I find some of the news of the passing of Billy Graham, especially by those of on the left, upsetting.
Why?
Does the name of Richard Nixon ring any bells?
Graham denied comments Haldeman made in his book “The Haldeman Diaries” that Graham and Nixon had disparaged Jews in a conversation following a prayer breakfast in Washington D.C. on Feb. 1, 1972.
Haldeman said Graham had talked about a Jewish “stranglehold” on the country. Of course the remarks were denied by Graham:
''Those are not my words," Graham said in May 1994. ''I have never talked publicly or privately about the Jewish people, including conversations with President Nixon, except in the most positive terms.''
Uh oh… me thinks I smell a rat. In 2002 that is.
That is when the tapes were released.
What was said?
''They're the ones putting out the pornographic stuff,'' Graham had said to Nixon. The Jewish ''stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain,'' he continued.
Graham told Nixon that Jews did not know his true feelings about them.
''I go and I keep friends with Mr. Rosenthal (A.M. Rosenthal) at The New York Times and people of that sort, you know. And all -- I mean, not all the Jews, but a lot of the Jews are great friends of mine, they swarm around me and are friendly to me because they know that I'm friendly with Israel. But they don't know how I really feel about what they are doing to this country. And I have no power, no way to handle them, but I would stand up if under proper circumstances.''
If we are his friends then I’d hate to be his enemies.
He “apologized”
''I don't ever recall having those feelings about any group, especially the Jews, and I certainly do not have them now,'' Graham said in 2002 when the tape was released. ''My remarks did not reflect my love for the Jewish people. I humbly ask the Jewish community to reflect on my actions on behalf of Jews over the years that contradict my words in the Oval Office that day.''
So...do you take a man’s “apology” or his actual words? I for one trust a man’s actual words.