real focus. the first daily paper in the country, founded in 1783. and once the cities get to be a certain density, there's enough commerce, enough population, then in that early part of the 19th century they get going and really take off in 1830s. ...

>> one of the most

tong-lasting long-lasting effects -- excuse me to their mind russia of bore responsibility for the attention the most effective guarantee as a strong military defense. hot conference with delegates selected and there were a handful could expect only to serve propaganda. those conference organizers played into the hands of the soviets. the 600 sponsors encouraged organizers made critics of

the soviet union. to a conference that would not castigate either side. the intent to bring people to discuss peaceful coexistence that had deathly it -- clear flavor that is the line calvin took that there after condemn terror as a stalinist. that anti-intellectual at anti-communist and group. i will read one more short, although there could be many more. at the end of her life and incident after she stops writing plays

in the 1976 publishes a small memoir which is the memoir of her own appearance. it creates a vociferous the negative reaction because hellman takes for granted joseph mccarthy would have been evil people they would lay at the feet of the intellectuals who did not stand up and argues freedom of speech, the right of dissent was injured rolled

to democracy. and in that period who became anti-communist allowing mccarthy to do with he was doing and they were the real criminals. that produces a resurgence of the 1950's and hellman is caught in the middle. accused by those on the left and on the right to four dealing a hypocrite to, at a headed the communist all her life and the word stalinist is thrown pasture repeated the amd and list the. a lot among the byproducts

for a variety of political reasons, mary mccarthy and who was a different action and as the trotskyites and her younger days days had a long history with lillian hellman. i will read you the peace. she has just sent to press 1/4 nemours that is much less well known as the others as it should be. maybe the fourth volume was

up press when mary mccarthy with the match to the firestorm that would serve as a metaphor. a ready supply of fuel. there was confusion and concern of the changing roles of women, the legitimacy of sexual preferences and the value of the family with the left-wing ideology including communism and the escalation of politics and language of anti-communist them. this is the beginning of the period. of the rise as a factor of vanishing influence and the simultaneous rise of a celebrity culture.

it created a tinderbox and hellman provided a spark and their questions of common jealousy and sparks of rage lillian's reputation was reduced to ashes. in 1979 mary mccarthy arrived at the studios to tape an interview with dick have it. she had a new novel to publicize, her first in eight years and hope for the success to bring her back into the limelight. she was lively, opinionated and straight game on camera.

and in response she mentioned among others hellman as a quote who's tremendously overrated. of bad right tour. a dishonest writer. but she longs to the past. dick tavis said what was dishonest about will the and hell been? he knew her reasonably well and a key shanley had dinner with her and had interviewed her and claimed to like her all lot. she answered everything. i said once every word she writes is a lie including

and and the. but network lawyer complemented her after words and it was dashed away for its schedule their time on january 24, 1980. two months later lilly and watch the show on a cold saturday night. almost blind and ill with emphysema of mary mccarthy accused her of being a liar. worn down by the accusations from the soviet union, a tired of the never ending negativity and sensitive about her agreed and her nature she was unprepared

for the new was sold. she called her old friend from lawyer she wanted to know if there were grounds for a lawsuit. he said there might be. she called the cabot demanding to know why he had not defended her and would be suing fell whole bunch of view she said mary mccarthy at home heard rumors of the pending lawsuit and laughed. on the 18th process serve your handing heard that notice issues said the question caught her and

aware and surely her opinion was not actionable. notes from his assistant that day suggested mary mccarthy was lying several days before the assistant noted she offered mccarthy a range of questions including overrated. i ask your which ones to suggest it could be a game she was delighted. after word mccarthy continued to deny a lillian was on her mind. but that was of likely. after 40 years they had shared trajectories running on parallel paths, their opinions conflicting and confronting as they avoided

personal encounters. seven years younger than lillian, an acknowledged beauty, she had a quick wit, bad temper, strong political opinions, famous for her malice. both women married young and divorce quickly, sexually adventurous lives, and used a alcohol and little life reserved for men. with the passion for good food and drink and hospitality. but graduating from faster a self-declared socialist rose to be a teethirty teethirty -- trotskyites sheet opposed stalinism and

oppose the soviet union and became the only female to participate in revising that partisan review a champion of the non stalinist left. she served as the drama critic for many years after. 1/2 to stop. our time is running out. there are several incidents. one example how mccarthy because she is being sued by hellman, the amway to defend herself is by proving hellman is a liar. sews she sends her friend to ascertain stories of hellman

having lied. and puts them together in a variety of ways around her sexual exploits, which trip, if she stayed at one particular place. the result is by the end of the process lillian hellman is labeled in public as the quintessential wire. that has haunted her pro-life. reputation coming partly as hellman exaggerating and also the 20th century pension to to emphasize the individual over the collective but out of the

long history of political conflict that embroiled the american left during the 20th century. thank you. [applause] would anybody like to ask questions quack? >> have you found in research of hellman around 1934? at that time hemet's wife was a nurse in mexico there was work on rubber production meeting for new materials development with

the wartime technology. do you know, if hellman was involved cahal with that early on and? >> the question is what is relationship to mexico and hammett to the rubber production. i think the answer is hellman had no relationship relationship, as far as i know. she was finishing up the children's hour then producing the children's hour. sheet and hammett live

together often violent on the coast of connecticut. he was married and remain to married for another decade to the mother of his two children. his wife that he did not live with the sometimes lived in california and sometimes new mexico. she may have been there but as far as i know never met her or had connection with her or the rubber industry. but dead drama writers guild with that is the best i can do with that question. >> this is fascinating but

thinking of the left, and those of the playwright's there must me one of the zero there is one woman playwright who wrote to morningstar. but she is in the party in a peculiar moment because going to spain draws her and but at 39 right during the one not the time then 1941 as it the u.s. and soviet become allies but she joins

the party and estes. what is the other reason -- reason because it is odd it timing. >> great. the third joining event quit staying with her timing but the first question she knows mark and like them better but later she alliance with merck who turns it into the offer red negative which is actually still performed. i saw it a couple years ago. but she does not want to be

like them. she sees them as political playwrights and encompassing a narrow audience. she once a big audience. >> guest: dillard's broadway audience. she thinks she has things to say. she writes with that audience in mind. she is friendly with the playwright's of the left but never part of that group. of those she did make her life with those who were a part of that theater. argonaut a part of any other

left-wing group. second, but why did she joined the party 1939? it is fascinating. she describes herself says making the decision to becoming attached and after she comes back from spain of the next of civil war, she writes about it and is moved by the suffering fair and rather angry fed the u.s. will not pitch yen to save for the newly elected government from fascist for those who try to take it over.

and she has been an anti-festive -- fascist for the only country that will support the legally elected government of spain. that country is the soviet union that brings weapons. soviet union did more bad than good. it brought weapons that eliminated those on the left that were sympathetic. she did not want to see that

the house anti-fascism could be played out. to sign a letter of celebrities and writers saying the moscow trials were legitimate and it was necessary to make sure the boundaries and borders were six year. in this moment 1937 through 1939 or so embedded fishy forgives the soviet union everything.

like when the soviet science a peace pact it was germany and many as other quit the party but hellman stays. my own guess hammett is an appliance and is more committed than she is but the other piece of me thinks she stays because when a country our friend is down she argues that the soviet union and science the pact as a tactical maneuver to

build up strength before it goes to war with hitler and is willing to allow the soviet union that the way. at the same time the soviet union has adopted to make peace with the fascist she does not obey the party lines so both balls are juggling in the air then pulls out before hitler attacks. she is out as soon s she

thinks it will not draw attention that the soviet union ens already risen but once the u.s. goes even before the russians attacked she is ready to pull out. there are explanations that we don't know. we can only guess. that is what seems to make sense. >> she was piles with our reserves lessens your in the

celebrity world. plug in 49 he denounced the waldorf astoria meeting. sold at what is that 15 years later? >> it comes out after he denounces and that is one of the curious things about hellman in the '60s she goes to the anti-anti-communist period by the six days she is willing to let bygones be bygones. it is over. she makes friends natalee

arthur center but the becomes friends with many liberals that she becomes close to so again scandal time comes out 15 years later she breaks off the relationship with arthur again. she does that because he has personally attacked her he supports the people who attack hurt and he says you don't have dinner with a friend one night and then

knife in the back the next. arthur schlesinger wrote a letter and said i am back on the enemy list. with the 60s to look at it as a new lease on life. a supporter of the left it was a rather unusual position to take. who she supports the mccarthy campaign. the original funder of the g.i. coffeehouse movement. i am working backwards but an advocate with