We working with the 64 secretary of state Madeleine Albright talking about her new book, hell and other destinations which is a very interesting book it would look forward to the conversation. Welcome to our podcast today. Guest i am enjoying talking with you anytime. Host im at the Jefferson Building of the library of congress. She is at her home and virginia we were young staffers together in the white house under president carter and i have followed your career since then with great admiration. This is your seventh book since you left us secretary of state did you ever imagine after the first woman to serve as secretary of state you would write seven books in addition since you left . Guest no. Never occurred to me i would write so many but i think it was important those who have served to write their memoirs that is what gives people an understanding of what happened. Everybody writes a somewhat different version and then to figure out what really happened. Host behind you have a l
Thank you for joining us today. I have been a scholar here for almost 20 years. To summarize the overall argument and the theme of the book. And to secure the benefits of that energetics successor and describe the overall argument in the book. That is great writing. Thats a fair summary on the book when trump ran for president 2016 i was wary of him. He wasnt my first pack and one reason is because he is a populist land the constitution fears populist if you think of them like fdr or Andrew Jackson people who think they have the popular will behind them in the constitution is seen as an obstacle clearly to people like fdr so you thought trump would come into the office and find the constitution an obstacle to what he wanted to do but the last in half and four years of what i have seen is the opponents went to change constitutional changes like the Electoral College so between nine and 16 members that would be terrible for Judicial Independence for the rule of law. They dont want to sup
My career when i was a fourstar admirals initiating up the us Southern Command, peterma in charge of all activities south of the United States as the commander of us Pacific Command a very traditionalos position for senior admiral my boss wonderful by secretary gates called me up to say forget about the pacific we will send you to nato. Was the first and as far the only admirable to be a lien supreme allied commander in nato. Is just an accident of timing and fate and secretary gates decision. From a nato perspective i was the accidental admiral who became the supreme allied commander. Host the naming was an accident as well . Someone. So lets go way back i grew up in the marine corps family my father fought in korea and vietnam. I grew up in the environment going to Quantico High School and went on to the Naval Academy thinking it would be a marine Corps Officer after my first year the navy sends everybody out on a cruise so you go out on a ship i went out on a beautiful cruise around
So now, to go back and listen to what has happened to weapons from truman to trump is really remarkable. All from the midwest and college thinking he would be a literature major but watergate changed him to Political Science and then he went on to graduate school at mit and it was International Relations and nuclear strategy. Then he moved to washington with the house of representatives house policy advisor but you know government work, he decided that wasnt for him so then he left and wrote the widely acclaimed book of armageddon. And t then spent time at the boston globe because they were looking for experts inn defense he stayed there 20 years as bureau chief in moscow, bureau chief in new york city. And by the end of 2002 started writing stories and has written for previous books before tonight what i am really excited to have is our guest fred kaplan and his book the bomb. [applause] thanks for coming out. Just said my first book was 1983 about the small group of defense intellect
Topic was Nuclear Weapons and we all read it was a big deal at the time. And to Nuclear Weapons from truman to trump and then went to Overland College and watergate changed him and then went on to graduate school at mit with nuclear strategy. And the policy advisor for the house of representatives on the left and wrote he wrote his widely acclaimed book wizards of armageddon. Listed with the boston globe for 20 years and by the end of 24 2002 we started to write stories he wrote for previous books and im very excited to have fred kaplan in his book the bomb please join me to welcome him. [applause] the wizards of armageddon the end of Nuclear Deterrence i did they get right anymore about nuclear war the cold war was over and nobody thought much about Nuclear Weapons until a couple years ago. And so might not have thought of it at all. But on august 8th the President Trump said that if north korea keeps making threatening noises and launching the sole test like it has never seen before.