Word: frosts
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Through much of the early taping, which went far better for Nixon than he could have expected, he was relaxed and affable. When a television light explodes loudly over Frost's head, the interviewer is startled. Frost thinks it could have been a gunshot. Nixon laughs. "With all these Secret Service men around, don't worry about it," he assures Frost. "One of these days I'll give you a lecture on security." After two hours of one session, Frost suggests that Nixon might want a break. Nixon looks at the technicians, and jokes: "Those guys look pretty well...
Nixon had one advantage. By the time the tapings began late in March, he had long been at work on his memoirs, minutely scouring his presidential records with the aid of his personal research staff. Frost assembled his own research group, which amassed an imposing quantity of material. He hired Robert Zelnick, 36, a Washington journalist and lawyer, to head the team. James Reston Jr., 36, co-author with Frank Mankiewicz of Perfectly Clear: Nixon from Whittier to Watergate and son of the New York Times editor, was assigned to concentrate on Watergate, and Washington Freelance Writer Phil Stanford...
...Zelnick who played Nixon's role in briefing sessions, to the point of using Nixon mannerisms and hand gestures. There was only one Nixon answer for which the briefing staff had not prepared Frost, says Zelnick. It came when Nixon blamed Congress for having failed to resupply the South Vietnamese, and thus causing the fall of Saigon. Says Zelnick: "I didn't think he'd have the balls to say that...
...assistant director and three cameramen scurried about the taping set, the staffs of both Nixon and Frost went to separate bedrooms from which they would watch the taping on monitors. The staffs were not allowed to communicate with either of the on-camera adversaries once taping began. Despite the high stakes involved, the Frost and Nixon teams mixed easily and cordially. Nixon often engaged in his stilted small talk when off-camera. He willingly obliged autograph seekers awaiting him outside the guarded gates as he left, smiling broadly as he chatted with them. Reporters were not allowed on the property...
...crucial turnabout for Frost came during an agreed-upon seven-day Easter break in the interviewing. It was then that his staff was close to panic. Frost later conceded that he was "genuinely daunted before Easter" by Nixon. Frost had been partying as usual, leaving one taping to don a tux and emcee the Hollywood premiere of a movie he had helped produce. But then came the baiting challenge from Birt before the birthday party and a telling jest in one of the songs sung that night in Frost's honor. To the tune of Love and Marriage, it went...