>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.
WELCOME BACK. FOLKS.
I'M SO HAPPY TO SAY THAT MY NEXT GUEST
IS A PULITZER PRIZE WINNING HISTORIAN AND BIOGRAPHER WHO'S
WRITTEN A NEW BOOK CALLED "AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY: A
PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE 1960s." PLEASE WELCOME
DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
♪ ♪ [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
♪ ♪ ALWAYS NICE TO SEE YOU, DORIS.
>> Doris: YOU TOO. >> Stephen: ITS OLD HOME WEEK
AROUND HERE. I WANT TO GET STRAIGHT INTO THE
NEW BOOK. "AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY."
THIS ISN'T A BIOGRAPHY OF ANOTHER PRESIDENT FOR YOU.
THIS IS SOMETHING MORE PERSONAL. IT'S ATTRIBUTE YOUR LATE HUSB
HUSBAND, DICK GOODWIN. BEFORE WE GET INTO THE DETAILS,
I'M CURIOUS. U2 WORKED ON THIS TOGETHER.
THAT'S HOW IT STARTED. BUT HOW DO THE PROJECT BEGIN?
WHERE DID THE IDEA OF THIS DARK? >> Doris: THEY REALLY STARTED
AFTER HE TURNED 80 YEARS OLD. HE COMES ON THE STEPS ONE DAY
FOR BREAKFASTING "OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING" EXHILARATED.
I SAID WHAT'S GOING ON? HE SAID I FINALLY DECIDED TO
OPEN THE BOXES. WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO, CARRIED
AROUND, SCHLEPPED AROUND WITH US 300 BOXES OVER THE YEARS THAT
DATA TIME CAPSULE OF THE '60s. HE'S KIND OF A ZEALOT OF THE
'60s. HE'S EVERYWHERE.
JOHN KENNEDY, JACKIE KENNEDY, BOBBY KENNEDY.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO OPEN THEM BECAUSE HE WAS SO SAD AT THE WAY
IT ENDED. HE WAS WITH BOBBY WHEN HE DIED.
MARTIN LUTHER KING DIED. THERE WERE RIDES.
FINALLY DECIDED OKAY IF I'VE ANY WISDOM TO DISPENSE IT'S TIME TO
DISPENSE NOW. WE BEGAN A PROJECT WORKING
TOGETHER ON WEEKENDS. WENT THROUGH THE DECADE FROM
BEGINNING TO END SO THAT WE RELIVED IT AS IF WE DIDN'T KNOW
THE SAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN LATER.
>> Stephen: THE BOOK COVERS HIS SERVICE FOR TWO PRESIDENTS.
HERE HE IS WITH JOHN KENNEDY. >> Doris: ISN'T HE CUTE?
CUTE. >> Stephen: SUPER CUTE.
HERE HE IS WITH LBJ. THERE WAS FAMOUS TENSION BETWEEN
THE KENNEDY LOYALISTS AND LBJ'S CAMP.
HOW DID HE BRIDGE THAT? WHY DID LBJ DECIDE TO HIRE HIM?
A LOT OF PEOPLE WEREN'T. >> Doris: WE KNEW HE'D BEEN A
GOOD SPEECHWRITER FOR JFK BUT I NEVER WAS SURE OF THE ORIGIN OF
HOW HE GOT THERE UNTIL WE LISTEN TO THE LBJ TAPES, THOSE GREAT
TAPES. LBJ WANTED TO PRESS A BUTTON ON
HIS OFFICE DESK SO THAT WHENEVER HE WANTED TO REMEMBER THE
CONVERSATION, IT WOULD BE THERE. >> Stephen: SO HE COULD VERIFY
HIS MEMORIES WITH THE TAPES? >> Doris: GOT IT.
OR VERIFY IDEALS HE MADE WITH CONGRESSMEN.
IN THIS CASE HE'S TALKING WITH HIS WHITE HOUSE AIDE BILL MOYERS
AD HE SAYS YOU KNOW I NEED SOMEBODY TO WRITE MY SPEECHES.
I NEED SOMEBODY TO PUT SEX AND THE SPEECHES, RHYTHM, MUSIC AND
THE SPEECHES. GREAT TRUE CHILEAN PHASES.
MOYERS SAIDTHE ONLY GUY I KNOW IS GOOD ONE BUT IS NOT ONE OF US
BECAUSE HE WAS A KENNEDY GUY BUT HE BRINGS IT OVER AND BECAME A
GREAT SPEECHWRITER. [APPLAUSE]
>> Stephen: NOT ONLY A GREAT SPEECHWRITER BUT I UNDERSTAND,
CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THE HUSBAND IS THE ONE WHO COINED
"THE GREAT SOCIETY," THE OVERARCHING DESCRIPTION OF THE
PHRASE TO CAPTURE THE GOALS OF LBJ.
BUT THERE WAS ALREADY THE NEW FRONTIER.
HOW DID THAT TRANSITION HAPPEN AND HOW QUICKLY.
WAS THERE A MOMENT WHEN IT WENT FROM THE NEW FRONTIER TO THE
GREAT SOCIETY? >> Doris: OH, WAS THERE A
MOMENT. PRETTY GOOD MOMENT, INTERESTING
MOMENT. ABOUT A MONTH AFTER DICK GOT
THERE BILL MOYERS ASKED HIM "THE PRESIDENT IS SUMMONING US TO AN
IMPORTANT MEETING. WE ARE GOING TO FIGURE WHAT HIS
VISION OF THE NEW WORLD IS GOING TO BE."
UNLIKE THE KENNEDY VISION, SOMETHING THAT'S THE JOHNSON
VISION. DICK HAS A REMITTING THE
OVAL OFFICE? HE SAYS NO WE ARE GOING TO THE
WHITE HOUSE POOL. THEY GET THERE AND
LYNDON JOHNSON NAKED SWIMMING IN THE POOL UP AND DOWN, PADDLING
UP AND DOWN THE POOL. >> Stephen: WAS THIS NORMAL?
TO HAPPEN A LOT? >> Doris: IT HAPPEN A LOT.
WHEREVER HE WAS WITH HIS OFFICE. THEY ARE STANDING THERE WITH
THEIR BUSINESS SUITS ON IN THEIR TIES AND HE SAYS COME ON IN,
BOYS. THEY HAVE NO BATHING SUITS SO
THEY STRIP. ALL OF A SUDDEN THREE PEOPLE ARE
PADDLING ON THE POLE. WHILE THEY ARE DOING THAT THEY
HANG ONTO THE EDGE AND JOHNSON COMES FORTH WITH A VISION OF
WHAT HE WANTS THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME THE GREAT
SOCIETY. IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AID TO EDUCATION, IMMIGRATION REFORM,
CIVIL RIGHTS VOTING RIGHTS MPR PBS.
IT WAS AMAZING. AMAZING.
>> Stephen: THERE IS THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF LBJ AND THE
GREAT SOCIETY. FOR THAT MATTER, THE NEW
FRONTIER. FOR THAT MATTER, THE NEW DEAL.
AND THOUGH SO MANY OF THEM ARE ACTIVELY BEING ATTEMPTED TO BE
DISMANTLED RIGHT NOW, WITH SOME SUCCESS INCLUDING THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACT, WHAT DO YOU THINK, FIRST OF ALL, YOUR HUSBAND DICK
AND AS YOU REFLECT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS BEING LOST IN THE
DISMANTLING OF THAT VISION? WAS IT A VERY IMPORTANT TIME,
TIME OF GREAT CHANGE IN THE UNITED STATES AND NOT EVER BUT
HE LIKES THE CHANGES BUT WHAT YOU THINK IS BEING LOST?
>> Doris: IT WAS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THE 1960s AND I WOULD
LOVE YOUNG PEOPLE TO REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE BECAUSE YOUNG
PEOPLE FELT POWER THAN BY THE CONVICTION THEY CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN WHAT THAT MEANT WAS THAT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE WERE MARCHING FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, FOR ENDING SEGREGATION,
FOR THE VOTING RIGHTS WHICH IS NOW BEING DENIED, FOR WOMEN'S
RIGHTS WHICH ARE NOW BEING DENIED.
FOR GAY RIGHTS WHICH ARE NOW BEING DENIED.
THE ONLY WAY WE ARE GOING TO GET THEM BACK IS NOT BY LOOKING FOR
HEROES, NOT LOOKING FOR LEADERS. WE HAVE TO DO IT OURSELVES AND
YOU YOUNG PEOPLE ARE SO IMPORTANT IN THAT GOAL.
[APPLAUSE] I WAS YOUNG IN THE '60s.
IT WAS A GREAT FEELING. I WAS AT THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
IN 1963 AND DICK WAS THERE BUT WE DIDN'T NEED.
I WISH I'D MET HIM THEN. NONETHELESS YOU FELT --
I WAS CARRYING A SIGN. CATHOLICS AND JEWS AND
PROTESTANTS UNITE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS.
I FELT SOMETHING BIGGER THAN MYSELF.
WE COUNT ON YOU TO MARCH AND DEMONSTRATE AND PROTEST BECAUSE
SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY AND YOU CAN MAKE IT
RIGHT. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT.
[APPLAUSE] >> Stephen: YOUR HUSBAND
PASSED BEFORE THIS BOOK WOULD BE COMPLETED AND YOU SAY THAT HE
MADE YOU PROMISE THAT YOU'D FINISH THIS BOOK.
NOW THAT IT IS FINISHED, HOW DO YOU FEEL TO RELEASE HIS STORY,
BOTH OF YOUR STORY. HIS STORY INTO THE WORLD.
>> Doris: I THINK I WAS WORRIED WHETHER I COULD FINISH
IT OR NOT. BUT I JUST BE SAD RELIVING HIS
DEATH IN THAT LAST YEAR BUT INSTEAD I THINK AS AN HISTORIAN,
THIS IS WHAT I HOPE YOU DO, IT KEEPS HIM ALIVE.
I KEEP HEARING HIS VOICE. OTHER PEOPLE WILL KNOW HE LIVED.
ALL OF US WHEN OUR STORIES TOLD WHETHER WE ARE ON MOUNT RUSHMORE
OR IN MOVIES. WE WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER WHO
WE ARE. THE BEST ADVICE I'D HAVE FOR
PEOPLE WHO HAVE OLDER PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES, DON'T LET THEM
WAIT TO OPEN THE BOXES OF THEIR MEMORABILIA.
TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT NOW SO THEY CAN TELL THEIR STORIES TO
YOU. YOU CAN TELL THEM TO THEIR
CHILDREN. I HAVE TWO GRANDCHILDREN HERE
TODAY AND I'M SO GLAD. HE DIED WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG.
THEY WILL KNOW HIS STORY AND THEY CAN TELL IT TO THEIR
CHILDREN AND THAT'S THE WAY PEOPLE LIVE ON FOREVER.
[APPLAUSE] >> Stephen: DORIS, SO LOVELY
TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> Doris: SO GLAD TO SEE YOU. >> Stephen: "AN UNFINISHED LOVE
STORY" IS AVAILABLE NOW. DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
