The Lever.

I'm going to play you a recording.

It's something of an artifact, a vinyl record, that almost no one has heard in the last 50 years.

Lewis F. Powell, Jr. began the practice of law in Virginia in the year 1932. His intellect, his dedication,

and his great qualities as a human being became widely known and appreciated by his peers.

That's the iconic voice of Walter Cronkite, the CBS News anchor, who you've heard in previous

episodes delivering reports on the Watergate scandal.

In his 64th year, he could look back upon a distinguished career, equaled by very few.

In addition to his anchor gig, Cronkite, in the mid-20th century, hosted a popular radio and TV

program called You Are There. It used fictional reenactments to teach the audience about historical events and figures, presenting them as if they were being covered live.

Great change took place in the life of Lewis Powell on October 21st, 1971. All things are as they were them, except you are there.

Prior episode topics included the Battle of Gettysburg and the Boston Tea Party.

For this one, Cronkite focused on a different monumental event.

On December 6th, 1971, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Lewis F. Powell, Jr.

to the Supreme Court of the United States.

But this edition of You Are There was never broadcast. It was never intended to be heard by

anyone outside of 100 or so attendees gathered for the annual Christmas luncheon for Philip Morris,

Incorporated. You might recall Philip Morris as the tobacco giant

behind dozens of cigarette brands,

including Marlborough and Virginia Slims.

The event at the Swanky 21 Club in Midtown Manhattan

brought together corporate executives, board members, and shareholders

...