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Still, these are characters, not conflict. It is the other side of the inquiry that commands most of the attention and provides the true drama. Some of the witnesses have introduced an aura of science fiction. The close-cropped, superpolite male ingenues, Herbert Porter and Hugh Sloan Jr., seemed open-faced children of the '50s miraculously transported to the present. Assassinations, riots, urban crises, political and social unrest—all seem to have passed over or under them, as if, perhaps, they had never owned television sets. Their appearances prompted Historian Irving Kristol to report the ironic wail of a conservative: "If only they had longer hair!" The more mature witnesses caused additional cries: Maurice Stans and Magruder were equally unruffled and well groomed. In some cases, the witnesses were accompanied by their attractive, equally open-faced wives, who patiently sat a row or two behind their husbands in the hearing room, testimony to the unity of the American family in times of crisis. Senator Ervin's tribute to Gail Magruder was more than a courtly Southern gentleman's acknowledgment of beauty; it was a signal that forgiveness was in the air. The Senate Select Committee hearings are not, after all, Perry Mason redivivus, complete with dueling attorneys, surprise witnesses and sudden breakdowns. They are, instead, a series of civics lessons, a priceless course in government. With their strong undertow of show business, they are also a drama reaching back to the ancient rites of man.
In past societies, theater allowed audiences to define themselves through the acts of classic tragedy. In this century, films have sometimes assumed that function. Today, television seems to be rising to the role. Despite the unemotional statements of the witnesses, Watergate televised is anguished ritual and moral tragedy. It has its longueurs, and not all the questions are brief, cogent or acute; some of the Senators are intent on using their allotted time beyond real need. Still, each day brings new revelations and confirms old suspicions; each day creates a community of numb bystanders who will not be free until the last act is done.
It will be the print journalists' and historians' task to review and criticize that final act — and the play that preceded it. It is television's job to provide the stage. It has done that job admirably. As of now, the country can only be grateful, and the wisest political seer can do no more than mouth five magic words, the sage advice of TV announcers immemorial: Tune in tomorrow and see.