In 1969 the US senate held a hearing about funding for the newly developed Corporation for Public Broadcasting. A $20 million endowment was proposed, however President Nixon wanted it cut in half because of the huge amount of spending going on in the Vietnam War. Fred Rogers pleads the case on behalf of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—thanks to the Internet we can see what happened (required watching):
From the description:
“This is an video clip of the exchange between Mr. Rogers and Senator Pastore, head of the hearing. Senator Pastore starts out very abrasive and by the time Mr. Rogers is done talking, Senator Pastore’s inner child has heard Mr. Rogers and agreed with him. Enjoy.”
Mr. Rogers before a 1969 senator hearing: