Released FBI Documents Detail Walter Cronkite’s Aid of Vietnam War Protesters

by Jon Bershad | 2:03 pm, May 14th, 2010

» 17 comments

Yahoo News has just reported on some previously-unreleased FBI documents which contain fairly shocking allegations against the late Walter Cronkite, host of the CBS Evening News for 19 years and one of the most respected journalists of all time. The documents include the claims of a confidential informant who once told the FBI that Cronkite aided a group of student Vietnam War protesters by giving them advice and even going as far as to promise them CBS resources for their cause.

While it is well known that Cronkite was against the war (in fact, his famous editorial against it in February of 1968 is often credited with turning the tide of public opinion against the war), the claims in the documents allege a heretofore unheard of connection between a political group and a news organization of the time. The informant told the FBI that he believed Cronkite had held a 45 minute long phone conversation with a leader of a protest group (whose name is redacted in the file) in which the anchor told the protester how to raise the group’s profile by getting Maine senator Edmund Muskie to speak at their demonstrations. The most stinging allegation is that Cronkite promised to rent an official CBS helicopter to fly Muskie to the event.

From the FBI documents:

“[Redacted] told group he had been to CBS Channel Six in Orlando prior to meeting to speak to newsmen about Vietnam moratorium activities. [Redacted] related that while at TV station, Walter Cronkite, nationally known radio and television commentator, spoke to him by telephone for approximately forty five minutes and that Cronkite reportedly told [redacted] that CBS would have thirty six hours of coverage on Vietnam moratorium with “open mike” to give demonstrators a chance to be heard. Cronkite noted, according to [redacted], that Senator Edmund Muskie would be in Orlando, Fla., November 13 instant for Democratic fund raising dinner. According to [redacted], Cronkite suggested that [redacted] attempt to Muskie to come [sic] to Cape Kennedy to speak at Kelly Park rally to be held November thirteen instant. Cronkite allegedly told [redacted] that CBS would rent helicopter to take Muskie to and from site of rally at Kelly Park.”

Yahoo News spoke to Chip Cronkite, the son of the famous newsman, who said the allegations were highly unlikely, stating “It doesn’t have the ring of a reliable story to me. Particularly at a time when FBI informants often told the FBI what they wanted to hear. I think it would be outside of what we know about Walter Cronkite and CBS News’ practices.”

Cronkite was an anchorman at a time when news sources tried to stay far away from opinion journalism. The promise of network resources to help out a political protest group would be considered highly unethical. For example, look to the uproar over Sean Hannity’s scheduled appearance at a recent Tea Party event.

We will probably never know if the allegations are true or not.

cbs, CBS Evening News, Vietnam War, Walter Cronkite, Yahoo News

Jelperman

“Confidential informant” = fictional character. I call bullshit on this story.
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

No one should be surprized if this story is true. In his retirement Old Walter proved he was as pink as Stalin.
Jelperman

I thought Stalin was a red. You must be as colorblind as you are retarded.
TfT

The grandfather of opinion journalism. Just another activist posing as a journo.
felixw

Cronkite always shilled for the Left. I mean, this is CBS News we are talking about. What do you expect, journalistic ethics?
http://jukeofurl.wordpress.com jukeofurl

Shill? poser? pink? that’s pretty much the current media. The “pink” appellation refering to pigmentation, rather than some antiquated ideological label.

True or not, Walter Cronkite was likely true to himself & not a pandering corporate robot. That’s also better than most of the current media.
hydraulicbanana

So typical of the arrogance of our government, and especially the FBI. Find some dirt on someone who had a totally respected career and make sure that it gets published. For those who don’t remember, or are too young to have any clue about what was going on, more than 65% of this country was against the war and had no problem saying so. Many returning veterans joined groups like Vets against the war, etc. They protested to bring an end to the war.
The FBI has always sucked and probably always will.
timzank

hydraulicbanana….sez “So typical of the arrogance of our government, and especially the FBI. Find some dirt on someone who had a totally respected career and make sure that it gets published.”

Uhhh, Yahoo news made sure it got published..Thr FBI hid it for decades.
TylerDurden

People called Crankcase Uncle Walter, much like FDR called Stalin “Uncle Joe.”

Walter was a shill for leftists.
writer

Walter was a leftie. He just worked at a time when journalists at least tried to pretend they weren’t.
silkworm

So now we find out that Uncle Walt is our version of Uncle Ho Chi Menh. Is anyone really surprised?
Sue

Why is this news? Only dimwitted idiots haven’t known that for the past sixty years the “media” has been doing all it can against America in all ways it can. Why would this “journalist” have been any different?
BillDabunkar

The recently released FBI files just confirm what we already knew. “Uncle Walt” Comm-kite was a traitor and the mainstream media and news is rigged toward progressive liberal ideology. “Uncle Walt” was responsible for demoralizing America and more importantly – demoralizing our troops on the ground in Vietnam, while simultaneously emboldening and bolstering our enemy, the master stroke of an accomplished commie propagandist. Wherever you are “Uncle Walt” I hope you rot for eternity.
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

hydra, where did you come up with 65% were against the Vietnam War? You have been brainwashed by the media.
The only polls that count are the elections during the war.
1968….Nixon won and he ran supporting our troops and changing the way the war was fought. George Wallace ran as a third party candidate. He also supported the war. Nixon and Wallace got almost 60% of the vote.
1972, Nixon won 49 states against the anti-war candidate, George “coward” McGovern.
If 65% were against the war, how did Nixon win? Nixon ended the war by bombing the hell of North Vietnam.
I guess those peaceniks really had a lot of influence.
Xboxershorts

Walter went to cover Viet Nam very early in our involvement there. He witnessed first hand, the falseness of our stated mission and the total lack of cohesiveness in our methods. He also witnessed the atrocities being committed in our name by ordinary Americans and the blatant corruption of every single S Vietnamese government we tried to establish. Vietnam was huge cluster*&%*&^ and he knew it.

Taking a stand against corruption, incompetence and hypocrisy at a time when that which you criticize is still generally well regarded by the majority of your country’s citizens is NOT a leftist gig.

It’s called integrity.
janziem

Yep Walter was a true AMERICAN hero!
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