The Juror and the General : An Eyewitness Account of the Libel Trial of the Century, Westmoreland v. CBS

By M. Patricia Roth

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688060854
• ISBN13: 9780688060855
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Elementary School Teacher Flunks General

A school teacher received a summons to jury service. Did CBS' "Sixty Minutes" libel General Westmoreland by saying he altered reports to present a more favorable political picture? The author tells of her experience as a juror, from initial summons to final verdict. The book has no index.The "Introduction" (pp. 11-12) concisely tells the simple facts behind the case. It does NOT tell who was behind the "Capital Legal Foundation" and put up the millions of dollars for this unnecessary trial.Page 131 gives an example of the problem. The defense lawyer would ask General Westmoreland if he made certain statements. The General would vehemently deny doing so. Then the lawyer would bring up several documents proving that the General had indeed said so.Page 191 has a deposition: they "deliberately manipulated the figures of enemy strength to misguide the public, the press, and Congress. The documents they supplied were irrefutable proof that there was a conspiracy ... no one knew how high the conspiracy went."Page 195 tells of Richard McArthur: when he complained about the changes to his figures he was transferred out to the field!A number of witnesses said Westmoreland had a ceiling on enemy figures, no matter what the facts were ("One Little Lie"). The trial ended when Westmoreland dropped his charges.Page 153 tells how the documentaries are staged. They record the subject with all questions and answers. Then they record the interviewer asking questions that have been answered previously. The questioner can change the tone and questions for the desired effect.