Transcripts For CSPAN2 Summer Series With William F. Buckley

CSPAN2 Summer Series With William F. Buckley Jr. July 12, 2024

Mr. Buckley down to discuss a collection of his from the book, happy days are here again. Here he is on cspans Interview Program from 1993, footnotes. On the cover of your new book, it says the sections of the libertarian journalists. To call yourself a libertarian. Often on. As of course you know, the movement was encouraged by National Review. In the late 50s and the idea was to put a dot to the libertarians and the conservatives too much they had in common. And how effective it would be between them. And known that i am a libertarian. In the term, and most of whatever ideas and or intended to those or diminish the human liberty. Host remembering say you saying, made when you ran for the bear new york. They just seem people throw the garbage out the window. If the people would pick it up and deal with it rather than government deal with things. William no. Your memory is in which he was defending, lettering of the streets. On the grounds that is a form of something against the city. Nice look, its a very helpful to use them as a means of protesting. So that words what i work on because i dont think he would make a good mayor. It was really just talked about. Host somebody by cisco, went to the get. William they get the best that i can give them. But the past eight years, those were very eventually years. They covered the collapse of the soviet union, and some very important people. Plus a certain number of personal excerpts ratably do my sister serves as the editor was attempt to divide into the moons in which out right. Teddy kennedy and others. And they are analyzing specific problems that i hope assuredly. There is a section on commenting. In a section on reflecting and also the celebrating and appreciating those people. It is a wideranging collection. I hope people enjoy it. Host people by former columns when you put it like this. William and ordinarily, the answer is that ordinary people will buy anything. Unless, there are hard constituents. Counting the day after tomorrow rather than buying a new book. But if he published in the ninth collection, that usually means that the people bought for state. Host what is this the numbers and books that you have written. And which sold the best. William the book is all the best was the second of my books called atlantic. In the mystery books all came in somewhere between 75 and 100. Except the last one, was after the end of the cold war. And casualties cold war. And then, will every book i have written, most of been on the bestseller list. Host which ones did you enjoy the writing part of it the most. William i really dont like to write. Is terribly hard work. That may be one of the reasons why i have managed to develop to write quickly. If i have the same kind of profession writing that might younger brother as, who just thinks that this is the way that i write. Then i can answer your question in the greatest sense. Jordan watson to become a our about three times a week. Arson the morning. Is this the day in which i have try,. And awakened bright and happy. Thats exactly the reverse with me. Host didnt do you bright for an end instead of getting started. William also, a lot of it is to do things for the after pleasure of it. Even weeding or gardening, the after pleasure of seeing the rows in the grass, perhaps, skills the the having to develop your technique. Was but its me. I like to have something to have written. In part,. Host other than the big names, Richard Nixon in such. Dino credit, which person you talked about the most in your books. William no i dont. Host what a surprise you. William well, you obviously asked me. He was during that period which we were very Close Friends which was about seven years he wrote to me. In fact he wrote me some beautiful letters. And they were published as a book. But it kept saying things in it they were a very interesting. And in the way that he said it. Medevac of the novel coming up in this january, one of the high points in it, has to do with the discovery by young pete people of the afghan war and moscow, the description. And there is a group of young people who meant silence late and swore to give their lives to the assassination of a tyrant. So as it pointed out, with didnt discover there. Dangerous because people could get the same idea as being applicable to land and therefore they were removed. So it took james to find out about the normal things that were important in romantic development of russian history. Host when did you know him. Maybe tell those who may be not have heard of him. William so he was a Time Magazine Senior Editor who in sworn testimony, named people he had known by working as a secret intelligent agent for the soviet union. And the greatest ongoing division against an american cultural history and the question of who was lying. In the evidence, that the person who was lying is this still alive by the way. La became actually a family at a Senior Editor at National Review. And he died in a very young age is 61 of a heart attack. An enormous insight. When this book was written. There in the first chapter which was a letter to his children. He said, when i left the soviet union, it caused me to the cause of the west. I couldnt help but to figure that i was perhaps was living the winning side to join the losing side. So that great says of melancholy. I was about to point out that in the first chapter of his book, inside of the evening. So 500,000 more copies than normal. And from that moment on, he began something of an american legend. And he probably still is. So dont think any quotation of him is likely to been on key to the reader. Host i saw a reference of the couple months ago to the fact that in august of 1948, that was the first ever televised hearing. Sue and i know that. Steam i want to go back to that and ask you, what impact did that have. Was Richard Nixon on the committee. William yes. And us as a matter of fact that was the First Episode in nixons career. That gave him an enormous launch because the committee was a little bit bedazzled by the firepower of the forces and they were about to follow way and say chambers is a liar. When nixon moved in and mobilized the evidence. Persuaded the Congressional Committee that in fact, he was probably lying not chambers. So he became very conspicuous during that period and it was that gave him the reputation that awarded him a seat in the senate. In the senate two years later in tears after that, the Vice President of the United States. Host will you then. William that was a 1952 and i graduated from college in 1950. So about, the drama was very significant episode when i was in school. Liberals tended to assume that his was correct because of the pedigree was so form in the bowl. He had to go into Johns Hopkins and then to the harvard law school. Then he had clerked with who was it, is Supreme Court, the famous liberal. Yes frank. And then dean, had sort of testified to the availability of his character. All the secrets of the soviet union. So he was a tremendous or it was a tremendous blow to the liberal establishment. His shining legacy the new deal. I was in fact a traitor. Most people who identified with him, years ago can see that that is what he was. So some people may be tired of the subject. This postponed believe of the conspiracy belief. Host do you remember back in those years who was influencing you the most. William i had a few professors they probably wouldnt have heard of that were influential. It seems to me that in retrospect, it is a kind of collage of people. Very much sort of have what it was an influence you in respect to this particular thing. My colleague, 25 years was james who was probably the best american physical strategist by training his crews and so on. He influenced me enormously. But he didnt meet him until the magazine began. It began in 1955. In the back of your book, there are the section in which is called number of people that you write about are no longer alive. Let me ask you about them. Malcolm. Honey say he was the best known british journalist up until hundred years ago. Was married to the niece of Beatrice Webb and he went to the soviet union as a sort of committed young socialist procommunist. And he was there not a devastating critique did of li life. This was nearly 30 years ago. He was. Much a socialist side of the world. Other than several books then during the war he was very active and then after the war he was the editor of punch magazine. One had a sort of a a humorist. And meanwhile he was entertaining the esquire magazine. The editorial section. He began in march that would turn out to be intellect to blake, directional towards damascus. He became a christian. In his perspective changed. So that when he was talking about christ or about the commandments. Better duty to one another, he would manage to do so as a humorist. And other certain times, he gave a lift to his evangelism. It is quite distinctive. I saw him believe it or not, speak to from washington. And he was just after the speaker. Then he ended up with a paragraph that embellished the idea of the many of the story of bethlehem. And had these pagans, he became the most influential speaking intellectual. Quite a lot of times. He was set of program in the vatican on the 15th chapel. And he called and said you know, i hate famous people. Ive known them all. And so he abandoned that. And it is very amusing because the pope and his wife, had to meet them where they were. So when he came to malcolm, he looked at him with that sort of benign face. However long. So. [inaudible]. He said you are a great friend of my predecessor. Probably never even heard of pope paul the fourth. But it quickly became that that hope that we were losing basketball or something. He was vastly amused by that. Host do you know who you are. His two month he had access to the 16 chapel the first time in history. As a result who had gotten permission for us to use the 48 hours to make a documentary. So i thought of any map. And i thought he could get used to my private chapel after getting home after having access your sprint do you get it. And i said will you sort of wrong by that. So does not just that sort of picture. After that, i want to assure you called why am not a catholic. So we did. We talked about all of the reasons i was in a catholic. And he said but i am catholic. And it was a wonderful wonderful wonderful man. A great whisk and brilliant brilliant analyst. Host want ask you that you put in the column. By the way, often do you write. Im sorry rest in peace. You often do that. William i do affirmative yes. A national level. For years and years and years. Nearly 500. Hostwilliam i am not at an obiy writer. That is not my profession. Host is or someone to describe what it takes to get you to write about obituary. If you like them. William or dislike them. One or the other. Or have had some historical endorphins. But he was the internet editor and i would write when he asked me to do so. The reason the right for the regular column. And i dont know whether he is the only one worried. Host all just read this quote and ask you about it. As an old man, looking back on ones life, one of the things that struck you most forcibly that the only thing that is on anything that was suffering. Not happiness, not anything like it but the only thing that really keeps you going. But what life is about, the joining of understanding coming into contact with what life really signifies is suffering. William let me comment on that by saying two things. Number one, i am disciplined, the cause me to write this way. The lessons of job. Did not job taught us that suffering can be enabling. In the case of malcolms mother, he seemed to but even part of his heart there was a certain sense of he was sort of doomed about the materials of a man and mans failure to be inspired by, the particular part of her testimony. That would cause him to feel that sort of order. And he became a vegetarian. He didnt used to be that way. But when in the sense that he was taking some sort of a pleasure from the mortification of the flesh. But that never affected his mood. In john lennons introduction and thinking back on his days he said i had lunch which was like lunching with brothers. And it was the chambers and he that he was living in. It was there where you felt that path of his melancholy. And there was a consistent entertainer. Without in any way getting of the way of his own records. Host do you feel the people expect you to entertain them all of the time. William i think it is a terrible sin to bore people. And amazingly board myself. And im prepared to admit that i attended something with them, thats mine racing, not his. So under a certain path of which i write, do make an effort to please the reader. In the same way that the date want to use cords that please the listener. Musician. So if you sit down to play music and you limit yourself. Youre never going to use the kind of variety that makes it special. And if you deny yourself the hard work and at the time of pleasure, by using the language. Usually shouldnt be writing professionally. Host you have a bunch of letters that inhere also. Letters that were sent to you. To mr. Buckley, this is from hamilton. In new york. Regarding your firing out from hearing from a qualified question. Number one. The manner in which you sent his rude. Do remember this. William no. Host interested upright an adult fashion. In his single shot you appear, use it is if your guess and do. And two. Even in questioning appear rude. Dont ask questions of against even once his opinion jim favor. But it comes in the form of interrogation prudent for you always come up with the personal insecurity of a long preface attending to show what you know. You answer him. And for she said no i cant think straight. When you get a letter like this. Periods. William personal, was my comments. Host [laughter]. What is your comment. And of course i would want to share about the study. After all ive read three hours the night before. Have you ever jumped out of an airplane ignited with a parachute for the mission of eliminating the guard at the end of the bridge. It will have anything but if i did i would certainly want detail introductory instructions. On and on. William what taken more seriously than i remember having done so. Having brought the subject of which you did. I usually dont up to your on television restlessly. But i just finished a 2000mile hike. So ask your permission not to have to do that. The answer is, we all have our ideas read but is actually wrong and. 5 and six. Because and my program has been going on for 29 years. I have one complaint in this 29 years my guests. They didnt give them all the time they wanted to say it in the way they wanted. Number two, the matter of introducing the guests. Because i often have people, as a last proposal or whatever. I feel an obligation to acquaint them. And if you take a couple of minutes to do that. I dont think thats inordinate. Especially when the program is one hour. Host we get when you get a letter like this, what is your first reaction. You smile. William will the first thing is, is this alliteration publish. And a column of letters directed to me. Or other instructors or interesting or whatever way. But the one that you just read me, obviously my reaction was, a couple of things. Shield for might lead readers and the fact that some of my people are my readers react this way with this form of hostility. If from everything from my behavior to other things. Host wrote this letter. On these letters, did your sister pick all of these herself. Sue and she dominated them. And i was okay with that. Host you say, in your commenting on what innocence and sinema you. And then you right, you talking to the baltimore sun. William f. Buckley jr. Includes elegant arrogance. That is from them. An aspect with a british accent has left him fame and fortune. William this kind of dumb because the people or people with the accent, dont necessarily have a fortune. Host you want to say than arrogance and expectations is being suffered modified, they require the use of plural verbs. See were shooting back and the editor. Sue and oh yes. Host you did list things earlier than that. But when people write and they talk about your presence on the set, your socalled expectations and your accent. Do you know that is the way you look. William open till age six i spoke spanish that was only language i spoke. Then we went to parasite only spoke french. And suddenly i went to london and a scrape learn english for the first time. So you tell me what i sound like. Nobody is british has a british accent. So people will ask me where im from and i will say connecticut. And they say people that somehow they speak in connecticut. So my family and friends with tell me that. Host what were you doing in all of this places. William my father was in the oil business. In a very large family. He is bilingual himself. He had family who spoke spanish. Host how many brothers and sisters do you have. William i have ten and i was the six. Host he ran for mayor once and you lost. Do you wish that you and one. William no, i didnt run. Thinking that they would win under the label. Which i run the most was one and a half percent. In my joke made the benefit of people tease me about having, that i think if youre running for the mayor of new york, is dangerously close to winning. So i would run again, my Campaign Slogan would be by invitation only. Host so will your life like today. William i am the president of the board and the owner of the National Review and i rejoice every day that i have such a brilliant editor. I have a book about which are discussing. And im writing another one in switzerland. And then 16th anniversary of esquire. In reviewing a 1600 page travel book by henry james from the New York Times. I lecture a lot. Host what you live. William in connecticut. Cletter hi 40s and most of her time. William on both and traveling around. And most of my book writing is done in february and march. I dont plan not to do it. So continued to go on as long as it serves the purpose. Host as the fact that the light is on a Public Television network, techsupport ever bothered you in relationship to politics. William no because i hear the terms very early with the proposition that a minority in the democracy lives by the rules of the majority read and even if i wanted to see the post office privatize, not going to protest if im not using the facilities of a post office. I give 100 percent agreement with him. And recently, the fear years ago or a few months ago, he wrote a letter to National Review. And i quot

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