the book is not about james meredith. so often with book titles the subtitle carries the story, and it is a soldier's story. an army out of place, yes. again, they did their job. i saw pieces of violence after that first morning, but then we moved into somewhat boredom. boredom to the point that even he himself, james meredith -- an eccentric character but brave character -- sort of chafed at being guarded as we would guard him. not moving him around from point to point as we were advised by john door, my iconic civil rights hero and nicholas katzenbach. he was to have as much freedom as any other student. well, yes. but at the same time, there are deer hunters, and it was the season, and we had cop instant, we were constantly aware who might come up on to the campus, didn't look like a student, had a bent mind and a deer rifle, and we had to be constantly aware of that kind of threat to his life. he was a brave person. i was sitting in his dormitory room the first couple days reading the hate mail, the death threats. ver

this is the president talking with of principal face of segregation at the time the safety of james meredith safety is in doubt. and they are doing and elaborate dance where president kennedy insist a couple of things have to happen. here is how it unfolds : [laughter] >> host: what was president kennedy's seat gain to accomplish? >> there is so much happening. you can hear in the tone that you don't get for reading the transcripts. he is asserting the right of the president of united states to order the governor of mississippi to restore order in a perilous situation. meredith is in danger of his life. parenthetically he was inspired to register for the diversity of mississippi hearing the inaugural address of kennedy. then tom lane dover i wish we could hear the chickens. the previous phone call they talk about civil-rights but there politicians and then he says think you what you have done for the poultry program. he stifles a laugh he cannot believe the blowhard mentioned the poultry program. then we hear they're not being polite and go right into it. >> and the south at that time govern

president of the united states to order the governor and to restore order in a perilous situation, james meredith is in danger for his life because of the angry crowds surging around. parenthetically, he had been inspired to register for the university of mississippi when he heard president kennedy's inaugural address. there is so much history in the air before playing the tape. he said i wish we could hear the chickens. the previous phone call, they are still talking about civil rights, but they are politicians. governor barnett says thank you for what you have done for our poultry program. and president kennedy -- he stifles laugh. he campell you can believe this blowhard said that. [laughter] but they are not being polite anymore. they are not dancing around. >> i should add a story that at the time, governor barnett was known as a dim hope. [laughter] two years before, during the presidential campaign, one of the flashpoints of the debate involved to national chinese islands. right after this argument erupted, ralph barnett and the reporters asked him, governor, what about these two islands?

is the book previous to this what was a study of the civil-rights south and the integration of james meredith at the university of ole miss. i like to pick out subjects that i feel have a lot of resonance to our cultural history, biography, and -- >> paul hendrickson's most recent book, national book

they do not want james meredith there. mr. president, please, why don't you give an order to remove him. >> how can i remove him, governor, when there's a riot in the street and he may step out of that building and something happen to him? i can't remove him under those conditions. let's get order, then we can do something about meredith. we've got to get somebody up there now to get order and stop the firing and the shooting. then you and i will talk on the phone about meredith. first we've got to get order. >> he's really mad. i know that sound of voice from my aunts and uncles. i think that you know civil rights really went from being an important but not heated issue at the very beginning of his presidency, to the major domestic crisis of the 20th century, and the moral issue of our times. >> what do you think he would have thought of barack obama? >> well, i think one of the things that i think both of them shared was just bringing in a whole new generation to the democratic process. and i think that that's really a s

meredith shiner, we are just getting started. we will carry more on the other side and talk to james zirin as well, too. >> this is "the bill pressever seen anything like this. >> when disaster strikes sometimes the only way out is to look within. current tv digs deep into the extraordinary tales of heroism determination and escape. "trapped" experience the drama. back to back to back. >> hold on mates! >> catch the "trapped" mini-marathon saturday starting at 1 eastern. on current tv. [ music ] >> chatting with you live at current.com/billpress, this is "the bill press show," live on your radio and current tv >> bill: all right. 33 minutes after the hour, wednesday, december 5th, the full court press, merideth shiner from roll call is here as a friend of bill this hour with our regular team press, and we are talking everything from politics to media, karl rove and dick morris getting thrown off of fox news, at least for a while, to sports. >> or sport as mitt romney likes to call it >> bill: everyone in between. we talked the other day with good friend dave zirin, editor of "sports magazine," murder/suicide of jovan bullcher ask

mississippi," the book previous to this, a study of the civil rights south and integration of james meredith at the university of ol miss. i like to pick out subjects that i feel have a lot of resonance to the culture history biography. >> and paul's most recent book national book critic circle