Richard Nixon

Note: This is a rebroadcast from last year. To hear a follow up to this interview with Robert Brown, click here. 

Robert Brown is one of the most influential North Carolinians you’ve never heard of.

In the 1960s, High Point resident Robert Brown worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. as a fundraiser. Brown has also advised several prominent American politicians, including Senators John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, and Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

Robert Brown is one of the most influential North Carolinians you’ve never heard of.

He had a pretty humble start in High Point, where he was born and raised. He was among the city’s first African-American police officers in the 1950s.

But he moved on quickly, first as a federal drug enforcement officer, and then as an adviser to some of the world’s most powerful people: Martin Luther King Jr., Richard Nixon, Nelson Mandela and John F. Kennedy, and that’s only part of the list.

Newly released excerpts from H.R. Haldeman’s diary provide new insights into the relationship between Billy Graham and Richard Nixon. 

Audio journals from Nixon’s chief of staff reveal Graham’s firm grasp of political craftsmanship, and Nixon’s reliance on the televangelist for more than spiritual advice.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Carolina Public Press reporter Jon Elliston about the audio journals and what they revealed. 

A lawyer in North Carolina served as the Assistant Majority Counsel on the Watergate Committee. Eugene Boyce was a trial attorney in Raleigh.  He spoke to Frank Stasio on the State of Things to look back on the role he played on the historic investigation of President Richard Nixon.