some of the problems that heñ÷ talked about before, the consolidation of medium big corporations and concert power in washington play into this. i want to come back and say a lot of them has to do with what you decide. do you decide to become an informed consumer or do you just sort of turn on the set and say what is there that's what they have i don't care much about. a consumer of news is a value to the country, and i just urge everyone particularly these days when you have so much coming at you so fast, internet, cable,

satellite, it's hard. what do you think are the best sources to use? find them, watch vose, support those. it's kind of a fundamental elemental statement, but a very important one, and i think going forward it will be even more important because i think now 800 on my television dial. i go through nights there is nothing i want to watch. ..

the authors argue that the world's most exclusive fraternities often marked by shifting allegiances as one supporter is next week's critics. this is about an hour. >> good evening, everyone. for those who have not had a chance to make, and john hiatt bush named the acting executive director of the ronald reagan residential foundation. it is my pleasure to welcome all of you here. in honor of our men and women in uniform who defend our freedom around the world, if you see standing join me for the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the united states of

america. and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you. please be seated. as i was preparing for the arrival of our special guest today, not that it has anything to do with them, but i ran into some depressing statistics. don't worry, while this introduction will start low, i promise it will and hide. the stats that i've been into her all about you is these days and how often. some of the numbers concern me. now, to hold me to them exactly as my source was the internet, but they are revealing and it's even close, they are tough to swallow. what they say. one third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their

lives. 42% of college graduates never read another book after college. and 80% of u.s. families did not buy or read a book last year. now, i have to presume that to the extent these people read, their breeding habits are confined to 140-carat or tweets, blogs, weblogs, chats, instant messages, e-mails. i think they are missing a lot. i say that because every once in a while a team that's truly talented writers will get together and write a gift, a gift for all of that is in a work that informs, educates and entertains all the ones. that is definitely the case with nancy gibbs and set to use "the presidents club." it is a great vote.

we are here to presidential library, which happens to be the best, in my unbiased opinion. and while lying in handy not opinions, having read nancy and makes the, i am sure there will not be a better book with such unique and interesting insight on the modern day president be published for some time. now, i know this because for me the book past the i didn't know that tests on every page. i didn't know that president clinton had real respect for president nixon. i didn't know there was a presidential clubhouse across from the white house were only former presidents are allowed to stay. and i definitely didn't know there was president reagan who taught president clinton how to salute. these really interesting discoveries are just a handful of the scores of such revolutions throughout the book.

and no wonder. nancy and mike are two of the most talented writers and editors at "time" magazine who have aches. comedy awards, the rolodexes and the reputations required to raise such a wonderful book. so ladies and gentlemen, with that, please join me in welcoming, michael duffy and nancy gibbs. [applause] >> we could stand. thank you, john for that ridiculous introduction. i wanted to start by saying that by saying that in the five years that nancy and i spent putting us book together, we had many discovery moments, where we were learning as much about the president as you'll learn if you get a chance to read this,

things we didn't know, things that surprised as even about the man we had covered from reagan through bush and clinton and bush and now obama. so for us, it was a real journey of discovery to say nothing we learned about hoover and truman and eisenhower, kennedy, john, nixon and ford. so we too came away thinking wow, i didn't know that. and for us, it was a turning that continues because people keep telling us things we did know. but in some ways, ronald reagan was a bigger part of that story that we would have just because we first meet him in 1947, long before his president be. and as we delve deeper and deeper into reagan's relationship with the club, we learn he actually had seen fdr when he was living in des moines and he had gone to a truman fund raiser in kansas city when he was still a democrat.

and would then be taken under the wing of a when he was beginning his political career as a republican. and i was struck by how his relationship with the public as they're coming up the driveway here we saw over and over again all of the president, which is a reminder that every person who serves as commander-in-chief sees himself as part of a bigger club. i just want to advance the picture here again. this is a picture on the cover of "time" magazine two or three weeks ago. never been published before, so we were thrilled to put it on the cover because it takes you into the modern club that really began a long time before george w. bush, barack obama and bill clinton were there to pick up the torch. in fact, it begins in, what year would you say quick >> well, it begins when a president is in need of some

serious help. and that is what it would take to bring together such an unlikely partnership is harry truman and herbert hoover. two men with nothing in common politically, nothing in common personally. the relation of any kind except for the fact that the world was a very difficult, dangerous challenging place in 1947 truman kind himself president. and so, he is not one to sign on ceremony. he does like our herbert hoover had last is the most hated man with his motorcade pelted with rotten fruit, exiled completely. whenever anyone suggested to franklin roosevelt that maybe hoover could be useful, hoover knows a lot and he was a great humanitarian relief worker before he became president. roosevelt would say i am not jesus christ. i am not raising herbert hoover from the dead. [laughter] cary sherman felt differently. he was racing reports that said many people were at risk of

starving because the continent had been so devastated. and so, knowing exactly how the roosevelt white house would react to this, chernin secretly mails a letter personally to hoover, saying would you be willing to come in and talk to me? in the two men meet. this picture is taken in may of 1945. truman has only been in office for a matter of weeks. they're very suspicious of each other. whoever thinks that they will of this. within a year, hoover has been given a staff and a plane and sent by truman 55,000 mouse around the world. he went to 22 countries, 36 prime ministers from the seven kings and the pope. in his mission is to move food from the countries that had to the countries that need it. and in doing so these two presidents for this partnership that was existent so far outside of policy differences of political differences because

they're both so committed to what needed to be done. and that first date that philosophical premise date that philosophical premise could do for one another and mrs. wyatt, when the two men could do for one another and this is why, when the two men meet one another on the platform and eisenhower's inoculation in 1853, hoover goes to greet president truman and says i think we should form a presidents club. truman said gray can you be the president, albeit a secretary. so that is the mythological foundation story as they tease each other in the platform. except it turns that with each successive president to become more and more and more real. so eisenhower in 1957 enacted as office space and allowing the mailing privileges to the former president. lyndon johnson grant them secret security secret service detail and use of presidential helicopters and even

projectionists from the white house film library being treated at walter reid wanted to watch movies from the white house library. richard nixon at the clubhouse as john mentioned, which only one reporter in history has stepped foot inside a peer >> when i asked the white house to back up to the clubhouse on jackson square right across to the white house, i called the press secretary, jay carney, who was my colleague at the time and he said that building? i don't think we know anything about this. last night in 1869 richard nixon as president and he is getting calls constantly in the country of texas, where suddenly accept lyndon johnson is going crazy. he has been sent home. his term is done and he decides not to run for reelection in a stir crazy. he's been drinking from a firehose for 10 years and is constantly calling the white house saying i want to come out and do stuff. i need a plane. i need somewhere to stay.

johnson was driving to nixon white house. so it's such a distraction he said just get them out. get them a building, and office from a place to stay overnight. a young military aid was a colonel in the air force at the time was spent brent scowcroft got his assignment. and i guess that tells you how i found out about this story. so they basically take over a rundown townhouse on lafayette square and it becomes a sort of secret place where presidents can be, work and stay overnight until today. i recently got inside. it's the nicest for season two have overstayed. and i should tell you that the threat count on the sheets is like a good showing in. [laughter] there is a lovely little seal on the two 22 day affair curb or if you wake up and usher which are real job you can let down and

say i used to be president of the united states. this is one of my favorite stories from the club. you know, we all love reading presidential biographies. really david mccullagh and robert caroline lbj and there's lots of great reagan biographies and they are fun to read than their treasure to sit down and curl up with. one of things we want to do was hold the two men act together and look at relationships because relationships are really interesting. one of the things we discover i work at the reagan library and other archives as these two men were friends and allies long before reagan was president and long after i was. so much so that in 1865 and 66 when ronald reagan is beginning his career as an elected official running for governor of california and immediately thinking about the presidency when you select to, eisenhower is watching him. never met him.

he's reading everything he can, watching him on television. he's really intrigued by reagan. he likes the optimism and he secretly begins to write letters to some of reagan's friends to help him cope with the charge, which in the states is that reagan was too much of an extremist to represent the republican party. eisenhower's letters to reagan to cut us through middlemen are astonishing. for example, there is a charge that you tend to close to the john birch society in the early 1960s. as a spurious charge, but it kept coming up. eisenhower had script press conferences. we should find someone to assess question american should answer it this way. he goes through several letters and he is doing it while nixon is trying to seek the gop nomination. he is a very interesting

prospect at eisenhower secretly hoping reagan and 66, 67, 68 pamela fagan is contesting contesting for the gop nomination are used to be ex-vice president. >> and his daughters about to start dating and will marry the full classic familial kaslow. >> can you talk about this picture because you understood it better? this is the club picnic. >> you talk about this picture because the thing that amazes us is how many of these relationships go back long, long, long before anyone is in politics. >> this is the bohemian grove and the summer of 1967, 68-acre. richard nixon on the left would meet herbert hoover that sanger nixon was giving a big speech

there about hoover. but when he really had to do is meet with reagan because reagan by now is actively seeking a 1968 nomination. he's beginning to contest primaries in the beginning to pick up delegates. he's got the right wing republican party completely won over. he's got people like william f. buckley sanders sought to vote for accept ronald reagan and his nixon who thought he would have a stately walk, set late with the newcomer from california. not to go back in 1947 when he was a young congressman. so they've known each other for a long time, corresponding to the early 1960s. but by this time they're on opposite sides. as we found throughout the story, demand for randall's long before they reach the oval office. this is the picture that most people probably can't time, the

red after nixon had made his comeback after watergate, reagan as president and there's a great story between the two of them. the nixon become president he goes to sleep right at walter reid and i.t. is not well and ill soldiers is to to nixon, as he is giving him advice before he leaves, he says i am yours to command. celebrity becomes president in 1981, and a 10 page single spaced letter, which nixon would write to reagan would all come to advice about who appointed him how to conduct your first year he would say, i am yours to command, just as i had said to him. >> janel, so we have these partnerships, which as if they can index then we also found the president said the same party often have ever complicated time

getting on with each other than presidents of different parties and receive effective this day. so if president obama and president clinton, obviously the relationship got off to something of a rocky start. the 2008 campaign was bound to be a little hard on them. but the thing that got clinton most maybe was the fact that during that campaign, many of you will remember that when obama was invoking a model of presidential greatness station, it was not to managed to win two terms. it was the last republican, ronald reagan who has the example of obama sat at someone who has had a clear vision for the country. it wasn't a bishop on a great read, but what is captivated by an honor process that reagan knew where he wanted state the country and was able to bring them along with him. of course this is exquisitely calculated to drive bill clinton not. and obama talk about the clinton

presidency in comparison have3 and obama talk about the clinton presidency in comparison have been small in poultry and missed opportunity about small things. and so that guarantees this is my relationship with dr. good start on after obama wins and appoints hillary clinton as secretary of state coming makes bill clinton sign a prenup that all of the coming outcome of what i need he's allowed to race and were to give speeches when he can and cannot do and clinton goes along with it. he says he now covers hillary's turn now i'll do whatever they need me to do. but it really takes a while for these 29 to find their footing and all. one of the things of course it happens and we see it happen too many presidencies went president obama has been in office for a while and he realizes doing great big things is not easy. doing anything is not easy. suddenly the deals on the compromises and maneuver is something that they have

dismissed as clintonian was not a compliment suddenly we're working a lot more understandable. and so, now we see, just in the newest campaign video, directed by oscar-winning or inherited by oscar-winning director, tom hanks stars appearing four times in 17 minutes, bill clinton. >> a lot of different people running for president we talked about this earlier today, and they asked a third become president they said i would do about reagan did. we forget on the democratic side was a very big argument about ronald reagan in which, as nancy was hitting, obama basically said all the more reaganesque than clinton ever was. an astonishing thing to happen on a democratic campaign. the second row they have this consolation is a man who came out of the office with huge

scars, but it was, even when they are very successful. the thing that i'm banned from different parties and generations in the club after it's all over to make some friends who knew the suspect it is that they'll come out of office with welts and burdens and regret and things they wish they could do over. there's no easy decisions as president and even the ones that turn out well. here's a famous picture from 1961. this is john f. kennedy's first trip to camp david, the place named after x grandson of course. it was not a cordial call. this is how many days after the bay of pigs? five days after the bay of pigs. literally eisenhower sticking kennedy to the woodshed and kennedy had come into office, yet we organize the white house around assembly of making decisions. he thought eisenhower's very military hierarchy was not going to work anyone at a much more

personal kind of president he and then they had to bathe takes a thought maybe that's not working so well. eisenhower and kennedy me. this is a far off, seriously tried to warn you cannot organize the white house as a kind of type. kennedy said yeah, i'm beginning to figure this out now. he would learn. you change the way he did his decision-making as they become more like the one that pay, interestingly enough before they appear before the cameras and kennedy really needed this picture as much as he needed to talking to you because it can read need a sense of authority in command to have the old general bear. eisenhower didn't criticize kennedy in public. >> in fact, the following week in a congressional delegation congressman a pilgrimage to gettysburg to see eisenhower could do that okay, the limits of the rest of the kennedy administration on eisenhower person that said there should be no wish to. it is important that we support

our president, especially in foreign policy in dangerous times this not become a partisan issue. >> which is very much like what happened about two or three weeks ago. i just have to bring this out. after george w. bush left office. the club has its protocols and traditions. he went off the grid and disappeared into the current president deserves my silence, which is a classy thing to do. obviously his vice president didn't take that approach. [laughter] but when he finally broke cover about three weeks ago and makes them very gently constructive criticism of obama's texan energy policy, after sentence or two he said that i don't believe our president in our country should criticize our president. so the public road of supporting the current ones continues. this is just a great picture. >> this is another amazing

moment. yes you texans to argue whether eisenhower counts as a texan, the two men who worked closely together with us in our president johnson as majority leader. still true republican in true democrat. the night of kennedy's assassination, john is on the phone to eisenhower that the safety issue for a long time. i need you more than ever now. the next morning eisenhart gets in eisenhart gets in gets in his cadres from gettysburg to the white house to see johnson. he sees canadians body lying in state and writes out in longhand on legal pads each college i session of congress and here's what you need to say because the world is watching. the country is traumatized. everyone wonders what is going to happen next. this basic advice is to need to promise to do everything in your power to push through kennedy's agenda. kennedy's agenda was stalled in congress and wasn't going anywhere. eisenhower is advising congress

to push it through. this is not because eisenhower likes kennedy's agenda. this is because eisenhower believes at this moment what the country needed was a message of stability and continuity. throughout johnson's presidency, eisenhower place this extraordinary off camera row where he would, but they can he make up some cover story for why you need to be in washington seeking come see me because i do whenever and to think it's an emergency, so, for some reason why you need to be here, but if we need to talk to you to the point that there are meetings that in the white house about vietnam that eisenhower ran. john sedgwick attended, it's extraordinary. at one point he says you're the best chief of staff ascot. >> it's really amazing. the relationship is interesting. johnson actually found out every

time he ever met him from attending the reception, just so he could have physical evidence of relationship with the man who lived in the master. this is from a chapter or call three man a funeral. [laughter] which is when reagan sent these three guys to the funeral of edward sadat, october 1981 on a version of the plane, just like the one in the other room, the one prior aircraft before that, 26,018. these guys didn't like each other. there's not a lot of love lost between either of them. you can understand why. but on the way back, nixon peels off on his own secret mission naturally and carter and ford, who fought like ferrets in 1876 are now alone on the plane. nixon is gone, headache is gone and kissinger is gone. it's a weird play mode.

and they become friends. there's something in common. they both need to raise money on their library. they realize they are both men of faith. they both realize they are tossed out of office a little before they would've liked. i think they looked around the club and saw nixon any reagan was president and a thought, we may be stronger together than we are apart. so to the next 25 years, ford and carter again across party to 2425 different projects on budgets, deficits, arms control, middle east politics. they've joined forces, wrote a book together, winners overseas about 15 times together. their promise by an 18a five to give the eulogy at the other depending who died first. which is really a measure of friendship. and so, when ford did pass in 2006, there were jimmy carter and roosevelt carter in tears, men who fought very heavily in 1870s eggs.

the club is not like any fraternity, but the bonds are really special. you want to take this one? >> you call this beauty and the beast. >> it is more like a buddy movie hollywood never accept. >> you know, when clinton take office after the 1992 election, it only happened once before in american history, which was the plaintiff's inauguration. they all wanted attention and varying degrees or another, but no one more so than richard nixon. he is practically standing outside jumping up in town famous mean to me. he's kind of calling them wanting and so he writes a very friendly op-ed about the great promises and there's no word. then he writes, it's so much top her off a and sends a signal that you do for these columns will be getting tougher.

>> he's the president of the united states. finally, clinton called sans and of course realizes that he's still incredibly shrewd about the world. his mixture of mary sans of what was going on and the farmer union, but they become late-night phone by these not just talk about foreign policy is traitorous to talk about how to organize his day, had to use his time. he says this is what i'm getting up in the morning this is what i'm doing. the president's time is the most scarce and precious thing he has a list of who's using i will caution the first notes of the president see he certainly not. and so he was climaxing to say how great to great do this, which takes in love not only because he ate been back in the game, the 20 odd years later this is still an impossible

challenge. >> when we interviewed clinton about this county said one of his most prized possessions of being president was a letter nixon had been 10, excuse me, but before nixon dies in march march 1994. nixon had just gone to russia. russia was undergoing huge change. he climbed with clinton's instruction. as many foreign trips in the scope for secret missions. this is one of them. at the end of the trip come nixon great clinton a single space letter never been released. pieces have been released, but we ask that midwicket habit and could we see today said but it he told some thing that was in a way better. it's an amazing letter, hart had a come and he quoted something. we said had he no? he said i reread it every year. when nixon died in 1994, and the clinton white house announced a clinton of course gave the

eulogy. he said a few weeks later he missed them in the same way he missed his mother, similar, not the same because i often find myself wishing i could pick up the phone and call him and ask them for advice. >> is a truly extraordinary staying there we got to witness a father and son in the white house. you know, what are the chances of that. if politics of complicated family is really complicated. and yeah, the only thing more extraordinary than the fact that president george herbert walker bush got to see his son elected president is that he actually serves as the father or his surrogate father of more than one president. what we've done really incredible was the budding movie of all time is of friendship that developed again cross party come across generation between president clinton and the entire bush family to the point of a now have a nickname for him. they call in their brother from another mother.

[laughter] spinnaker went to go back to this because we acted us about it a lot. when the two men meet, the first pairing of presidents and early 19th century, both men can't speak. this is later in the day obviously, that is quite an emotional moment. a lot of people passed as an guide how much did bush to listen to push one? , should he ignore preshrunk advice? pob say and reporting bears this out as much as maybe people wish that it were not true but in some ways this sound was for the fathers at all typical for her, a very difficult time for the president, as the younger man who would had called the father can say, turn off the television. you've got to stop watching this stuff. children and was concerned about the criticism, just as any with the concern. 41 decided early on that his

time had a lot of advisers, that he really only had one dad. said i'd be the rule that he would play, which is probably the choice most fathers would make. anyway, easily misunderstood, that simple when you think about it. this is not all come by. and the deficit come by eyes, but we have a lot of it in this book and this is one of the earliest. so again, these relationships tend to follow often a twisting path. so if you look at eisenhower and truman, two men, architects in the way of the postwar world worked very closely in effect the together as they try to figure out america's role as a surviving superpower, the idea of permanently stationing american troops in europe and then selling guerrilla in american and congress on the idea of nato. truman understood to take some of eisenhower's stature to get

this idea to be accepted. there are so affect to the immediately following word that in 1980, chairman says to eisenhower, if you're thinking about running, i would get out of the way. i'll be your vice president if you want. so you have these men who start out with formulation and by the time in 1852 eisenhower does run for president, now comes apart and it becomes apart badly mainly over the fact that truman concluded that at eisenhower was failing to challenge the most extreme elements in his party, especially mccarthy. countrymen was serious about this. he can't eisenhower and moral coward and started campaigning across the country, saint eisenhower was unfit for the office. anyone who would not stand up for mccarthy did not deserve to be president of the united states. so therefore no surprise

eisenhower so angry he initially refused to come to the white house to pick up truman to go to the inauguration. he barely spoke throughout the presidency. truman does not step foot back in the white house, but these relationships began. it's never that simple. and the two men to find themselves again to get their economy, particularly in november 1963 when the shares are missing back from arlington cemetery and the burial of president kennedy and they start talking about her and burial plan. and an assertive shadow of mortality, small things fall away. the big things come back. truman turns to ice announces joint command for a train? the end of active warehouse talking and reconciling. and so, a friendship that turns into a few, turns back into a

reconciliation because ultimately what they both have been through, they both as president is much more important in the fight they had. >> that story had a happy ending. this one not so much. you have to tell this. >> you know, i don't know if there's ever been to political combatants more skilled and fighting for his stakes as high as nixon and lyndon johnson. the remarkable thing, you remember in the 1960 election, john and had decided not to run for another term. all he wanted was to return his presidency and make as a peacemaker. he wasetermined there should be. he had his own reasons for wearing that if there were a breakthrough via tom he did not have a good chance of winning the election. very sharp before election day 1968, johnson discovers that the allies had been secretly advertising peace talks. because these trees and

privately. what does he do about it? this is 1968. we've seen bobby kennedy assassinated kunhardt luther king assassinated. as the democratic assassination turn into a war zone. part of johnson's calculation was allegedly due to the country to have an outgoing president accuse a major party candidate of sabotaging peace negotiations of the most delicate moment. but it was an extraordinary moment of confrontation ultimately johnson decided not to challenge nixon about it. and that election year and was very, very close. four years later, you understand now the recent nixon and to keep johnson very happy. mr. the transition that showed with a tape recorders were in the white house. it was one of the reason why they got that pilothouse and

orchestrated johnson's birthday party, why he sent a check down to the ranch with briefing papers every week. he wanted to keep johnson attend. >> the greatest social florist for a baby bird to pay homage to johnson. >> so watergate is now gaining for us and in january of 1973, nixon's man called johnson and say, you know, you might want to call your friends in the senate and just tell them to back off on this watergate investigation. we will reveal this fact issue were illegally surveilling,, eavesdropping on us in 1968, to which johnson said, well, if you do that, i will say what i learned when i was illegally wiretapping you back in 1968. [laughter] this extraordinary situation of illegal but no. how did this come up with?

about two weeks later, nixon is inaugurated for a second term in two days after that, lyndon johnson died of a heart attack. and at that moment, the rather perilous moment in the presidency, there was no clothes. harry truman died at christmas. johnson died in january. nixon is although. >> this picture tells you all you need to know about how george herbert slusher broke his feeling. not every president gets on with numbers of the other party. jimmy carter has been a challenge for all of them. [laughter] probably because it's in his nature to be my way or the highway kind of guy. he's also had another challenge. he left office at the age of 56 or 57. in september jimmy carter becomes the longest living ex-president in american history. 31 years, eight months, 24 days,

surpassing herbert hoover's record. that is not an easy burden to bear. he has worked very hard at his second career and invented the modern presidency. when he got out of office he was depressed for years and didn't know what to do. he survive for long life. this is going to be hard. but he writes the books can muster is doing charitable status. he has done huge amounts of things at home and overseas in the last 31 years. he won a nobel prize, but also has a way. they have alternative except bush, clinton and obama have all some kind and is normally delivered the goods, but he is a tendency to go off script. this is the kind of classic moment of scott king in 2005, 2006. i am not sure when it was a moment to pay homage to a civil rights leader. carter used it as a chance to very gently criticized the other

man's son who was then president. he is wasting things like if you like my role as a former president is superior to that of other presidents. every club needs a black sheep. [laughter] does everyone else in the club something to unite around. clinton would also send carter or overseas. when he did it the first and second time he wasn't sure it was going to turn out okay. i love that quote. he says mr. stephanopoulos. you think it will be okay, don't you? the last thing is how the club really worked to unite when the presidency is in crisis for the presidency is more important than any president. they'll recognize in politics today, which don't work very well for one thing that has to work, went in but always has to be functioning powerful an effect as is the presidency. >> this is where we see them most willing to put self-interest, party interests,

political interests aside and join together, make, and caused around some larger purpose. we see with truman and over again, where of all people to completely rewritten as the executive branch, why on earth would trim and sign off on herbert hoover sharing what became known as the herbert hoover mission to the societal and assume would dismantle the entire new deal superstructure of government. would trim a new this time was herber had been in a moment of national crisis and he knew that a president needs the tools to be able to meet a crisis. i especially in the postwar nuclear age, having those is more important than ever in truman trusted hoover to do a re-organization that would empower the president to follow, especially the great gift they gave to presidents who followed to organize, rationalize the

executive branch only president to be able to function better. the fact to her strength in the presidency and would occupy me no difference. in the course of gathering information, hoover found out so much i was wrong and wasteful in government that if you let any of it be known during the 1948 election, very easy to imagine reporters at the time later cited in the same hoover didn't break any of this, kept it to himself because his larger goal was to make sure the president himself was strengthened for other presidents who followed. >> and we see across party all the time. >> we see it again when hoover and eisenhower advised richard nixon not to challenge the results of 1960. as close as the race was come as many acquisitions as they were, phone calls within 15 minutes of each other, eisenhower and hoover pro se, would not be good

for the country. stand down. >> we've seen overseas. >> we needed a much smoother peaceful transition of power was an essential model that america represented around the world and this is not the time to be having a prolonged battle over it. >> this is the part, a factor intact but drove forward very much so he played a number of points of trying to protect the president be, both in his pardon of nixon, she realizes presidency simply could not begin until the matter was taken off the table. later he would try to rescue bill clinton from impeachment in 1998 privately working behind the scenes to simply unmount and work towards the center away from impeachment in the end couldn't convince clinton of that, but he worked hard to try and make that happen.

this is the same is needed meeting in century city. most people don't know these two men actually ever met. they met twice. first the 1993 when president reagan invited all the governors to the white house said both bill and hillary clinton. there's a picture of him and my right? that's the only other time, right? this is not the place to make a mistake about that. that picture -- and this is the other picture, the only time in a timely archive. it's a great story. century plaza at his day, late november, 1992, bill clinton at his postelection pre-inauguration to her. he pays a courtesy call on ronald reagan. they had present public conversation at every would-be president agree a line item veto and the need for budgets and a one point clinton asked the question, any other advice for me? president reagan says the first

thing you have to do is get you can't david, out of that building. it's good for the soul to get out into the mountains. his advice clinton didn't really take until he realized a year or two into his presidency he needed to get out of the house. the other thing is that reagan had been watching president clinton during the campaign and found it a little when he as he was too kind to say. but it was not a sharp, chris salute and reagan had been in the military. he also played many roles of military officers. clinton as i understand that asked reagan to show him how to do it. they had a brief saluting clinic. they are and century plaza and reminded me of his eisenhower who taught kennedy how to price a couple of button on the phone and make a getaway by

helicopter. as johnston atoll nixon were the tapes were other johnson may have its schema to sleep about that. it's not just matters they pass on tips. this was one where former president had a particularly keen understanding the public perception pays not just as a public official, and he would come to salute justice president reagan had done. it was it was passed on when george w. bush went through when president clinton was leaving office in george w. bush asked clinton. he said didn't come you didn't be such a great speaker because it given a horrible speech this evening team 88 democratic convention. and he said, jimmy tips about how to give a good speech? said the president both high incentives are part toccoa.

>> ultimately, what struck us is that the rules and rituals cottbus himself, thing that makes the club most real is this notion that the office itself is more important than the individual. who occupy it. we kept hearing this again and again and again, particularly when one administration gives way to another. so in january 2009, president clinton summoned everyone to meet the new guy. and he says at that time to president obama, look, we want you to succeed. and those of us who have been in this office know the office transcends the individual. and i think what michael and i took away from all this research was seeing how these are men at her fiercely ambitious. dave played a growth in our country's history. they all are haunted by how

history will remember them. they have very deep, strong, wide, broad agendas themselves. yet over and over and over again, we also saw them set agendas aside or move past them were fined a larger interest that brought them together and brought them together to do great and important things, or to do the small is still highly important work of just helping each other because it is a very hard job. it's not a job thing of utter something they can whine about. they'll find in many cases much of their lives to get the job. once they do it, or something that comes up again and again, what jefferson called it a splendid misery. buchanan called the presidency of chronic dorms. truman used to refer to the great white jillson is the white house. it is also very difficult job. even the ones who do successfully can be wounded by

an bear burdens from having done and there's very few people they can talk to about it. to the one thing they want one another to know is basically yeah, i get it. you can call me. i understand i get it i will give you a hard time. and that is that we saw here and that's what we saw all through history and it is a model may be that many of us can take back put us in whatever realm we are operating. so thank you very much. we'd be happy to take your questions. [applause] >> nancy and michael have been gracious enough to allow a few minutes at the end for some questions. i'll ask us if that you could raise your hand with people in the aisles with a microphone. just wait until the microphone gets in your hand and will start right over here.

>> is there such a situation that the first lady like the president? >> it is so interesting how a lot of people have been curious about that. i think what we all is seen as first ladies are actually aware if you're trying to raise children the white house. it seems to be mainly girls. lately. there's a johnson girl, mexico and amy carter and chelsea clinton and the bush prose and now the obama girl spirit as the mother of gross, it is a wonderful, coerce challenge in any event trying to do it in the great white nights could be especially challenging. hillary clinton is tantamount how hopeful jackie kennedy has been about raising children in the spotlight. lucy johnson told us there's a reason my first families don't criticize each other.

we understand how difficult it is. there's something of a kinship is among the first families. there's a marvelous picture we saw out here in the library of 61st ladies together and certainly there's a bond between them because they too are having a very neat pics variants. having said that, semi-official of the structure of the presidents club is unique to presidents. i suspect it will not be long before it is no longer an all-male club. but for the time being, we haven't seen any equivalent outside of the presidents themselves. >> here's another question here. >> ever understand the photograph of the 16, 17 shaken in a president kennedy. is there any evidence that bill clinton met lyndon johnson would've been a college student around that time.

either he photographs quite >> with clinton could i suspect t. had a chance he would have. >> in fact, in president clinton's office is a sign picture from lyndon johnson that had to be 40 years old. >> story is great good clinton just reviewed robert kaye wrote that "the new york times" on sunday, which we thought we thought was an excellent club idea and we supported it as club authors. we thought that was good. in 1972, clinton is tapped by george mcgovern to rent texas for mcgovern, which has the north causes go is one of the great lost causes, texans for mcgovern. who was the only ally they thought they had running texas click. so the day comes when the

governor when the governor and then tom eagleton goes to the ranch, right after the convention before they realize it may not be the best vice presidential candidate. bill clinton, cochairman for mcgovern and taylor branch, who would eventually be the direst kind of sort of has to flip a coin about which one of them accompanies mcgovern and people tend to the ranch to see john's been. clinton loses the coin toss. and so taylor brings back from the meeting, which did not go well, by the way, a signed picture for clinton and lbj. so that is as close as clinton got to meeting a bj. but is great about the american presidency as we all remember, even if it's a motorcade going by her first president. ron reagan remembers he saw fdr in the back of the train somewhere in iowa. i think it was des moines.

he said a german event as i mentioned before. everyone has creation stories. clinton never meant lbj. he told us he thought as all presidents or their successors, history will be kinder to him. that is what they hoped for. right over here. >> said the implications of the president's cloud is are there similar models and prime ministers of written? >> i think what is amazing about the presidents cup -- let me answer it this way. i read a story in "the new york times" that it was inevitable this circus would be defeated because he wasn't a typically french president. the french like their presidents grandfatherly and cool in anti-american. [laughter] and sarkozy was none of those

things. and that reminds me when they go back to this picture, i mean, go back to these. there is nothing in common about any of these guys. they're all different. we elect presidents who don't begin to sit in the same. if you have back to be just as you can if you added nixon and johnson and kennedy. i mean, this club speaks ira is widely different backgrounds and it's a quintessentially american thing. and i don't think there was -- the clubs that we have in france or anglian were probably are a geek's estate. you wouldn't have to create them because they all came out of them. there's no club that would have of these guys is a member in america. they are just too different. so that is what is so remarkable about this as they have created their own. that to come accreting your association is quintessentially

american thing. >> when you're doing your research, degenerate chance attacked while the libyan presidents and what was their take on your book? >> we were able to talk to president clinton in the first president bush and carter. i and if you does happened the second president bush before working on this book and just god to ask an honest book of his predecessors. i was asking questions before i knew there was a club. so we were very, very grateful for the help they were willing to give us. though, you know, this is a pretty intimate group. i think there's lots of things they will not talk about and i would even argue that it should be. but i think we got a lot of help from them. and some people it served often multiple presidents have had a chance to come hair the way they function in who they rely on them when they reach out on this

little and our soccer works. >> we have time for one last question. >> are there security level is such that the president president cannot disguise certain levels of information with other presidents? >> well, i think if you are going to tell anyone outside the circles that exists, a former president would be among them. george herbert walker bush sent them newsletters and not monthly. he offered to secure funds interest rate all of the one train them down. a lot of the people used to be presidents went to get away a little. they've had enough of the secure world status. i gave that up for something better and different. so i don't think there's a real downside to tie many of those guys that have