Frost-Nixon Interview Collection (Donated Materials)

These materials were created by the Office of Richard Nixon and shipped to the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace following President Nixon's death in 1994. Kathy O'Connor, the former President's Chief of Staff, filed these materials with other "Sensitive" materials in folders and boxes color coded as "Lilac." The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace became part of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in July of 2007. The Frost-Interview Collection was placed on "Courtesy Storage" with the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum until the Richard Nixon Foundation signed a deed of gift for a portion of the collection in December 2012 and transferred custody to NARA. The first portion of the collection transferred to NARA consisted of the video tape reels of the interviews. The transcripts of the interviews were transferred to NARA in 2013. The remainder of the textual materials of this collection were transferred to NARA in February of 2014.

Under the terms of a standard deed of gift, some materials which contain information of a personal nature or are security classified have been removed and placed in. a closed folder. A Withdrawal Sheet, NA Form 14021, with a description of each restricted document has been inserted at the beginning of each folder from which the material has been removed. A Document Control Record indicates the original position of the withdrawn item within the folder. The staff periodically reviews closed materials for the purpose of opening materials which no longer require restriction. Certain classified documents may be declassified under authority of Executive Order 13526 in response to a Mandatory Review Request (NA Form 14020) submitted by the researcher.

Extent:   4 linear feet, 5 linear inches
Approximate number of pages:  8,000

Historical Note

Former President Richard Nixon granted his first television interviews after leaving office to British journalist David Frost in 1977, which marked his return to public life. The agreement for the series of exclusive interviews was signed on August 9, 1975, exactly a year after Nixon's leaving office. However, the interviews were not conducted until 1977. Eleven interview sessions were recorded at a private home in Monarch Bay, California, between March 23 and April 20. The interviews were edited into four broadcasts that were sold in syndication to television stations around the world.

David Frost had earned notoriety in the United Kingdom in the 1960s by hosting the BBC televisions series That Was the Week That Was and The Frost Report. His career was considered to be in decline when he offered to pay the former President for an exclusive set of interviews. American television networks refused to carry the broadcasts because it was an example of "checkbook journalism." President Nixon was about to release his memoirs and agreed to the interviews as a way to start to rebuild his public image.

The interviews were a success in drawing public interest. An estimated 45 million viewers tuned in for the first broadcast which dealt with Watergate, the largest television audience for a political interview in history.

The interviews later became the subject of the play Frost/Nixon, which was released as a movie in 2008. David Frost went on to become a respected journalist and conducted several interviews with prominent political leaders. Richard Nixon wrote several books and provided his advice and expertise to several future Presidents on various foreign policy issues.