeting released Thursday by the National Archives.

"This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain," the nation's best-known preacher declared as he agreed with a stream of bigoted Nixon comments about Jews and their perceived influence in American life.
< "You believe that?" Nixon says after the "stranglehold" comment.
"Yes, sir," Graham says.

"Oh, boy," replies Nixon. "So do I. I can't ever say that but I believe it."
"No, but if you get elected a second time, then we might be able to do something," Graham replies.
Later, Graham mentions that he has friends in the media who are Jewish, saying they "swarm around me and are friendly to me." But, he confides to Nixon, "They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country."
The newly released tapes cover the first six months of 1972, with the Vietnam War and the upcoming presidential campaign the backdrops for many conversations. The tapes touch subjects as varied as using a nuclear bomb on North Vietnam--a notion quickly derided by adviser Henry Kissinger--and settling a West Coast dock strike.
They also include all of the famous "smoking gun" conversation about the Watergate break-in, known for its damaging disclosures about a cover-up and its 181/2-minute gap.
The Nixon-Graham remarks came during a 90-minute session after a prayer breakfast the men attended on Feb. 1, 1972.
Scholars surprised

"I find this rather stunning," said William Martin, a professor of religion and sociology at Rice University in Houston and author of "A Prophet With Honor: The Billy Graham Story."
"This is out of character with anything else I have heard Billy Graham say or be quoted as saying. It is disappointing," Martin said.
"What Graham said that day is inexcusable. Did it ever occur to him that he should have countered the president?" said Martin Marty, a religious historian at the University of Chicago who noted the distinction some conservative evangelicals and Pentecostals have made between supporting Israel but not American Jews.
"One really did not associate him with this," said Michael Kotzin, a vice president at the Jewish United Fund in Chicago. "Rather than try to direct Nixon in a different direction, he reinforces him and eggs him on when it came to these stereotypes, and that's troubling."
Graham, 83, is not in good health and indicated, through spokesman Larry Ross, that he could not respond because he did not recall the conversation.
Thursday's release of 426 hours brings to about 2,600, out of a total of 3,700, the hours of recordings either publicly disclosed or returned to the Nixon family because they were deemed strictly personal. Many recordings, including the Graham tape, are edited to exclude content believed to disclose national security information, constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy or reveal trade secrets, among other matters.

Previous tapes have underscored the complexity of Nixon, including his insecurity and occasional nastiness. Apologists tend to cite his fits of bigotry as ancillary to his policy achievements, with the Nixon estate claiming that his harshness was often a display of faux machismo in the presence of H.R. Haldeman or his other top aide, John Erlichman.

While other prominent figures, such as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, then a Nixon aide, can also be heard on tapes during mean-spirited discourses by Nixon, many assumed a more passive role. Graham is unusual for being a distinguished outsider actively taking part.
Longtime friendship
Graham and Nixon had become close friends during the Eisenhower administration, when Nixon was vice president. The friendship remained strong until Nixon was brought down by the Watergate scandal and resigned the presidency in August 1974.
Haldeman's diaries noted the conversation. He wrote that there was discussion "of the terrible problem arising from the total Jewish domination of the media, and agreement that this was something that would have to be dealt with."
He continues, "Graham has the strong feeling that the Bible says there are satanic Jews and there's where our problem arises." No such comments about the Bible are found on the tape released Thursday but, because it contains several long deletions, it's believed such remarks were excised.
The lengthy chat opens with Graham praising Nixon's prayer breakfast remarks. "There were a lot of people in tears when you finished this morning and it's very moving. That's the best I've heard you at one of those breakfast things."

After offering Nixon tips on preparing himself for big speeches, as well as strategy for his re-election campaign, Graham notes that he has been invited to lunch with editors of Time magazine. "I was quite amazed since this is the first time I've heard from Time since ;Time founder Henry Luce died."
"You meet with all their editors, you better take your Jewish beanie," Haldeman says.
Graham laughs. "Is that right? I don't know any of them now."
Hollywood and the media

Nixon then broaches a subject about which "we can't talk about it publicly," namely Jewish influence in Hollywood and the media. He cites Paul Keyes, a political conservative who is executive producer of the NBC hit, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," as telling him that "11 of the 12 writers are Jewish."
"That right?" says Graham, prompting Nixon to claim that Life magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and others, are "totally dominated by the Jews." He calls network TV anchors Howard K. Smith, David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite "front men who may not be of that persuasion," but that their writers are "95 percent Jewish."
Nixon demurs that this does not mean "that all the Jews are bad" but that most are left-wing radicals who want "peace at any price except where support for Israel is concerned. The best Jews are actually the Israeli Jews."
"That's right," agrees Graham, who later concurs with a Nixon assertion that a "powerful bloc" of Jews confronts Nixon in the media. "And they're the ones putting out the pornographic stuff," Graham adds.
Nixon contends that "every Democratic candidate will owe his election to Jewish people," but he won't.
Haldeman turns the subject to the White House press corps and the Gridiron Club, a bastion of the media establishment, both of which they say were mostly WASP once, but no more.
"It was the Merriman Smiths, the Dick Wilsons, the ; Kilpatricks, all that kind of people. But you look at what covers the president today and it's really kind of scary," Haldeman says. Haldeman and Nixon cite by name reporters from the Los Angeles Times (David Kraslow), New York Times (Max Frankel), Washington Post (Stanley Karnow) and NBC (Herb Kaplow) but stumble on CBS.
"From CBS, Rather, Dan Rather, is Rather?" says Haldeman. A deletion then follows with the next voice heard being that of Graham, who alludes to A.M. Rosenthal, managing editor of The New York Times.
"But I have to lean a little bit, you know. I go and see friend of Mr. Rosenthal at The New York Times, and people of that sort. And all, I don't mean all the Jews, but a lot of the Jews are great friends of mine. They swarm around me and are friendly to me. Because they know I am friendly to Israel and so forth. They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country."
Nixon says, "You must not let them know."
The conversation turns to religious magazines, postal rates and Nixon's uncharitable thoughts on certain Cabinet members. Graham then leaves and, a few minutes later, Nixon tells Haldeman, "You know it was good we got this point about the Jews across."
"It's a shocking point," says Haldeman, a frequent cheerleader during Nixon's diatribes.
"Well," says Nixon, "it's also, the Jews are irreligious, atheistic, immoral bunch of bastards."<

[KQQL]

Well the media is CRAPOLA...... and liberal and hates America.... so what's new?

[VinnyTex]

From the Chicago Tribune

Nixon, Graham anti-Semitism on tape

President, pastor recorded views in 1972 meeting

By James Warren
Tribune staff reporter

March 1, 2002

Rev. Billy Graham openly voiced a belief that Jews control the American media, calling it a "stranglehold" during a 1972 conversation with President Richard Nixon, according to a tape of the Oval Office meeting released Thursday by the National Archives.

"This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain," the nation's best-known preacher declared as he agreed with a stream of bigoted Nixon comments about Jews and their perceived influence in American life.

"You believe that?" Nixon says after the "stranglehold" comment.

"Yes, sir," Graham says.

"Oh, boy," replies Nixon. "So do I. I can't ever say that but I believe it."

"No, but if you get elected a second time, then we might be able to do something," Graham replies.

Later, Graham mentions that he has friends in the media who are Jewish, saying they "swarm around me and are friendly to me." But, he confides to Nixon, "They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country."

The newly released tapes cover the first six months of 1972, with the Vietnam War and the upcoming presidential campaign the backdrops for many conversations. The tapes touch subjects as varied as using a nuclear bomb on North Vietnam--a notion quickly derided by adviser Henry Kissinger--and settling a West Coast dock strike.

They also include all of the famous "smoking gun" conversation about the Watergate break-in, known for its damaging disclosures about a cover-up and its 181/2-minute gap.

The Nixon-Graham remarks came during a 90-minute session after a prayer breakfast the men attended on Feb. 1, 1972.

Scholars surprised

"I find this rather stunning," said William Martin, a professor of religion and sociology at Rice University in Houston and author of "A Prophet With Honor: The Billy Graham Story."

"This is out of character with anything else I have heard Billy Graham say or be quoted as saying. It is disappointing," Martin said.

"What Graham said that day is inexcusable. Did it ever occur to him that he should have countered the president?" said Martin Marty, a religious historian at the University of Chicago who noted the distinction some conservative evangelicals and Pentecostals have made between supporting Israel but not American Jews.

"One really did not associate him with this," said Michael Kotzin, a vice president at the Jewish United Fund in Chicago. "Rather than try to direct Nixon in a different direction, he reinforces him and eggs him on when it came to these stereotypes, and that's troubling."

Graham, 83, is not in good health and indicated, through spokesman Larry Ross, that he could not respond because he did not recall the conversation.

Thursday's release of 426 hours brings to about 2,600, out of a total of 3,700, the hours of recordings either publicly disclosed or returned to the Nixon family because they were deemed strictly personal. Many recordings, including the Graham tape, are edited to exclude content believed to disclose national security information, constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy or reveal trade secrets, among other matters.

Previous tapes have underscored the complexity of Nixon, including his insecurity and occasional nastiness. Apologists tend to cite his fits of bigotry as ancillary to his policy achievements, with the Nixon estate claiming that his harshness was often a display of faux machismo in the presence of H.R. Haldeman or his other top aide, John Erlichman.

While other prominent figures, such as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, then a Nixon aide, can also be heard on tapes during mean-spirited discourses by Nixon, many assumed a more passive role. Graham is unusual for being a distinguished outsider actively taking part.

Longtime friendship

Graham and Nixon had become close friends during the Eisenhower administration, when Nixon was vice president. The friendship remained strong until Nixon was brought down by the Watergate scandal and resigned the presidency in August 1974.

Haldeman's diaries noted the conversation. He wrote that there was discussion "of the terrible problem arising from the total Jewish domination of the media, and agreement that this was something that would have to be dealt with."

He continues, "Graham has the strong feeling that the Bible says there are satanic Jews and there's where our problem arises." No such comments about the Bible are found on the tape released Thursday but, because it contains several long deletions, it's believed such remarks were excised.

The lengthy chat opens with Graham praising Nixon's prayer breakfast remarks. "There were a lot of people in tears when you finished this morning and it's very moving. That's the best I've heard you at one of those breakfast things."

After offering Nixon tips on preparing himself for big speeches, as well as strategy for his re-election campaign, Graham notes that he has been invited to lunch with editors of Time magazine. "I was quite amazed since this is the first time I've heard from Time since [Time founder] Henry Luce died."

"You meet with all their editors, you better take your Jewish beanie," Haldeman says.

Graham laughs. "Is that right? I don't know any of them now."

Hollywood and the media

Nixon then broaches a subject about which "we can't talk about it publicly," namely Jewish influence in Hollywood and the media. He cites Paul Keyes, a political conservative who is executive producer of the NBC hit, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," as telling him that "11 of the 12 writers are Jewish."

"That right?" says Graham, prompting Nixon to claim that Life magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and others, are "totally dominated by the Jews." He calls network TV anchors Howard K. Smith, David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite "front men who may not be of that persuasion," but that their writers are "95 percent Jewish."

Nixon demurs that this does not mean "that all the Jews are bad" but that most are left-wing radicals who want "peace at any price except where support for Israel is concerned. The best Jews are actually the Israeli Jews."

"That's right," agrees Graham, who later concurs with a Nixon assertion that a "powerful bloc" of Jews confronts Nixon in the media. "And they're the ones putting out the pornographic stuff," Graham adds.

Nixon contends that "every Democratic candidate will owe his election to Jewish people," but he won't.

Haldeman turns the subject to the White House press corps and the Gridiron Club, a bastion of the media establishment, both of which they say were mostly WASP once, but no more.

"It was the Merriman Smiths, the Dick Wilsons, the [James] Kilpatricks, all that kind of people. But you look at what covers the president today and it's really kind of scary," Haldeman says. Haldeman and Nixon cite by name reporters from the Los Angeles Times (David Kraslow), New York Times (Max Frankel), Washington Post (Stanley Karnow) and NBC (Herb Kaplow) but stumble on CBS.

"From CBS, Rather, Dan Rather, is Rather?" says Haldeman. A deletion then follows with the next voice heard being that of Graham, who alludes to A.M. Rosenthal, managing editor of The New York Times.

"But I have to lean a little bit, you know. I go and see friend of Mr. Rosenthal at The New York Times, and people of that sort. And all, I don't mean all the Jews, but a lot of the Jews are great friends of mine. They swarm around me and are friendly to me. Because they know I am friendly to Israel and so forth. They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country."

Nixon says, "You must not let them know."

The conversation turns to religious magazines, postal rates and Nixon's uncharitable thoughts on certain Cabinet members. Graham then leaves and, a few minutes later, Nixon tells Haldeman, "You know it was good we got this point about the Jews across."

"It's a shocking point," says Haldeman, a frequent cheerleader during Nixon's diatribes.

"Well," says Nixon, "it's also, the Jews are irreligious, atheistic, immoral bunch of bastards."

Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune

---

[KQQL]

Well the media is CRAPOLA...... and liberal and hate America.... so what's new?

[a_witness]

So now you know why it will be difficult to convince Jews to vote Republican.

[RAT Patrol]

Nixon demurs that this does not mean "that all the Jews are bad" but that most are left-wing radicals who want "peace at any price except where support for Israel is concerned. The best Jews are actually the Israeli Jews."

"That's right," agrees Graham, who later concurs with a Nixon assertion that a "powerful bloc" of Jews confronts Nixon in the media. "And they're the ones putting out the pornographic stuff," Graham adds

First of all...WHAT DID THEY CUT OUT OF THIS CONVERSATION?

Second, they were clearly talking about liberals, not conservative Jews. Graham is a strong supporter of Israel, but not a supporter of the very strong liberal Jewish groups. One is religious, the other is political. Big difference that the author of this article is purposefully blurring.

[Pharmboy]

I've often wondered why people of the Jewish faith react so vehemently against this observation. If the media were so influenced (that is, owned, edited, etc.) by Italians or Irish would they be so sensitive when that fact was pointed out?

There was a book several years ago by a Jewish guy caled something like "How the Jews Invented Hollywood." If that guy weren't Jewish, all heck would have broken loose.

People of the Jewish faith have historically been innovative and have tended to invest in new things when others have been skittish. The people that started NBC, CBS and ABC were all Jews.

Why aren't they proud? Is it because they re being accused of undue influence and it's of the liberal sort?

[RAT Patrol]

"Well," says Nixon, "it's also, the Jews are irreligious, atheistic, immoral bunch of bastards."

This is the point they were making about liberal Jews. (who needs "Jews"? Just liberals, but that's their conversation, not mine). It is not anti-Semitism. It is anti-liberalism.

[wardaddy]

The preponderance of Jewish liberals amongst other liberals in the media and entertainment industries is undeniable. I doubt that means they control either.

Coincidentally, just last night I had the opportunity at a dinner party to defend my own very hawkish support for Israel in light of the fact that I'm at the same time vehemently politically at odds with American Jewish Liberals...it was interesting.

As for Rev. Graham, I'm sticking with him and his son and daughter. I don't see anything here that's condemning.

[AUsome Joy]

This is ridiculous. I think that this is just another attempt to tear down a leader. There is no way that Billy Graham is anti-semitic. You can't use a comment from 1976 to accuse him of that.

[Pagey]

I'll tell you this,Richard Milhous Nixon is Dead; # 42 is alive and there are a whole lot more important things perpetrated upon the people of the U.S.A.,by that guy in the last 8 years,that rate a whole lot higher than these comments of 30 years ago,O.K.?Here we have Tapes!Ohhhhhh! But we also have concrete ACTIONS by man who was a "Waste" of 8 years! Wheres the Outrage,huh?I'll point out #42's mis-actions until I die,and you know there are MORE to show up too!Say,for the next 30 years or longer?You know what I do when people don't like Me cause I'm Catholic?(Those kind of people still exist you know) I turn the other cheek now, instead of smashing them.Get the hell over what other people think of you,cause in the long run THEY don't matter!

[weikel]

Nixon hated everyone equally( anti semitic for the love of god half his staff was Jewish).

[PatrickHenry]

Graham has done good works all his life. If he had a problem with some Jews in the media, it was obviously something he expressed only in private, and never in his public conduct. I've heard him publicly praise Sarnoff, who gave him his big start as a TV evangelist. Graham's public life has been exemplary. My problem with these tapes is that it turns us into peeping Toms, and it's most unpleasant. Gentlemen don't spy on one another's private conversations. We should let the matter go. It's between Graham and God.

[Jeremiah Jr]

Scholars surprised

"I find this rather stunning," said William Martin, a professor of religion and sociology at Rice University in Houston

Famous last words, "I find this rather stunning,"

Got 'Left Behind' on the bookshelf?

[Godfollow]

I knew it... B Grahm is just a man after all. Seems like everybody in this ol' world is tainted don't it. Ain't they no one we can worship anymore... uum, uum, uum.

[xm177e2]

Nixon demurs that this does not mean "that all the Jews are bad" but that most are left-wing radicals who want "peace at any price except where support for Israel is concerned. The best Jews are actually the Israeli Jews."

Reagan's view was similar to this, he liked Israelis because they were a bunch of cowboys. Most American Jews just can't measure up in that respect to Israeli Jews.

Unfortunatley nowadays, the liberal Jews want peace at any price EVEN where support for Israel is concerned.

[AshleyMontagu]

Definition of anti-Semite: One whom Jews hate.

[68 grunt]

Elmer Gantry said that? I'm shocked! NOT!!!

[Southern Federalist]

What's wrong with this and with many of the posts on this thread is the assumption that liberal Jews in the media are destructive of morals, etc., because they're Jews. Or that the spite against Christianity in the media is the result of a specifically Jewish animus against Christians.

The truth is that liberal Jews join in the trashing of our culture because they are by and large not very Jewish. They have been assimilated into the anti-western, anti-Christian culture of the Left, which did not arise from Judaism but from Gentile rebellion against Christianity in the Enlightenment. Ironically, the Enlightenment despised Christianity because it was too Jewish -- it was a corruption of the pure and universal religion of reason by Jewish "superstition." That's why the leftist Jews in the media are so often hostile to Israel - they have internalized a post-Christian Gentile animus against Jewish particularism.

As for Billy Graham, I think it would be healthy if his admirers would just admit that he was out of line. He's never claimed that he's not a sinner, after all. Billy Graham originally came out of a very unsophisticated background with very limited kind of Christianity. What makes him remarkable is that he has stayed true to the solid core of that form of Christian faith while at the same time exhibiting an extraordinary capacity to listen, learn, and grow.

These unattractive remarks just reflect the limitations of his starting-point. White Christians in the South would say stupid stuff like this in times past, usually in private conversations rather than in public (because at some level people knew it was, well, trashy). I heard it from my own kin as a boy, though my grandmother would have come down on it like a ton of bricks ("I don't want to hear any more of that white trash talk in this house"). It didn't usually go along with any real hatred of Jews. It was a stereotypical kind of dumb thoughtless noise. Which didn't make it right or harmless.

It's reasonable to be disappointed that a prominent minister of the gospel would not have outgrown that sort of talk by that time in Billy Graham's life. It is also reasonable to hope that he has outgrown it by now.

[antaresequity]

I dont get it.

Who cares. I like Jews, Blacks, Liberals, Conservatives, Martians, and even Allan Colmes sometimes. I love having people to disagree with...who cares.

To me the only tennants to really hold on to are the right to self determination and the right to life of the unborn.

Does anyone here really care what Nixon said?