David Frost's NBC interview raises hackles but not ratings
A good journalist approaches an interview subject as he would a safe, spinning from cajolery to intimidation to sympathy, hoping to hit upon the right combination. In May 1977, David Frost unlocked Richard Nixon as no inquisitor ever had, eliciting candid admissions, remorse, even a glint of tears. Dismissed beforehand as a frothy talk-show host, Frost won journalistic plaudits for his painstaking preparation and expert technique. In short, he was an obvious network choice to interview Henry Kissinger on the occasion of the publication of...