 Joseph Persico compared Cronkite to Downs in their demeanor as reporters; the difference being that Murrow viewed Downs as a "satellite" rather than a potential rival, as Cronkite seemed to be.This placed Downs in the middle of many of their confrontations.He and his wife threw dinner parties at their house in Bethesda, Maryland, incidentally setting the stage for heated arguments between Cronkite and Murrow