“I'm interested in what you know.”
Why it's great
It frames an interview as a trade: what you know is what makes you worth talking to.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
I'm interested in what you saw that night.
00:00 / 03:33
00:00 / 03:33
Woodward Traces the White House Call, Explained
All the President's Men · 1976
Chapter 2 of 18 · 3'33"
Woodward is just making phone calls, but each one climbs higher up the ladder: from a burglars' address book to the White House switchboard to Howard Hunt himself. Hunt answers with "I have no comment," then hides behind procedure: "The matter is under adjudication." The real question isn't what he says — it's how fast the President's men go quiet.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 2:38–3:02
Hunt Hides Behind "Under Adjudication"
24s
Woodward Traces the White House Call, explained
What happens
Working off a tip from police headquarters, Woodward notices two burglars' address books link to "H.H. at W.H." and "Howard Hunt, W. House." He dials the White House switchboard, is bounced to Charles Colson's office and then to a public relations firm, and finally reaches Hunt — who hangs up under a wall of official silence.
What's really going on
On the surface this is routine reporting — a reporter chasing a phone number. Underneath, it's the moment the story stops being a local burglary and becomes a White House scandal. Every transfer, every "Mr. Hunt isn't here just now," is a small system working to absorb a stranger's question. Hunt's reaction gives it away: first a startled "Good God," then instant legalese — "The matter is under adjudication. I have no comment." A man with nothing to hide doesn't reach for court language. The calls that follow, where people insist they never knew Hunt, are the same instinct spread across the institution: deny, deflect, move the caller along.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I'm interested in what you know.”
- A reporter telling a source that what matters is their information, not pleasantries — a nudge to keep talking.
- “- Do you care to comment? - The matter is under adjudication.”
- Hunt refuses to answer by hiding behind procedure: the case is in court, so he can't comment. A polite non-answer that sounds like respect for the law.
- “The most powerful man in the United States is President Nixon.”
- The editor answers "Who is Charles Colson?" from the top, laying out the chain of power that reaches all the way down to Colson.
- “Why would anyone say that?”
- A denial that dodges the question: instead of saying whether he knows Hunt, the voice turns it around and asks why anyone would claim it.
Theme
- Power — A single phone number pulls a reporter from a burglary to the White House, hinting at how far the President's reach extends.
- Secrets — Hunt's startled "Good God" and instant legal shield show a man protecting something he can't afford to name.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level5/7
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“- Do you care to comment? - The matter is under adjudication.”
Why it's great
A legal phrase that shuts down questioning while sounding formal and unbothered.
Register
Formal
Use it yourself
The matter is under review, so I can't discuss it.
“The most powerful man in the United States is President Nixon.”
Why it's great
It defines power first and names the man second, so the claim sounds like common sense.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
The most powerful person in that newsroom is the copy editor.
“Why would anyone say that?”
Why it's great
A dodge that neither confirms nor denies, bouncing the hot question straight back.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
Why would anyone say I'm leaving the team?
Up next · 03bust one's assThe scene: Who Gets the Watergate StoryTakeaways
What you walk away with- No comment admits the question matters.
- Look into means doing a serious check.
- On my way out is a polite way to end a call.
- Every transfer repeats the same script.
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Questions, then the linesWhy does Woodward call the White House looking for Howard Hunt?
Because two of the men arrested at Watergate had Hunt's name and a White House reference written in their address books. Calling is the quickest way to learn whether the break-in reaches the President's staff.
What does Howard Hunt mean by "the matter is under adjudication"?
That the case is already in the courts, so he won't discuss it. It's a formal, legal way of saying "no comment" while sounding as if he's respecting the process.
Why do the people Woodward phones deny knowing Hunt?
By the fall of 1972 any link to Watergate was dangerous. Secretaries and former colleagues simply say they have never heard of Hunt and hang up, because denying is safer than explaining.
Why is Hunt's "Good God" the key moment of the call?
It's the one unguarded second before he puts on his official voice. He recognizes his own name in a burglar's notebook, and the surprise shows before the legal shield comes down.
Who is Charles Colson, and why does his office answer for Hunt?
Colson was special counsel to President Nixon, one of the administration's political operators. That Hunt can be reached through Colson's office shows how close the burglars' trail runs to the White House.