But to physically examine her. Because then she dies and then yes. But then to reveal is the of revelation. That is the idea not only of of what you could say to believe that that was part of the hope that i use the that now those accusations are just as important. Some of that circle is part of barnums legacy. Donald trump signals a troubling mindset. It is a the absent or contested. Yes. I dont think i am alone when i say these types of questions but those almost predate our Current Situation from conspiracy theories but it d bunk these notions of what is that about im interested in tracing why do we have that at all . Sows citizenry in patriotism and those big cosmic things better part of our fabric as a nation to be resurrected. It is even hard now with President Trump it is hard to unsubtle that so with that bursa for to per certificate of president obama so why do we believe as much as we deceive. Why do we . So the fed is on who we are but those who they want to believe with those programs in the absence of the answer that is complicated or troubling but because my discomfort is hidden from me. So there was a notion that barnum had that i was an expert but he gave the power to the people to say i of an expert. That looks like a mermaid. So now there is the assertion. So there is a fascinating denial of expertise in the of becomes even more troubling is a difficult position to begin. Coming out november. Kevin young is the author. [inaudible conversations]. Mississippi book festival. I would like to let you noticed a sponsor is the of law firm and a light to introduce a partner at the firm. If youre not from mississippi welcome to the treasure of our state capital. Along with other partners we are thrilled to have a part of what is one of the greatest gifts that you could possibly offer. [applause] with my evil alter ego as jerry negative with the very able to help with the of book fest and the Mississippi Museum that simply would not happen. [applause] in whatever love to have the privilege of introducing the entire panel. At a time perhaps as many in the last 50 years in those speeds to be counseled but it is wonderful we had that at our disposal the lead to a u. N. Experts agree it come fisherman, a turban turban, stanton, a kennedy is out of the great thinkers and leaders of American History for those that were studied auntie expert panel you will see the first annotated version of president grants personal memoirs. It is in print but not yet available. Get it reordered for october. I cannot even begin to set out the accolades. So the executive director and managing editor is an absolute treasure for the people of mississippi to be to our disposal. [applause] that was very nice to say that i appreciate what they have done together for this state if you have never mississippi politics made the cover your ears they may not agree but it is a wonderful book with some great insight. So welcome to the mississippi book festival. Of the hated dealing with those individuals as some self importance president s in history and concentrating on the audience and those individuals have met to American History over a long period of time but at present just to give a brief overview well preparing pour the First Complete the annotated version in publishing this they have been terrific to get publicity of. Science and writing you to come on november 30th for the opening for their u. S. Korean president ial Library Brand new 20,000 square foot addition to the Mitchell Memorial Library in finally have the opportunity to do those kinds of things and just fairly recently frame can Virginia Williams from rhode island as the retired chief justice. For what i seek is the single private collection of lincoln material anywhere. Nobody can do a book of any of those things he dont even have to write the book we will be open for business december 1st. Solid shoes all three authors out once so give them the tools to interact in to go to the podium in the middle of the room they will be happy to listen to you. So kurtis is native to mississippi and later he worked for the press register and was there during a crucial time of the civilrights era 63 through 69 iran later joined the boston globe. So with a president ial campaigns with most of the middle east conflicts. In this center for words journalism and politics is our a matter. And a position he still holds. That he row with the boston globe reporters in talks how jfk became president of united states. So as another of very important book with william f. Buckley, jr. It has taught at the most prestigious universities in the nation and. And was a principal spokesman for the 9 11 commission in with the advisor to the state and Defense Department is also on of majority staff of the house of representatives. In they will want to buy three of these. Nobody should go home without this. And the last but not least that as a native of massachusetts is entering a big california he had the academy lit them back to the Pacific Coast then he came back again to be a graduate of Harvard University law school but in International Law in one of the places it was said hong kong also working in the office of the chairman of sec. Later he worked for fidelity but. Lawyer g. His own writing career. Because lincolns civic secretary of state of the but we will discuss today is the length of the administration and a duty 2. 0 with that old stuff to do something right up to this day. But i am sorry the impeachment. It with the of wall street journal to do now is to ask each of our authors in with this very short overview of the book. And what does that tell us about your book . Laboring under the shadows to the president in 1960 and then the political reporters to cover politics so weak go back to the genesis of the community campaign. And then to river there were a lot of myths out there. In with the nomination of his son. And it did take go lot of his money. They are the ones for strategic decisions. It is the first modern president ial campaign. To help guide them to places they need so they hired the first media grew roots to revise them on how to deal with the new fed noumenon. But nationally he created his own organization with the party structure. In that followed since then following goldwater to iran extent that did not get nominations but then they catch some nominations because her read upside in the kahn help us separative donald trump and. So there were a number of things that to place and have been that way ever since. Is an honor to be here. That is one of the great cultural treasures. I am very honored. People over a certain age remember him. And with their tremendous personal gift that we dont see a television with style and grace for the first time liberals nor conservatives but they do space get to segregate their inhouse and i will log perhaps he if they want their help then the price serifs then half of the anecdote the maps but they have to put up with me in then to challenge or defend that. So address me i can take care of that. And buckley said day tagger of any debate could have done. In then to reject the greater of course, kennedy wish they had gone non rather than dealing with the one my telegram. What is the major of legacy . We think of buckley, jr. As the founder and those influential seoul citizens. And took them a half so to chip away. And the president was not on media. But of course, that all changes with American Life if they write to the new deal. In then we build up with that military industrial intelligence complex. So he went to move america back give the question comes with the election of ronald reagan. With the extraordinary character and operated over any number of platforms no matter where you were he found you. He had a newspaper column so if you have a contrary 500 newspapers but he added a bank is seen food and this 70s appearance february we have in the lung but he liked the cigars . To issue here is one in. Even after five were but then later he was basking that was then known as the place where per her of so wary sitting for an interview . This is off the of the way i can communicate with my 16 lots done per pharao but with disney movie by he appears in aladdin and one of the figures that emerges that has day clipboard in the big pen. That is of raising and reporters or professors dont like something we write the oped or article and were done. But as they founded organization into like the Supreme Court opinion. He wrote several columns by the end of the week he had an organization of 100,000 people and was on every tv show in america. That is how we operate. The major break of his career when he ran for mayor of new york city may have five introduce refers ninth countries said their electoral is to avoid in debates in telling people what they were learning. And that makes him the tall liberal. [laughter] so they are prepared. And finally all of these kids but when oil is more that is all i have got. Bush says he half and and then heads the new saddam will talk more about the mayor. So most people though that alone stinted was secretary of war for the understand the heart of my look is organizing the warda park ridge in he diverted congressman said both written his ninth the of Francis Scott key there was no question if he diverted hit murder him but he got off. Tried again because johnson was impeached but arbitrary in capricious in tyrannical hateful being cruel. A strong and have it about life that stinted loved all of space which makes him such a of fascinating subject door biographer and i hope in v were talking about this before but he also says the secretary of war was even dc full. He was a great weekend but not a lip in the one about buckley or kennedy . Sure. You have these characteristics that verge no question that sometimes change their spots that is not for when they started out with the big rally here in jackson 1967 and did not appreciate with the Civilrights Movement until late in the campaign when he became persuaded so with these innate characteristics you have duplicity and deceit and the best ones especially your good at it. [laughter] the only answer your question but he helped to break a few president s he thought about running for president once we go back to that because he had visibility he had audiences but the power of television by february has day firing line. He was is but i never found anything in all the letters but the description you gave a value be ended to say this isnt the description of his other roosevelt as a man of great deceit and Eleanor Roosevelt said one of his guests as a politician is the ability to be cold and calculating when he thought it would get the vintage. A vintage so guide knows how many other people careers were ended so yes lincoln was not like roosevelt but could make very tough decisions about the compassionate lincoln but we forget to be very cold and calculated if he thought that would get to where he was going so maybe he could have made a good president. But to continue a bit they did have a Good Cop Bad Cop the good cop and cannot completely escape the bad cop is doing and i spent a lot of time with those Civil Liberties general levels but though whole civil war there but bin Jefferson Davis when he returns in 1862 gives a speech and says that they are incapable of Self Governance without the most basic Civil Liberties and 03 men to jail is although Jefferson Davis does not mention stanton by name is lincoln that he has in mind that old thing clinton could completely say i had no idea he knew exactly what he was doing in his dealing with those political opponents. A gain of president ial administrations is the role of the president s staff so will you talk about when kennedy or reagan or president . They really didnt have much staff so did day have a bigger role or is it an evolution . What struck me potentially was consisted of another president ial secretary. So they had to talk with the cabinet members so was much more dependent on his cabinet even with president kennedy if you read the cuban missile crisis yes there are some involved but also white house advisers and he really intended not have those people. To say he was a behind the scenes advisor he must have given him hundreds of suggestions. We told reagan to be perceived by filling the administration not to look at those people who are dying to fill in the resonate that was fascinating. But they have a number of very good writers and those that were in politics in the u. S. Evil empire speech that had a role in the ash heap of history there was a protege of buckley went to work very hard then behind baker and these were considered the of moderates. Has a conservative now the of moderates they are now in charge. To say i want good writers will Peter Robinsons great line was the state department tries to take the data in his speech but i dont know of a new the extent to which he fought so in many ways as the conservatives come to reagan so now that stops him from being himself and he is not pushing harder on some of those issues. Buckley says i will make a deal. Bilocation leeway yen or talk to the president. And for whatever it takes. Into all cleanup the white house. So behind the scenes is fascinating. He was not a government official, never took a job in the accounts as a subordinate. What are you doing for years the . In the buckleys the of the reagans went on vacation together the father was a great extrovert but he got together with his hollywood buddies liken the old days. He said deal the one got buckley to let his hair down to talk about raising children or personal things or how to handle difficult people. Did you conceive that in the letter. You cannot fire a soninlaw or best friend. So there are these breakups so bad is the staff with in limits to pull the old man together where you want him to succeed. So i will stop with that but it is an extraordinary relationship. So Jimmy Stewart once said it never would have been president to make sure it did even with gone with the wind. Id will be great. To underestimate the role of the first lady. That is in extraordinary story. Thank you. Walter describes in Abraham Lincoln to grow enormously. In the Old War Department with hundreds of people who are assistance to the president so the whole concept of staff has grown so much it is also very important i always judged in part of the staff of how good they are with the measure of how good candidate will be. But he was born with the relatively tight inner circle with the irish the mafia that were all very well educated. And had indictable members of the team from the outset progress of beautiful writer in very thoughtful a intellectual sounding board so staff is very important i covered all of the Carter White House in two years of reagan in the democratic congresss report prepared to work with you with these that he is dealing with so the staff let him down. The that was very good. We thought that was an intellectual flaw that was a successful president with a very good staff around him. With the help to get him there. In then didnt know what he was talking about. That he had a damn good staff. Setup the most tentative buckley and kennedy these are three the mythic figures in American History most americans with the to these particular figures. So did this change . Did you present information to give the American Public to see a true picture . It appears in the familiar quotations. The moment that weve given has passed it now has belonged to the ages. Dont find it in print until 1890 will get the print accounts of lincolns last minutes right after lincolns death than of them say they said anything. But i know the he said it. So most people though from the of book from Doris Kerns Goodwin that when first met stanton as a cocounsel in supposedly said the move brought along as long limb baboon . But when you look for that in print sold my a family who was in cincinnati told me. So as we research and write to take that toothbrush to clean away the dirt to i dont want to be set told that there is nothing left to try to get down to a really happened not 25 years later. So with that relationship with reagan the relationship with Richard Nixon here is a leader of the conservative intellectual movement with great influence san dollars of those candidates want to that support because douses if not millions of readers so obviously rockefeller or nixon it is amazing to see what happens. Son to see that they were very close but that was a very cold calculation. And puts out of buckley rule and then they knew as patterns. To say is the of winter of 68 what will you do about the president . He said i will come out for the conservative with those academics see in journalist. The most viable conservative. And i really like barry goldwater. Now the bad is off of list. And then rockefeller disagreed what do you mean . But that was rockefellers attempt in that did not work. [laughter] and those that had a strange relationship with eisenhower in the George Wallace line so what do they disagree about . But theres not that many differences in policy is. Not pushing the country far enough away. I birdlike i can this is one of the chapters. Is eisenhowers under study. And then if you inherit the enemies but nevertheless the rigo back to the eisenhower the other is rated he loves reagan shouldnt somebody get some government experience . He had the big senate term. Its bad enough tsa botched a factor. That is process of elimination. So i have problems about nixon and his character so buckley decides the policy that is tough on crime in the law and order he hopes a stronger hawkish view. And becomes a power broker to fix the campaign and he forms a common bond one of them is a great statesman this is the last invention of how political leaders will decide how the delegations go. Who are john cowher, the senator from texas, Strom Thurmond just joined the Republican Party when goldwater was nominated. A couple of elected officials, acting like a political buzz, that surprised me greatly and i urge you, the last point, you say you will settle on the left of evil you know what you wind up with. The unraveling of the Buckley Nixon relationship which it vote another chapter to. Give curtis a chance to say something, if you start lining up behind the microphone, make your point. Tom and i had forgotten how enormous the issue of catholicism was in 1960 once kennedy was elected, disappeared as a nation but it was a huge factor in kennedys strategic planning. How he dealt with it, people harken back to the house this experience, people blames catholicism on his defeat. Kennedy had to deal with it and he confronted rather than running from it. Hide to tried the fact that he was a Roman Catholic and kennedy talked about it, speeches delivered in houston, before the ministerial association, the same he had been delivering each year and made such points my brother was killed in world war ii does that mean because we are catholic we are ineligible to hold high office in this country . One thing about the issue of catholicism, there was an active campaign by billy graham, and a number of other evangelical leaders to subvert to Kennedy Campaign on the ground since he was a catholic and active conspiracy with the nixon campaign, worked with next and nixon hand in glove, correspondence between billy graham and Richard Nixon, with a meeting in switzerland in summer of 1960 and gathered 20 evangelical leaders to basically plot how they can destroy the Kennedy Campaign. The kennedy people, the evangelicals, one comic meeting, going to have a secret meeting until kennedy people found out about it and were able to get a couple reporters sneaked into the meeting and heard Norman Vincent say this would be the end of culture in america and they were confronting a field which immediately afterwards stuck with this, trying to dissemble and deny and finally realized, had to drop out of the opposition. That is a good example of what you are asking about. How do you deal please feel free, a good chance to come and stand in line and asked the first question. Is this on . One question. I want to know which was the last president to write his own speech . That is a good question. Surprisingly, some of these guys are capable of writing good speeches. They all have good speechwriters. Bill clinton, a good writer, wrote some of these speeches. He had help bringing in input, they have drafts, i know that is a matter of fact because my son was a speechwriter for clinton. And clinton wrote some of his speeches, jimmy carter was painstaking, if he didnt trust his speechwriters, he felt he was capable of writing the perfect speech. Some of them would write their own speeches, no question. We underestimate president s. When i went through the kennedy papers for other reasons i had early speeches, they had a lot of the cadences there was a great synergy, he was not completely did an extraordinary interview in 194647, not different than we saw 63 and not long ago two reagan aids put out a book on reagan and his own hands, they certainly wrote his own radio commentary if we had in his own hands, the legal pad in his lap and when he called a speechwriter in he was scripted gave some examples before of writers that were put in, he called a writer in and we have Readers Digest about such and such, go find it. They would go find it and often have the quote he wanted and he would say here is where i am going, you know me well enough, who wrote the speech . The writer wrote the speech, it was a combination. One thing i cant say, we know Herbert Hoover wrote his own speeches and it shows. I will leave it at that. My question is i am curious, you think of William F Buckley as a fantastic debater and he won, beat back his opponents but a couple times he clearly lost or it wasnt a decisive victory. Im thinking of the two first debate in cambridge with baldwin in 65, and also famously with 68, a series of debates. Ideology aside, lost publicly because it got personal. I am curious, how he dealt with this, something in his private life. This is often misunderstood, this was commentary, a great movie called best of enemies, a documentary. They added commentary for abc, other networks were showing gavel to gavel coverage and got very personal, they didnt like each other, it was clear they had altercations before, years before. All right. The night of the humphrey nomination, you have the investigators called the police riot, smashing the heads of war demonstrators, their chant was the whole world is watching. But there was a comment on this, they got very heated and the question, Howard K Smith was the moderator, the question was vietcong flags. The moderator, heaven help the moderator, the moderator says this is world war ii and we had antiwar demonstrators marching with nazi flags, buckley saying whether with a nazi flag or vietcong flag, honor people, cheering people shooting dead american soldiers. The doll says as far as im concerned the only crypto not to hear you. Lets stop for a minute before we get to the thing you are asking about, 22 or 23 years after world war ii ended you call somebody a nazi, bestselling playwright goes on television and tells Holocaust Survivors at the height of their careers going on with their lives, the guy sitting next to me as a crypto nazi . That with a career ending, he did something he was not proud of, i am going to get them back by making reference to his purported sexual preferences. I wont use the word here and he gets lots of fan mail, you really put that slb and his place and buckley crouched back, did he ever acknowledge defeat . Theres nothing to take pride in when losing ones own temper. Do i have one more . Beware the moderator. Thank you. We only have a view minutes left and i want to ask the last question because i have the microphone. You need to know, take a look at this book, something curtis did, a wonderful book, walter starrs book on stanton and this book on a man and his president s, William F Buckley, wonderful books from different perspectives but i think you will find them fascinating. A couple seconds left. I would like to ask our panelists, maybe in two sentences at most, what is your next book . Thinking about either sam and chase who is rather dull or Thaddeus Stevens who is very colorful. It will involve some aspect of the american presidency. There were a few we didnt. I will update that and include obama. I dont know how we will deal with number 45. And some other aspect of the presidency, i have a few ideas. My next book will be ones i read. [laughter and applause] i think you all will agree our intellectual health, body politic and common will have been made healthier as a consequence of this exercise. Help me thank these people. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] that was a panel on the lives of us president s live from the mississippi book festival at the state capital in jackson. In a few minutes we are back with more. Back from mississippi history. How are you . How are you . Excuse me. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] cspan2 features an in depth conversation with a Nonfiction Author about their writing career. Join us september 3rd. If you can keep it. His other books include amazing grace, bestselling biography of dietrich von hoffer. October 1st arthur and New York Times columnist maureen dowd will discuss her book bush world is a men yesterday . And the year of voting dangerously. November 5th Michael Lewis will talk about his books included the undoing project. And a big sure and the new new thing. That is booktv on cspan2. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] financial book festival. This years book festival is exciting. It is one of my favorites because im a big nonfiction fan and the types of offers we will have from David Mccullough to every reading list you can imagine in every book club. It is an exciting time. I am thrilled. How many authors do you invite . When you think of a one day festival at a book festival and you have over 100 authors from childrens authors, illustrators, graphic novelists, all day, 100 people go in and celebrate books, you can have a better time and i am a librarian, any reader or anybody to get inspired, the book festival is the perfect place. The 17th year of the book festival. One of the first things for me, to go and be the National Book festival, it was so inspiring and more activities for young people in particular, children and activity stations and things that i think you know about. And live from the main stage, Nonfiction Authors like David Mccullough. Condoleezza rice, tom friedman, booktv will be live, Michael Lewis. Whose book have been made into popular movies and when you read a nonfiction book, who is going to be on the movie. You a tourist at that point . Opening up the book festival, lined up, it is going to be great and i will be introducing some authors participating in some workshops and a poetry slam and i will be all around and soaking in and it is palpable. The book festival is the creation of the library of congress . It is a partnership and it started in a wonderful way. First lady laura bush, a librarian, the texas book festival when she was first lady in texas. And first lady of the nation, approached library of congress and other literacy partners to start a National Book festival. Does she have any involvement for James Billington at this point . What we talk about is