Murray Kempton

In it, we invite people to come and talk to us who have seen and contributed a great deal to our recent history, to talk about the things that they've seen and the things that they've done.

This year, we've heard lectures by Harrison Salisbury, and by Murray Kempton, and an interview with the singers Bidu Sayo and Yamila Novotna, which was conducted by William Weaver.

Now tonight, as I said, and as you know, Jessica Mitford will be interviewed by Christopher Hitchens.

Mr. Hitchens is the American correspondent of London's Times Literary Supplement, He writes the Minority Report column in The Nation and contributes a weekly book review column to Newsday and contributes to a number of other magazines both here and in England.

And two, that no one in my profession and no one in the liberal wing of politics thought this was a test of character or of intention.

Because among the things that depressed me, I did write a column about it, Murray Kempton did.

That was about it.

What depressed me really was the suggestion it had of a relationship in the president's mind or the then governor's mind of a sick relationship between sex and death.

Wow.

He blew his mind and I got to sit in the same room and get to know a little bit Murray Kempton, my writing hero, who just struck me.

How can you do this in journal, this brilliance? At that time, it was a lot about the civil rights movement.

So I was inspired and I became, I sort of became the countercultural reporter for the, I covered grassroots organizations.