>> Stephen: WE'RE HERE WITH
CHRIS WALLACE OF "FOX NEWS SUNDAY." THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
AND STICK AROUND. THERE'S A GREAT NEW DOCUMENTARY
ABOUT YOUR FATHER, THE GREAT MIKE WALLACE. TO YOU, WHAT IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING ABOUT HIS JOURNALISTIC LEGACY. >> THERE'S THIS GREAT
DOCUMENTARY OUT AND I HOPE PEOPLE WILL GO TO SEE IT, ALL
THE FOLKS THAT USED TO WATCH MY FATHER AT 7:00 OR 6:00, WHENEVER
YOU WATCHED HIM ON "60 MINUTES." YOU CAN SEE HIM IN ACTION. YOU CAN SEE HIS SKILL. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF WHAT DROVE
HIM. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF HIS
INSECURITIES. YOU KNOW, IT'S BOTH PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL. I THINK THE THING THAT PEOPLE
MISTAKE, THOUGH, IS THEY THINK THAT MY FATHER WAS JUST A
PERFORMER AND HE JUST ASKED GREAT QUESTIONS. THE FACT WAS, HE WAS A GREAT
JOURNALIST. HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN THE 50s BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE WAS. HE DID A DOCUMENTARY CALLED "THE
HATE THAT HATE PRODUCED" ABOUT THE BLACK MUSLIMS IN THE
1950s. PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT
THAT HE WALKED IN AND DID THE INTERVIEW WITH THE AYATOLLAH
KHOMEINI DURING THE IRANIAN HOSTAGE CRISIS IN 1979 BEFORE
ANYBODY ELSE GOT THERE. THE REASON HE DID WAS BECAUSE HE
HAD BEEN COVERING THE MIDDLE EAST, HE HAD INTERVIEWED ALL OF
THE LEADERS IN ISRAEL, THE PALESTINIANS, YASSER ARAFAT, HE
DID A NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS WITH THE SHAH OF IRAN. HE WAS A GREAT JOURNALIST. AND, YES, HE WAS VERY GOOD ON
THE AIR, AND AS YOU KNOW, HAVING DEALT WITH HIM ON THE AIR WHEN
YOU INTERVIEWED HIM, YOU KNOW, HE WAS A GREAT PERFORMER. BUT HE WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN
THAT. >> Stephen: THE TITLE OF THE
DOCUMENTARY IS "MIKE WALLACE IS HERE." NOW, WHEN PEOPLE WOULD HEAR THAT
TBRAIZ "MIKE WALLACE IS HERE," THAT WOULD REALLY MAKE SOME
SPHINCTERS SNAP SHUT. >> EVEN WITH HIS SON<i>
( LAUGHTER ).</i> >> Stephen: WHAT DID IT MEAN? WHY THAT TITLE, DO YOU THINK,
FOR THAT, BECAUSE-- >> WELL, I HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH THE DOCUMENTARY OTHER THAN THE FACT THEY LIVED IT. BUT I THINK WHAT IT MEANT WAS
YOU WERE A BUSINESSMAN, YOU WERE A POLITICIAN, AND SUDDENLY THE
SECRETARY PICKS IT UP AND SAYS, "MIKE WALLACE IS HERE," YOU KNEW
YOU WERE IN A WORLD OF TROUBLE. THERE WAS A REASON HE WAS HERE. AND HE WAS GOING TO HOLD YOU TO
ACCOUNT. HE WAS THE COP ON THE BEAT WAY
NIGHT STICK, AND HE MIGHT COME UPSIDE YOUR HEAD WITH IT. >> Stephen: LAST SUMMER IN A
PUTIN INTERVIEW THAT YOU DID. >> YES. >> Stephen: "THE WASHINGTON
POST" SAID YOU WERE TOUGHER TO VLADIMIR PUTIN THAN DONALD TRUMP
WAS. IS THAT A COMPLIMENT TO YOU? OR AN INSULT TO THE PRESIDENT? >> PROBABLY A BIT OF BOTH. <i> ( LAUGHTER )</i>
WHAT I DID-- WHICH ACTUALLY CAME UP TODAY-- WAS THREE DAYS BEFORE
THE INTERVIEW, ROBERT MUELLER, THE SPECIAL COUNSEL, HAD
INDICTED 12 MEMBERS OF RUSSIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. SO I'M TALKING TO PUTIN, AND HE
HAD ALWAYS SAID UP TO THIS POINT, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE
INDIVIDUALS. THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE
GOVERNMENT." BUT THIS WAS RUSSIAN MILITARY
INTELLIGENCE. SO I POINTED THAT OUT, "THAT YOU
ALWAYS SAY THIS." AND THEN I HAD THE INDICTMENT,
AND I SAID, "AND HERE IS THE INDICTMENT OF THESE 12 MEMBERS
OF YOUR GOVERNMENT." NO, NO, NO. HERE'S THE DIFFERENCE, HE DIDN'T
TOUCH IT. HE WENT LIKE THAT AND I PUT IT
ON THE TAWBL NEXT TO HIM. I WILL TELL YOU THERE WERE
KREMLIN OFFICIALS AND RUSSIAN SECURITY IN THE STUDIO-- I MEAN
IN THE ROOM WHERE WE WERE DOING IT. ( GASPING )
BIG INTAKE OFFING BREATH. >> Stephen: DID YOU EVER GET
NERVOUS THAT SOMEBODY LIKE VLADIMIR PUTIN IS GOING TO PUT A
TARGET ON YOU BECAUSE HE DOESN'T LIKE JOURNALISTS? >> THAT'S TRUE. I'M STUPID ENOUGH THEY DON'T. IN FACT, BEFORE THIS INTERVIEW--
IT WAS IN HELSINKI RIGHT AFTER THE SUMMIT-- I HAD ALREADY
ARRANGED FOR A VACATION WITH MY WIFE. GUESS WHERE? RUSSIA. SO THE INTERVIEW END. I INTRODUCE MY WIFE TO PUTIN,
AND I SAY, "AND BY THE WAY, WE'RE GOING TO RUSSIA TOMORROW." AND HE SAID, "WELL WHAT, CITIES
ARE GOING TO?" I SWEAR. AND "HOW MANY DAYS ARE YOU
SPENDING IN EACH CITY?" EVERYTHING TURNED OUT FINE. I'M HERE. I WILL SAY EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE
WE WOULD BE DRIVING ALONG AND WE WOULD STOP IN A TRAFFIC JAM AND
I WOULD SAY TO MY WIFE, LORRAINE, THIS IS WHEN THE HIT
HAPPENS. >> Stephen: I'M GLAD IT
DIDN'T. THANK YOU, CHRIS. SO NICE TALKING TO YOU. I HOPE YOU COME AGAIN. THE FILM "MIKE WALLACE IS HERE"
IS IN THEATERS THIS FRIDAY. CATCH CHRIS EVERY WEEK ON "FOX
NEWS SUNDAY." HE'S REALLY VERY GOOD. CHRIS WALLACE, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH ACTOR
JAMIE BELL.
