James Reston, Jr., (1941-2023) was a white journalist, documentarian, and author of eighteen books, three plays, and numerous articles in national magazines. He was one of three sons of James “Scotty” Barrett Reston, Sr., (1909-1995), a correspondent, columnist, and editor for the New York Times, and Sarah “Sally” Fulton (1912-2001), a photographer, writer, and publisher of the Vineyard Gazette in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. James Reston, Jr., was born in New York City and grew up in Washington, DC. He attended UNC-Chapel Hill on a Morehead Scholarship where he was an All-South varsity soccer player. Reston holds the university's record for most goals scored in a single game (five goals against North Carolina State University on October 18, 1962).
Reston graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1963 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy. From 1964 to 1965, he was an assistant to and speechwriter for US Secretary of the Interior Steward Udall. He then went on to serve in the US Army as an intelligence officer and sergeant from 1965 to 1968 during the Vietnam War. From 1971 to 1981, he was a faculty member at UNC-Chapel Hill, lecturing in creative writing.
Reston’s time at UNC-Chapel Hill was punctuated by the historic Frost-Nixon interviews that aired in 1977, which marked Nixon’s return to public life and was where Nixon apologized for Watergate. In 1976, David Frost asked Reston to be an advisor and researcher for Frost’s upcoming interviews with former President Richard Nixon. Over that year, Reston researched Watergate, created a 96-page interrogation strategy brief for Frost, and advised the subsequent interviews. More than 28 hours of taped material was created over eleven interview sessions, which were condensed into four broadcasts that were each 90 minutes long. An estimated 45 million viewers watched the premiere broadcast—the largest television audience for a political interview in history.
After that, Reston continued lecturing, interviewing, and writing articles, plays, and books. Some of Reston’s interests included the Vietnam War, the Jonestown Massacre, civil rights, and Richard Nixon—with the latter culminating in The Conviction of Richard Nixon: The Untold Story of the Frost/Nixon Interviews (2007) and The Impeachment Diary: Eyewitness to the Removal of a President (2019). The former book was the inspiration for Peter Morgan’s play Frost/Nixon in 2006 and the film adaptation of the play in 2008. Reston passed away on July 19, 2023.
Due to Reston’s role as a UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus and professor, Wilson Library received the collection from Reston in July 2013. An item of particular note for this digital exhibit is "How It Felt: The Impeachment Diary of James Reston, Jr., 27 June-13 August 1974”—the 2018 transcription of Reston’s original diary which details Reston’s recollections as a witness of the Senate Watergate Committee.
References:
The Conviction of Richard Nixon. (n.d.). The Works of James Reston, Jr. 1971-2021. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from http://www.restonbooks.com/the-conviction-of-richard-nixon.html
James Reston Jr. (n.d.). The Works of James Reston, Jr. 1971-2021. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from http://www.restonbooks.com/
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. (n.d.). Frost-Nixon Interview Collection (Donated Materials) [finding aid]. Frost-Nixon Interview Collection, Yorba Linda, CA. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/finding-aids/frost-nixon-interview-collection-donated-materials
Southern Historical Collection. (n.d.). James Reston Jr. Papers, 1955-2018 [finding aid]. James Reston Jr. Papers (05692), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/05692/