All the President's Men Cunning and Cleverness Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from All the President's Men.

Quote #4

BERNSTEIN: I can just ask you initials…and then that way you're not divulging any information.

Bernstein is very tricky with his interview tactics. He knows that the Nixon administration has put a lot of restrictions on what it's people can say. Bernstein has to find a way around it.

Quote #5

BERNSTEIN: Sloan wanted to tell the Grand Jury. […]

WOODWARD: Nobody asked him.

Okay, the government has clever moments of its own. They want to believe that if they never bring up a problem, no one will find out about it. And they're very clever when Sloan goes before the Grand Jury, making sure not to even mention the people who are actually responsible for the break-in. If they don't mention the Haldeman-shaped elephant in the room, maybe it'll go away. (It won't.)