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PASTOR's REPORT, May 7, 19 79
Page 4
The item in the Pastor's Report mentions the taped copy had been
spliced, edited, portions deleted, parts put together so that they said
-- and IN MY VOICE -- things which might be totally contrary to what I
said and meant.
This reminds me of a comedy tape which I taped from a record sold
in music stores some ten years or more ago.
In it, four well-known news announcers asked questions of Former
President Eisenhower, President and �rs. Johnson, then-Governor Rocke
feller of New York, Robert Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. They took por
tions clipped from tapes of public speeches made by these famous men,
putting their own questions before clipped and edited portions of the
public speeches. It was a prize example of how a tape may be edited to
say just the opposite of what the speaker actually did say.
As near as I remember, I will here give you a few portions of it.
A newscaster asked: "General, if you were President again today,
and World War Three would suddenly break out, what would you do?" Then
came unmistakably Gen. "Ike's" voice saying, "Well, uh, I uh, I uh,
I certainly would not publicise it!"
(Much laughter followed on the
recording.)
They also asked Gen. Eisenhower how long he had been nettled
by ::ormer President Truman. Mr. Eisenhower's voice came out, "From the
first day I knew him until this very minute!" The reporter then said,
"Did you know Mr. Truman is coming to Washington next Monday?" Mr.
Eisenhower's voice said, "I'm leaving Washington Sunday!"
They pretended to ask a question of President Johnson, then in
office. "Mr. President," asked a reporter, "When you had a very slight
cold several days ago, did you consult a doctor?'' "I was attended,"
answered the President "by Dr. John Smith, Dr. Howard Jones, Dr. Samuel
Anderson, Dr. Raymond Brown, Dr. Roscoe Nelson, Dr. Isaac Nelson,
Dr." -- and after the President had named at least 15 doctors, they
appeared to try to cut him off tactfully, but he went on naming more and
more doctors, while apparently they tip-toed out. Next, the reporters
were interviewing Lady Bird Johnson, while being shown through the White
House.
"Oh," said a reporter, is this the door to the Oval Office?" "Yes,"
came Mrs. Johnson's voice unmistakably, "tip-toe, and just peek in through
the door, but don't open it wide." Next we heard on the record President
Johnson's voice still naming doctors who had attended him for a very
slight cold.
They asked Governor Rockefeller:
"Governor, just what are the
principle duties of a Governor of New York?" "I haven't the slightest
idea," came back the actual voice of Nelson Rockefeller. I won't bore
you with more, but you would get a good laugh if you heard this comedy
record. It shows how, with a little editing, tapes may be carefully
clipped and put together so as to make a person, in his own voice, say
the very opposite of his intention. For this reason a tape recording of
a telephone conversation is, and ought to be, illegal.
To say that this tape had been made of an ultra-private telephone
conversation in which I trusted the other party, was a real shock to