During my administration the most unpleasant and perhaps most dramatic negotiations in which we participated were with the various... leaders of Iran after the seizure of American hostages in November 1979. The Algerians were finally chosen as the only intermediaries who were considered trustworthy both by me and the Ayatollah Khomeini. After many aborted efforts, final success was achieved during my last few hours in the White House.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
It's almost impossible to deal with a crazy man, except that he does have religious beliefs, and the world of Islam will be damage...d if a fanatic like him should commit murder in the name of religion against 60 innocent people.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Literature is the one place in any society where, within the secrecy of our own heads, we can hear voices talking about everything... in every possible way. The reason for ensuring that that privileged arena is preserved is not that writers want the absolute freedom to say and do whatever they please. It is that we, all of us, readers and writers and citizens and generals and goodmen, need that little, unimportant-looking room. We do not need to call it sacred, but we do need to remember that it is necessary.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »