so bugliosi had other former family members.ly. >> i decided could live with this when i became old? that would be a deciding factor. >> barbara knew she would take the stand in full view of her former manson followers. >> what was it like to testify, seeing them out there? >> they were really kissing up to me when i was in the back of the courtroom, blowing me kisses and smiling at me and all that. of course that changed when i started opening my mouth on the witness stand. >> day after day, members of the manson family demonstrated at the courthouse, performance art with a sinister gloss. >> the system wants destruction. that's what it's going to get. >> inside, charlie's co-defendants, leslie van houten, patricia krenwinkel and susan atkins played to the cameras. it was a circus of weird. manson in the center ring. >> are you guilty of plotting any murders? >> i killed a chicken once. >> you guilty of these? >> no. >> you're absolutely innocent of committing murder or telling any to commit murder or planning it? >> i'll plead

vincent bugliosi have talked about this at some length. he seems to agree that manson never really expected that this as going cause a race war. but his followers were getting a littdgo things for them, then they're going to find somebody else. his followers, remember, have just seen charles manson who sometimes said he's the second coming of jesus. he failed miserably at auditioning for terry medical cher. - melcher. they saw charlie fail. leslie said the day terry melcher turned him down is the day he acted differently. he started acting mad. so he's failed. he's got do something. this murder of gary doesn't accomplish at all what manson aid it's going to. instead, hinman foolishly tries to drive off in one of hinman's cars. the police catch him. they find a bloody knife in the car. it's gary's blood. custody boseleinto and manson is afraid. because they can always turn manson in to save himself. patricia said within the "family" he doesn't know who it was. they get together and someone start to talk about copy cat murders. somebody had

smith, vincent bugliosi and the others put together the case against manson, they tried to interview other people at the time. was one thinghere he kept trying to tell the prosecutors that he wanted them to listen to. -- they said based on your interaction with him, are you surprised that he did what he did? notdr. smith said, no, i'm surprised that charles manson led people to these terrible acts. are soprised that there many other potential charles mansons who are still around. it's going to happen. thesecan just demystify people. if my book accomplishes nothing else, i hope it is the demystification of charles manson. he will be with us constantly, but at least let it be the truth about him rather than the self searching -- self-serving legends. thank you to everyone for coming out. it was so nice to see you. [applause] >> thanks everybody. we have the book. if you would like to purchase one, they are available. >> history bookshelf features the best known american history writers of the past decade talking about their books. you can watch more here on american history tv on c-spa