When the late Fred Rogers took the microphone before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications, millions of dollars were at stake.

President Lyndon B. Johnson had proposed giving the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — which aired Mr. Rogers’ iconic children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood — a $20-million grant.

But President Johnson had left office and his successor, President Richard Nixon, wanted to cut the grant in half, according to the anonymous blog Don’t Tell the Donor.

Against that backdrop, the Senate subcommittee had invited Mr. Rogers to come to Washington and state his case for the money.

John Morris, who writes for Pittsburgh Bloggers, unearthed a 1969 clip on YouTube of the late Mr. Rogers testifying before the U.S. Senate subcommittee. In the clip, Mr. Rogers is able to argue to the subcommittee why the Corporation for Public Broadcasting needed the full grant amount.

After watching the clip, Mr. Morris proclaims Mr. Rogers the “best fund raiser ever.”

“I can’t remember now how I came across this awesome display of fund raising ability by Fred Rogers in 1969,” Mr. Morris writes. “I am more than slightly a libertarian, but one has to be pretty impressed by his simple, intense commitment.”

Is Mr. Morris right? See for yourself in the clip below. And share your thoughts on whether the assessment is correct by clicking on the “comments” link below.