Friendly's 1967 book "Due To Circumstances Beyond Our Control..." deals
with his experiences working at CBS News and his friendship and close
working relationship with broadcast journalist
Edward R. Murrow. The book
includes material on Murrow's famous broadcast on Senator
Joseph McCarthy and
Friendly's resignation from CBS News. Friendly left CBS after the
network management decided to preempt coverage of a Congressional
hearing on American involvement in the Vietnam war and broadcast a rerun of
I Love Lucy (1951) in its place.