In 1990, Nelson Mandela visited the U.S. for the first time after being freed from 27 years of imprisonment in South Africa. During Mandela's visit he also conducted his first interview with Ted Koppel of ABC News. Koppel was then known as one of the toughest and most feared TV reporters and interviewers in America. His ABC news show, "Nightline", was one of the top rated late night programs on television. The interview turned out to be an openly biased attempt to assassinate Nelson Mandela's character, credibility, and cause. With the bulk of Koppel's preselected questioners being either conservative Republican plants, apartheid sympathizers, opponents of Mandela's African National Congress party (ANC), and/or known members of the white supremacists Apartheid regime. Due to the wisdom and strength of Nelson Mandela, the assassination attempt failed miserable. Ted Koppel was never the same man again and eventually slipped into oblivion. Here's a little background on some of the questioners that Ted Koppel preselected: Rev. Calvin Butts - Political crony of former Republican governor of New York George Pataki and major critic of Hip Hop music and culture. Gloria Toote - Conservative Republican who held positions in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan presidential administrations. Koos Van Der Merwe - South African Conservative Party leader and white supremacist. Ken Adelman - Conservative Republican political analyst and diplomat who served under Republican presidents Nixon and Ford. He was later a major proponent of the second Iraq War. Gatsha Buthelezi - Chief Minister Kwazulu and founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party; a political rival of the ANC and Nelson Mandela. Abe Hoppenstein - South Africa's New York City Consul General under the apartheid government, ANC opponent, and white supremacist.

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