Of course president kennedy himself unfortunately was to be assassinated three weeks later. So therefore you have, you know, i think historically an opportunity that early to maybe prevent the tremendous loss of, not only American Life but of vietnamese life that followed the administration of president johnson and then of president nixon. Bearing in mind that as Many Americans died under the administration of president nixon as did under president johnson. So, you know, early on, david had per stamp, my colleague, wrote in the best and the brightest, this was the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time and i didnt necessarily agree with him then but i agree with him now and i doubt that even an extended, continued american effort could have forestalled an ultimate nationalist victory and a nationalist victory in vietnam would have met supremacy of major force in vietnam and today which is the communist party. Best i can do in the allotted time. Peter, not bad. Thank you, peter.
Tell us about your book who should not be moved i realized this was an iconic representation of the movement. And i met the women at the center of the photograph through here children when i was a playground director. I knew when i saw the photographer from all of the items at the king center it was a story that needed to be told. I decided to go home and start interviewing my friend joan hall and find out more. Did she talk to you about the experience . The children pulled out the photograph saying my mom was in a famous photograph but i didnt realize the significance of the photo. What did you learn about the Civil Rights Movement . She is a southern white woman who risked it all. Her family disowned her. Her story taught me about persevering through difficult situations. I was interested in the broader story and i was able to weave that into the broader story. Cephal what what inspired you to get involved into the Civil Rights Movement going to sunday school and singing about jesus
Going to bring gandy out to close up the program but please mine me and my thanking erik prince. [applause] thank you, erik and tracie. Ladies and gentlemen if you would like your book sign your personalized i would ask that you give us a minute to step up the stage. In an orderly fashion if he would line up in decile here and then we will get the book signed and exit out that door. Thank you very much. Triet [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] we are here at the National Press club talking with obrien about his book we shall not be moved. Tell us a little bit about how you got into this project. This was a project when i saw this photograph at the Martin Luther king center in atlanta in 1992 and realized that this photograph was iconic representation of the sick and and i knew the woman in the center of the photograph. I had met her through her children 20 years before in Arlington Virginia when i was a playground director and i knew at that moment in the context of al
This is a little under an hour. Thank you for coming out. Can you hear me okay . No. Do i turn up the volume here or elsewhere . Get friendlier with the mic. How is that . That friendlier . As far as pulling up your chair. It sounds like unpaid labor to me. So i dont know. Like unpa can weid turn off the light oron turn down the lights . Re ill just start. What im going to do is run yout through the first day of the go battle and talk a bit about it the first day of the battle of the somme and talk a little bit about it. This is the word kitchner of Great Britain in the first part of world war i. He was quite prescient. He predicted that no more would go on for years. Many people thought it was going to be over bye christmas. You have always heard that line but he heard of what it would require is a lot of manpower so he built up a volunteer army. He started this recruitment process. The british professional army was small by confidential standards about 100,000 people, 100,000 troops
Which is some of the things ive been talking about this week on the news and how the parallels are with iraq and whats going on there. It amazes me that people dont see some of the patterns that keep repeating themselves. But thats what the book is about. Its not just straight history. Its again read like this one is periodically from the cockpit from the f. 100 from the f1 05 and a f4 at the very end. So its going to be a good book, i hope. What else . Do you have a call sign . I will tell you but im not going to explain it. They call me to dogs. Dont ask. My mom is here. [laughter] read viper pilot. Actually its the Readers Digest of how i got the call sign. I flew with guys for years and maybe knew their first name and very rarely knew their last name because we always went by nicknames and call signs. Its just a pilot thing. Do you have one . Do you want one . Yeah. You have to earn it the hard way by usually doing something stupid. [laughter] what else . [inaudible] at the end, ye