>> israel cannot defend itself because the air bombs they continue to get bombs were from wherever they can. nobody stops the -- of them from getting arms. but truman was afraid that would bring in the u.s. to close on one side.

militarily the relationship with israel began to change and israel began to get arms to the united states. but truman did not want to get involved and he thought that would lead to u.s. military involvement. on the other hand, they gave israel and truman the first international economic that they needed it desperately in order to separate jews from palestine and to truman did put that through. truman was not really a zionist even "after words". he did not do everything israel supporters wanted. >> also i think he was picking his battles with the state department and i got the feeling after the recognition of israel he wanted to back

off four while and he was well aware israel was getting arms from checklist a pocket and receiving a lot of money from american jews to buy arms and after that the french came and sold arms to israel. >> even j. edgar hoover look to the other way when they broke up, there's a famous incident marlon brando was packing arms for israel and crates marked oranges but decibels or fruits and they were putting arms in the crates and the fbi busted and hoover said let it go through. and looked the other way. we're not going to stop them. we know it is illegal but let them go through. >> i believe eleanor roosevelt was very sympathetic to the

jews and even tried to influence franklin roosevelt. did she have any role in this era of with truman? >> she was a u.n. delegate and one of two or three delegates who were against what was going on in the u.n. is was described with the state department. i would say she did play a very important role and also was close to truman. he really did listen to her and was influenced by her. her position is if you want a new u.n. to succeed how can you turn against partition when that was what the world voted for? that was our position. >> on the other hand publicly she was supposed to be chairman, during this period that the state department is engineering a big conspiracy to destroy partition, freda put together a huge

dinner, rally with prominent speakers to protest the efforts of the state department to turn back partition and eleanor roosevelt was to be chairman of the meeting. and she put out the ad stop the state department conspiracy against jewish palestine. eleanor roosevelt said this is a grave embarrassment to the when the president said the worse than during the president and making a public protests. she did not want to go on record at the same time it to appear as a fast pressure dinner. >> what you are saying reminds me of my mother many decades ago when to a meeting where an american communist spoke and said the state department will always remain the same, presidents will come and

go. [laughter] as i am reading your book and watching pbs behind closed doors, i am impressed with roosevelt thought he could charm and the entrances chant -- in transient people like staal and now we have a president who seems to feel likewise. i don't know there's a question and there but i am wondering. your book is terrific. >> everybody can buy one and we will sign copies. [laughter] we watched last night's episode as well. a terming fdr a thames had to believe he thought he could even charm the south park 35 he would go there and as we argue, they walked all over fdr and as soon as he got there he totally capitulated pretty that he would charm the pants off and everything would work with the arabs because

all's they had to do was listen to them. in fdr's case, he was ill, would soon pass away, how his stroke. he was very, very sick. one of his aides was on the ship with him thought when he read in the text of the transcript he said he is really sick i don't know if he knows, he is in st.. he was nowhere in this state fdr was when he was trying to charm everyone. >> truman does not seem to be a charmer he calls people sob. >> no. he is not a charmer and back on that sob no. just before i make a couple of commercial announcements, i remember reading the j.k.

chester shire was an avid the zionist which was there monica you know, the father brown stories and also i wonder if truman was aware by separating good use gourde -- or getting separate the movement to smuggle jews into palestine is far easier. maybe the backing and oddball way to make it possible for them to organize in the camps. >> i don't think he was thinking of that. >> now commercial announcements. first of all, actually i want to thank our guests tonight [applause] for a wonderful dialogue that is very dramatic it is sort of like the perfect situation

because you have lectures with the beautiful interplay and the audience got involved as well. there will be a book signing. books are available in the bookshop and they will be signing copies. a programming note to our next event a man who has 17 ph.d. is at the el -- jabil and the art critic of the new republic and on june 11 we will be presenting a program on the jewish impact on the creation of paul crock. [laughter] that is not a joke. featuring the dictators, their amounts, the patti smith group, and it is not atypical

event but it is about a jewish children from brooklyn and queens to decide to go to manhattan. it is the story of my contemporaries except they went downtown. >> 2009 bookseller convention in new york city with bloomsbury and walker books i am here with peter miller. what you have coming out this fall? >> the most ambitious and exciting is the one over my shoulder which is a graphic novel. we decided to do this one because it is a historical

biography of bertram russell and as crazy as that sounds it is interesting novel of ideas and the two people behind it are mathematicians and computer science experts said they decided to approach the i.d.'s of the foundation of mathematics been told as a comic book form because that big idea is what russell was pursuing as heroic and life-and-death as anything you would find with a super hero. it is a book getting a lot of attention before the convention and all lot here. we have been getting a lot of the galley. everyboby seems very excited to embrace this medium with this particular subject. >>host: what else? >>guest: the interesting work of nonfiction in the fall

is this book called the age of comfort. the author is a scholar who takes a look at the period and the late 17th century when public life became interior rise like versailles with the louis xiv it was not built for comfort but enormous a slender and public events and grand juror but they were not private space is at all. they were open to the at public park out after the we xiv dies, his son takes over but new technology comes in and domestic life changes that suddenly things are erred designed around the area of comfort and everything starts to get turned into a secondary private area and for side is the perfect metaphor because it is a retrofitted by

louis xv and his mistresses of the court who create two worlds the world that the public sees and the world behind. week things -- things are to do is like the so far, a private bedroom, the flush toilet, with that comes in the idea of having a private life it is an important work of scholarship that tells a complete week new way not just a book about design but an important moment in european history. >>host: the tenth anniversary of it bloomsbury usa and bloomsbury are still based in the u.s. -- bridge and what made you start of to print in the u.s.? >> they were growing significantly in the u.k. and felt they needed an american presidents. we just about one to sell the rights to publishers in the u.s..

the u.s. is one of the largest markets in the world for book publishing so they were taking the next step. there were the publisher of harry potter in the uk so they took that opportunity and established a foothold here. 10 years ago in a small way now it has grown considerably and now george can talk about how my house expanded and those 10 years and now the divisions it encompasses. >>host: also the publisher from bloomsbury oppress what is the difference between bloomsbury press and it bloomsbury usa? >> the press is devoted entirely to nonfiction. history, politics, biography, current events in economics and science it is much less general and focused. what do have coming out this fall? >> and this one called half

moon the henry hudson and the 400th anniversary of his discovery of the river that bears his name of new york harbor that was an adventure that really changed the course of history in north america that had a very daring voyage the first being he was supposed to go completely in the other direction he was commissioned to sale to china over the northern coast of russia and took a left turn and came to america instead which led him to his discoveries here and exploration of the river. the author is a terrific writer and researcher and also a sailor who he -- so he has done his own navigation and has redrawn the map of his voyage to give us a new insights into what that trip was really about. >> george gibson publisher of walker books it is celebrating its 50th anniversary what is

walker books and was the founder? >> walker and company is a division of bloomsbury usa founded 1959 by santa and beth walker a completely independent company until january 1, 2005 when we were acquired by now a division of bloomsbury the three of the old divisions and we are one of them. >>host: how long have you been with walker? >> since 1993. as the publisher then i became the publishing director with bloomsbury usa last september. i have been involved with walker for the last 15 or 16 years. >>host: what books are you excited about? >> a couple of walker books, an artist and treason. a big success this story of a

greatest trader in american history we'll consent who was a revolutionary war hero, a general, the youngest general of the continental army who became a leading general 15 years later at the same time he became the agent 13 and the spanish secret service and a spy for spain at the same time he led the american army but every president he worked for washington, adams, ed jefferson, madison knew he was a traitor and a captain in this position for strategic regions -- reasons it is a fantastic story. another biography a fascinating figure in history to win at queen of naples, sicily and jerusalem the only woman to rule in her own name in the 14th century, every bit as dynamic as elizabeth one of england rolled over the court in

naples and incredibly trivial and a look at the 14th century through the lens of her life. >> also coming out this fall? >> of book called meltdown iceland which i think will be a fascinating way into the economic crisis that hit us last year. this is the story of the economic collapse of the country and we will publish it on the one-year anniversary october 7. it is a fascinating inside story of greed, overreach of all the things that happened, happened in iceland but understandable in a microcosm and i think that is what makes this story is a fascinating. >>host: you have been with walker since 1993 how has the publishing industry changed since then? >> it has changed in almost every way and yet it hasn't. it sounds contradictory but the marketplace has changed

enormously obviously. and 1993 the chains were not as dominant, amazon was not invented. the price clubs and warehouse clubs and airport shops sold practically nine. the number of outlets have multiplied geometrically the last 15 years. in terms of publishing it is still about getting good writers to do good work and then finding media outlets spark of the media has changed a lot particularly the last five years there are fewer outlets for print reviews but the classical way to promote books has declined and now they're all sorts of opportunities in the internet so now use the viral network and a social networking it is a brave new world and we are trying to get used to it. >> with the walker's recognize the publish the company? >> san passed away but beth follows them.

i think he would have had trouble in this world. it is a very different world than the one he inhabited but beth is fluent in the new technologies so i think she enjoys it. >> peter miller, peter ginna, george gibson from the bloomsbury family of books.

>> amy argetsinger a columnist from "the washington post", a lot of people think this summer is the time of light reading but i think that is the time to read the big bucks last year i tackled the fountainhead comments this year i am looking forward to read -- i tried 15 years ago and could not do it i started a new translation i have been chipping away but i am halfway through and probably on vacation i can finish most of it.

when new pulitzer prize winning book high book talk about one, i will finally read manhunt, the lincoln history which has been out for a few years now. and a couple of other things. the story of edgar saw tell everyone in my family has read. , some light reading is called for a double by too finally tackled "twilight" i liked the movie better than expected and everyone says the books are even better. . . .

>>host: joan catapano what new books as university have coming out this year? >> all of the posters on the table top display are all brand-new books. as you can see we have a series of new books coming out with african-american history including this biography of sojourners truth, a biography of t.r. and how word and early civil-rights 37 who was he? to make a civil-rights advocate that does not get the attention he should but was instrumental in moving forward a lot of black agenda in the south. >>host: why did you decide, joan catapano sojourners true is needed and other art of three? >> it is different from ones that was published recently added is substantial so she touches on new material that people have not treated in the

past. >>host: what other books would you like to point* out? >>guest: net cafe society which is a story of the nightclub in new york city where there was a mangling of the races back when that was not done much. it is a very readable kind of book that sort of gives you a picture the time of the era and the people who frequented places like that. >>host: what is the focus of the university of illinois press? >>guest: not on the u.s. history with specialization and african-american history, labor and women history, as ethnic history in general, but securely latino history and american music. >>host: how is the business model changed in the last couple years? >>guest: prices are going up and print runs are shorter

because the market is soft. we sell fewer copies of books and it is difficult. >>host: joan catapano editor in chief of the university of illinois press. >>host: 2009 book expo america in new york city i am here with stacey lewis director of city lights books from san francisco. what is coming out this fall? >>guest: a couple of bucks coming ounce, we have a collection of essays and it is the first book published in about four years that covers things she is particularly interested and, racism, sexism, industrial complex, it is interesting publishing with angela, a new edition of a narrative of the life of frederick r. glass which contains his narrative as well as essays by davis

that were part of a course that she taught at ucla and the 70 is. is it really brings to life at sa and we will also include a new essay written by her this year. we're hoping people who have read the narrative before take a look at this book as it will be enriched by the nol and the old. we're also publishing the way kenner, it is long awaited by helen weaver. she is also involved in the publishing scheme in the fifties it really presents a bigger picture of literary life in new york in the '50s in greenwich village which continues to always seem to be of interest and we are excited about that one. the latest book that just came

out is called the peep diaries. what howard talks about is at one time everyone was interested in pop culture because everybody is fascinated by celebrities but he coined the term that the focus has gone from celebrities to the focus on yourself that you can be the celebrity and you can do that by blogs, websites, youtube videos, it is a commentary on how that change in technology has created for a so-called -- social and cultural life is very entertaining and insert himself and lots of scenarios. he was at be a today twittering people's secrets. people were asked if they wanted to get a book today they have to tell us a secret and he went on the twitter

account and treated as those the sigrid's. and some of the new nonfiction city lights books as a bookstore you have publishing and office is on the second-floor. how did it start? >>guest: it was actually started in 1955 many people know lawrence ferlinghetti who was the most renowned public in the world. he began a publishing company with his own poems that was the first book and the pocket policy areas we have 60 books in print right now in this series. >>host: tell me a little bit about the bookstore and the publishing house but how does it work? is there synergy between the

two? >>guest: yes. at one time most of the people that worked in the publishing company had worked in the bookstore. the person that is now the editorial director worked for over 15 years in the bookstore. and is now leading the way publishing books of four city lights books. it is quite some biotic part of the books that we publish very much reflect the type of books that we carry and the store, the commitment to progressive politics, literature, a translation, new voices, gay and lesbian literature, poetry and translation f1 was to look at the last and think about the books i was talking love then walked through the store you would get the same sort of sense that the selection is curator for you and that is a very specific and intentional thing done by the bookstore

buyer. and a whole host of other people working in the bookstores so i think the mission is one of the same that continues through the books that republish. >> how will this mr. for lang getty and it is the still unsolved? >> key is 90 years old and we just celebrated his 90th birthday with him. at this point* any poetry that we are publishing has to have his approval but he has not kept the company to himself and has delegated work to a lot of people and let us continue his vision so at this point* he comes int