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TI: The other thing I wanted to talk about is we're November 2008, and so in the United States, we just had a historic election, that Barack Obama is now the President-Elect. So several weeks ago, he was elected to be our next president. You started your career in the early '50s, so before the civil rights movement, where the United States, in the South, things were segregated. And so a lot's happened, and I just wanted to get your thoughts about our country electing an African American president.

LH: I love that question. You know, in 1951, when I joined the Department of State, and even before then, I would visit Washington, D.C. and '49, '50, to see my sister. And blacks were not allowed in restaurants, in movie theaters, it just blew my mind. I just couldn't believe it. You know, this is the nation's capital, and citizens were not allowed into public places because of their color. And Maynard and I just never thought that it would ever happen in our lifetime, that a black, even a non-white, period, minority, would ever become president. And we're thrilled to death. We're both Democrats, we're both liberals, we're both registered Democrats, we'll never change, and of course, voted for Obama and always hoped for the best, and there he is, the President-Elect. But as I just told a black lady who I know fairly well who has worked with Brian on a pro-bono "get out the vote" short documentary called The Declaration, it was not for either side, it was just to get out the vote. And she's a very, very successful producer of ads for television, extremely successful, and she worked with Brian in putting this short out. And I just saw her the other day, and I knew her father had been deeply involved in the civil rights movement. I commiserated with her that, "It's too bad your father wasn't living to see this day," because he probably would be so amazed that it occurred in his lifetime. But I also told her, "Some of us -- and I'm sure you're the same with our discussion -- that he's almost like a Messiah." We expect miracles, but we shouldn't. Because even though Bush didn't respect the three elements of the government, and the Executive just tore the Constitution to shreds -- when I say the government, I mean Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz and Addington (Chief of Staff to Vice President Cheney) and any number of those guys. Obama's going to respect the three elements of the government, and he in the White House, and he's going to work closely with the legislature and do what he can to work closely with the Supreme Court, and he's not going to abuse his power. And what I have seen, even though I truly believe he's a man of tremendous integrity and righteousness and goodness, I look upon someone like Bush Jr., who is anything but all of those, and everyone -- I shouldn't say everyone -- he sets the tone. And if you have any inclination of being anything but doing your job correctly, you may fall into the same pattern. 'Cause you know that's what the boss is doing, and there are many advantages in doing it that way from a personal standpoint. But with someone like Obama, I feel our whole government is going to fall back in line where the average citizen might, you and I, can truly respect the government again, and I think we're really on the right track. I expect to see great things in the next eight years.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.