Martin Balsam: Howard Simons

All the President's Men

Howard Simons

Howard Simons: Did you call the White House press office?
Bob Woodward: I went over there; I talked to them. They said Hunt hadn't worked there for three months. Then a PR guy said this weird thing to me. He said, "I am convinced that neither Mr. Colson nor anyone else at the White House had any knowledge of, or participation in, this deplorable incident at the Democratic National Committee."
Howard Simons: Isn't that what you expect them to say?
Bob Woodward: Absolutely.
Howard Simons: So?
Bob Woodward: I never asked about Watergate. I simply asked what were Hunt's duties at the White House. They volunteered he was innocent when nobody asked if he was guilty.
Howard Simons: Be careful how you write it.

Howard Simons: Then can we use their names?
Carl Bernstein: No.
Ben Bradlee: Goddammit, when is somebody going to go on the record in this story? You guys are about to write a story that says the former Attorney General, the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in this country, is a crook! Just be sure you're right.

Ben Bradlee: Where's the goddamn story?
Bob Woodward: The money's the key to whatever this is.
Ben Bradlee: Says who?
Howard Simons: Deep Throat.
Ben Bradlee: Who?
Howard Simons: Oh, that's Woodward's garage freak; his source in the executive department.
Ben Bradlee: Garage Freak? Jesus, what kind of a crazy fucking story is this? Who did you say?
Howard Simons: He's on deep background, I call him deep... throat.

Scott, Foreign Editor: It's a dangerous story for this paper.
Ben Bradlee: How dangerous?
Scott, Foreign Editor: Well, it's not that we're using nameless sources that bothers me. Or that everything we print, the White House denies. Or that no other papers are reprinting our stuff.
Howard Simons: What then?
Scott, Foreign Editor: Look, there are two thousand reporters in this town, are there five on Watergate? When did the Washington Post suddenly get the monopoly on wisdom? Why would the Republicans do it? McGovern's self-destructed just like Humphrey, Muskie, the bunch of them. I don't believe this story. It doesn't make sense.

Howard Simons: Harry this isn't a local police story anymore. This is national. We need a top political writer on it.
Harry Rosenfeld: They don't want it. They're all over the God damn map covering the primaries. Besides this guy has busted his ass!
Howard Simons: He's been on this paper for only nine months. What's the matter with you?
Harry Rosenfeld: He's a humper!