Could you please be seated . Welcome to the Civic Affairs speaker series. I am president of the Womens NationalRepublican Club. Our organization was founded by the separatists in 1921 to teach women the value of the ballot. Our founders built the townhouse in 1934. Today, the Womens NationalRepublican Club continues its goal of furthering political education and promoting good governance. The chair of the series will introduce the renowned author this evening. [applause] good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am the chair in the speakers committee. Tonight i have the great had tht privilege and honor to present to you the speaker, with mr. William f. Buckley, junior the renowned social and political commentator, journalist and author of 37 books which range from the adventure to commentary and awardwinning fiction. Mr. Buckley needs no introduction. Everyone in the room is familiar with this achiever. We have read his syndicated articles such as the column on the right, the National Review which he founded until recently edited, and of course watched him on the longrunning firing line on saturday morning. Tonight mr. Buckley will speak to us on his latest and most personal book nearer my god in autobiography of faith. Here is what one critic has to say about mr. Buckleys latest works. It is a splendid story about a progress. Hes written a book that is inspiring and exactly what we have come to expect from him. Its an added blessing however to us all that he engages the intelligence that has graced this country for several generations. Please welcome our speaker for tonight, mr. William f. Buckley, junior. [applause]. At the corner of park avenue and key cities in the backseat is no sin rockefeller so immediately he pulls himself to the ground. One year later he is given a check for a Million Dollars and says i just want to tell you something if i see you move one arm or leg anytime in your lifetime you will spend the rest of your time in jail. He says i will put you how to make it easier for you to find going to be met by the magazine and you will see th posted the u ever saw. [applause] im here by invitation we struggle to make the distinction i was asked almost ten years ago to undertake it. But undertaken in 1992, i write my books in switzerland into six or seven weeks during the winter. At the end of my writing season, i was pretty dismayed because i found the subject was so vast and intimidating i was afraid i couldnt do that without justice. So i turned and said sorry im going out but then it began. You think back on it and doesnt quite ring the memory. I wrote an introduction from which i recall a [inaudible] among whom there were those who sing like nightingales and before entering a monastery was to entertain industry. On the chosen day he makes a way through the dark dormitory into the chapel to the devotional literature repaying the mother of the maker designed to and beautiful in the minds eye thinking of myself as this particular enterprise. With some of the questions. I undertook a special look at a marvelous book widely for often called difficulties. 1933 famous at that time as an explorer and philosopher and historian found themselves up against a kind of traveling postures and couldnt convince himself he got to go all face if he thought and wrote the most prominent theologian in england. He became a catholic somewhere along the line and invited father marx to explore certain difficulties and how in the free world is that wha said what do k was happening when christ told peter he would be betrayed three times the next morning, peter acknowledged he had free will to dwell in them and ask ourselves if there are perspectives on the basis of which we have fresh news on these difficulties. In the opening chapter, theres there isa chapter you might havt in the National Review the year i spent the in england they told the driver to stop by and saw Dennis Chamberlain was sent from an airplane coming back. In any event, i speak about the experiences of sometimes called as it was not unusual since im one of ten children, but on the other hand a mother and father it was simply as we understood it. I went on in my book autobiographic way to go through my experiences and my experiences at yale in the hypocrisy and affirmation of the position combined with the disparage an examination of doctrine and how this Christian Doctrine become christians since we dont have a Supreme Court. It is done as a result of an evolution. He had been there for ten or 15 years and one doesnt quite know when it is when one is backend to become so his friends i and s brothers and sisters. When he was admitted into the order there was a questionnaire on my traveling word processor and they are very eloquent. Theres a chapter i did three or four years ago with bill simon. The boards story is so that they information people simply dont quite understand what impact happens there. The miracles are very few and highly numbered. No enterprise is bound to the lack of success as someone pretends to because those that affect our exposed to a barrage of medical examinations that cant possibly be survived by anyone taking a bucket has that effect which is difficult to describe. The editor said nothing is indescribable. I attempt to do so and so there is material of various kinds in that the devoted to exchanges between the seven or eight scholars who are converts to christianity. So ordained by a Supreme Court which in my judgment and in the judgment of others including the Supreme Court justices in the First Amendment in order to transform the constitution into a kind of antireligious instrument. The subject is always in the news in some way or another. You may have read about the in alabama he boosted it with a copy of the Ten Commandments hanging in his courtroom. Now when they noticed a the aclu went into a spin it is appealing to have a court order coming down. It is complicated by governor james said he simply didnt give the order to come down somebody else would have to. On another front, the amendments were discovered in alabama. But she had done was to seek subscriptions to a pledge. The pledge was called lets wait until then. She had 50 girls committed to this covenant which was to postpone experience until marriage. When it was detected that heather was also a member of the Christian Week under the circumstances said this is a clear violation of the constitution and would have to cease. Reflecting it was too late but my reflection was everyone is familiar with nancy reagan just say no. What would happen hypothetically if nancy reagan were kind of [inaudible] would it be beyond to circulate a pledge offered by the famous nancy reagan saying never say never. What if it were discovered by the incremental dead sea scrolls that at the last minute the Ten Commandments for a personal invention. A if there was no religious auspice. These are the questions. I do talk a little bit about this in the book which is not controversial except religion is controversial in the highly secularized world if there were a couple of concrete events in the book, one of which may interest you. I will read out from the text in february, 1980. Approached through an intermediary to ask the exact size and shape undecided. That would be left in my hands. The single asset had gone through a lot of money and forth to access the Sistine Chapel on the appointed day for 48 hours. The invitation to me was to passion to the programs to be filled in the Sistine Chapel. I accepted the position, and i called on Malcolm Muggeridge and asked if he would service my cohost. He readily agreed and it was expected i would try to participate in this extravagan extravaganza. Two weeks before, in neighboring switzerland and greece who regularly vacationed family nearby had studied at our house and i got Charlton Heston who would pay michelangelo in one movie, john the baptist and another, the greatest story ever told and then the Ten Commandments. It was by the prospect adorned by the creation but a few days that we convened there was a telephone call from muggeridge. In the course of my lifetime, he said, i think most famous people in the world and almost uniformly i find myself wishing i happened. [laughter] but i think that this one is different. I wonder if you can arrange an audience with him so i insisted he use his resources and i use mine. If we were notified we had in appointment with the pope the following day at 1 00. We proceeded with the parables and the idf was to ask whether in their own experience there was something that could rival the parable whether it be point of the parable or have a contemporary application, all of them are performed marvelously and when it is over, we prepare to the scheduled appointment. We were summoned to his private quarters at 12 45 for a 1 00 appointment. Who could see on the Television Screen so they were still making the statement addressed to the curiosity for the largest and finally he gave his blessing and was asked to stand with each other and would arrive soon. If the next day he was hospitalized with influenza and around his neck several lyrical aides were in attendance. He approached Malcolm Muggeridge and the exchanges are etched in my memory. Yes, he said, you are ready to . What answer can one give to that question . Malcolm smiled and managed to say yes she had done some work on the radio. The pope which does nothing to further and offered his hand to. You are very close to my predecessor. I have great information for all of this. He turned and extended his hand to me. I had to act quickly i thought if there was any hope of rescuing our people, the machinery in the vatican had been tangled with the importance given to their work. One of his visitors might have informed them perhaps the most eloquent speaking of live. Another was a renowned both of whom had room to with the catholic american journalist in circles. It passed through my mind that this second bureaucracy and probably briefed the pope and pope paul the sixth. After shaking hands before he could speak i said to him smiling its going to be hard to get this to my private chapel at home having spent so many hours in yours. [laughter] my words clearly startled him and he stepped back the photograph materialized and showed this picture that had never been such revelry. At lunch malcolm practiced radio for the life story of pope paul the sixth where today the voice would come over the long line and you would hear from him is this radio on the line plaques when they visited in there thatll cottage there were a few pictures of the family and one of him and Pope John Paul the second so it goes my instructions were to stick to inviting the questions and agreed to share whatever it is they wish to share the concern. I close by giving two paragraphs written about the book. I wrote a few years earlier. Heres to 15 more years together and then well both go but my father did not. My father died three years later in her grief was profound. She emerged with prayer. A few years later her daughter died at age 41 though not with complete success. Totally absentminded she knew us all that was vague about when she had last seen us or where and was making references every now and again to my call for end of the trip they planned with mexico and paris but have since thats what happened she was under the impression that she owned the establishment of and fair unknown to us she witnessed from inside the car her oldest son. He had been visiting her she never broke the rules which was never to complain because she explained she could never repay the papers that matter the relations made to suffer. Another on the door to the bedroom there were notes on her paper there were no sensation to match the timber or the embrace when she laid eyes on you. Five days before she died from the bathroom to the armchair the nurse brought her, and inflexible pool she put on her lipstick and touch of roush and puddles. For the first time tha had begua fortnight earlier she reached out a is th cassette amazing soe so old can be so beautiful. [laughter] the answer was yes it was amazing someone could be so beautiful. Thank you. [applause] mr. Buckley will take questions but please step up to the microphone because we are being recorded by his spam. [laughter] thank you for your inspiring comments. But it i pic is very worthwhile. I have a comment that is general there is one of religious debates in order to promote unity whether here in america or abroad. I think the word there is compromise. The pope is very straightforward on a matter of Political Correctness to do that much that can be done so that for instance if one were to vote the candidate who said be notified to go to against one who should never be modified with the politically prudent understandable step. Is one justified in affecting it would never be justified for a cia spy to seduce somebody. Anybody that wants to contradict the [inaudible] [laughter] the reforms that it should have a say in the movie attention was for many years but its also on International Shelter and under the circumstances the concern of people who dont live in israel if they felt concern in a situation in which the militant and demanding section and the laws that are enforced so we have a genuine problem. Some people who think it should hold fast and others thinking that it is in order to. I think that it gets interest about 20 years ago i have a copy that you signed for me. The events were scheduled to a among the items listed with a painting to which i devoted much time in switzerland under the tutelage of a everything was sold at the extravagant prices. They were up again in rochester due to the beautiful painting, who fielded [inaudible] [applause] i think i first saw you interviewed by mike wallace on latenight television. I was wondering if you would comment. Do you think your heritage has been a help to your political career . Unfortunately i dont qualify to serve under the banner of a i remember the night with mike wallace especially because there was a ferocious reputation when i came on he was a little bit dazzled because of the preceding guests to add to any express discontent into fatigue with 550 mobilization of america. At the end of the evening he turned before i came on and said do you worry about how much time they are wasting and how much risks i say my prayers every night for j. Edgar hoover mike wallace was very discomforted. The founder of meet the press. He said about a year ago i had on a man i hate most of the. Last week he called you probably the worst man to be elected in the history of the united states. What do you comment on that . I know you are a staunch Roman Catholic except the first chapter because i described and intend to read the book tonight. My question is have you gone into any of this which gives an entirely different access to the great creator for instance the only reality of consciousness. I could go on but i wont. Not by any means profoundly of this or that spin it didnt last and i dont mean to denigrate those other religions. A dove books by the same man, but orthodoxy written when he was a protestant and then has the the everlasting man in which he compares the credentials to. I am aware but not profoundly of these and other troubled. By the men and women of huge intellect who settle i was debating last week or a couple ofor a coupleof hours on the evd creation for the formidable people on both sides. I made the point that its dogmatic. The by the divine intervention and under the following is to be introduced on the other hand he didnt rise again until the third day of the [applause] we thank you for being with us this evening and also jane randall of Calvin Coolidge labor a committee for having this event this evening. Thank you all for coming. Mr. Buckley has consented to sign the book so please come forward. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] you are watching the tv on bookn cspan2. Tonight we are Binge Watching with the late author William Buckley junior. We have one more program to show you in april he sat down to talk about his lifes work. This is from booktv in depth. Here it is