Transcripts For CSPAN2 William Vanden Heuvel Hope And History 20240713

Times, is the part of our Irene Schwartz Speaker Series and is always i like to thank mr. Schwartz for his great generosity which is enabled us to bring so many fine speakers to this stage. [applause]. I would like to recognize the chair of our executive committee id like to thank you rick, for all of the very many things you do. On behalf of this great institution. Thank you. [applause]. And want to thank all of the chairman counselor to who are with us this evening as well for their great support of New York Historical. Tonight news program is about is lasting about an hour there will be a questionandanswer session. You should have received no card with a pencil on your way into the auditorium this evening and if not, my colleagues are going up and down the aisles with no cards and pencils. No cards with your questions will be collected later on in the program. The program there will be a book signing tonight. This will be in our ny history start and copies of ambassadors who are the book will be available for purchase. Tonight we are absolutely thrilled to welcome a great friend, back to the New York Historical society. Ambassador and hoople served as deputy u. S. Permanent rep. To the u. S. Midnight united nation. It is a former president of the International Rescue community. It was executive assistant to general william j donovan, special counsel to governor admiral and special assistant to attorney general robert f kennedy. Hes a founder of Franklin Eleanor Roosevelt institute and he is the International Attorney an investment banker. Investor manning who lives it also the author of hope in history. Mmm rr tumultuous times. Also delighted to welcome the daughter katrina and hoople. As our moderator for this evening. She is editorial director and publisher of the nation. She served as editor of the magazine from 19952019. She is the frequent commentator on u. S. And International Politics for abc and cnn and pdf. And her articles have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the boston globe. Among others. She also writes a weekly column in the washington post. Shes the author of several books including the changeability men, fighting for progress in the age of obama, and now as i yield the stage to our speakers, i would ask out as always please make sure the makes a noise like a cell phone be switched off. Now please join me in welcoming our speakers tonight. Thank you. [applause]. Thank you luis. I can a nudge in a more wonderful thing to spend an evening with one weather. I wanted to say a killer. All of us every sunday morning my weather and i met at his kitchen table. Across the stack of newspapers we would talk about live. In family we would have a lot. Then we would turn inevitably to the news and, the politics of the day and we would weep and we would laugh and scream, and always learn something from our discussions in our debates. In a come away with much more creative way of thinking about the challenges that can feel as im sure you feel overwhelming. As april the country apart we find ways to pull it together. My weather has been a witness threat is live to the countries struggles with its destiny. And he has worked alongside some of the most intriguing and women of the past century taken front challenges similar to the ones we face now. He reflects on many of these people and experiences in his new book open history memoir tumultuous times, and beginning with his childhood in rochester, new york. He was raised by immigrant parents in the shadow of the great depression. He retraces his path to the highest events of Government Politics and from the new deal to the Civil Rights Movement to the trump era. And it is part memoir of his part call to action in the book is still with insights and americans pass printed and i guess the New York Historical society news president ial historian directly writes in a wonderful preference to this book, the constant pendulum swings of history. And also engages with her current predicament ending with a powerful warning which you are firsthand about the danger in those words racism and corruption posed to our Democratic Institutions so and so many ways open history the source of inspiration for those i think all of us who are struggling to find hope inspiration and a specialist times as doors would the right front of my fathers rights, the book reminds us of how vulnerable Public Service can be. And reminds us to of the importance of heroes justice and memory. Just one word family members here, or all encourage my weather and joe who could be here, shes great collaborator a long time from my fathers hoople together memoirs and diaries letters, alongside the speeches. My fathers given over the years to put together i think becomes a riveting book of storytelling. On the storytelling. Youve begun to call him daddy. To say no. [laughter]. Mr. Ambassador. [laughter]. Daddy. In many ways this book emerged from the solenoid you gave me visited Prince Edward county which will talk more about the 50th anniversary of the reopening of the schools which have been shut down and segregated. It ended talking and David Roosevelt news house in 2017 and there was a talk about your two closest mentors. Roger baldwin. In that span is the span of history and leadership in this country history maybe you say a few words about your mentors and what they represented to you and you work particular with wild donovan as an assistant to him in talent you wrote so long. Thank you katrina pretty thank you katrina. Thank you for laboring to this evening. Its not such a great pleasure. To say how grateful this community and community of historians across the country as. This wonderful institution has grown so effectively over the past few years. And at the forefront, it seems to me if every historical argument, gives a very special place in the country. But getting back to i got the mail yesterday strangely, money. [laughter]. To a group that identify as a very right wing religious organization. And the of it was to raise money and the thesis that the American Civil Liberties union celebrating his his hundredth birthday this coming year. In the of the story was how can you trust an organization that was founded by one man. And that one man was baldwin and how i asked him how he wouldve been joy to that attack on him from this source and knowing and as everyone knows that you dont build enterprise like the American Civil Liberties union with only one person. The great masses of people but he was a very personal friend ive literally manning when he was 65. He was retiring from the civil regime and he lived to be 97. I transferred is loyalties from domestic Civil Liberties to international. And he was the shadow of the United Nations. Everybody loved him and had the sense to know that if you want to grow old gracefully, find friends in every generation. Let them go along with you. You need to that. It was a naturalist, it was his lawyer, had been Louis Brandei brandeis,. [laughter]. Is like walking into pro when he took a walk. I put him in that category. He was a conscientious objective. In world war i. Katrina and i will from virginia and i was asked to give a statement to a History Press from world war i. So he said will, world war i. [laughter]. So what i did was a seven going to tell you the sort of world war one personalities of two people. One of them was the greatest hero. He won every single medal the country of gave and was ahead of the fighting 69th wanted three times, was the most fearless man ive ever known. And was determined a sneak great patriot. He also happened to be in a course with his own career classified. So the fact that bill donovan was a conservative and republican, served with passover. The other person that was his great friend and mentor to was the person he became harlem stone. Became chief justice of the United States. In 1941. So donovan was a man of the world. Everybody knew him and he was a major of course in the military planning is literally the weather of american intelligence. Nick he was the conscientious objector. He went to prison. And he came out of the president hero. Because he taught them how to be nice prisoners. [laughter]. And he talked about how to play the piano he worked in the gardens is the wonderful story and later would i was the leader of the board of corrections, i thought every president could use a roger baldwin. [laughter]. So you started in many ways and circumstances like ours, the deeper dictation, and i am thinking that we do worked with donovan, you and is the leading member of the International Rescue committee to hungry during the hungarian revolution which is often not inherent in 1956. But you learn from that experience in terms of modernizing and be compassionate for refugees in terms of resistance. Really began in june 17th 1953 would east germany, there was a workers uprising. They have apps that uprising spread over to poland in 1960. That later on 1950 in maine 1954 or maybe 1955. So the hungarian revolution, was a spontaneous event rarely seen where students were killed by the secret Service Ashes and other that killing they rose up grabbed her arms and began a fight against soviet soldiers to claim on right for itself. That was very important. There is a lot of feeling and military circles in those days that russias strength was magnified by a satellite state. The hungarian revolution proved just the opposite. The satellites will very great impediment to the great dose and growth. So the courage of those young people was it astonishing thing to see. And for me, who General Donovan sort of the last Great Mission of his live. For me and introduced me to the problem of refugees and immigration. We took 250,000 refugees out of a great overnight. Brought them to the United States and the world together, free from area. So was a memorable experience in rentals within the get today would i see how we approach the dissidents, and heaviness in how we approach the a system of immigration. For the system of refugees. It is a different problem. With refugee problems always have a very Strong Political aspect to it. Let the International Committee had been on the board now for 64 years, and this is remarkable organization. And the president , foreign minister of great britain. I think its probably the leading voice on behalf of refugees in america. Want to come to this book. And i know if you see the cover of this book is so interesting. So starting is my weather working walking with Robert Kennedy in paris. Maybe they tell us a little bit about the moment that that caption that it captures an attribute took with the senator kennedy. Some of the highlights. It was in 1967. I think Robert Kennedy got tired. Its very personal things that have dealt with. So he told them, lets go to youre up. So the two of us went and it was a remarkable truck printed began and oxford. He debated phenom and oxford union. Berlin was his host for the occasion. But we went and so i was thinking of the crown. The queen now recognized as being very much taken by harold wilson. And we its been a couple of hours with harold wilson. It was remarkable from here especially with you going out today with the queen was listening to swiss it very much against vietnam. They had to deal with Lyndon Johnson. And Robert Kennedy, he said we are not going to do it. Were just going to have to pay the price. Hes been its a big price. And since johnson puts constant pressure on me and like in my government. I dont know weather it will be held. Want to know and we will best friend with the market. Frankly we think we do would will telling them do you get out of vietnam. So that was very interesting on the trip. In another aspect which with a meeting look all, general de gaulle was 6foot four and majestic. Had he had presence wherever he was. In Robert Kennedy and we went to the palace and conversation began by staying as i told your brother,. [laughter]. You why not defeat called. And then he went into the meaning of the war in vietnam and france which was a terrible defeat shouldve not been patient much but not much earlier. In the United States is losing. He credited the United States to being heroic country in terms of fashioning the ideals of the world that we all want. Would the conversation is over, the general came over to take bobby and put his arm around him. Bobby wasten. In the general was 6foot four. [laughter]. I said to him, im going to Say Something to you on this longest experience of my live in the winds that i bear, he says for both of us, vietnam has been a very difficult event. Since my time dealing with it is over. But on my advice to you, that you have a great future for your country in a larger future for the world. And you should protect it at all costs. Do not get involved with vietnam. Since becoming so much that you are held accountable. So the picture was taken on the cover, at the palace and had parked along the sand and just reflecting on white general. Ive personally was a great fan. Just out of emigration. For his abilities to lead in the creativeness of his thought process. Robert kennedy was not necessarily that inspiring but he felt arrogant. He felt that he admitted he of the United States. Problems for great britain. So is very important meeting. Let the big thing or main thing about the kennedys as they absorb things. They have a loophole knowledge that is not enormous but they learned. They bring people around them whose trust with a trust and they talk to historians and finally it really are serious of things where maybe ten or 20 leaders of the government would come every week and they would have a naming of discussions. So this was the case with Robert Kennedy. Certainly in vietnam. As long as he was his brother news protector, he never disagreed with the forces. It is only after his brother stepped. There became much more difficult. He wasnt pretty. What kind of relationship do they have parade [laughter]. Is the wonderful book called mutual contempt. [laughter]. Is the picture of the cover of the book is bobby is sitting scaling. Sitting in the front row of an audience and Lyndon Johnson is streaking. There will two people and i think most unfortunately, who really disliked each other. And found many opportunities to express that. [laughter]. Especially to each other. So its kind of astounding that you just went off to youre up for a few weeks. I think that note is that you walked in the street we ran into truman capote. Yes. [laughter]. And henry kissinger. This is the 1967. Couple of questions about working with Robert Kennedy. You will his special assistant. He assigned to you, one of the errors central civil rights cases problems to reopen schools in Prince Edward county which had been shut down for four years. My wife would refuse to enforce the brown first this board of education decision. Any fines of that decision. Tell us about the lessons you drew from the experience in terms of art still ongoing and urgent quest for racial justice. Have a current confront racism today. News difficult to remember that the state of virginia, led this intent desegregation. Against brown and board of education rick is the massive resistance with the words used. It was ahead of the the political system in virginia. And so wont the decision was absorbed, virginia took the position that the Supreme Court might order us to desegregate our schools but they cant order us to help schools. Because there is nothing in the constitution that obligates us new educational system. As of the used a sneak test case, this extraordinary county in red heartland virginia, who Prince Edward stage in history of the war between the states of the street and Prince Edward county was where robert ely started the night of april 7th 1865. The man these, the next night. In the mix limit the next day. But so it was in that setting, that Prince Edward return case and nobody expected it to take. They expected the Supreme Court to solve the issue. Let the southern lawyers will brilliant. The use every thing at their command to delay. So would president kennedy came to office, and they found that there was a place in america schools will denied to american children. He became very personally interested in that. And then the attorney general was instructed in particular priority attention in the attorney general said to go ties up the situation and make a recommendation. My recommendation was unique. I was difficult. I said let us set up a school system, i modeled school system. Lets show them how this can work. And meanwhile will find the case and course which will ultimately win let the children meanwhile why not be denied an education. And we finally agreed. In one of the great qualities of Robert Kennedy was that he was a decisive leader. In a very creative leader. And was capable of seeing would an idea had with the money. So he asked me to undertake this. And we set up the school system. And we recruited teachers from around the country which was wonderful reminder of how i deal and motivate so many of our teaching. And then to put in teachers came from all over the country. Paid by the local School Systems to be in Prince Edward county and Prince Edward county ended up having the most modern and uptodate interest in what was going on nationally. In children who had been in school and five years, came out of the and they could read men read. And i think it was then regarded as an extraordinary achievement that both of the whites and the blacks ended up accepting what had been done. That was a very important thing. In the National Attention that we helped it was going do you get, was destroyed overnight. The night before the press conference. In Prince Edward county. The bills will killed in birmingham. So the nation sides will turned to tragedy instead of hope as we had anticipated. But it ended up very hopeful greg and would the case in the Supreme Court. And i did nothing. In the schools will open and the children move in the next day. The Robert Kennedy came down to Prince Edward county and was giving a heroes try. I dont think theres a place in an america that grieves more than Edward Kennedy because he felt that he had personally taken an interest in them. And he did. Civic extraordinary to be there in the 50th anniversary of the opening of the schools. President obama gave his first day of the address. Something today, so many people who are nation is torn apart and they were through terrible pain. Let the 60s, would the time was terrible taint pain and. I think of that often. Theres a resilience that we need to remember. Remember that. And especially going to the white house is the day after president kennedy was assassinated and see i have the institutional can forgive the partisan thanks to these cabinets. But where we are going through in the countries can dismiss week and we are attitude to forget we have gone through in the country nowadays. And you mentioned 1963. 1964, 1963, i think it was 1963. The president of the United States was assassinated. That was an extraordinary crime. In a stuck government, it stopped people, it sucked all of us in our doings. It to absorb that. In the course of three years, we lost the president of the United States, melissa potential president of the United States mightve been a very great president we lost a leader in the Civil Rights Movement in america. Martin luther king. Let us let her. He stopped to think what that means that that combined loss of those men at that time, was cataclysmic. In fact that the country held together to a large part due to Jackie Kennedy and onassis now. Led the nation in disciplined grief. In London Johnson frankly, but an extraordinary knowledge of government and is shared and then agenda with president kennedy. Bobby. And it worked is it too. Out and take advantage of the situation to do it. Yes, we should be very concerned today about what the sanctions are in government. We are moving forward in this context. Loophole if you are the 1968 convention, you know what, i mean. I would state that the agent violence, discovered the ground. Many people dont know that you had a chapter as regress the terrible flaws and injustices of our criminal Justice System which still exists. 1979, as restated suicide in the prisons, becomes share of the board of corrections. He spoke about the massacre hanukkah, involved in attempting you brought attention to the prisons and the media in a way that is happening tonight but wasnt then. Tell us a little bit about that. John pregnant is in the audience. He was part of the Young Lawyers that i recruited from the major law firms. And i asked him to volunteer for six months. Ten different terms. Would no money in the border of corrections. For program that they were doing. Late john came in as one of those ended up as the executive director of the board of corrections. And to this day, would the bigger voices the president reform. And i will take a look at this chapter the book because it tells a very different story about what live can be. In a nation that has 2 Million People in prison. We should be asking ourselves every day, why. They were going to find as we began to say 50 years ago, the real reason is they cant take place in prison. In has to take place outside of it and it has to have an individual quality of attention to it. The board of correction i guess in 1960, he might get even with me. [laughter]. One of the prisons exploded pretty nasty to be the chairman of it. The key was john lindsay, im not part of. I think he was a firstclass mare. And i think it was a firstclass leader. In his cinema when he asked me to do this, to come to a party employees, about issues or how we should handle things, i promise you that i will leave quietly that went out an advertisement. Weve got to give me your support as mayor in the things that have to be proposed. I worked out wonderfully. He supported me always. It was not easy. Its called but every name by the head of the correctional association. All kinds of people in on kinds of reasons demand that i be executed. Or whatever they wanted to do. For three years, we will very good partners and john brickman, brought together a whole group of young people rated different generations and with different attitudes in each one of us can still today, are involved in figuring out what can be done to inform the Justice System. I believe the criminal Justice System is running in a large part of the District Attorneys office. I think you have to have someone there understands far. Would i think today but one day in the beginning of the investigations in the suicides at the prisons, we found this room of solitary confinement. Mr. John, id want to be chairman of operation has responsibility for punitive unit like that. That is demeaning to a live itself. And they close it down immediately but i think i believe is been returned to his place. Prison reform is the very tough issue. Its not have constituency. It takes those big walls that surround prisons are intended to keep out as well as people in. And we saw attica, and the response of the state government, presumably in enlightenment body to what was going on. Thered be prison riots for 200 years. In the thing of always sit down and talk as long as you possibly can. Until take the tour down. And they began to rate instructed if you could, instead of that governor sit in our regards. Fortythree people were killed. Most serious prison riot in this country. It was only a Young Rochester new york, that the courage good taken the autopsies to. Out that the 43 people would been killed will all killed by the bullets by the state troopers. Despite what is been announced to the Governor News office as the prisoners killed them. Gives you some sense of how difficult that problem was. You are cochair of jamie carters campaign in new york state. Is back in the hospital. You saw in something, the New York Times did not. They would even have him in for coffee. Let alone an Editorial Board meeting. So a few months six months to begin working. They become he becomes president nero pointed you and in geneva and it master to the un and in the United States. It is become a central part of your live. Your belief in the un, however flawed institution, but we do see as an heir to the 795th anniversary of the un and his dedication to that. Would they just say about jamie carter. A minimum 19795. They had a small dinner for him. 19795. His victory was political. Let the fact of the matter is that i thought he wasnt running. And that the next thing was the country would do well to have a liberal southerner. As Vice President of the United States. And that kind of was absolutely certain to become a Vice President ial candidate. Willie fuld them all. In the first time that i ever minute, anthony in the 90 said, im going to be president of the United States. In a minute. In the brilliance of jordan and 82 page memorandum the rope a sneak whole practically set myself. Really one of the great political investments. Ive Great Respect for him. It was unusual. And it full into the bowl of prior candidates. Very religious man. In effect and affected his live very much. He lived in that context. And your friend arthur didnt want any part of him because of that. The first rally sorted that we had at the unitarian church. On 80th street. This december 19, 1975. And first of all has brought happy about political fundamentalism. Having an open door to the white house. [laughter]. And he also was not happy about the fact that an answered to a question as to whether or not the world had been created by a certain day jamie carter said i never saw this letter but arthur said that he wrote in for life to say yes he believed that it was a certain year there is made. I went to the arguments over the years. The carter was determined to be the first president that had a full term of office that did not involve themselves in war. Its not a pessimist. But he believed that the elements of war could be handled in a very different way. Any kind of was an ideal president for the United Nations and had his own domestic strength held together but hostage situation in iran, devastated the last 18 months of his presidency. And after the failure of the rescue mission, it was very difficult for him to see reelection. Then of course the challenge to ted kennedy in the primary against johnson, was unfortunate. And stuff you was 79 is in the government appointed by governor carter and is it you are not going to win this. Im not going to trauma back on someone who is really best done important things for United Nations is such an important possibility for us. Makes it hard and would i read these recent books by julie feld for example, david vollmer. President roosevelt last year, not being as sick as he had to know he was. Determined to organize and instrumental, a universal organization that could be major instrument in stopping or keeping peace. And the went to the alternate do you get the soviets to come into the un. They werent interested in it. Winston churchill wasnt interested in it. Marissa believed deeply that the time had come would wars could no longer be one. In the United States at the peak of its power should use that power to show the world how we could live together. And he didnt live long enough. Missus roosevelt in some ways take his place as an extraordinary participant. We celebrate next week the universal declaration of human rights. It probably the most important human rights document the storms of the 21st century. As missus roosevelt news great work. She regarded it a sneak great work of her lifetime. Franklin roosevelt was a man of vision and a practical man. And he understood mistakes Woodrow Wilson had paid in the context of legal nations. And he built United Nations and he lived continue to build a pretty heavy have another ten years it wouldbe a very different world today. Is the great memo in the book, itll lunch with about ten or 12 people, bill clinton when he was president. Any of presented that. Much more than that. How the un could be a source. The piece. It president clinton, and a sense of liberal heartbeat. [laughter]. Invited several people over. And we its been three hours discussing liberalism in a modern day. But ive had enough experience with those so i wrote a ten page memorandum before the meeting. I lifted with the president we do get a chance to president please look at this. And i was about the un. What could be done. How can they do it differently. But he was sent to me, i sent him an repoll she was 79 percent or more of the americans what the un to be successful. Theyre prepared for our country to minute. Then why wouldnt the president drive onto that and do something. Bill clinton said, well theres 15 percent who hate the un. And then vote on their feelings. Where is percent doubt. They have ten other things they are equally interested in. Well i thought that like some sunlight that that was it. You and can be a major successful instrument in peace. Unless the United States makes it so pretty the mansfield question before you go. I think one of the most moving aspects of open history his relationship to the Roosevelt Legacy. The work you put into establishing the freedom are, whose cons last memorial in the sense of your family had your immigrant parents, the workers in the boardinghouse and roosevelt is part of their live. Somebody stood by them shoulder to shoulder. I see Roosevelt Legacy today. What is it for you and. Is desperately in danger. This group in our country today, including newt gingrich, i heard him say to the heritage that this is our last chance, youve had three opportunities. This is the third. We can really do. I was that. Others dont think in terms of history. Franklin roosevelt change the country. He change the world. He created a government that was identified a few months. He said judgment but, to help those who have much of adjustment by how much help those who have need. Any soul the necessity of the Climate Opportunities of rebuilding the country. If they get the tv eight three initials mean nothing today. Would the first things president roosevelt dead, was to set up the dba. For some republicans and was instructed for 20 years. Had it created, you go to the southland, the Southern States the tibia and locate it, and is the different country than it wouldve been. He brought the south end of modern america. And he brought the rest of the country together so that we entered world war ii, that was strength. But with the capacity to bring a war machine that enabled us to win the most terrible war in human history. So i think we are so fortunate to have someone like roosevelt. I admire him greater. My parents will not political in any way. They both will immigrants. My mother from belgian she said was 25 years old and went from First World War started, and she lost her husband and shoot two that lived on the border. In a battle of world war 11 million men were killed. It is a thought that hardly for human absorption but that was the case. She came with a different attitude about youre up and america. If my weather had immigrated from holland. The met here. They saw it on roosevelt and listened and we go in my fathers shoulders to the railroad to the president with her. They saw that for me, was taking my mother to be Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939 on the im american day. And beaming with that we knew that we could see the president in our own country. Do the figure like roosevelt could live in todays political climate. Keeping the government together in that way but when he became president , he was dealing with those problems and the 20th century, had congressional authorities. They allowed them to do this. Two thirds majority in the states as did johnson in that election. Republicans today have always had made everything impossible. I fear for the republicans in the senate themselves who participate in except that they can vote seven times in a row and never once offered fact. One of the great ideas is the green new deal. I know you are a great advocate on that. I do think they want to run in this climate. Franklin and three in a roosevelt for our country for its people, i think the climate problems in the environmental problems today for that generation. I think its beginning to take hold but with this administration, withdrawing for the pairs accord, approach the scientific community, its not encouraging. Little bit on what we are talking about, we met in albany in 1967 and you introduced me and others to bobby kennedy. You care to speculate this . One of kennedy lived . Yes. We talked want how you read in your review, king was preparing to endorse Robert Kennedy. It was the first endorsement ever. They fight for issues, not for that. He was prepared, despite the history between the two men. Two really support kennedy for that. It certainly ought to break of question. Its a debatable question. As to whether Robert Kennedy could have done that. There were a lot of forces against him. They became available to lead the anti vietnam forces and john mccarthy, i think it made it difficult for the coalition. But he really does. They come together, George Wallace was playing his rules and taken out of it. One thinks, i think when they come to the debate, he said Robert Kennedy could win it. This is part of a Roosevelt Legacy but theres a lot of discussion today about the takeover of the court. We grew up in a household where is referred to as the roosevelt reform program. [laughter] today reform is gone. How do you see that . Its one of the most important issues facing our country. We are in a crisis thats extraordinary. I supported roosevelt in the reform plan because what he was doing was night fighting for personal, he was fighting to save his new deal. If he had not summative the court which had the closing of everything that they decided upon, he was a class Social Security, i think how much Social Security means in this country. When we are in a financial crisis of 2007, people no longer said yes its true if we didnt have socialist security, would be an a depression. What he did the request form a Social Security program that took into account participants. Make them independent, made it impossible for them to eradicate the Social Security program by giving those. He won that battle even though they hadnt done very well. But he won it because they quit. Thats going to happen again. Its almost inevitable. It doesnt occur whether trump wins it or not. As long as they have five votes prepared to fight the ideology, radicals conservatism is and maybe they dont have that but if they have it, they are going to seek that. All the work thats being done and things of medicare and aggressive process. It certainly has to be seen related to the Supreme Court doing that to us. Theyve opposed what the Supreme Court does, it began with abraham lincoln. The most radical voice up against the Supreme Court was theater roosevelt. Franklin roosevelt always tipped his hat but he fought about. Hes a republican, attorney general but franklin was respected the new deal. He became chief justice and was a very good man. You assisted refugees in the 50s. How do you explain, understand that . Thats a great tradition. I wouldnt deny it for the country. He was part of a Reform Movement earlier on. They decided the president should be briefed on. Since truman had been, they did a briefing on what went on. They were filled with excitement and the meaning of what it was all about. Mr. President , dont you think theres something more we could have done . He said without hesitation, no. Then truman loved to go into historical discussions. He said beginning 1919 when he took over, they represented the fascist side of it. They were always looking for an opportunity to get on the right side. They said they saw that after the war. They saw an opportunity to get the world to look at that so they started their own revolution. The revolution began on october 23 and it was october 29. He says is that so . Maybe we could have done something. [laughter] my eyes were never closed. Never understanding what is thats going on in the world. [laughter] from different perspectives, youve both usually been in agreement. For example, the cold war, socialism, the constitution, cuba, russia. [laughter] katrina is the great editors of our times. Theyve been responsible of left liberalism. Shes one of the worlds great russian scholars. So they have their world. [laughter] perhaps most proud of my editor in the aftermath of 9 11 in supporting justice not vengeance, opposing the iraq war and we found great agreement at a time when so many work supporting the war effort including liberals. In cuba, we agree on the constitution, we probably, you are not as enamored with some of the insurgent politics, progressives left today. Much more russia than i am but it said for me to observe democrat, so ideological. This is not mens resources of the soviet union. Writer today as a country one fifth of what it was when we fought the second world war. No country in the world is in the 20th century, suffering and the pain of war i think roosevelt found a way to live with russia and eventually in katrina and come to power, we would have been in a position to help him. He was one of the great leaders and its a sadness. I think i felt when you spoke on hungary in 198990, he gave a freedom reward in Washington State was really his decision to say to the armies in Eastern Europe and satellite countries, we are not going to hold you hostage anymore. I became a different part. I think we did disagree. He has to get out of that party. We elected to the future. I think we disagreed once on them. My father ran for District Attorney against frank hogan and there was someone running for District Attorney who once and i supported that. I supported this person because he was creative, innovative and if they had called my father in an editorial on the eve of the election, he was political and too hot and thats what they said about you. I never knew why i wanted that because i remember you telling the newspaper on the car like you hates me. April 301980, i was in the un, talking about the agenda. Then suddenly i was attacked from behind. I thought i was shot because i was covered with red which turned out to be paint. As i looked around, he was also being attacked at the same time. The people of terrorists had come into the u. S. For the first time in history. To express their concern that the u. S. And soviet union whether to greatest world makers and they chose to strike their investors. So it was risky one. So i went over and a reporter said to me, what did he say to you . I said rub it in. [laughter] he lived on that for many, many years. [laughter] he got sent to china. That was a reward. And you kept that suit. That was to who had thrown red paint on my father and came to the nation seeking somebody to write an editorial. Anyway. Katrina came over for a visit for a couple of weeks and as i went out to the airport he said, im not sure what you are going to run into but when i went out there, i found katrina plane had been taken over by terrorists and the plane was sitting there with the understanding the private of the night, they had connections to explosives in the luggage and at 4 00, they were going to blow up the plane. So i try to associate with the person who sent the letter had not identified himself so we had no response coming back so we had to figure out what to do before 4 00. We sent the police at 4 00 and everybody escaped. It turns out the person who done this who had been in america for 50 years. And it would have been a world title. People get off the plane. They were off that plane and we were so grateful to see katrina again. Katrina went home so we had a clear sense that it was russia. Thank you for this conversation. [applause] i just wanted a second to say when i really believe deeply about the great threat to america. I think in war, it must be stopped and we are in a position to do it. The racial question is pulverizing devastating and what we have made great, we have begun to do what has to be done, to bring intelligence to that problem. I think the corruption issue going to make them understand when we kicked around to finally figuring out what they have done. I think money has made it very difficult and i think the most important thing is that we have lost a commitment to truth in our government. You cannot have a democracy without truth at its core. [applause] thank you so much. We could go on forever here. Thank you so much for being with us. We want to invite you to visit ambassador in our bookstore on 77th street, he will be signing books and would love to chat with you. So thank you all so much for coming and again from it was wonderful having you on our stage. Thank you. [applause] a recent episode of book tvs program in depth, we were joined by author and wall street journal columnist jason riley. In this portion of the program, he offers his on race in the criminal Justice System. I think the criminal Justice System is improved over what used to be, and what my father and grandfather experienced in this country but it still not perfect. But i would caution against taking these examples and saying they are typical. Versus exception or admiration for saying summary are wrong is because of the racist system. Se. I dont see a lot of evidence for that and i think oftentimes we have discussions about the racial makeup of prisons and jails but we dont talk about the makeup of people who perpetrate crimes. They really have one discussion without the other. As imperfect as the criminal Justice System is, it has and continues to be, i still think there are behavioral differences among groups that lead to representatives in that system. To watch the rest of this interview and find more episodes of indepth, this is our website, booktv. Org and click on the indepth tab near the top of the page. Good evening, everybody. Thats a good response for cspan. [laughter] my name is peter, im a professor at the University Law school. The key center, we take very serious the proposition in our generation civil rights challenge. See the stories we have here provide a personal narrative of what it means to be living in a city