nelson mandela, nelson mandela, there's no one else like you. there's not much else to say, is there? it's an old antiapartheid struggle song. this song has carried through generations of activists in this country. it was no doubt illegal during the apartheid days. it was like a rallying cry to nelson many della when he was locked up in jail. nobody was seen his face. there was a sense he was cut off from the revolution. it became a war cry, a lament, it became a memory for people to sing over and over against the same words -- nelson mandela, nelson mandela, there's no one like you. in the last year particularly we've seen the call kind of a call of thanks. it was sung a lot outside the hospital when these night vigils like this emerged when he was battling that lung infection in opt for three months. it really has become such a simple acknowledgement of a man whose life was so great, so extraordinary, and as barack obama said, it was the arch of history that defines his life. also what i think is key about his images that you're seeing on your

gene, you met nelson mandela. take us back that day and share with us your feelings today on what turned out to be the last day of his life. >> i did meet nelson mandela. it was in 1994. it was an official visit to washington that he made and we invited him to lunch at "the washington post" and he accepted. so i was the foreign editor then and it's the kind of lunch that we'd have at "the washington post" in the company board room but we had to get a special big room with lots of tables because every top editor, any editor that had any claim to be in that room was going to be there and, in fact, today several of us were e-mailing because we're trying to pin down exactly what was that date and refresh our recollections. and everyone had this vivid recollection of the man and it was something more than dazzling charisma. it was more than that smile of his that was like sunshine when he trained it on you. but there was -- you know, this is what i wrote about him in the column i wrote for tomorrow. there was steel in

nelson mandela's day is done. the news expected and still unwelcome reached us in the united states and suddenly our world became somber. our skies were lead ened. his day is done. >> schieffer: we're going to close our broadcast this morning with your poem, but i wanted to ask you, how did you come to write this? how did this come about and when did you do it? >> thank you. the state department approached me -- state department telephoned me when he was very sick about a year and half ago asked if i would write a poem -- write a tribute to him from my people, from the american people. and i said, yes. i wrote it, but also had to agree that i would not even speak about it or release it until 48 hours after he was actually dead and i agreed. so i did it and i sent it to them, to the state department. the state department sent a crew down and i recorded it. but then i never mentioned it again to anyone, including -- close friends and family members. i just wouldn't do it. >> schieffer: you didn't mention it to us, w

we see the pictures of nelson mandela. i cannot decide which was the best when he walked out of prison or raised his hand? >> the dancing is still. world cup dancing. >> when we return, we will hear from south africa's last apartheid president. >> f.w. de klerk and the nobel peace prides with nelson mandela. we talk to de klerk when we return. . hmm. mm-hmm. [ engine revs ] sisulu. s. >> it is coming up to 9:00 in the morning in south africa. welcome to our special edition of cnn newsroom, the world is mourning the death of nelson mandela. >> the former south african president and nobel prize laureat fell ill. he was 95, he proved he was strong in his youth, strong in middle age and a fighter to the end. >> he was ill for almost a year. the man who nelson mandela shares that '90-'93 nobel prize, he was the president of south africa in 1890. >> that is when he made the fateful decision to free the most political prisoner. de klerk spoke on phone. >> christian, it's a sad day, a sad moment. it is good to hear your voice agai

nelson mandela's home. thank you for staying up with us. appreciate you being with us. please stay with us. lots ahead. >>> we enter into a covenants in which all south africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall without any fear in their hearts. assured of their inalienable right to human dignity, a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world. electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪ like, scoring the perfect table? ♪ or getting a better seat? ♪ or let's say there's an accident. if you have esurance, you can use their mobile app to start a claim... upload a few photos... and get your money fast. maybe that doesn't make you a control freak. more like a control enthusiast. esurance. insurance for the modern world. now backed by allstate. clic

such a full life led by nelson mandela. if you could speak about the escalating international pressure to release him back in 1990, what was that like? this must have been a real global effort. >> it was indeed. it began before that. during the reagan years, initially president reagan is very much against apartheid and he was led to the position finally of opposing apartheid by george schultz. a rising star and a strong presence on foreign policy than a senator from indiana. there was a global push for this from faith leaders and from anti-segregationists here in this country. we heard just now the secretary general of the united nations that no one has done more. no one in our era and generation has done more to fight discrimination than the moral leadership and example of this man who suffered for 27 years yet came out of prison with his wife winnie at his side and she has been imprisoned for 18 months at that time. in the anc, they came out of prison and marched in that march and from then on, his days in prison spoke of

terrence, you played nelson mandela in the film, "winnie mandela." this is an interview that nelson mandela gave to cnn back in the year 2000 talking about his so-called terrorist status. listen to this. >> i was called a terrorist yesterday but then i came out of there, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what i tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation are terrorists. i tell them i was also a terrorist yesterday but today i'm honored by the very people who say i was one. >> terrence, you had to play him on the big screen. you really had to get into his head. talk a little bit about what you learned about nelson mandela during that experience. >> well, one of the things that touched me most was his trial. during his trial, he actually gave three hours of testimony where he spoke about i now wish to turn to the question of guerilla warfare and why it was necessary in a foreign country to carry out those things. he spoke about thousands of atrocities that had taken place over 60, 70 years to where there w

more on your final thoughts on nelson mandela? >> it's not lost on me, we saw strikes of fast food workers in over 100 cities. and nelson mandela was a statesman and a lot of things, but he was also an organizer. he was sentenced to a five-year jail sentence in 1961 for organizing a three-day national strike of workers. this is before he got the life sentence. and i just want to remind viewers that it took thousands if not millions of ordinary people to do extraordinary things in south africa to lead to freedom, so we should absolutely honor nelson mandela and never forget his legacy but also recognize the names of folks that we'll never know who he helped to organize to stand up to lead to freedom and liberation in south africa. >> nelson mandela always said it looks impossible until it is done. joy reid, your thoughts? >> he changed the culture, my cultural orientation was a man from the congo. but he also changed the culture from popstars to sports celebrities. you had the whole world ice late south africa and agree to the mora

that's how president obama refers to nelson mandela. a man he met some eight years ago at a meeting here in washington, d.c. when obama was still a freshman senator from illinois. yesterday he spoke out about mande mandela's impact on his life. >> the day he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when guided by their hopes and not by their fears. and like so many around the globe, i cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that nelson mandela set. >> joining me now is rick strength am. he collaborated on the ought buy all offy of nelson mandela. and also the author of mandela's ways on life, love and courage. thanks for joining us. the president will be heading over to south africa to pay his respects and america ago respects to nelson mandela. what should we be paying attention to? >> wolf, i think every world leader, including president obama wants to borrow a little bit from the halo of nelson mandela. but in the case of president obama, knicksed-race president, a man whose fare was from the

an honor it was to step into the shoes of nelson mandela. my thoughts and prayers are with his family. at the united nations, silence. remembrance of his enormous impact. >> no one more in our time to advance the values and aspirations of the united nations. nelson mandela showed what -- and given each one of us, if we believe. >> reporter: today he is remembered in every corner of the globe. the australian prime minister. >> nelson mandela was one of the great figures of africa. one of the great figures of the last century arguably. a truly great man. >> in canada where in 2001, mandela became the first honorary citizen of ottawa, the prime minister said the world has lost one of the great moral leaders. >> despite his long captainity, mr. mandela left prison with his mind closed to any settling of scores and his heart open to those he had fought against. >> mandela in his fight for equality influenced not just world leaders, but also the people of the world. >> it's been an inspiration for generations growing up. he stood for the civil rig

he met nelson mandela shooting his film 12 disciples of nelson mandela. well, it is a pleasure to talk to you, what are your moments at this hour? >> well, deeply saddened with this great man, he stood for so much. and his vision was so powerful. all the years and also -- becoming president and giving up the power. >> the power -. >> and i think it is so t for our people. >> and we have such a great loss. >> hang on, i know you want to echo this point. it was a big deal. >> yeah. and stepping down may have been his biggest legacy. and -- about 80% of them stayed on about nine terms too long. >> we were just talking about zimbabwe. >> when he came on, he held a lot of prompt, nelson -- look, he was an older guy, he put in his time 27 years at rob been island and being president. the fact that he moved on, there are nobody who perfect what has happened in south africa, and that his successors lived up to his mantle, but at least he had successors. >> yeah, i would agree. you know he -- when nelson mandela was went underground after sharkville, the south afr

we are talking about the passing of nelson mandela. status quo in south africa before the end of apartheid was pretty good if you were white. it's a good place to be. it's a beautiful relinquish country and labor was cheap. we're now many years past that. where are we when you look at this country? and i know you know it well. are we where you think we should be so far into the end of apartheid? >> well, legal me answer that by referring to my grandson who was in the peace corps in south africa. he was in the first peace corps group domg this country. his name is jairch in a small village, he wrote a -- jason for in a small village. he wrote a book, power line, a power line went over the village where he was, which was a black village and it delivered electricity to a white city that was down the line. and he described the situation after nelson mandela was no longer president. that was still almost total ly separate or different between average black person who lived in south africa and the white people who lived in the villages. so i

is embracing the current wife of nelson mandela. >> it was a matter of great pain to nelson mandela when he came out of prison because she had her intentions elsewhere. she also was heavily criticized about the so-called mandela united football club which was her vigilante protection group and there was a trial because one of the boys had been kidnapped and killed. >> i thought she was convicted for fraud and corruption? >> yes. >> when you read the letters, winnie and mandela wrote to each other in prison, there is a lot of passion and a lot of longing. >> they are extraordinary. >> they are extraordinarily personal letters. most all of them read by the apartheid authorities but that dent stop them having a love affair over 27 years from afar. it was said that when he came out and their marriage didn't work, he said that he was the loneliest he's ever been in his life in last years of their marriage. that said, they always remained close and she has been there, i understand, at the house every day this week. and has been a part of his life since their divorce. >> the press conferen

at the time, nelson mandela was in his early 40s. he had joined the african national congress, the anc, way back in 1944. the anc and the other major organizations opposing apartheid in south africa had been organized as nonviolent movements, nonviolent resistance, and nonviolent organizing. but after sharpville, they decided that maybe that wasn't enough. after sharpville, they decided they would form a paramilitary wing, and nelson mandela was one of the anc leader who is went underground to help start it. they said they would target government buildings and strategic infrastructure and they would try to sabotage the state. after sharpville, the government of south africa started mass arrests of anc leaders and other activists. they banned the anc. they made it illegal to be a member of that group. nelson mandela was arrested for treason in 1961, he was acquitted and he was convicted of traveling illegally. they sentenced him to five years hard labor on south africa's version of alcatraz, which is robin island. while he was already

nelson mandela was 95 years old. he has been suffering from a very serious illness for the last six months, particularly badly. and so this was a predictable piece of news, but painful nonetheless, so painful for south africans who call nelson mandela the father of their nation, the father of democracy. the man who was in 27 years in prison, much of it spent in solitary confinement. helped to end the years of racist rule by the apartheid regime in south africa. and for that, there are so many millions of south africans who owe him so much. >> it's profoundly moving to see the generation that you were referring to born free outside of the home of mandela. it's so striking. there is so few examples of the kind of liberation in the last 20 years. there's almost nothing that compares to it in terms of the change brought about in the fates and futures and lives of every one of these people by mandela and his co-strugglers in this great struggle. >> reporter: that's right. there is no one in the world like nelson mandela a

there will be more about nelson mandela on cbs news special, nelson mandela, father of a nation, for many of you, it will be on tomorrow night at 6:00. i will see you then. and i will see you sunday on 60 minutes, we are going to leave you now with the empire state building bathed tonight in the colors of the south african flag. for all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org game pla ackle any trouble at candlestick this weekend. good eve >>> these two teams don't like each other. >> hoping to avoid scenes, bay area police come up with their game plan to tackle trouble at candlestick this week. good evening, i'm ken bastida. >> i'm juliette goodrich. the 9ers-seahawks game at candlestick on sunday is big and security will be tight. hidden among the fans undercover cops. they will make sure taunting stays friendly. linda yee reports. >> reporter: juliette, you know, football is about tough hitting and tackles. cops want to make sure the action stays on the playing field and not in the stan

death of nelson mandela. this is nbc nightly news with brian williams. we're back with more of our special coverage of the passing of nelson mandela who died today at the age of 95. as you might imagine, at this hour, reaction to his loss, is pouring in from around the world and the nation of south africa now begins a state of mourning. our south african-based correspondent is with us from outside the mandela family home in johannesburg. as we said in our first half hour, this is a nation many of whom went to bed last night who ll

in harlem, tonight the marque honors nelson mandela. here is a picture of the marque, we are getting ready for a live shot. we have consider spot don'ts automobile across the united states and the world. we also have guests hire in the studio, right now my colleague is here, talk a little bit about the incredible significance of this man, and what his passing means in. >> absolutely. john, i was in that home in south africa, in johannesburg, and this is really a moment of self-definition for the country. >> why is that? >> because they have a lot of reforms they are still trying to work there. first is poverty. you a large majority of the country that is still living in rural areas and they are living below the line. which is one reason why the current president is a symbol figure because he has the education of a 6th grader and he was a sheep herder. which mandela -- is a smaller group of black africans and it is a tribal clan that has produced nelson mandela, becky, but zula is a zoo loo leader. and this is a moment where black south

during his time in america. >>> nelson mandela was sentenced >>> nelson mandela was sentenced to life after famously saying he was willing to die for his principles. he served 27 years, 18 of them at the notorious robben island prison. and a lot of that time was hard labor like breaking rocks in the hot sun. tom brokaw recently traveled to robben island and met with some of those who came to know mandela then. including a man who became a most unlikely friend. >> reporter: robben island, once the most notorious prison in south africa now is a national shrine. the hard, hard place where nelson mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. tourists leave the comfort of cape town for the choppy ride to this reminder of cruelty and courage. they are guided by ex-political prisoners. >> june 1986, i was sentenced 14 years. >> reporter: through the cold corridors. >> this is number 7. the cell of mr. nelson mandela. >> reporter: and into the tiny cells. this is where mandela spent almost two decades. a cold stone cubicle. no plumbing. a thin mat for sleeping. hard labor in the prison rock qua

nelson mandela. >> nelson mandela closed a statement from the dock saying, "i have fought against white domination and i have fought against black domination. i have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. it is an ideal i hope to live for and to achieve. but if need be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die." nelson mandela lived for that ideal and he made it real. he achieved more than could be expected of any man. and today, he has gone home. we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth. .e no longer belongs to us he belongs to the ages. dignity andfierce unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, he transformed south africa and moved all of us. his journey from imprisonment to a president embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better. his commitment t

nelson mandela struggle was made more active. his was a journey that spanned six decades from an activism in the 1940s and 50s through nearly four decades of incarceration. it led to the end of apartheid and his election to the highest office in south africa. it was a long walk to freedom. thererisoner in his cell, must've been times when nelson mandela felt that his fists were beating against the wall that would not be moved but he never wavered. as he famously said at his trial, he wanted to achieve the ideal of a democratic and free society. it was also an ideal for which he was prepared to die for. even after long years of imprisonment, he rejected offers of freedom until he removed as they removed all the conditions. beliefas a believe in -- in human dignity, that no one was naturally superior than anyone else. as he said so powerfully when he came to speak in this parliament , in the end, the cries of the infant who died because of hunger or because a slid open it stomach will penetrate the noises of the city and it sealed

as a family we have no option except to be bound by the legacy of nelson mandela. for he would have accepted no less. let the word come from the place and far beyond our borders that we dare not to -- not stray his legacy. we continue to do the same. the torch is passed from our generation to the next generation of leaders who will seek to make our world a better place. our generation needs your leadership, oh madiba. many [ inaudible ] and so friends, death has made the final call on this glorious life. born from -- before our eyes but never from our hearts and minds as we mourn today let us not forget in many tomorrows that the greatest witness to his life is for us all to believe in testament to his magnificent leadership. although he no longer walks among us, the universitiality of humanity genuinely must continue. with this, passed on to us, to all nations great and small, to all onpeople, far and wide, lets dedicate ourselves to continue on a separate journey in which we travel together to a world where this harmony prevails. [ speaking in foreign language ]

nelson mandela meant everything in my life. like many other young activists, he was our touchstone, north star and somebody whose moral example really stirred my sense of how ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they have valued sense of politics. i'll never forget the time i was able to spend with him both in new york and then in south africa, 23 years ago. and i'm going through everything i can as u.s. representatives to help carry forth that legacy. >> and you first met mr. mandela right after being released from jail. you were in a room alone with him. tell me about that moment. you're young, 20 and impressionable and looking for your place and 20 years later you would be the ambassador for south africa. what happened in that room? >> really pretty incredible to me and hilarious in retrospect. this was immediately after the ticker tape parade we had and i escorted him into city hall, and next i knew we were alone. i discovered in moments of silence, had a weightiness to him. i was probably staring at him awe struc

nelson mandela will be released from the prison. >> there is mr. nelson mandela, a free man taking his first steps into a new south africa. >> reporter: released at the age of 72 in 1990. he remained ever vigilant that his country and freedoms rested in the hands of the people. >> i stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant. >> reporter: and for the people of south africa, mandela's release ushered in a new era of hope and the end of apartheid. >> today the majority of south africa, black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. >> reporter: in 1994 south african's cast their ballot in the first democratic election. >> this morning applause for the first black voter in history. >> reporter: mandela became the country's president, the first elected by all its people. >> we are all south africans. we have had a good fight, but now this is a time to heal the old wounds and to build a new south africa. >> reporter: after ruling for five years, nelson mandela passed the torch to the next generation and became an elder stat

nelson mandela became one of the greatest. this is tom brokaw reporting on nbc's "nightly news." >> nelson mandela was honored by new york city in a way usually reserved for presidents, astronauts and hometown world series champs. he came here to continue his campaign against apartheid. president bush said u.s. sanctions would stay on until certain additional steps are taken. but for the most part this was a day to celebrate mandela. the man who spent 27 years in prison was given a hero's welcome. governor cuomo calling him a symbol of indestructibility of the human spirit. mandela seemed tired, not quite ready for it all. jesse jackson gave him a hand with his tie. he urged united states to pain main his tough policy against south africa as blacks there struggle for equality. >> the only way in which we can work together on this difficult road is for you to ensure that sanctions are applied. >> mandela! mandela! >> mandela and his wife winnie stopped by a brooklyn high school. they were greeted by 10,000 people. new york city

mandela and a last people were uncomfortable about nelson mandela, including the appetite for the story. is it driving rating numbers for the networks? i don't think so. i think this is a simple story, a handshake, a selfie, whatever, people can grab it and that is the topic and drive the numbers. >> that was my point i am not saying it was a nonstory i am saying there are stories that are lighter than exactly what happened. >> speaking of light stories and something that is quickly understood, this selfie was taken president obama and the danish prime minister, the picture went around the world in 3 1/2 seconds and let me read to you what the new york post columnist sad to say, obama, she writes, use 9 occasion to act like a frat boy on a road trip to a strip bar making a fool of himself flirting with the danish hell cot who hiked up her skirt to expose long legs covered by nothing more substantial --. >> who does they work for, for crying out loudst she lays to the tabloids. you have to admit it went viral for a reason. if you looked at those ten photos in sequence, it was pretty funn

we once again saw the symbolic gestures nelson mandela loved. in the black and white military officers, then echo can inauguration as president just under 20 years ago physical terry fly pass before the casket was lowered in to the ground. from here the rest of the final burial was strictly private affair, out of respect for the family's wishes. >> schieffer: that was debra patta who has been covering this from the beginning for us in joe hansberg. joining us now cbs this morning cohost gayle king and actor forest whitaker they were both at the services earlier. and they have made their way now to johannesburg and they're with us, thank you both for coming this morning. gaylee what was this like? it must have been an amazing experience for you. >> bob, it really was. forest and i were talking in the car, we landed less than an hour ago jumped in the car came straight to you. both of us said a day that we'll never forget. nelson mandela for those who knew him say that he was a very simple man but there was nothing simple about this service today.

of nelson mandela? what made him this great south africa ree was this burning belief that everyone, every man and woman was equal. everyone born to be free. everyone created not with the poverty, but in created to have dignity in life. >> here here. the intensity to which nelson mandela believed this and his determination that he would paralyzed by fear. something that's recorded was brought to the prison in robin island, the shakespeare and he has e his signature, julius he words of ceasar. the coward dies 1,000 times the volumedeath, but taste of death but once. it's strange seeing that death, end, will come when it will come. remarkably, that amazing courage to stand up to evil stood with this lack of bitterness that has been described already today, orgiving his prosecutors the would be executioners and the he told ing story that me, the night before they left rison calling all of the prisoners together saying, yes, they would be justified in acts f revenge, retaliation, and retribution, but there c

likely see the likes of nelson mandela again. so it falls to us as best we can to follow the example that he set to make decisions guided not by hate but by love. to never disdown the difference that one person can make. to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice. for now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that nelson mandela lived. a man who took history in his hands. and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. >> president obama is expected to travel to south africa to attend the memorial service for mandela. at the united nations tonight, the security council paused for a moefl silence in mandela's honor. ? south africa, crowds of mourners have gathered to celebrate the life of the former president. robin is in south africa with the story of his incredible life. >> reporter: nelson mandela's struggle for freedom defined his life. he was born in the row motor hills of south africa's eastern cape. he was given the name which means troublemaker. he was only given the name nelson by a school teacher

president was closer to nelson mandela than jimmy carter. during his presidency carter was an early supporter of the african national congress. did he not meet until mandela until 1990, nine years after he left the white house, but the men forged a very real friendship on working on projects to aid africa. there were members of the elders, an elite group of world leaders cofounded by mandela. i sat down with former president jimmy carter before mandela's memorial. i asked if americans should be proud of the part they played in in apartheid in america. >> i had many talks with nelson mandela. i never heard him say that he states. he was grateful to cuba. he was grateful to others who spoke up for him while he was still in prison. he was grateful to the people who condemned the apartheid regime, but i don't think that he felt that his freedom and the change that took place in south africa was attributable to the united states. when i first met nelson mandela, the first thing did he was congratulate me on having a daughter, amy, who had been ar

we'll reflect on nelson mandela this morning. first, let's go to chief foreign correspondent terry moran. just outside mandela's former home in soweto. good morning, terry. i see the rain has started all around you. >> reporter: that's right, george. right now, the rain is just opened up on this scene here. but it hasn't dampened the spirits here in soweto, just up the street, as you say, from nelson mandela's home. you might call it the humble mt. vernon of south africa. a remarkable, national celebration right across south africa. the passing of great man. being marked in song, and pride, and smiles, not tears or sorrow. today, national day of prayer and reconciliation. we were at the church in soweto, a center of resistance and sanctuary during apartheid. there and if houses of worship across south africa, prayers lifted up for nelson mandela in english, in afrikaan. in zulu in all the many tongues of this truly rainbow nation. and he was really the one that kept them together and gave them the opportunity to begin again with

nelson mandela. it would have been ground breaking enough to become south africa's first black president, but he was so much more not only to his own country but all over the world. the long-time freedom fighter has died at the age of 95. madiba as he was known sacrificed decades of his own life in prison in an effort to win his countrymen freedom from the bonds of apartheid. mourning and tributes as you might imagine pouring in throughout the night from harlem to his hometown of johannesburg, south africa. it is all for a man who was prepared, as you heard, to die to bring democracy to a country where for so long it was denied. rohit kachroo joins us from south africa. >> reporter: the news of nelson mandela's death was announced late last night, just before midnight. inevitably people are still waking up and millions to hear the news that the father of this nation has passed away and this has become a focal point. the suburban home where nelson mandela spent many of his final years. ats first the n

quote, now that he, nelson mandela, now that he's dead and can cause no more trouble, nelson mandela is being mourned across the idealogical spectrum as a saint, but not long ago in washington's highest circles he was considered an enemy of the state. unless we remember why, we won't truly remember his legacy. let's start in the '80s. what was it about ronald regan? he saw mandela as such as threat. why? >> by the '70s and '80s he was seen as a threat in two different ways. the first was he had been involved in an organization that had supported aggressive tactics to end apartheid. it had been deemed a terrorist organization by the south african government. and some americans picked up on that. and the second was the accusation that he had received money from communists to support his causes. so this overwhelmed the actual cause that he was struggling for. and became a source of controversy during the '80s. >> dr. franklin, last time i saw you, you had come back from south africa. this summer, and you had sort of paid your respects in a sense over the summer when you were there, but

nelson mandela became one of the greatest. >> we end today with a thought on nelson mandela. sometimes we do something unfortunate when truly transformational people die. we allow the lives and legacies to be perverted and hijacked. we say nothing when the memories are distorted when what they say and stood for is twisted or ignored. when the prisoner turned president turned peace symbol died this week, tributes started. mandela was remembered for winning the democratic election, celebrated for never, ever appearing publicly bitter after a racist regime robbed him of nearly three decades of his life. but something else started to happen. this week rick santorum compared the fight against apartheid to the fight to repeal and replace obama care. that's a ridiculous comparison for reasons too numerous to mention. we heard and read from some that he was a communist and a tryst, the first assertion has never been proven and even if it was, so what? he palled around with castro and ka da if i and there was a time when we did, too. the second label that he was a terrorist, well, thi

they are president nelson mandela. >> pelley: no american president was closer to nelson mandela that bill clinton. their terms in office in the 1990s overlapped. when mr. clinton got caught up in scandal mandela visiting the white house stood by him saying our morality does not allow us to desert our friends. recently we asked mr. clinton about their special bond. >> you met with nelson mandela more than any president. and i wonder what was your relationship in those days? >> well, we became good friends. i met him, ironically in 1992 i met him at the democratic convention in new york when i was being nominated for president. we had business to do. they were one of the countries that voluntarily gave up their nuclear arsenal. and in the process of that we became good personal friends. we used to do business together on the phone where their time difference was so great i would take the call at night. and it wasn't too late mandela would make me go get chelsea every time he called and he would talk to her and ask her if she was doing her homework. he was an enormous help to me during

i met nelson mandela many times. engaged in the efforts to ensure that the apartheid oppression would end. joined with congresswoman barbara lee in 2008 to rid his name off the terrorist list. all of us in our small way are diminished by the commitment, dedication and sacrifice of this man. so, finally, i close by saying to all, in a letter that he wrote in april, 1971, for many of white house had the experience of walking -- for many of us who had the experience of walking into that cell and looking through those prison bars, to be reminded of the peace that he brought to the nation and to the world. there are times when my heart almost stops beating, slowed down by heavy loads of longing. i would love to bathe once more in the waters as i did at the beginning of 1935. he comforted himself by the wishes of hope. he comforted himself by wishing to hear the voices of children. he comforted himself by wanting to be what the people of south africa needed, an unembittered leader coming forward to lift the country up. may

nelson mandela and dr. king never met. the slain civil rights leader closely watched what was going on in africa and inspired by him. joining me now the son of martin luther king, jr. it's great to have you with me, sir. your mom and your sister bernice, they all traveled with you as you attended the inauguration of mandela. tell us what it was like, that kind of impact that was had on you and your family in 1994 and what that meant knowing the history you were coming from here in america. >> first, i would say thank you for the opportunity. as we mourn this loss for our world. but i remember in 1986 actually protesting at the south african embassy along with my mother and sister where we were arrested. of course, in 1994 going to south africa twice, on two occasions, one during the electoral process and, of course, for the inauguration, which was, of course, a celebration, which was really, in a sense, earth shattering to see the first african head of state of that wonderful country who really taught us about the power of

mandela and nelson mandela the rock star. his first trip to the united states shortly after he was freed from prison. >> you now know who i am. i am a yankee. this duracell trk has some very special power. ♪ [ toys chattering ] it's filled with new duracell quantum batteries. [ toy meows ] [ dog whines ] [ toy meows ] these red batteries are so powerful... that this year they'll power all the hasbro toys donated to toys for tots. want to help power some smiles? duracell. trusted everywhere. want to help power some smiles? i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it could save you in out-of-pocke

long lived the spirit of nelson mandela. long live the spirit of nelson mandela. madiba mandela. viva! thank you very much. to the president, and the pretty president -- >>> we welcome you back to our live continuing coverage of this memorial for nelson mandela. reached the noon hour here. 5:00 a.m. east coast time in the united states on a very t unpleasant day weatherwise. heavy rain, lots of it, increasing winds. most of the dignitaries you will see are, a, behind bullet-proof glass, b, a layer of glass separates them from

we will have a lot more on nelson mandela in just a moment. but there is some breaking news this morning on two fronts, afghanistan and iran. we want to go first to liz palmer who is just arrived in tehran. >> the first big milestone in the post geneva era of nuclear cooperation between iran and the west have been passed, bob. there is a highly controversial reactor outside of tehran which could in the end produce plutonium which could be used for a bomb. it's been off limits to the international agency inspectors, but today they were allowed access to the site. i should stress that this deal, this cooperative deal is not universally popular here in iran. the president gave a big speech at a university yesterday and he was heckled by hardliners who really feel as if his reformist government has sold out. he was also heckled by students who want more reforms, political and economic and they want them faster. which really underlines how he is going to have to tread a very clever, diplomatic path from here on in. >> schieffer: all right. liz palm

there is the myth of nelson mandela, there is the reality of nelson mandela, and then is the nelson mandela that you knew and there is the nelson mandela who obviously understood who he was and what he was and had time to reflect on all of this. tell me about the man, just -- >> well, i have been -- i have talked a lot, i have talked to you about -- >> rose: this morning. >> about the myth of him being a st. he hated being called a saint, and he wasn't a saint. he wasn't a saint for all kind of reasons, in terms of his own private behavior, which doesn't even matter, but he wasn't a saint because he was ultimaly a pragmatic politician. he, you know, people compare him to gandhi, people compare him to martin luther king, he said to me, he said, for those men, nonviolence was a principle. for me, nonviolence was a tactic. i used it as long as it was successful, but when it stopped being successful, i turned the anc into a military armed wing because my plate goal, my overriding principle was premium for my people and justice for my people and anything that would get me there was what road i w

nelson mandela's day is done. no sun out lasts it's sunset but will raise again and bring the dawn. nelson mandela's day is done. we confess it in tearful voices, yet, we lift our own to say thank you, thank you our david, our great courageous man. we will not forget you. we will not dishonor you. we will remember and be glad that you lived among us, that you taught us, and that you loved us, all. >> i spoke with dr. maya angelou shortly before air time. dr. angelou, i watched the poem you wrote and recited and one of the things you struck me, you refer to him as david, not just south africa's david out our david, our david and our giddian. >> a man, a woman we can all be that particular person who has enough courage to stand up and say i am one. i have enough courage to dare to be a lover, not an indulger but something who dares to love. that's what nelson mandela was about. he had enough courage to say i am -- you may call me. i am a person who dares to care for other human beings. and you see, one of the reason

mandela himself, in the presence of nelson mandela and his wife. that statue of nelson mandela stands there now and forever. yes, his hands are outstretched, as the prime minister said, but his finger pointing upwards -- as it always did -- to the heights. the man most responsible for the destruction of what people thought was indestructible -- the apartheid system -- and the man who taught us that no injustice can last forever. nelson mandela, the greatest man of his generation, yes, but across the generations one of the most courageous people you could ever hope to meet. winston churchill said that courage was the greatest human virtue of all, because courage everything else depended. nelson mandela had eloquence, determination, commitment, passion, wit and charm, but it was his courage that brought all those things to life. we sometimes think of courage as daring, bravado, risk-taking and recklessness, and nelson mandela had all those in admirable quantities, but he was the first to say that true courage depends not just on strength of willpower

this morning we remember nelson mandela. in life he united south africa and the world and his legacy as a fighter for freedom will continue to resonate well after his death. icon, legend, hero. none of those words seem quite big enough to describe a man who changed the world. ♪ and yet in the streets of johannesburg, the crowds are celebratory. south africa planning ten days of mourning. mandela's body will lie in state with leaders from all over the

and of course, it's all for nelson mandela. he will come to lie in state at the union buildings behind us here in the capital city of pretoria. the outpouring has been so great since his death, the number of dignitaries arriving here is so large, this nation is going to be pushed to capacity in terms of crowd control and transportation and accommodations and security, starting really when the sun comes up tomorrow. they are scrambling to accommodate presidents and kings and citizens. all while this country remains, of course, in mourning for this global figure that they happen to share with the world. so we will begin our coverage tonight with nbc's lester holt. he is just to the south of us outside the mandela home in soweto, the township where tomorrow's service will take place. lester, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian. good evening. you have to believe the largest stadium on the african continent isn't big enough to accommodate all those who would like to say farewell to nelson mandela. that guest list is impressive. it

hollywood has been captivated by nelson mandela. for the actors who brought his story to the big and small screen, there is a shared sense of pride to have honored his legacy and an overwhelming grief that he is no longer with us. to be honest, mandela's shoes were tough to fill even as mere props. rebel. prisoner. icon. president. reformer. there are many roles to play for an actor assigned to the legendary part of nelson mandela. at least 20 men have attempted to embody the icon, despite the challenge of replicating his world altering scenes. as the red carpets rolled out for last night's london premiere of "mandela, long walk to freedom" the final act of the leader's life played out offscreen. >> the founding president of our democratic nation has departed. >> mandela's two youngest daughters were at the premiere when they got the bad news. >> we want equal political rights. >> idriss elba will be the final leader to play the icon in his lifetime. but the opinion of his family looms large. >> they didn't want to see this sort of