by Herbert W. Armstrong

In the April 23 Pastor’s Report is a statement about Mr. C. Wayne Cole having illegally taped a private telephone conversation with me.

As I remember it, I had asked or gotten word to Mr. Cole to go to a private telephone where there would be no danger of the telephone having been “bugged” or someone listening in over our own Pasadena exchange.

The item in the Pastor’s Report mentions the taped copy had been spliced, edited, portions deleted, parts put together so that they said – and IN MY VOICE – things which might be totally contrary to what I said and meant.

This reminds me of a comedy tape which I taped from a record sold in music stores some ten years or more ago.

In it, four well-known news announcers asked questions of Former President Eisenhower, President and Mrs. Johnson, then-Governor Rockefeller of New York, Robert Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. They took portions clipped from tapes of public speeches made by these famous men, putting their own questions before clipped and edited portions of the public speeches. It was a prize example of how a tape may be edited to say just the opposite of what the speaker actually did say.

As near as I remember, I will here give you a few portions of it.

A newscaster asked: “General, if you were President again today, and World War Three would suddenly break out, what would you do?” Then came unmistakably Gen. “Ike’s” voice saying, “Well, uh, I uh, I uh, I certainly would not publicize it!” (Much laughter followed on the recording.) They also asked Gen. Eisenhower how long he had been nettled by former President Truman. Mr. Eisenhower’s voice came out, “From the first day I knew him until this very minute!” The reporter then said, “Did you know Mr. Truman is coming to Washington next Monday?” Mr. Eisenhower’s voice said, “I’m leaving Washington Sunday!”

They pretended to ask a question of President Johnson, then in office. “Mr. President,” asked a reporter, “When you had a very slight cold several days ago, did you consult a doctor?” “I was attended,” answered the President “by Dr. John Smith, Dr. Howard Jones, Dr. Samuel Anderson, Dr. Raymond Brown, Dr. Roscoe Nelson, Dr. Isaac Nelson, Dr.” – and after the President had named at least 15 doctors, they appeared to try to cut him off tactfully, but he went on naming more and more doctors, while apparently they tip-toed out. Next, the reporters were interviewing Lady Bird Johnson, while being shown through the White House.

“Oh,” said a reporter, “is this the door to the Oval Office?” “Yes,” came Mrs. Johnson’s voice unmistakably, “tip-toe, and just peek in through the door, but don’t open it wide.” Next we heard on the record President Johnson’s voice still naming doctors who had attended him for a very slight cold.

They asked Governor Rockefeller: “Governor, just what are the principle duties of a Governor of New York?” “I haven’t the slightest idea,” came back the actual voice of Nelson Rockefeller. I won’t bore you with more, but you would get a good laugh if you heard this comedy record. It shows how, with a little editing, tapes may be carefully clipped and put together so as to make a person, in his own voice, say the very opposite of his intention. For this reason a tape recording of a telephone conversation is, and ought to be, illegal.

To say that this tape had been made of an ultra-private telephone conversation, in which I trusted the other party, was a real shock to me, for this, connected with other happenings, caused me to lose total faith in and respect for a man I had esteemed highly and loved. God Himself showed me that this man was part of the conspiracy to destroy or take over God’s Church, and several events, of which this is one, have since verified what I knew unmistakably.God had put in my mind.

It is sad and regrettable that in this mortal life we do have to frequently learn that those we had loved and to whom we had entrusted major responsibilities were not worthy of that trust God says ‘Trust no man.”