Build a movie plot around this: Who was put in charge of the committee vetting of Leffingwell ? Brigham "Brig" Anderson
A look behind the scenes at the wheeling and dealing that goes on in Washington to get things done. The dying President (Franchot Tone) nominates a controversial candidate (Henry Fonda as Robert A. Leffingwell) for Secretary of State. The film, based on real events, follows the public and private dealings as the Senate holds confirmation hearings on the nomination. Blackmail, smear tactics, political trade-offs and more highlight this movie. Senate majority leader Robert Munson of Michigan (Walter Pidgeon) tries to steer Leffingwell toward confirmation, with his initial roadblock being Senate Pro Tem Seabright "Seab" Cooley-SC (Charles Laughton), a minority party member. But Munson bypasses overly-ambitious Wyoming senator Fred Van Ackerman (George Grizzard) to put Utah's Brigham "Brig" Anderson (Don Murray) in charge of the committee vetting of Leffingwell. Cooley drags out an old comrade from the nominee's college days (Herbert Gelman, played by Burgess Meredith) in an attempt to scuttle the appointment. Meanwhile, Van Ackerman sics a team of blackmailers on the bisexual Anderson in an attempt to ensure the nomination, even though Anderson, Munson, and the president know Leffingwell has provided perjured testimony about his past. Anderson travels to New York and assaults his old army lover outside a gay bar, returning to the Capitol to slit his own throat in his Senate office. Chastened by Anderson's suicide, Munson and Cooley agree to disagree in a "nice" way, and the full Senate vote on Leffingwell's nomination ends on a 47-47 tie since Munson has shamed Van Ackerman into walking out of the chamber before his name is called. Just as the voting ends, the Vice-president Harley Hudson (Lew Ayres), the Senate's presiding officer, is informed that the excitement of the radio broadcast of the close roll-call vote has resulted in the President's death. Knowing that Leffingwell has given false testimony under oath, Hudson refuses to honor his mentor's dying wish, stating that as president-apparent, he'll nominate...