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American Morning

Katharine Graham Funeral Today

Aired July 23, 2001 - 09:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to start with a focus on Washington, D.C., where business leaders, journalists and politicians are gathering in Washington this morning. They are there to honor Katharine Graham. Our coverage of funeral services for the legendary "Washington Post" publisher will begin in the next hour.

Meanwhile, our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley joins us from outside Washington National Cathedral.

Candy, good morning.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

The funeral services for Katharine Graham, a Washington legend in her own time, begin in about an hour and a half. But people have begun already to fill the sidewalks surrounding the cathedral. The doors are expected to open in about a half an hour. The public will be invited to this. Already there are a couple of hundred people here lined up and ready to go in to say a final goodbye to Katharine Graham.

Katharine Graham was a Washington fixture on the political scene and on the social scene of Washington. She is described by employees at the "Washington Post" as a formidable but ideal boss who supported her troops by giving them the independence and the financial support they needed to do the job.

She stood behind reporters Woodward and Bernstein in the Watergate days despite heavy pressure from the Nixon administration. And she rejected the advice of her paper's lawyers by approving publication of the Pentagon Papers despite a court ruling which had earlier prohibited "The New York Times" from publishing the same documents.

The people gathered here today from the arts, from industry, from journalism, as well as from politics, span a wide variety. And those who will today eulogize her do as well -- among them: former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, as well as historian Arthur Schlesinger, and Ben Bradlee, who was the executive -- former executive at the "Washington Post," brought on by Mrs. Graham. He also presided over the Watergate era -- again, the funeral in about an hour and a half.

They expect they could have as many as 4,000 people -- Daryn. KAGAN: Candy, I don't -- Candy, can you hear me? There we go.

Just a quick question for you. This is a woman, as you said, who is so well-known in Washington and elite business circles. And she did publish a very good selling best-seller autobiography. But it's a woman that many people across America don't know. Can you talk a little bit about her impact on women and journalism?

CROWLEY: Sure -- vast.

I mean, just on a personal basis, she was the first woman's name I heard of that was in a power position in journalism. She really broke the glass ceiling. And she did it so well. Beyond that, and beyond the Beltway, while many people may not know her name, her effect is apparent, both in Watergate -- the "Post" singularly pursued that when other papers did not. It brought down a president.

The Pentagon Papers really sealed the fate of the Vietnam War and turned many more Americans against it, because it told the secret war that was going on and the things that the public didn't know. So there were many things that she did for both journalism and for women that are felt well beyond the Beltway -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Candy Crowley, it will be an incredible morning there in Washington. We'll be checking back with you. Thank you for that report.

CNN will have complete coverage of the Graham funeral, from the arrivals though the service. That is going to begin at the top of the hour.

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