All language subtitles for The.Insider.1999.108

- Coffee?
- Yeah, thank you.

How have you liked your stay?

What I've seen, I've liked.

Please to explain why
I should agree to interview

with pro-Zionist American media?

Because I think Hezbollah

is trying to broaden
into a political party right now,

so you care about what you're
thought of in America,

and in America at this moment in time,
Hezbollah does not have a face.

That's why.

Perhaps you prove journalism objectivity,

and I see the questions first.

Then I decide if I grant the interview.

No, we don't do that.

You've seen 60 Minutes and Mike Wallace,

so you know our reputation
for integrity and objectivity.

You also know we are the highest-rated,
most-respected

TV magazine news show in America.

So, Mr. Wallace... Should
he get on a plane or not?

Tell him I'll see him day after tomorrow.

That's good. That works.

I want to ask you something.
I know it sounds odd, but...

Hello? Sheikh?

- Norman?
- What? What?

Take your blindfold off.

Welcome to the world.

Fluctuating all over the place.

Anywhere we shoot here, it's gonna be
portable gennies and we'll run cable.

- Hello?
- Mike, it's me. We're on.

- Hi, honey.
- Hi, Daddy.

What's new?

Miss Loughrey gave me a star today.

Yeah? What for?

- For reading.
- That's great.

A little early for cartoons, isn't it?

Okay.

Deborah? Debbie?

Oh, I didn't know you were home.
It's early, isn't it?

Gotta take Debbie to ballet.

Mommy!

Sweetheart, come on. Come on.

She was playing with my Pooh doll again.

Slow down, slow down, slow down.
Breathe deep, breathe deep.

Slow down, honey. Slow down.

Slow down.

Here we go.

- Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
- She was playing with the Pooh doll.

Pooh's dusty, sweetheart.

He's dusty and you breathed him in, okay?

So, what's happening to you...
Look at me.

What's happening to you now
is cells called "mass cells"

told your lungs, "Don't breathe
any more of that dust in."

And the airways in your lungs
are like branches,

and when the branches close up,
you get an asthmatic attack,

and we give you medicine and you get better.
Uh-huh? Okay?

Better already, aren't you?

Okay, baby?

Can I go to dance tomorrow? I'm better.

If you are, then I'll take Barbara
to soccer and take you to dance after.

I can take her.

Don't you have to be at the office?

- Is there any more rice?
- Yes, it's on the stove.

- Do you want more rice?
- Maybe later.

- How about you?
- I'll take some.

Instant rice?

Can I go over to Jeanine's house?

I'm sorry, darling. Have
you seen my coffee mug?

Try the car.

What are those boxes?

I'm going to the store.
You need anything?

- What do you need at the store?
- Soy sauce.

Right now?

That's my stuff from the office.

Why did you take your stuff
from the office?

- I didn't want to leave it there.
- I don't understand.

I got fired this morning.

Where else am I gonna take it?

Why?

- Who said?
- Thomas Sandefur.

What are we supposed to do?

What about our medical coverage?
What about our health?

What about our car payments?
The payments on this house?

The severance agreement
includes cash payoffs over time

and continuing medical coverage.

Sure you don't need anything?

No, thank you.

Jeffrey?

I am very pleased to receive
you as my guest, Mr. Wallace.

Well, thank you for having us.

Think I got a problem with the gennie.
I gotta go outside.

Give me a hand with this, will you?

Norman!

- He says, you must not sit so close.
- What?

I can't conduct an interview
from back there.

You must move back your chair.

Well, you tell him that when
I conduct an interview,

I sit anywhere I damn please.

There is no interview.

You!

I'm talking to you!

What the hell do you think
I am, a 78-year-old assassin?

You think I'm gonna karate him
to death with this notepad?

- Are you interpreting what I'm saying?
- Yes.

- We're there.
- Good.

Well, ask him ifArabic
is his second language.

Don't interpret that. Hold it.

Hold it! Hold it! Slow! Slow!

Sheikh, do you mind?

If you would just turn your chair
a little bit to face Mr. Wallace.

- Is that okay?
- Okay.

Are you ready or do you
wanna keep fucking around

and warm up some more?

- No, I've got my heart started.
- Okay.

All right, Todd.

Give me the three-button on Mike, please.

Good. Good.

Okay, we are rolling.

Okay, Mike.

Sheikh Fadlallah, thank you
so much for seeing us.

Are you a terrorist?

Mr. Wallace, I am a servant of God.

A servant of God? Really?

Americans believe that you,
as an Islamic fundamentalist,

that you are a leader who contributed
to the bombing of the US Embassy.

Everybody thinks Canadian
Mounties ride horses

and rescue ladies from rapids.

Mike, they backed locals
in Oka in a fight with Mohawks

over building a golf course
on their burial site,

they beat up protesters at Kanehsatake.

- Where'd you hear that?
- Hello.

Oh, someone took a poll? "Are
all things Canadian boring?"

- It's Stuart. He's in Mexico City.
- Oh. Let me call you back.

Yeah, Stuart?

- What New York bank?
- Hey, Dad.

Will he go on camera and talk
about the Mexico City branch?

- Hey, Jake.
- Whose money are they laundering?

- No classes this morning?
- I don't have to be there till 10:30.

- Hey, Mom. Hello.
- Hi, sweetheart.

- Hello? Yeah.
- Do independent sources corroborate?

- Dad, you got a box out here.
- Let me see this a second.

'Cause I gotta know where
you're going at all times.

I can't. I've gotta fly
to Boston tomorrow.

2:00 p.m. Great. Bye-bye.

"Ignition propensity." You
understand any of this?

No.

This looks like a table of temperatures.

- Who's this from?
- It's anonymous.

References to "P.M."

It's gotta be Phillip Morris, huh?

Hmm. I have to take a shower.

Yeah?

- Hi, this is Doug Oliver.
- Oh, hi, Doug. It's Lowell.

I'm doing this story on fire safety,

and people burning
up from falling asleep smoking.

I receive a shitload of scientific
papers from inside Phillip Morris.

Anonymous. You or anybody in FDA

know someone who can translate
this stuff into English for me?

Uh, yeah.

Hello?

Mr. Wigand, please?

Someone's calling for Daddy, Mom.

Oh. Thank you, Bob.

- Who's calling?
- My name is Lowell Bergman.

- Did you say "Berman?"
- No, Bergman. B-E-R-G-M-A-N.

- I'm a producer for 60 Minutes.
- 60 Minutes?

Yeah.

- 60 Minutes, the television show?
- Yes.

He doesn't want to talk to you.

How does he know he doesn't
want to talk to me?

He doesn't know what I'm
calling him about.

He doesn't care to know.

This is the Wigands'.

If you'd like to leave a message
orsend a fax, start now.

This is Lowell Bergman with 60 Minutes,

and I'm doing a story on fire
safety and cigarettes.

I have scientific documents
from a tobacco company

and I could use your help as a consultant

explaining these documents to me.

Now, my number is area code 510-555-0199.

I'll be there at this
number in 10 minutes.

If you're curious to meet me,
I'm gonna be in the lobby

of the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville

reading The New York
Times tomorrow at 5:00.

Have you always lived in Louisville?

Mr. Bergman, what did you
want me to consult about?

Who's that?

That's room service.

They usually knock first.

Come on in. Over here, please.

Thank you.

How do you like your coffee? Black?

Black. Black.

I really don't have that much time.

Is there anything you want
to know about me, Mr. Wigand?

Like what? Your sign?

- I know what I have to know.
- Just so I know you know,

when I talk to people
in confidence, it stays that way.

How did a radical journalist
from Ramparts Magazine end up at CBS?

I still do the tough stories. 60
Minutes reaches a lot of people.

Let me see the documents.

This is a fire-safety product
study for Phillip Morris.

Burn rates, ignition propensity,
things of this nature.

I could very easily explain
this to you in layman's terms

because it's from another company,
but that's as far as I go.

As far as you go where?

This issue is a drop in the bucket.

I can talk to you
about what's in here, but I...

I can't talk to you about anything else.

I signed a confidentiality agreement.
I honor agreements.

Doesn't CBS have confidentiality
agreements, Mr. Bergman?

Between journalists and management,
yes, I believe they do.

But I don't take that seriously.
Where do you work?

- "Did work."
- Did work?

How much would I get paid?

That you have to discuss
with CBS Business Affairs.

But for something like this, I would say
anywhere between $10, $12,000.

Should I just take the documents now?

If you want to do it.

I worked as a head of Research
and Development for Brown & Williamson.

Tobacco company.

I was a corporate vice-president.

Mr. Bergman.

PresidentAssad of Syria

said that difficult obstacles remain,

but that his country, quote,

"looks forward to a great
long peace with lsrael."

That's a Peabody, Mike.

When you're dead and buried,

Hezbollah is the one we're
gonna remember you for.

- Are you eating with us?
- Yeah.

Bring a tie so they let
us in the front door.

Come on.

- Debbie!
- Hey, Lowell.

Oh, Bill, Main Justice is investigating
a major New York bank

laundering narco dollars
out of their Mexico City branch.

You want it for the evening news?

What about you? You got a crew already?

- I'm gonna do a follow-up.
- Okay.

Catch you later.

- Debbie.
- How are you?

I want you to get Legal on a corporate
confidentiality agreement.

Okay.

Boundaries of their constraint,
Kentucky state law about...

- I want you to drop everything.
- Okay.

I don't have any change.
You got some change?

Here.

Tony.

Mr. Wigand, you can go up now.

Sorry. I'm accepting an award
from the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation.

It's gonna kill the rest of my day.

So, have you had a chance to play golf?

Jeff's a premier golfer. What
are you, a two handicap?

Seven.

And he gets out there
and he has five strokes on us.

He has more concentration
than anybody I've ever met.

It's spooky how he can concentrate.

I'd rather play than talk about it.

What did you want to see me about?

I don't like being back here.

Jeffrey says exactly what's on his mind.

Most people consider what they're
saying, social skills.

Jeffrey just charges right ahead.

Now, I know you understood the nature
of the confidentiality portion

of your severance agreement
with Brown & Williamson.

- Chapter and verse.
- Yeah, I know you do.

You know, I came up through sales.

One of the reasons I was a great salesman

was I never made a promise
I couldn't keep.

I knew that if I ever broke my promise,
I'd suffer the consequence.

Is that a threat?

We worked together for,
what was it, three years?

The work we did here is confidential,
not for public scrutiny

any more than are one's family matters.

You're threatening my family now, too?

Now, don't be paranoid, Jeff.

About the direction of research here,
we may have had our differences, but...

Research.

You declare as a badge of honor you
don't even know what makes water boil.

Well, that's why we hire scientists.

Okay.

I don't believe that you can
maintain corporate integrity

without confidentiality agreements.

I was paid well for my work,

the health and welfare benefits are good,

the severance package is fair.

I have no intention of violating
my confidentiality agreement

and disclosing
that which I said I wouldn't.

I appreciate all that, Jeff,

but upon reflection, we've decided
to expand our zone of comfort with you.

So we've drafted a supplement
to your agreement.

It broadly defines and expands
in more detail what is confidential.

Nobody will be able to say,

"Well, hell's bells, Margaret,
I didn't know that was a secret."

We're very serious
about protecting our interests.

We'd like you to sign it.

And if I don't?

If we arrive at the conclusion
that you're acting in bad faith,

we would terminate right now payoffs
under your severance package,

you and your family's medical benefits

and initiate litigation
against you, Mr. Wigand.

- Dr. Wigand.
- Dr. Wigand.

If you've examined the document,

you'll see it's in your own best
interest and you'll sign it.

What you're saying is it isn't
enough that you fired me for no good reason.

Now you question my integrity?

On top of the humiliation of being fired,

you threaten me, you threaten my family?

It never crossed my mind
not to honor my agreement.

I will tell you, Mr. Sandefur, and Brown
& Williamson, too... "Fuck me"?

Well, fuck you!

I'm not sure he got the message.

Oh, I think he did.

- Yeah.
- You fucked me!

Who's this?

Protect your sources? You screwed me!
You sold me out!

What are you talking about?
Where are you?

Fuck you, too!

Stay away from me.

You stay away from me!

Jeffrey, you forgot the lunches!

- Mrs. Wigand?
- Jump in quick. Come on.

How do you do? I'm Lowell Bergman.
We spoke on the phone.

- Come here. I want to talk to you.
- Good. I want to talk to you.

This is my house. In front
of my wife, my kids...

I did not burn you. I did
not give you up to anyone.

What business do we have?

I'm here to straighten
something out with you.

Right here, right now.

You haven't mentioned my name?

You haven't talked to anybody about me?

What am I gonna mention your name for...

Why are Brown & Williamson...

How the hell do I know
about Brown & Williamson?

It happened just after I talked to you!
I do not like coincidences!

Well, I don't like paranoid accusations.
I'm a journalist.

Think! Use your head! How do
I operate as a journalist?

By screwing the people who could
provide me with information

before they provided me with it?

You came all the way
down here to tell me that?

No, I did not.

Big Tobacco is a big story and you
got something important to say.

I can tell.

But yes, I did.

I came all the way down here to tell
you, story, no story, fuck your story,

I don't burn people.

Ride with me while I take
the girls to school.

My little girl has acute asthma.

Deborah, my oldest daughter.

And I'm unemployed, so I have
to protect my medical coverage.

So I left them a message this morning.

Their expanded
confidentiality agreement...

I will sign it.

- They're afraid of you, aren't they?
- They should be.

Talk to me outside the zone
of your agreement.

Like what?

Like, where'd you work
before Brown & Williamson?

Johnson & Johnson, Union
Carbide in Japan...

I was the general manager and director
of new products. I speak Japanese.

I was a director of corporate
development at Pfizer.

All health-related.

What else outside the zone?

I don't know. Do you think the Knicks
are gonna make it to the semifinals?

- Just give me an example.
- Okay.

For example, James Burke.

- CEO of Johnson & Johnson.
- Yeah.

When he found out that some lunatic
had put poison in Tylenol bottles.

He didn't argue with the FDA,

he didn't even wait
for the FDA to tell him,

he just pulled Tylenol
off every shelf of every store

right across America, instantly.

And then he developed a safety cap.

Because as a CEO, sure, he's gotta
be a great businessman, right?

But he's also a man of science.

He's not gonna allow his company
to put on the shelf

a product that might hurt people.

Not like the Seven Dwarfs.

- Seven Dwarfs?
- Seven CEOs of Big Tobacco.

They got in front of Congress that time.
It was on television...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Swore under oath that they know
nothing about addiction...

- It was on C-SPAN.
- Yeah.

Okay, so, here you are. You
go to work for tobacco.

You come from corporate
cultures where research,

really creative thinking,
these are core values.

You go to tobacco. Tobacco
is a sales culture,

market and sell enormous volume,
go to a lot of golf tournaments.

The hell with everything else.
What are you doing?

Why are you working for tobacco
in the first place?

I can't talk about it.

The work I was supposed to do

might have had some positive
effect, I don't know.

Could have been beneficial.

Mostly, I got paid a lot.
I took the money.

My wife was happy,

my kids had good medical, good
schools, got a great house.

I mean, what the hell is wrong with that?

Nothing's wrong with that. That's it.
You're making money.

You're providing for your family.
What could be wrong with that?

I always thought of myself as a man
of science, that's what's wrong with it.

Then you're in a state of conflict, Jeff.

Because, look, here's how it lays out.

If you've got vital insider stuff,

the American people, for their welfare,
really do need to know,

and you feel impelled to disclose it
and violate your agreement in doing so,

that's one thing.

On the other hand, if you
want to honor this agreement,

then that's simple.

You do so. You say
nothing, you do nothing.

There's only one guy who can
figure that out for you,

and that's you all by yourself.

I gotta go pick up the girls.
They only had half a day.

I've heard virtually all the...
We touched on it.

Yes or no, do you believe
nicotine is not addictive?

Congressman, cigarettes and nicotine

clearly do not meet the classic
definitions of addiction.

There is no intoxication.

We'll take that as "no."

Again, time is short.

I think each of you believe
nicotine is not addictive

and just would like to have
this for the record.

I believe that nicotine is not addictive.

I, too, believe that nicotine...

He referred to this...

- The Seven Dwarfs.
- What Seven Dwarfs?

The seven CEO of Big Tobacco.
Referred to this,

said they should be afraid of him.
I assume afraid of what he could reveal.

Now you tell me.

What does this guy have to say
that threatens these people?

Well, it isn't cigarettes
are bad for you.

- Hardly new news.
- No shit.

What's this?

What that is is tobacco's standard
defense.

It's the "we don't know" litany.

"Addiction? We believe not.
Disease? We don't know.

"We take a bunch of leaves, we roll
them together, you smoke 'em.

"After that, you're on your own.
We don't know."

So, that tells me nothing.

- Besides, you'll never get what he's got.
- Why not?

Because of this
guy's confidentiality agreement,

he's never gonna be able to talk to you.

That's not good enough. This
guy is the top scientist

in the number-three tobacco
company in America.

He's a corporate officer.

You never get whistle-blowers
from Fortune 500 companies.

This guy is the ultimate insider.

He's got something to say,
he wants to say it.

- I want it on 60 Minutes.
- Doesn't matter what he wants.

Am I missing something here?

What do you mean, Mike?

He's got a corporate secrecy agreement.

Give me a break.

This is a public health issue,
like an unsafe air frame on a passengerjet

or some company dumping
cyanide into the East River.

Issues like that. He can
talk, we can air it.

They've got no right to hide
behind a corporate agreement. Pass the milk.

They don't need the right.
They got the money.

The unlimited checkbook.

That's how Big Tobacco wins
every time on everything.

They spend you to death.

$600 million a year in outside legal.

Chadbourne & Parke, Ken
Starr's firm, Kirkland and Ellis.

Listen, GM and Ford, they get nailed
after 11 or 12 pickups blow up, right?

- These clowns have never ever...
- Not even once.

Not even with hundreds
of thousands dying each year

from an illness related to their product,
have ever lost a personal injury lawsuit.

On this case, they'll issue gag orders,
sue for breach, anticipatory breach,

enjoin him, you, us, his pet
dog, the dog's veterinarian,

tie 'em up in litigation
for 10 or 15 years.

I'm telling you, they bat
a thousand every time.

He knows that. That's why
he's not gonna talk to you.

Okay, let's look through the looking
glass the other way.

What do you mean?

We got a guy who wants
to talk, but he's constrained.

- What if he were compelled to talk?
- Oh, torture. Great ratings.

What do you mean, "compelled"?

I mean compelled by a Justice Department.

State courts. Be a witness.

That would cut through any confidentiality
agreement, wouldn't it?

- What does that do?
- What do you mean, what does it do?

What I mean is like, how does it cut
through the confidentiality agreement?

Because he has to reveal
it in a court of law.

It's on record. It's out.
It's no secret anymore.

So how can they restrain his speech or retaliate?
It's out in the world.

If you could engineer it into the court
record, you might have something.

They would have a hell of a time

trying to restrain his speech
then, wouldn't they?

Yeah, but what venue?

And where does he get... Does
he have killer attorneys?

I don't think he's got any attorneys.

He's gonna need attorneys who aren't
afraid of risking years of litigation

and millions of dollars
of their own dough in legal costs.

What do you say, Mike? What do you think?

Even if he gets the defense team,

will he go for it?

You're awfully overqualified, Dr. Wigand.

I'm trying to start a new career.

I believe I could be a good teacher.

Let me give it some thought.

And not a lot of companies
in the healthcare field

hire ex-tobacco scientists.

That's it.

It's where our babies were born.

Debbie took her first
steps right there on...

In the grass.

- I didn't plan on this.
- Hey, hey, hey.

Come on. Come on.

We can make this work for us, okay?

It's just, it's not...

It's a smaller scale.

Simpler, easier, more time.

More time together, more
time with the kids.

More time for us, okay? It's just...

Can you imagine me coming
home from some job

feeling good at the end of the day?

This is gonna be better.

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- Back to...
- Welcome back.

Hey, baby. What's wrong?

Who's that outside, Daddy?

Did you see somebody
or did you hear them?

I heard him.

- Where?
- In the backyard.

Sit at Daddy's desk, okay? Why
don't you sit up at the desk.

All right?

Get out some paper, and draw
me a picture, okay?

What are you gonna draw me, baby?
An animal? Something like that?

You stay down here until Daddy
gets back, all right, Barbara?

You stay down here.

You almost got your damn head blown off.

Daddy!

It was just a raccoon, baby. Nothin'.

They're nocturnal. You
know what that means?

That means that they only come
out at nighttime.

- Yeah.
- Lowell. Jeffrey Wigand.

Is it too late?

No, no, it's okay. I...

- How's the new place?
- The new place? New.

You okay?

Sure.

I was thinking of calling
you tomorrow anyway.

How's your kids handling the new house?

Good.

- You got kids?
- We have a couple.

One's hers, one's mine. Everybody
uses a different name.

Modern marriage.

How's Liane?

She's okay.

Hold on a minute.

Lowell, somebody may be following me.
I don't know.

They came on the property.

What do you mean, following you?
Did you call the police?

I don't wanna be paranoid. I mean...

Maybe it's a game. Some
kind of mind game.

What do you really think?

I don't know what the fuck
I really think.

Are they doing it? Is
some crank doing it?

Are they doing it to make
me feel paranoid?

Are they doing it for real and don't
give a shit what I think? I don't know.

I don't fuckin' know.

Jeffrey, describe for me
in detail what happened.

Well...

No. Look, I mean, there was a footprint.
Forget it.

It's probably not important at all.
You know, I got a job now.

I'm teaching high school.
Japanese and chemistry.

So what were you calling about?

You called me.

No, you said you were
gonna call me tomorrow.

- So, what about?
- Oh, yes, yes, yes. I did.

I wanted to talk to you.
I wanted to hook up with you,

talk to you about what we were
talking about in your car.

Okay.

It makes you feel good,
putting what you know to use?

- How'd you know that, Lowell?
- It's obvious, isn't it?

Hello? Are you there?

Yeah.

Look...

Thanks for talking. I'm sorry I woke you up.
I didn't know...

It's okay.

Lowell.

Who is this?

Do not call here! Do not...

- What are you gonna get us?
- Tempura.

The Internet said you did
graduate work at Wisconsin,

then went to UC La Jolla
with Professor Herbert? Marcus...

- Marcuse.
- Yeah.

He was my mentor.

He had a major influence
on the New Left in the late '60s.

- And on me, personally.
- Next to your father?

My father? What the hell's that got
to do with my father?

I, uh...

Is that why you became a journalist?
Then you get to ask all the questions?

You charge by the hour?

My father was a mechanical engineer.

Most ingenious man I ever knew.

My father left us when
I was five-years-old.

He was not the most ingenious
man I ever knew.

Let's get back to Brown & Williamson.

If you decide to go on 60 Minutes,

I gotta know everything
about why you were fired.

Why?

They're gonna dig
up stuff from your past,

they're gonna throw it at you. I gotta
know what they're gonna throw.

You understand?

I drink.

Couple of occasions,
more than I should have.

Mmm-hmm.

I was cited for shoplifting
once, but it was a mistake.

Pushed Liane one time.

We were both stressed
out because of the pressure.

She went to her mother's.

I got fired

because when I get angry, I have
difficulty censoring myself,

and I don't like to be pushed around.

I'm not pushing you around.
I'm asking you questions.

I'm just a commodity to you, aren't I?

I could be anything, right?

Anything worth putting
on between commercials.

To a network, probably
we're all commodities.

To me, you're not a commodity.
What you are is important.

You go public, and 30 million people
hear what you gotta say,

nothing, I mean nothing,
will ever be the same again.

You believe that?

- No.
- You should.

Because when you're done,

the judgment is gonna go down in the court
of public opinion, my friend.

And that's the power you have.

- You believe that?
- I believe that? Yes, I believe that.

You believe that because you
get information out to people,

- something happens?
- Yes.

Maybe that's just what you've been telling
yourself all these years

to justify having a good job.

Having status.

Maybe for the audience,
it's just voyeurism.

Something to do on a Sunday night.

Maybe it won't change a fuckin' thing,

and people like myself and my family

are left hung out to dry,
used up, broke, alone.

Are you talking to me, or did somebody
else just walk in here? I never...

Don't evade a choice you gotta
make by questioning my reputation

or 60 Minutes with this cheap skepticism.

I have to put my family's welfare
on the line here, my friend.

What are you putting up?
You're putting up words.

"Words."

While you've been dicking around some fucking
company golf tournaments,

I've been out in the world givin'
my word and backing it up with action.

Now, are you gonna go
and do this thing or not?

I said I'd call the kids
before they went to bed.

Stringer was supposed to be shooting.

B-roll on street cops in New Orleans.

What's with all the horses?

Camera guy's got a thing
about mounted police.

Don't any of these guys
ride in cars? Walk?

- How long are these things?
- What was he saying?

Hello. Yes, I'm trying
to reach Mr. Richard Scruggs.

This is Richard Scruggs.

Can you hold on a second, please?

Lowell, got him on the phone.

Hello, I'm Lowell Bergman.

Hold on. Mobile Approach, this
is Leo-November-643. Over.

Request a flight level of 220
on a heading of 284 degrees. Over.

Mr. Bergman?

Yes, I'm right here. Could you
call me back on a hard line?

All right.

Area code 212-555-0199.

I'll call you then.

- What do we do with that?
- I don't know.

Richard Scruggs.

You filed a lawsuit against tobacco
on behalf of the State of Mississippi.

- Did you not?
- That's right.

I'm working with someone now

who's the former head of research
at Brown & Williamson.

Former corporate officer there.

What's your interest
in this, Mr. Bergman?

Well, he may tape an interview with us,

and we believe if his testimony
showed up in a court record first,

it would free him
up from his confidentiality agreement

and give him some protection.

It could work. If it's public
record, it's public record.

Yeah, and he's gonna need
legal representation.

He sure as hell will.

Has he decided to go public?

Because let me tell ya, we been doin'
this for three years now,

and we've worked with a lot
of corporate cases

involving whistle-blowers.

So we know Big Tobacco will do
everything in their power to stop him.

So is your man truly committed?

Well, actually, no. He's on the fence.
That's the point.

Well, we'd certainly be interested
in making his acquaintance.

But without knowing what he's gonna do...

Would you want him to call
you, or you wanna call him?

How do you wanna do it?

It would be better if he called us.

- Yeah. Okay.
- AII right?

Okay, thank you. Shit.

We need cops on the streets.
We don't need them on horses.

- I don't know what he was thinking.
- For God's sake.

- This guy got a horse fetish?
- All right, all right.

Get me to New Orleans this afternoon.

I'll shoot the fucking thing myself!

- Have a good one.
- All right.

What are you cooking?

- I'm cooking pasta primavera.
- Oh, I love that stuff.

I'm going to have to go downstairs.

Jeffrey!

Jeffrey! Jeffrey!

What happened?

Dispatcher received a call
of shots fired in the area.

Uniforms arrived on the scene, found
this white male subject shot to death.

Was it gang-related?

There's no indication as far
as a tag or an advertisement.

Yeah.

They're terrorizing us. Death threats.
My family, my kids.

What are you talking about?

Someone put a bullet in my mailbox.

- Jeff, call the FBI right away.
- They do this with impunity.

Jeff...

They get to go home at night.

What does it cost these people
to do this to us? Nothing!

My girls are crying. So fuck them.

- I wanna tape. I'm done...
- I heard you.

I gotta arrange for a legal
defense first.

I gotta get you to testify
in court, get it on public record.

Then hold it off the air until you got
that, but I wanna go to New York,

and I wanna go on the record right now.

Good. But, Jeff...

I'll call them, Lowell.

Did you handle the round, Mr. Wigand?

Yes, I'm afraid I did.

We won't be able to lift usable prints.

Do you own a gun, Mr. Wigand?

- A gun? Yes.
- What caliber is your gun?

What caliber is my gun?

Yes, sir. What caliber is your gun?

What does that have to do
with the price of tea in China?

You think I put the bullet
in the mailbox myself?

If we could take a look, Mr. Wigand.

Why do you keep this gun?

I don't think it's unconstitutional
yet to own a gun. I'm a target shooter.

That bullet was for a .38 caliber.
Do you own a .38?

Yes, I do. A .38 Target
Master in my gun safe downstairs.

A .45 Gold Cup, a .22 target pistol.
So what?

Do you have a history of emotional
problems, Mr. Wigand?

Yeah. Yes, I do.

Yes, I get extremely emotional when
assholes put bullets in my mailbox.

I didn't tell you that so you could
pick it up and take it away.

Jeffrey!

What's going on?

I told them you had an e-mail
death threat that told you

if you didn't shut the "F" up,
they were gonna kill you.

You can't take that.
It's personal property.

My personal correspondence,
letters to my brother, my will.

You all right?

That computer has every single...

You all right, Mr. Wigand?

We need to take a look
at your gun safe, Mr. Wigand.

I'm telling you your agents
in that office are acting improperly.

Now who are they trying to protect?

Let me tell you something, Lowell.
Look, look.

You're talking about two agents
in a regional office in Louisville.

I got the goddamned Unabomber
threatening to blow up LAX.

I gotta move 45 agents
from all over the country into LA.

All right? When I get a chance,
I'll give it a look.

You better take a good look
because I'm getting two things.

Pissed off and curious!

Any of these guys been offered jobs
in corporate security after they retire?

Either one of those guys got
ex-agent pals already in those jobs?

Like, for instance, their ex-supervisor
who's already at Brown & Williamson

as we fuckin' speak!

I'll give it a look.

- You're getting my drift?
- I'II give it a look.

So is everything okay?

- How are the rooms? Comfortable?
- Yes, very.

Do you know, I enjoy your work so much.

When you're talkin' to somebody,
I always feel like I'm right there.

Thank you for saying that.

Do you think we could
talk about the taping?

Tomorrow's taping?

Just so we can get it
out of the way and order.

Yeah, well, questions will go
towards what work you did there,

- why you were fired and other...
- Taping?

What are you taping?

I'm doin' an interview.

An interview?

Do you know what they will do to us?
I thought we...

I'm sorry.

Liane, this is a preliminary...

You didn't tell her we were taping?

What did she think
she was coming to New York for?

Talk about it, think about it.
I had a plan to ease her into it,

but I really don't know how to do that.

Oh, man.

Who are these people?

Ordinary people under extraordinary
pressure, Mike.

What the hell you expect,
grace and consistency?

Five, four, three, two...

You heard Mr. Sandefur
say before Congress

that he believed nicotine
was not addictive.

I believe Mr. Sandefur perjured himself

because I watched those
testimonies very carefully.

All of us did.

I mean, there was this
whole line of people,

whole line of CEOs
up there, all swearing.

Part of the reason I'm
here is that I felt

that their representation
clearly misstated,

at least within Brown &
Williamson's representation,

clearly misstated what is common
language within the company.

We are in the nicotine delivery business.

And that's what cigarettes are for.

Delivery device for nicotine.

A delivery device for nicotine.

Put it in your mouth, light it
up and you're going to get your fix.

You're gonna get your fix.

You're saying that Brown & Williamson

manipulates and adjusts the nicotine fix

not by artificially adding nicotine,
but by enhancing the effect of nicotine

through the use of chemical
elements such as ammonia.

The process is known as impact boosting.

While not spiking nicotine,
they clearly manipulate it.

There is extensive use
of this technology,

known as ammonia chemistry.

It allows for the nicotine to be
more rapidly absorbed in the lung

and therefore affect the brain
and central nervous system.

The straw that broke
the camel's back for me

and really put me
in trouble with Sandefur,

was a compound called "coumarin."

When I came on board at B&W,

they had tried to transition
from coumarin to a similar flavor

that would give the same taste
and had been unsuccessful.

I wanted it out immediately.

I was told that it would affect sales,
so I should mind my own business.

I constructed a memo to Mr. Sandefur
indicating I could not in conscience

continue with coumarin
in a product that we now knew,

we had documentation,

was similar to Coumadin,
a lung-specific carcinogen.

And you sent the document
forward to Sandefur?

I sent the document forward to Sandefur.

I was told that we would continue
to work on a substitute.

We weren't going to remove it

as it would impact sales
and that that was his decision.

In other words, you are charging
Sandefur and Brown & Williamson

with ignoring health
considerations consciously?

Most certainly.

And on March 24,

Thomas Sandefur, CEO of Brown
& Williamson, had you fired.

And the reason he gave you?

Poor communication skills.

And you wish you hadn't come forward?

You wish you hadn't blown the whistle?

Yeah, there are times
I wish I hadn't done it.

There are times I feel
compelled to do it.

If you'd asked me, would I do it
again, do I think it's worth it?

Yeah, I think it's worth it.

- Hi.
- Hi.

My name is Jeff Wigand.

You can call me "Mr. Wigand,"
you can call me "Dr. Wigand."

I have a Ph.D. in biochemistry
and endocrinology.

You can call me "Jeff."

Anything else you want to call me,
you'll have to do so in private.

Um, okay.

I find chemistry to be magical.
I find it an adventure.

An exploration into the building
blocks of our physical universe.

So how many of you have
taken chemistry before?

Okay, I've never taught it
before, so we're gonna be fine.

Our first experiment is gonna be

measuring the molecular weight of butane.

He's on line three.

- Hello?
- Mr. Scruggs? Jeff Wigand.

Lowell Bergman said
I should give you a call.

My co-counsel, Ron Motley and I,

have filed a lawsuit
against the tobacco industry

on behalf of the State of Mississippi

to get the state
reimbursed Medicaid costs

for treatin' people
with smoking-related illness.

If you'd be interested in talkin' to us,
we'd certainly like to talk to you.

When should we do this?

Who the hell are you? What
are you doing in my house?

- It's okay, Jeff. It's okay.
- Mr. Wigand, you need to speak to...

You've got your own security now.

You know, Lowell, I can't afford to.

No, they're volunteered. A friend
owns a large security company.

How're you doing, Mr. Wigand?
I'm John Telafarro.

There'll be three of us on the detail.

I'm going to the store.

Please explain our new
houseguests to your children.

Mrs. Wigand's leaving the house.

I called Richard Scruggs in Mississippi.

I heard.

I'm gonna be a witness
for them in their litigation.

So I'm gonna fly to Pascagoula,
give a deposition.

I know. I'm gonna go there tonight.

You all right?

- Did you have a good day?
- Yes, I did. I had a great day.

- Coffee, Lowell?
- Yeah, all right.

Wanna play that game
we were playing before?

You know, I think you got it up to five.

I was ahead of you, and then you just...

Please don't wash your hands in the sink.

Where should I wash them?

Use the bathroom.

What's the difference?

That's for food.

Leave it on. Just leave it on! Okay?

I don't think I can do this.

I want to stand by my husband.

I really do, Jeffrey, but...

I don't think I can do this anymore.

I am so sorry.

Can we talk about this when I get back?

Yes, Jeffrey.

It's okay.

Jeff!

You've been served.

Now, what this one is,
is a temporary restraining order,

a gag order, issued by a Kentucky court.

Jeff Wigand, Michael Moore.

Good to meet you, Dr. Wigand.

Mike's our attorney general down here.

I was just explaining to Jeff
they got a Kentucky court

to issue a gag order to stop
his deposition today.

- Right.
- Now,

they tried to get the Mississippi
court to honor it,

but the judge threw it out.

However, for you, there is a more
perilous effect of the gag order.

Dr. Wigand, you do understand
what can happen, don't you?

I'm not free to testify, here.

That's right. If you violate
the Kentucky order,

when you step foot back in Kentucky

they can find you in contempt
and they can incarcerate you.

And you ought to know that.

- Jail.
- Possibly, yes.

That is one of the possible consequences

of your testifying here today.
That's right.

How does one go to jail?

What does my family do?

Go on welfare?

If my wife has to work,
who's gonna look after the kids?

Put food on the table?
I mean, my children need me.

If I'm not teaching, there's no medical.

No medical, even on co-pay,
that's like, tuition...

Dr. Wigand, listen.

You may not be able to do this thing.

As I understand from Dick,
you're our key witness,

and I hope you don't withdraw.

I guess we'd all understand if you did.

Guys, I gotta go. I'm
gonna be late for court.

I'll see y'all later.
Dr. Wigand, good luck.

I know what you're facing, Jeff.

And I think I know how you're feeling.

In the Navy, I flew A-6's off carriers.

In combat, events have
a duration of seconds.

Sometimes minutes.

But what you're going
through goes on day in, day out,

whether you're ready for it or not.

Week in, week out.

Month after month after month.

Whether you're up or whether you're down.

You're assaulted psychologically.

You're assaulted financially,

which is its own special kind of violence
because it's directed at your kids.

What school can you afford?

How will that affect their lives?

You're asking yourself, "Will
that limit what they may become?"

You feel your whole
family's future is compromised,

held hostage.

I do know how it is.

You attract a crowd.

Yeah. Great.

I heard about the Kentucky gag order.

I don't know what to do.

Hold on a second.

Would you please ask Mr. Motley
if he expects his witness to appear or not?

I can't seem to find
the criteria to decide.

It's too big a decision to make
without being resolved in my own mind.

Maybe things have changed.

A lot's changed.

You mean since this morning?

No, I mean since whenever.

Fuck it.

Let's go to court.

Dr. Wigand would like to leave now.

Okay, Jeff. I'm gonna sit you
down at that table over there.

I want to start as fast as possible.

I don't want to give them a chance
to get another restraining order. Okay?

- Let's go.
- Good luck, Doc.

Please stand. Raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth

and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?

- I do.
- You may be seated.

You understand, Dr. Wigand,
you are under oath?

This is a sworn deposition. There's no judge.
It's not a trial.

Will you state your name for the record?

Jeffrey S. Wigand. R-E-Y. W-I-G-A-N-D.

Got any idea what's going on in there?

No, I don't have a clue.

- That is correct.
- In other words, it acts as a drug...

- Object to the form of the question.
- It acts as a drug...

- Object to the form...
- It acts as a drug...

- Object!
- Is there an echo in here?

Your objection's been recorded.

She typed it into her little machine over there.
It's on the record.

So now I'll proceed
with my deposition of my witness.

- Does it act as a drug?
- Dr. Wigand!

I am instructing you

not to answer that question.

In accordance to the terms
of the contractual obligations

undertaken by you

not to disclose any information

about your work at the Brown &
Williamson Tobacco Company,

and in accordance
with the force and effect

of the temporary restraining order
that has been entered against you

by the court in the State of Kentucky.

That means you don't talk.

Mr. Motley, we have rights here.

Oh, you've got rights.

And lefts. Ups and downs and middles.

So what? You don't get to instruct
anything around here!

This is not North Carolina, not
South Carolina, nor Kentucky.

This is the sovereign State
of Mississippi's proceeding.

Wipe that smirk off your face!

Dr. Wigand's deposition
will be part of this record!

And I'm gonna take my witness' testimony

whether the hell you like it or not!

Answer the question, Doctor.

Yes. It produces
a physiological response,

which meets the definition of a drug.

Nicotine is associated
with impact, satisfaction.

It has a pharmacological effect that crosses
the blood-brain barrier intact.

Thank you, Doctor. Thank you.

One of the reasons I'm
here is that I felt

that their representation clearly...

Run that Sandefur piece
on "nicotine's not addictive."

Run that on camera, then cut right to Wigand
with "I believe they perjured..."

Then go wide to the CEOs
all taking the oath.

Then back on Jeff

and play the pause after the word
"felt" on the B-side.

Hell of a show, Mike. Explosive material.

- It went great in Mississippi, Mike.
- Good.

I heard Wigand's deposition got sealed.

They argued that he was going to reveal
the secret formula of Kools to the world.

Sealed doesn't hurt Scruggs' litigation,

and since we're the only ones
with the story,

I believe we're sitting on an exclusive.

I like that.

Corporate has some questions.

We've got a meeting at Black
Rock first thing in the morning.

- When's the air date?
- Lowell, Sharon's on line three.

- Tell her I'll call her back in 10.
- Here we go.

That they had long known
that the nicotine in tobacco

is an addictive drug despite their public
statements to the contrary.

Like the testimony before Congress
of Dr. Wigand's former boss,

Brown & Williamson's chief executive
officer, Thomas Sandefur.

I believe that nicotine is not addictive.

I believe Mr. Sandefur perjured himself

because I watched those
testimonies very carefully.

AII of us did. I mean, there
was this whole line of people,

whole line of CEOs
up there, all swearing.

Part of the reason I'm
here is that I felt

that their representation
clearly misstated

what is common language
within the company.

We are in the nicotine delivery business.

There is extensive use
of this technology,

known as ammonia chemistry.

It allows for the nicotine to be
more rapidly absorbed in the lung

and therefore affect the brain
and central nervous system.

That's what cigarettes are for.

Delivery device for nicotine.

A delivery device for nicotine.

Put it in your mouth, light it
up and you're going to get your fix.

You're gonna get your fix.

- Shall I send for coffee? Sorry I'm late.
- No, we're fine.

- Are you sure?
- Yeah.

All right. I thought we'd get together

because there's a legal concept

that has been getting some new
attention recently.

Tortious interference.

If two people have an agreement,
like a confidentiality agreement,

and one of them breaks it because they are induced
to do so by a third party,

the third party can be sued
for damages for interfering.

Hence, tortious interference.

"Interfering"? That's what we do.

I think what we're trying to tell you
is that it happens all the time.

This is a news organization. People
are always telling us things they shouldn't.

We have to verify if it's true
and in the public interest.

And if it is, we air it.

And after we corroborate it.

That's why we've never lost
a lawsuit and run a classy show.

Anything else?

And 60 Minutes' verification
is exact and precise.

And I don't think it would hurt to make
sure you're right on this one.

Why? You think we have liability?

What's the CBS News position, Eric?

There's a possibility.
It's rather remote.

But one we have to check on, Mike.

I've retained outside counsel
to do exactly that

on a segment, I might add,
that's already rife with problems.

What does that mean? "Rife with..."

I'm told unusual promises
were made to Wigand.

No, only that we would hold his story
until it was safe for him.

And I'm told there are questions
as to our star witness' veracity.

His "veracity" was good
enough for the State of Mississippi.

Our standards have to be
higher than anyone else's,

because we are the standard
for everybody else.

Well, as a "standard," I'll hang
with "is this guy telling the truth?"

Well, with tortious interference,
I'm afraid, the greater the truth,

the greater the damage.

Come again?

They own the information he's disclosing.

The truer it is, the greater
the damage to them.

If he lied, he didn't
disclose their information,

and the damages are smaller.

- Is this Alice in Wonderland?
- You said, "on this one."

What about this one?

If this holds up, and it
very well may not, Mike.

But if it did and we aired this segment,

and CBS was sued by Brown & Williamson,

I think we could be at grave risk.

- How grave?
- Well, at the end of the day,

because of your segment,

the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company

could own CBS.

Oh. You know, I am sorry,
but I'm due upstairs.

Is CBS Corporate telling CBS News,

"Do not go to air with this story"?

You're getting ahead of yourself.
We're all in this together.

We're all CBS. We'll find out soon.

Thank you, gentlemen.

"Tortious interference."

That sounds like a disease
caught by a radio.

- Lunch?
- Sure.

Don't worry. We call
the shots around here.

- Hello?
- Debbie, it's me.

I want you to check some filings,

and give me John Wilson's number
at Bear Stearns.

- What now?
- Kluster's coming over.

Hello, Lowell, Mike.

Don.

There has been so much soul
searching about this Wigand.

I've decided we should cut
an alternate version of the show

without his interview.

So what happened to Ms. Caperelli's checking
with outside counsel first?

- All that crap?
- That's happening.

Hopefully, we won't have
to use the alternate,

but we should have it in the can.

I'm not touching my film.

- I'm afraid you are.
- No, I'm not.

We're doing this
with or without you, Lowell.

If you like, I can assign
another producer to edit your show.

Since when has the paragon
of investigative journalism

allowed lawyers to determine
the news content on 60 Minutes?

It's an alternate version.

So what if we have an alternate version?

And I don't think our being
cautious is so damned unreasonable.

So now, if you will excuse me, gentlemen,

Mr. Rather's been complaining about his chair
again.

Before you go,

I discovered this.

SEC filing

for the sale of CBS Corporation
to Westinghouse Corporation.

- What?
- Yeah, I heard rumors.

It's not a rumor. It's a sale.

If Tisch can unload CBS for $81
a share to Westinghouse,

and then is suddenly threatened

with a multi-billion dollar
lawsuit from Brown & Williamson,

that could screw
up the sale, could it not?

- What are you implying?
- I'm not implying. I'm quoting.

"More vested interests. Persons
who will profit from this merger.

"Ms. Helen Caperelli, general
counsel of CBS News, 3.9 million.

"Mr. Eric Kluster, President of CBS News,

"1 .4 million."

Are you suggesting that she and Eric
are influenced by money?

No, no, of course they're not influenced by money.
They work for free.

And you are a volunteer
executive producer.

CBS does not do that. And you're
questioning ourjournalistic integrity.

No, I'm questioning your hearing.

You hear "reasonable"
and "tortious interference."

I hear "potential Brown
& Williamson lawsuit

"jeopardizing the sale
of CBS to Westinghouse."

I hear, "Shut the segment down.
Cut Wigand loose.

"Obey orders and fuck
off." That's what I hear.

- You're exaggerating.
- I am?

You pay me to go get guys like Wigand,

to draw him out, to get him to trust
us, to get him to go on television.

I do. I deliver him. He sits. He talks.

He violates his own fucking
confidentiality agreement.

And he's only the key witness
in the biggest public health reform issue,

maybe the biggest, most expensive

corporate malfeasance case in US history.

And Jeffrey Wigand, who's out on a limb,

does he go on television
and tell the truth?

Yes. Is it newsworthy?

Yes. Are we gonna air it?

Of course not. Why?

Because he's not telling the truth? No.

Because he is telling the truth.
That's why we're not gonna air it.

And the more truth he tells,
the worse it gets.

You are a fanatic, an anarchist.
You know that?

If we can't have a whole show, then
I want half a show rather than no show.

But, oh, no. Not you.

You won't be satisfied unless you're
putting the company at risk!

What are you? Are you a businessman
or are you a newsman?

Because that happens
to be what Mike and I

and some other people
around here do for a living.

Put the corporation at risk?
Give me a fucking break!

These people are putting our whole reason

for doing what we do on the line!

- Lowell!
- What?

I'm with Don on this.

What's wrong?

They're killing the Wigand interview.

What?

They're pretending it's process.
That's bullshit. It's foregone.

What are you and Mike gonna do?

I'm alone on this.

- Oh, baby.
- Yeah.

It's Jeffrey Wigand.

Jeffrey. How are you?

How's the family? Okay?

There is no family.

What do you mean, "there is no family"?

Liane has filed for divorce.

And, so, I've moved out.

I see the girls a couple of days a week.

- Where are you staying now?
- Our favorite hotel, honey.

I checked into room 930.

Odd choice, huh?

I don't know how to say this,

Jeff, except to just say it right out.

So, I'll say it. They
do not want to air it.

What?

B&W may have threatened litigation.

CBS is on the block.

- But you, I mean, I know how you...
- No.

"No," what?

I do not think that you know for me
what it is to walk in my shoes.

For my kids to have seen it,

for them to know why I've put
them through what I did.

The public airing of that,
the testament to why I did what I did.

You're telling me it's not
gonna see the light of day?

Jeff.

Mrs. Wigand?

It hasn't been Mrs. Wigand for some time.

I'm an investigator,

and I was wondering if I could ask you
a couple of questions about that.

All right.

Seven months after we were married,

we found out that I had
multiple sclerosis.

And you had a daughter, Diane...

Tommy Sandefur told me himself.

He's not going to allow Brown
& Williamson to be demonized

to the American public.

So I told Peter Jennings.
And I... Hold on.

You had multiple sclerosis.

You had a small child to raise.

Mention that part in the executive
summary and in the chapters.

First wife and estrangement of daughter.

So I was telling Pete, I said,
"You've been taken in by this guy."

The divorce was something
that we both wanted.

He's a shoplifter.

He's a convicted shoplifter.

So, what are you gonna do?

What do you think I'm gonna do?
Quit in protest?

I'm not gonna do that.

You're taking "no" for an answer?

No, I'm not gonna take
"no" for an answer. No.

You're not? What are you doing?

I'm staying right here, doing my job.
Fighting to get my show on the air.

You don't like it? Hey, I tell you what?

Fire my ass.

End up in a high-profile lawsuit
with Lowell, the First Amendment martyr?

I don't think so. Take a look at this.

This is a summary of a dossier
that's being prepared.

He wouldn't lie about his whole life.

Who's gonna believe him
about anything he says?

The Wall Street Journal is doing
a major story, and, I think, The Post.

You backed the wrong horse.

The version without the interview
is gonna air the week after next.

What was that about?

- Get me Wigand.
- Sure.

What the fuck is this? Fuck!

You never told me you
were married before.

- That you had a daughter.
- How is that any of your business?

That is not something
that you people need to know.

Oh, you know what we do
or do not need to know?

Since when have you
become a media expert?

What do you wanna do, Lowell?
Look up my ass, too?

Oh, for God's sake.

You're not even on this anymore.
What do you care?

Jeff, wake the fuck up!

Everybody is on the line here.
If they catch you in a lie,

they can paint everything
with that brush, you understand?

- Everything you say.
- I told the truth.

Everything you say. And
I can't defend you, man,

with one hand tied behind my back

because you keep from me
what they can discover.

And they will discover everything.
Believe me.

I was young! I was young!

Confused. We didn't
handle it the right way.

She sued you for back
payments of child support?

She did not sue me.

We had a dispute over money. I settled it.
She dropped the complaint.

Any other questions?

Yes. Did you lie about being
on the American judo team

in the Olympics?

- What?
- Some public relations guy

got hold of a tape of an interview
where you're saying

you were on the American
judo team in the Olympics.

What kind of shit is this?

I was not on the team. I sparred
with the Olympic team. Okay?

All right. ABC Telemarketing Company?

- ABC...
- ABC Telemarketing Company.

The can opener! A 39.95 can opener!

I canceled payment. It was junk!

You ever bounce a check, Lowell? You
ever look at another woman's tits?

You ever cheat a little on your taxes?

Whose life, if you look at it
under a microscope, doesn't have any flaws?

Well, that's the whole point, Jeffrey.
That's the whole point.

Anyone's, everyone's. They
are gonna look under every rock,

dig up every flaw, every mistake
you've ever made.

They are going to distort and exaggerate

everything you've ever done, man.
Don't you understand?

What does this have to do
with my testimony?

What does it have to do
with my testimony?

- I told the truth! It's true and provable!
- It's not about...

That's not the fucking point,
whether you told the truth or not!

Hello?

I told the truth.

I told the truth.

I gotta teach class. I gotta go.
I gotta teach class.

And I gotta refute
every fucking accusation made

in this report before The
Wall Street Journal runs.

I am trying to protect you, man.

I hope you improve your batting average.

They're cutting the interest rate,
and I have that great feature...

- Hello?
- It's Lowell.

Are you guys planning to do a piece
on a former top executive in Big Tobacco?

- You caught me in a news meeting.
- Are you or are you not, Charlie?

You bet we are, and I can't
talk to you now.

- We gotta hook up.
- Sure. Where?

- PJ's.
- I'll be there.

Yeah, I got it. 500 pages of it.

They looked in every corner
of this guy's life,

from the spousal abuse charge,

to shoplifting, to a traffic ticket
he got once for running a red light.

It's Terry Lenzner's outfit, IGI.
Jack, listen to me.

Their strategy: Discredit this guy,

ruin his reputation in The
Wall Street Journal,

and then nobody will ever listen
to what he's got to say about tobacco.

He's dead unless I can get
this thing knocked down.

Make it even a little more attractive.

I don't know if you're
ever gonna get paid.

- Is there any truth to any of it?
- That's a good question.

"Is there any truth
to any of it?" I doubt it.

- What's the deadline?
- Soon.

- Fax me the summary.
- That's great, Jack.

- Hey. How are you? Hey, listen.
- Hey.

I hear you guys are sitting
on something sensational over there.

- Really? Hi, June.
- Oh, hi, baby.

- Catch you later.
- Okay. Take care.

- When's your deadline?
- Monday.

- Push it.
- What? Forget it.

It's a smear campaign, Charlie.

It's drawn from a selectively
circulated...

Oh, yeah. Real selective.

About as hard to get a hold
of as the Manhattan phone book.

Well, it's authoritative
and overwhelmingly documented.

And it's bullshit. And if I'm
right, are you gonna put.

The Journal's reputation behind a story
that's gonna blow up in your face?

I'll take a look at what you got,

but I'm not moving any deadlines
because you say so.

Are you all right?

Yeah.

Officer Muravchick?

Thank you.

Officer Muravchick, how are you?

- I'm Sandra Sutherland.
- How do you do?

Fine, thank you. I'm doing
a background check.

Mind if I sit down?

Your Honor, could I have a word with you?

You presided in a dispute
over support payments.

Jeffrey Wigand? Yeah, I cited him.

CBS is under criticism because the CBS
news program, 60 Minutes,

will not be presenting an interview...

What the hell are you doing?

What does it look like I'm doing?
I'm editing.

No, no, no that. I'm talking
about the Associated Press.

They got the story that we pulled this
interview, and they talked to Mike and I.

Did you tell them that we were lying?

No! I should have.

I told them I disagreed
with you, Mike and Kluster

that this segment
is as good as the original.

I'm not lying for you. I'm
not gonna shut up for you.

- Not on any of it.
- Hey, I'm not gonna fire you.

Okay? Take a vacation. Now!

Lowell? Look, I've decided
to preface Sunday's show.

I did three minutes on The Evening News.
You'll want to see it.

- Where are you going?
- I've been banished...

In lieu of being fired.

I took off on Tisch.
I took off on Corporate.

They'll know they're not going
to see everything on Sunday night.

I don't know. How does
that get Wigand on the air?

Do me a favor, will you? Spare me.

For God's sake, get in the real world.
What do you think?

I'm going to resign in protest
to force it on the air?

The answer's no. I don't plan
to spend the end of my days

wandering in the wilderness
of National Public Radio.

That decision I've already made.

This Sunday, Wallace
will broadcast a report

on the tobacco industry,

including the tough tactics
tobacco companies employ

to keep a lid on information
that might be damaging.

Is there information
that people should have

that they're not going to have

because you're not going
to broadcast this interview?

Yes.

Today, CBS News president Eric Kluster

defended the network's decision
not to broadcast

key portions
of the controversial interview.

Mr. Kluster said, quote, "The
atmosphere is tougher than ever."

- Where's the rest?
- Dan.

Where the hell's the rest?

Nebraska football fans
voiced their criticism...

You cut it!

Coming up in Bernard Goldberg's America.

- You cut the guts out of what I said!
- It was a time consideration...

Time? Bullshit! You corporate lackey.

Who told you your incompetent
little fingers

have the requisite skills to edit me?

I'm trying to Band-Aid a situation
here, and you're too dim...

Mike. Mike. Mike.

"Mike"? "Mike"!

Try "Mr. Wallace."

We work in the same corporation,

doesn't mean we work
in the same profession.

Now, now what are you going to do now?
You going to finesse me?

Lawyer me some more? I've been in this
profession 50 fucking years!

You and the people you work
for are destroying the most respected,

the highest rated, the most profitable
show on this network.

Here. These are their leads,
their sources.

- I want you to have your reporters...
- Suein Hwang and Milo Geyelin.

Have them make their own calls.

They'll find that these sources
have a different story

than the one that's in the dossier.

Push the deadline, Charlie.

I'll push it for a week. I want
Milo and Suein to go through it.

What do you want to buy him for a gift?

Mmm, he's into kind
of little cars that...

- That remote control thing?
- Yeah.

All right. We'll go do that tomorrow.

The 63-36 vote was three shy
of the two-thirds needed to pass...

- Mom. There's Dad.
- Yes?

- On the TV.
- ...dating back to 1986.

The most recent trouble
for Wigand occurred here...

And in local news, WLKO, Louisville,

has gained access to a 500-page dossier

on former Brown & Williamson
research head, Jeffrey Wigand,

detailing charges of shoplifting
and failing to pay child support.

Wigand is currently teaching
chemistry and Japanese

at the duPont Manual High School.

Maria.

Thousands ofdocuments
from inside the tobacco industry

have surfaced over the past year.

Documents that appear to confirm

what a former US surgeon general

and the current head of the Food and Drug
Administration have been saying.

We learned of a tobacco
insider who could tell us

whether or not the tobacco industry
has been leveling with the public.

That insider was formerly

a highly-placed executive
with a tobacco company.

But we cannot broadcast what critical
information about tobacco,

addiction and public health
he might be able to offer.

Why? Because he had to sign
a confidentiality agreement

with the tobacco company he worked for.

The management of CBS has told us

that knowing he had that agreement,

if we were to broadcast
an interview with him,

CBS could be faced
with a multi-billion dollar lawsuit.

The fact is, we are not allowed
even to mention his name

or the name of the company he worked for.

And, of course, we cannot
show you his face.

And your confidentiality
agreement with...

- ...is still in force?
- Yes, it is.

So what are they gonna do? Sue
you for making this appearance?

I would bet on it.

The former executive has
reason to bet on being sued,

for major cigarette manufacturers...

Yeah.

You disappeared on me.

- How long you staying?
- I disappeared on you?

All right. What did you think?

I think it was a disgrace.

- Still no answer.
- Get me the manager's office.

David. David, you've got
a call on line four.

I think you better take it.

This is David McDougal.
How can I help you?

Mr. McDougal, my name is Lowell Bergman.

I'm a producer for 60 Minutes.

I'm concerned for a friend of mine
who's staying at your hotel right now.

Mr. Wigand?

I think I need to call the police.
He won't respond.

No, no, don't call the police. Just
tell him I'm on the phone with you.

My name is Lowell Bergman.
Just tell him that.

Mr. Wigand, Mr. Bergman
is on the telephone.

Did he hear you?

You're breaking up. I can't hear you.

What about now?

- What?
- Hello? Can you hear me now?

- What's happening?
- He doesn't seem to be listening.

All right. Now listen to me.
I want you to tell him,

in these words, "Get
on the fucking phone."

I can't say that.

No, you can. Tell him to get
on the fucking phone!

He told me to tell you
to get on the fucking phone!

You manipulated me into this.

- That's bullshit, Jeff.
- You greased the rails.

I greased the rails for a guy who wanted
to say "yes." I helped him to say "yes."

That's all. You're not a robot, Jeff.

All right? You got a mind
of your own, don't you?

"Up to you, Jeffrey.

"That's the power you have, Jeffrey.

"Vital inside information
the American public need to know."

Lowell Bergman, the hotshot who never
met a source he couldn't turn around.

I fought for you,
and I still fight for you!

You fought for me? You manipulated me

into where I am now, staring
at the Brown & Williamson building!

It's all dark except the tenth floor.
That's the legal department.

That's where they fuck with my life.

Jeffrey, where you going with this?

So, where you going?

You are important to a lot
of people, Jeffrey.

You think about that.

You think about them.

I'm running out of heroes, man.

Guys like you are in short supply.

Yeah, guys like you, too.

Where are you, anyway?

I'm on a leave of absence.
Forced vacation.

- You try and have a good time.
- Yeah.

Yeah, I will.

I'm Lowell Bergman. I'm from 60 Minutes.

You know, you take the 60
Minutes out of that sentence,

nobody returns your phone calls.

Maybe Wigand's right. Maybe I'm hooked.

What am I hooked on?

The rush of 60 Minutes?

What the hell for? "Infotainment"!

It's so fucking useless, all of it.

So it's a big country with a free press.
You can go and work somewhere else.

"Free press"? The press is free.

For anyone who owns one. Larry
Tisch has a free press.

- Get some perspective, Lowell.
- I got perspective.

No, you do not.

From my perspective,

what's been going on and what-
I've been doing is ridiculous.

- It's half-measures.
- You're not listening.

Really know what you're going
to do before you do it.

I've got Richard Scruggs on the phone.

Patch him through.

Well, Lowell, you are not
gonna believe this.

The governor of Mississippi
is suing his own attorney general

to abandon litigation
against Big Tobacco.

Oh, good.

But now that the version
without Jeff ran,

what's the chance of getting
his interview on the air?

- Hello?
- Yeah, I'm here.

What chance is there of getting
Jeff's interview on the air?

Less than great.

I'd be lying to you if I did not tell you

how important it was in the court
of public opinion.

I'd be lying to you
if I didn't tell you...

I'm about out of moves, Dick.

All right. See ya.

Hi.

So, what are you folks
doing here in Lincoln?

- Geology survey.
- Geology?

Yeah? Really?

How about you?

I work for CBS News.

Oh, yeah?

Just ran into two of your geologists.

Geologists whose hands
aren't all chewed up.

Lowell, do not screw this up.

We are a week away from an arrest.

So I'll hold it. And?

We'll give you a heads-up
before we launch.

- How long?
- Three hours.

You got a deal.

Like the testimony before Congress
of Dr. Wigand's former boss,

Brown & Williamson's chief executive
officer, Thomas Sandefur.

I believe that nicotine is not addictive.

I believe Mr. Sandefur perjured himself

because I watched those
testimonies very carefully.

AII of us did.

I mean, there was this
whole line of people,

whole line of CEOs
up there, all swearing.

Part of the reason I'm
here is that I felt

that their representation...

...more rapidly absorbed in the lung

and therefore affect the brain
and central nervous system.

- Hello?
- Jim, it's Lowell.

- Hey, where are you?
- Remember that night at PJ's?

You asked me if we were sitting
on something explosive.

Well, we're not sitting on it.

CBS Corporate leaned on CBS News,
which yanked an interview we did

with a top-ranking tobacco
scientist, corporate officer.

They're trying to close down the story.

You mean, 60 Minutes
is letting CBS Corporate

decide what is or is not news?

What's Wallace think about this?
Or Hewitt, or...

How prominent? What kind of placement?

Oh, come on, Lowell. This is The
New York Times. I don't know.

Well, until you do, all I can tell
you is what you already know.

They will not air an interview.

Call me back in 10.

- Hello?
- Debbie, it's me.

Hi. What time is it?

Oh, it's late.

That I know. When are you coming back?

I can't get out of here till mid-morning.
I'll be in tomorrow night.

Listen, could you call a number for me?
It's in Mississippi.

Okay. Hold on a second.

What is it?

- Hello?
- It's Lowell.

All right, Lowell. Page one.
Editorial's interested. Let's talk.

Here's how it works. You ask me questions.
I tell you if you're wrong.

- Lowell, you sure you want to do this?
- Why?

Hey, it doesn't work,
you've burned your bridges, man.

You ready?

Okay. About this whistle-blower,

did Mike and Don go
along with the corporate decision?

- Lowell?
- Did I tell you you were wrong?

No. I'm assuming the cave-in begins

with the threat of litigation
from Big Tobacco.

Are we talking...

Are we talking Brown & Williamson here?

Did I get you up?

No, I usually sit around my hotel room
dressed like this at 5:30 in the morning,

sleepy look on my face.

How many shows have we done? Huh?

- Come on. How many?
- Oh, lots.

That's right.

But in all that time, Mike,

did you ever get off a plane,
walk into a room

and find that a source
for a story changed his mind?

Lost his heart? Walked out on us?

Not one fucking time. You wanna know why?

I see a rhetorical
question on the horizon.

I'm gonna tell you why.

Because when I tell someone I'm
gonna do something, I deliver.

Oh, how fortunate I am to have
Lowell Bergman's moral tutelage

to point me down the shining
path, to show me the way.

- Give me a break.
- You give me a break.

I never left a source
hung out to dry ever.

Abandoned. Not till right fucking now.

When I came on this job,
I came with my word intact.

I'm gonna leave with my word intact.
Fuck the rules of the game!

Hell, you're supposed to know me, Mike.

What the hell did you expect?

You expect me to lie down?

Back off? Or get over it?

In the real world, when you get to where
I am, there are other considerations.

Like what? Corporate responsibility?

What, are we talking celebrity here?

I'm not talking about celebrity,
vanity, CBS. I'm...

I'm talking about

when you're nearer the end
of your life than the beginning.

And what do you think you
think about then? The future?

"In the future, I'm gonna
do this, become that"?

What future? No.

What you think is...

"How will I be regarded in the end,

"after I'm gone?"

Oh, along the way, I suppose
I made some minor impact.

I did Irangate, the Ayatollah, Malcolm X,

Martin Luther King,
Saddam, Sadat, etc., etc.

I showed them thieves in suits.
I spent a lifetime building all that.

But history only remembers
most what you did last.

And should that be fronting a segment

that allowed a tobacco giant
to crash this network...

Does it give someone
at my time of life pause?

Yeah.

Mike,

You and I have been doing this

together for 14 years.

This is today's New York Times.

In it is the whole sordid story

of what went on inside our shop.

And in the editorial, it accuses us

of betraying the legacy of Edward R.
Murrow.

They conclude most of it seems
pretty unsubstantiated.

You're full of shit, John.

Yeah.

Front page. There's a picture of Wigand.

Article's entitled, "Getting Personal."

Byline to Suein Hwang and Milo Geyelin.

Wait. Hold on a second, Lowell.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll see if I can find him.

Yeah, hold on. Don's looking for you.

Good.

The subheading is "Brown & Williamson

"has a 500-page dossier
attacking chief critic."

It quotes Richard Scruggs
calling it the worst kind

of an organized smear campaign
against a whistle-blower.

"A close look at the file

"and independent research
by this newspaper

"into its key claim indicates
that many of the serious allegations

"against Mr. Wigand are backed
by scant or contradictory evidence."

This news division has been vilified

in The New York Times,
in print, on television

for caving to corporate interests.

The New York Times ran a blow-by-blow

of what we talked
about behind closed doors.

- You fucked us!
- No! You fucked you!

Don't invert stuff.

Big Tobacco tried to smear Wigand.
You bought it.

The Wall Street Journal, here,

not exactly a bastion
of anti-capitalist sentiment,

refutes Big Tobacco's smear campaign

as the lowest form
of character assassination.

And now, even now, when every word

of what Wigand has said
on our show is printed,

the entire deposition
of his testimony in a court of law

in the State of Mississippi,

the cat totally out of the bag,

you're still standing here debating.

Don, what the hell else do you need?

Mike, you tell him.

You fucked up, Don.

It's old news. Stick with me, like always.
We'll be okay.

These things have
a half-life of 15 minutes.

No, that's fame. Fame has
a 15-minute half-life.

Infamy lasts a little longer.

We caved. It's foolish.
It's simply dead wrong.

Now this is what we're going to do.
We're going over to Black Rock...

Okay? So let's get back to work.
Now, what we saw there

was two potassium chlorate

would yield two potassium
chloride, also a solid...

They canceled the 6:00. I don't know why.

I'm on the 8:10. I should be home 9:30.

I'll see you then. I love you. Bye.

- Oh. Thanks, Dad.
- Thanks.

CBS management wouldn't let us broadcast

our original story and our interview
with Jeffrey Wigand

because they were worried
about the possibility

of a multi-billion dollar lawsuit
against us for tortious interference.

But now things have changed.

What Dr. Wigand told us
was that his former...

This industry, in my opinion,
is an industry

that has perpetrated the biggest fraud
on the American public in history.

They've killed millions
and millions of...

You wish you hadn't blown the whistle?

Yeah, there are times
I wish I hadn't done it.

There are times I feel
compelled to do it.

If you'd asked me, would I do it
again, do I think it's worth it?

Yeah, I think it's worth it.

I promised you a three-hour heads up.
Here it is.

Have a camera crew standing
by in Helena, Montana, on Tuesday,

and I'll give you
a three-hour head start.

All right? By the way, that was a hell
of a good show tonight.

- Thank you, Bill.
- Yeah.

You won.

Yeah.

What did I win?

Reporting from CBS News world
headquarters in New York,

good afternoon.

There has been a major break in the case
of the so-called Unabomber.

CBS News has learned
that a remote homesite

outside of Lincoln, Montana,

has been under FBl surveillance
for several weeks.

Great, Lowell.

Thanks for this.

You know, we beat everybody.
ABC, NBC, CNN.

Mike.

That Canada story still interest you?

Everything interests me.

I quit, Mike.

Bullshit.

Come on. It all worked out.

You came out okay in the end.

I did?

What do I tell a source
on the next tough story?

"Hang in with us. You'll be fine. Maybe."

No.

What got broken here doesn't
go back together again.

So, uh...