birmingham, alabama, cambridge maryland and the northern cities of engelwood, new jersey, chicago and brooklyn. a discussion on congress, political parties and polarization with historians edward airs and jo an freeman. and 8:00 p.m. on the presidency, author andrew cohen talks about his book "two days in june: john f. kennedy that made history" about two days that defined jfk's response to the new clear arm's race and civil rights. exploring the american story. watch american history tv this weekend on c-span3. former first lady barbara bush passed away in april of 2018. she was 92 years old and had been married to george h.w. bush for 73 years. we talked to her in 2013 about

her life before being married as well as her public and private life after marriage. >> barbara bush, with all the posts that you and the president have held over the years, was there one that best prepared you for the white house? and when you became first lady, did you feel prepared? >> the answer, did i feel prepared? yes, i really did. first of all, i wasn't elected, so it didn't make that much difference. i did notice, though, the difference between being the vice president's wife and the president's wife is huge because the vice president's wife can say anything. nobody cares. the minute you say one thing as president's wife, you've made the news. so, that was a lesson i had to learn pretty quickly. but, i felt very prepared because we'd lived in washington off and on. our father -- my father-in-law had been a u.s. senator.

although we had lived in texas, why, i think probably -- i think i was very comfortable. i had a wonderful loving family and so did george, and i think we felt comfortable. so, i loved being the wife of the vice president best of all. >> why is that? >> well, because you could say anything you wanted and nobody cared and you could do a lot of good things. when i got to the white house, you could do even more good things. and the great news is that it's continued on. i mean, charities and things i'm interested in, i can really raise money, raise interest that a normal much smarter person can't do. >> going into the white house, what was some of the best advice you got? >> let's see. going into the white house, best advice i got? keep your mouth closed, i

suspect. but nobody dared say that to me. but i don't remember getting too much advice. you know, i had been the president of the senate ladies, and i had a lot of friends. i had done that for eight years. and i went to the senate wive's meetings every tuesday morning. i went some tuesdays when they didn't have meetings and had to be hauled home again. i loved that part of life. i loved all my life. i've been a very lucky person. >> you open your memoir that you wrote in '94 by saying, i have been very privileged in my life. >> i have been. and i wrote that because my husband said, you're going to be highly criticized because people are going to say you've lived a life of luxury. and although i lived in a

but more privileged than 95% of the country. >> mrs. bush, when did you first meet george bush? >> i met george at a dance. in those days, the greenwich exchanged christmas dances. and i met him at a christmas dance. and he cut in on me -- or he didn't.

he asked someone to introduce us really. and i had on a red and green dress that my mother's great friend mrs. lufkin had given her and said, i wonder if barbara would like this dress? it had belonged to some friend of hers. it was pretty. i guess because george asked to meet me, we met there. he came the next night to another dance in rye. that first was in greenwich and cut in on me. and my older brother, he asked him if he would play in a basketball game. prep schoolboys against the rye high school. and they were murdered incidentally by the rye high school. but george said yes, he would play, and asked me if i would meet him and go out afterwards. and every member of my family came to that basketball game to look at this boy that i had

raved over. and when i would come home at night, my mother would say, what did you do? did you meet, whatever. and my father would say, tell her in the morning. mother would say they never tell you anything in the morning. and i evidently came home and said, i met this heavenly boy named poppy bush. and my mother knew the next morning exactly who he was, who his family was -- she should have been the head of the cia. she knew everything. and i must say i feel the same way about him today as i felt then. i can breathe now. then i couldn't breathe when i was with him. but i can breathe when i'm with him now. but he's just as fabulous as he was then. >> throughout your married life, you moved a lot. >> 27 times. he couldn't hold a job. but it's been fascinating. really lucky the things we've done. and we've lived in some pretty horrible places.

and we've lived in some pretty wonderful places. and i loved almost every one of them. i liked them all because he was there. but some of them were, as everybody knows, we lived in a house with three ladies. one was a child and the other two were ladies of the night. and we shared the bathroom with them which seems inconceivable now. i can't imagine by grandchildren doing that. but they missed some great adventures. george and i had lunch yesterday alone, and we talked about the fact. we had a lot of adventures our grandchildren will never have. they really are privileged. they may not know it, but they are. and they won't have these adventures. it's too bad. i never met a texan until i moved here. i thought they were all like jane withers who was the bad

girl compared to shirley temple who was the good girl. anyway, it turned out i loved texas and we chose to live here. >> did you know early in your marriage that you were going to become a co-campaigner for offices? >> no. never dreamt. i don't think george knew, contrary to popular belief. i think sometimes -- was i surprised when he announced he was running for president? it didn't just happen like that. it worked up that way. i mean, he was the county chairman. he was a congressman. he was a very successful businessman. it didn't just happen that he said to me one day, i'm going to run for president. it just was there. but long after we were first married, i mean way long. in fact, when he came back from china to be the head of the cia,

that meant end of politics. he would never be president because you couldn't be head of the cia and be president. oh yeah? you can. >> in your memoir, you write -- and this is from your journal in may of 1986 -- george is obviously the most qualified person for the job of president. do i want him to run? absolutely not. >> well, this goes to show, told my boys they could never be elected and look at them. so, i guess i'm a political doubter. i think it's a huge sacrifice to run for office. and i think people are very critical of the congress. they may not be doing a great job, but they could do better at home. they'd have one home, they'd be

home with their families. many of them can't afford a home in washington and a home -- i just feel like it's asking a lot. and i thought he might lose. of course he did, the senate. but we moved on. >> how do you develop that thick sk skin, or don't you, for politics, for criticism? >> i'm not good at it. most people don't dare criticize my children in front of me. but the press, i don't pay any attention to. just don't like it but i don't pay any attention to it. don't dare criticize george h.w. bush, ever. >> during the 1992 campaign, there was a bumper strip that said annoy the media, re-elect bush. >> i didn't write that, but i might have. i don't remember that. but i do remember when george was running for, i guess

president, on the freeway going from new york to connecticut, i saw someone with a sign that said "bush for president." i was so excited. and when i got the car, i raced my car up to be close to it. turned out to be a cousin. i hoped it was a stranger. but nobody knew who he was. >> mrs. bush, did you enjoy campaigning? >> yes. i really like people. it was fun. i liked it a lot. funny things happened. and i really enjoyed it. partially because i know he's the best man. and i campaigned for george w. knowing full well he wasn't going to win, and he did. >> you think there's room for another bush in the white house? >> i think this is a great american country, great country,

and if we can't find more than two or three families to run for high office, that's silly because there are great governors and great eligible people to run. and i think that the kennedy's, clinton's, bush's, there are just more families than that. and i'm not arrogant enough to think that we alone are raising. but we're raising public servants whether they're feeding the poor like lauren is, who's fed 68 million children around the world, or barbara who's bringing global health to the world, or pierce who's working for big brothers big sisters. but there are a lot of ways to serve. and being president is not the only one. and i would hope that someone

else would run, although there's no question in my mind that jeb is the best-qualified person to run for president but i hope he won't because i think he'll get all my enemies, all his brothers, all -- and there are other families. i refuse to accept that this great country isn't raising other wonderful people. >> barbara bush, you walk in as first lady. is it, in a sense, a blank slate where you can create your own agenda? >> yes, i guess. i'm not sure i know quite what that means. but people are overly nice to me, and i feel it truthly every single day. my friends have to look for parking places. i don't have to look for parking places. my friends very often call me and say would you mind taking me to whatever it is we're going to because they have to do those things. they have to wait in line at the

airport. yes, you can create your own plot or plan. and it's a great privilege, and you ought to take advantage of it because you can help people. >> and how do you pick your causes? >> well, because i know truthfully that every single problem in america would be better if more people could read, write and comprehend. i just know that. we would be able to compete with the rest of the world. we wouldn't have these children who are committing crimes because their families don't have jobs. they don't have jobs because they can't read. they can't write. they don't understand. so, that was such an easy project to pick. i admit it took me about a half a year to pick it because i'd always worked and volunteered in hospitals. but there's no question in my

mind. and i think every thinking conclusion. we've got to educate our children and we've got to educate their parents. it's not just a whim. it's a necessity if we're going to compete in this world. >> was there ever a day in the white house where you just wanted to say, no more, i'm done, i quit. >> never. how could you say that? you've got, what, 90 people who are only aim in life is to keep you happy and your husband's doing good things and he's doing the right thing. i mean, he knew when he raised those taxes that he was going to lose the election, although he had been 90% approved. he did the right thing. i'm very proud of my family that do the right thing. and george bush, both, have done the right thing. like it or love it. >> it's 20 years since you've

been in the presidency. a lot of talk in washington about between the democrats and republicans. is it different than it was 20 years ago? >> a little bit. we've lived in times george said the democrats are very far to the left and slung back to very far to the right and we get back to where we should be which is talking to each other and civility. and jeb is right about that. republicans and democrats should be talking about what they're for, not what they're against. and i really believe that. and i believe they will again. >> the white house, the second floor. can it be a home? >> yes. well, let me put it this way. if you had a home when you went into it, you have a home when

you come out of it. maybe you didn't have a home when you went into it, i don't know about that. but we had a very big, loving family. and when we went back to the white house with george w., there was all the same fabulous staff. and president obama, when we went this summer to the points of light luncheon he gave for us, in between the luncheon and the giving of the points, the 5,000 point of light, he had all the former staff come. it was like family. i mean, we were loving seeing all the butlers and all the ushers and the flower people. it was just like family. so, yes, they are family. and we were just fortunate enough to have them there for us for our -- well, the reagan's and then george's presidency and

then for george w. >> is there a sorority of a type among former first ladies or first ladies? >> sort of. i think some are closer than others. lady bird is gone. pat nixon, gone. those were -- i was especially close to those ladies. and of course laura, no question, was the greatest first lady. but we're friends. i'm a great respecter of mrs. obama, michelle obama, and what she's doing. obesity is a huge problem in our country, and she's working on it. and she's getting criticized for it. government shouldn't tell you what to eat. well, somebody's got to tell these people what to eat. these children cannot be obese at a young age. it's just not healthy. it's across the country.

it's a horrible thing. and we've got to make ourselves brighter, smarter, educated. and along with that, we've got to educate our people on what to eat, and she's growing vegetable gardens and -- so, i have respect for that. >> what about your predecessor and your successor? >> my predecessor, nancy reagan, is a wonderful lady and she worked very hard on drugs. and my successor, of course, was the great secretary of state. so, what did she work on? i guess secretary of state. maybe she worked on my boy bill. who knows? >> your husband and bill clinton have become good friends. >> that's right. my husband, bill clinton and i have become great friends. and bill visits us every summer. and we don't agree politically, but we don't talk politics.

and i think you'd have to understand, i read someplace before you're critical of someone, you should remember that they did not have the advantages you had as a child, a loving mother and father. bill's father wasn't around. and i think that he thinks of george a little bit like the father he didn't have. and he's very loving to him. and i really appreciate that. and when they went on that long tsunami trip, george told me bill insisted he stay in the bed and bill insisted that he was taken care of. and that was really nice. i love bill clinton. maybe not his politics, but i love bill clinton. >> barbara bush, you brought up your daughter-in-law, laura bush. and when we interviewed her for this series, we talked about a

speech that she had given where she compared you to don coral yoan. >> windmills? >> no, from "the god father." >> oh, that's right. >> you've been referred to as the enforcer. what do you think of that? >> i'm not sure i'm thrilled with laura saying that. i deserve it because george is so -- you know, anything they do is all right. but someone has to be sure that the standards are kept. and he leads by example. i lead by denying some things. and i am the enforcer. there's no question about it. do i like that role? no. would i rather he had done it? yes. but it doesn't work that way. >> 1990, wellesley college.

>> i was there. >> what was the speech you gave? >> wellesley, you say, is not just a place but an idea. >> it was a difficult speech in that they objected to my speaking because i'd never done anything in my life, that i had just had a free ride. and they were right. and incidentally, it happened that rice and gorbachev was coming to this country with her husband, and i couldn't leave her. so, i invited her to come speak with me. and i got highly criticized saying, well, she doesn't dare come by herself. and she's bringing her as a protector. and it was a difficult speech. it turned out that there was one student at wellesley from south america who we were treating to this great education and a girl from maine.

and the day or two before the speech, the girl from maine called and said, i'm so embarrassed, mrs. bush. this is built into a great thing. i was getting calls from president nixon saying you tell those girls to go to the devil and whatever. i mean, i had a lot of people for me. but i didn't want to get into a spitting fight with the girls. but there it was. and rice on the plane going up which was ridiculous. she didn't speak any english. we had an interpreter. i said, do you mind if i work on my speech a little bit. she said, oh, you're giving a speech? i said, well, you are too. she said, oh, i am? and she went into the lady's room. i said to the interpreter, doesn't she know she's giving a speech. he pulled the speech out of his pocket and said, she knows.

but i was very lucky with that speech. we worked very, very hard on it. but i had given it at four or five other colleges. that same spring, university of pennsylvania, university in st. louis, community college, nobody gave a darn. but because of the controversy, same ending, same everything. but it made me, the speech, no question about it. because of the controversy, people paid attention. margaret thatcher wrote me and said it was the greatest speech he ever heard. george heard it in the white house. i mean, it was that highly -- because of controversy. isn't that too bad. but anyway, i became a great speaker that day. >> who knows? somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps and

preside over the white house as the president's spouse. and i wish him well. [ cheers and applause ] >> you brought down the house with your closing line about political spouse and you wish him luck. >> i do. >> what would be your advice for a first spouse, a first husband? >> same thing i would give a first wife which is be yourself. and see if you can watch your mouth. i had trouble with that. but i would say just be yourself. and take advantage of the opportunity. i mean, you -- i had lunches for deformed children, heart, arthritis, cancer. nobody paid any attention except in the hometown where the doctor came from or the sick child came

from or the -- and then you got great publicity out in the country. that's where it counts. who cares what -- sorry -- the broadcasts say or something. what you care about is that the people know they're being helped. >> barbara bush, what should, in your view, people know about the first lady and her role that we don't know? >> i don't know what you don't know. seems to me i know everything about the first lady. i don't -- i think the first thing the first lady ought to know is she was not elected president. nor was i elected president. nor was i elected congress mama wife. i think you ought to know that you're not an elected official but you have an opportunity to do a lot of good things and you

ought to take that opportunity. >> and in fact in your book, you write that i am not too sure the american public likes the spouse to be too front and center. >> well, i think that's probably true. i mean, didn't elect her. but i think they like her to do good things. but -- and i'm not too sure they want her to be too front and center. she wasn't elected, contrary to popular belief. >> what do you remember about your first day in the white house and your last day in the white house? >> my first day in the white house. walking in from the receiving, you know, we reviewed the parade. i remember we had huge family,

and i remember the twins -- they're not going to like this -- but going with the babysitter down to the bowling alley and ordering a meal. we had -- we were getting ready to go to the balls, and we had the whole family gathered for a very large, sort of buffet meal. and i said, where are the twins? we're all eating. i said, well, they're in the bowling alley. they're eating hamburgers. i said, get them up here. we don't order food away. they came right up laughing. i remember being surrounded and seeing everybody off to the balls and how pretty they looked and what fun they were having. i mean, they were tearing2 all over the white house, those children. >> what about your last day? >> last day, our children left

town. the local, dora and her family and marvin and his. they did not want to be around for that. but it was very moving. and saying good-bye to the white house staff was difficult. we never dreamt we'd be back. and it was hard. but life goes on. we got on the plane with all our friends and family and flew back home. and the welcome here was unbelievable. we passed a pick-up truck on the highway where there were two people standing on the back with the sign that said, welcome home george and barbara. that brought huge tears on my part. but they've been great to us ever since. >> you've been here in this house 20 years now in houston.

>> and when we moved in, we lived two doors down in a great friend's house that he was going to tear down and build a house. he built next door at that next property, was his old house. and we moved in there. and the neighbors all planted the garden. so, we came home to a garden. it was wonderful. it just was very nice. unpacked. the boxes all unpacked. perfect. >> mrs. bush, how important were camp david and kenny bunkport especially during the white house years? >> camp david made such a difference because it's there the president can really meet with people without a lot of fanfare. a lot of people came up, businessmen, cabinet members. i remember a big education group coming up and talking to george.

i just remember that every weekend we had meetings. and then the afternoons he'd take a nap and we might watch a movie or we'd go bowling. she would play a game called volley ball while we were up there which they played against the marines. it's a game sort of like squash and sort of like volley ball. not sure what. but great competition. that was fun. and then of course horse shoes. but it was there that george entertained president gorbachev and many other foreign leader plus. john major. i remember he had just come into office, and he and norma came up to camp david. and i remember him saying to george, well, i'm with you. and that was very important then. but just a lot of talk. we were up there when -- was

caught finally. we had all the family for christmas up there, easter. george w. did the same thing. and i think maybe i'll throw this in too. i remember hearing that one of the first ladies said it was so costly being the wife of the president. it's not costly at all. you don't pay your telephone bills. you don't -- well, you do pay, i guess your -- you pay for your food. we had guests all the time. and it would say so and so, one egg, 18 cents. you never could live as cheaply as you lived at the white house. so, it cost -- 90-some people taking care of you. you did pay, i think, for your dry cleaning. and we had someone we took who lived with us, 91 now still doing our ironing and washing. and she lived there.

and we did take care of those things. but, i mean, it was great to entertain at the white house and at camp david. and it gave a chance for family. and kenny bunkport is just the best. trouble is it keeps getting blown down by bad weather. but we can live through one halloween the house left us. but i hope it'll stay with us. >> if you ever wanted to give advice or talk about policy with your husband, how would you do that? how would you approach that? >> well, if i wanted to, i would just tell him. but the truth is i didn't want to. he had great advisers. i never ever called his office to say.

if i had something to say, i said it to george bush. but i didn't call jim baker or anyone at his office to say george, this is what i think should be because i just don't do that. i've never had an office except in the house. here, at the white house, i had an office but i never went to it. my staff used it. but i worked in the white house. i worked in the vice president's house at home. i just did not get into his office up there. and i don't think anybody would tell you i did because i really didn't. that was -- i had something i wanted him to know, i would tell him. but i really didn't. i mean, think of the advisers he had. he had jim baker, just more good wonderful people, nick brady. i shouldn't do this because -- bob muss berger -- they were in the cabinet. they knew what they were doing. they were friends of ours, you

know, for a long, long time, and george trusted them. and so did i. >> barbara bush, in your memoir, you talk about faith, family and friends. we've talked about friends. we've talked about family. what about your faith? >> it's very private, and i'm a huge believer in a loving god. i pray. george and i pray every night out loud. and sometimes we fight over whose turn it is, but we do. and i have no fear of death, which is a huge comfort because we're getting darn close. and i don't have a fear of death for my precious george or for myself because i know that there is a great god. and i'm not worried about that. i don't like it for young

people, but i know we'll see robin again one way or another, and our families. so, i have no fear of death. i have a great faith. that sounds so arrogant. >> why? >> well, i'm a big shot, i have a faith in god. i do have a faith in god. i don't -- i don't question it. i'm not as good as my children, but from your children you learn. certainly doral is just -- she has a prayer group that gets on the phone for 30 minutes a night and prays for all over the country. i mean i've learned a lot from her and from george. and from jan and neil and marvin

too, all of them. but i have no fear of death, and i think that's very comforting. >> you write about marvin, that he does not like politics. >> at all. but he was george's comfort the whole time he was in the white house. marvin. who was the one that -- i mean, to this day, marvin was one of the three people who raised the fund for his library. my oldest boy and my youngest boy are the closest to each other but yet, jeb certainly is the biggest defender of george, and george is the biggest defender of jeb. and neil is the spark that keeps us all going. and at kenny bunkport when neil leaves, something leaves because he every night says to everybody on the point, there may be 20 people on the point, taking the

boat over for ice cream. who will come? everybody goes. not george and i, but the others all go. and he's the one that gets the ball games going and gets the bonfire going. he's the one who goes down and has coffee downtown with, i don't know, people he's met, he and marie have met. so, everybody's got their thing. and the one thing they have is loyalty to each other. and that's hugely important. and they know that the one request i have is that they stay loving siblings. and so far so good. and i'll be looking down, so behave yourself. >> mrs. bush, what's been your involvement with the george bush library at texas a&m? >> not really very much. now, laura has done tons, not only the environmental part in

their library. i really didn't do very much at our library except the apartment maybe. i just didn't. it wasn't --. it just wasn't on my plate. my literacy does a lot there, they have a great oversee component to the library. that i'm interested and active in. in terms of plotting and planning i have a wonderful rose put in there that someone else put in my name. thank you for that wonderful gift. and i love the library. i love taking my daughters up there and letting them chase around the pond. i love the people. i really enjoy the library a lot. >> speaking of dogs, there are two in the living room with us.

who are these two? >> this is bb, we used to have three bb's so that's what we named hurt. >> this one is many me, feisty and jealous of bb. she is my shadow. i can't move without her. she is known to nibble people. but bb protects george. she's very actively protecting george. they are a huge comfort to me. >> you've always had dogs. these aren't spring your spaniel's though? >> yes but this is a leash sitting and you can't walk your dog without a leash. when eight spaniel or squirrel passed by i am flat on my face. these i can hold, they're good.

i'm not sure they're dogs though, they may be people, they're very spoiled. we go over the polo grounds of which were not a member of the club, but no one dares say that you're not a member of the club, so they walk this grounds. >> middle east book, big, cellar you kept a journal it seems all your life. >> still. >> still. well the papers go to the library? >> they're already there, i can say what i want. we are getting very forgetful. it really helps to have the memories to remember things, but it makes it easier to write a book. doesn't it? >> barbara bush. when you think about your legacy as first lady, what

would you like it to be? what do you think it will be? >> i never thought about it. i hope it will be that her children and grandchildren are her legacy, and her great grand grandchildren are forthcoming. i hope family, certainly, family is crucial. i'd like to see the american family come back strong. we had a great family. my dad said to me once, there are three things you can give your children. you can give them the best education. it doesn't mean stanford, yale, princeton. just the best education you can find, and you can help. you are their first teacher.

the best education you can find, and set a good example. that's very important. and all the love of the world. i hope we've given that to our children. i know i've heard george w. say several times that his dad has given him unconditional love. that is true. all this below knee about george competing with his father is ridiculous. they are devoted with each other, there was never any competition. and my churches petty in his hands, i must confess. i hope they feel loved. if i have a legacy other than being the enforcer, it will be that i raised a great family. >> barbara bush, thank you. >> thank you.

that's it. girls. >> if you enjoyed watching first ladies, pick up a copy of the book, first, ladies influence and, image featuring images of the national first, ladies with interviews with the top historians. now available in paperback, hardcover, or as a e-book. >> tonight on american history tv. beginning at 8 pm eastern, look at the lives of hillary clinton and laura bush. c-span in cooperation with the historical association produced a series on the first ladies examining their private lives in the public rules they play. first ladies, influence and image features individual biographies of the women who served in the role of first lady over 44 administrations. watch american history tv, tonight and over the weekend on c-span three.

on sunday at 4 pm real america. the nbc news report, the american revolution of 63. the civil rights movement with protests from albany, georgia, cambridge, maryland, and northern cities of single wood, new jersey, chicago, brooklyn. 7 pm congress, political paul

parties, polarization. 8 pm, on the presidency. author andrew cohen talks about his book. two days in june. john f. kennedy and the 48 hours that made history. june 10th and 11th 1963 that defined jfk's response to the arms race and civil rights. exploring the american story. watch american history tv this weekend on c-span three. up next, look at the life of former president george h. w. bush before he left office. jean worked for bush before his death in 2018, the kansas city library posted this program >> manu and steve with the public affs