the richard nixon library museum hosted this event. >> before we start the discussion, i would like to introduce someone will introduce our speaker. ken served in both the nixon and reagan white house is. he joined president nixon's campaign in 1968, in the midst of going to law school at columbia university, and served as a deputy assistant to president nixon. he then joined san clemente after he retired and helped research and write his best selling memoirs. he returned to politics in the reagan administration, where he served as a speechwriter and senior adviser. he has been active in many state and national campaigns. he's a supportive member of the nixon foundation board. [applause] >> thank you, jonathan. first i'd like to add a note relative to this setting. having worked so closely with both presidents, i think you would like to know first how much they respected each other, and worked very closely with president nixon and president reagan, and president reagan had an extraordinary and deep respect for president next and for his insight and depth of experience in foreign policy

library. the way he conducted himself personally, the way he talked about other people. nixon did the same thing. it's not a whole lot different than the coarseness and vull garrett we see today. however, i think that those leaders who were in politics but viewed with such respect the fundamentals of the american way of life, which is dependent on our constitution and our forms of government. you know, this is the real crisis we have today. i think it is almost humerous that people are oh how could you -- how could you talk about the congress this way or how could you talk about the media this way? well, the fact is that the public appreciation for our pillars of government is at such a low ebb, which is very dangerous. it's not just that we have dangerous politicians. it's our lack of confidence in civic institutions that is so low that to me is the most dangerous. we need to build up, we need to respect the congress. we need to resmect the presidentsy. and those are things that you really have to start building with young people who are our future leaders. that's what i thin

to know of it, i judging our time against so reagan comes in because having just spoken at the nixon library last week and seen the correspondence that is now unclassified between those two men they didn't just want to speak about reagan at the nixon library, thinking about these presidents that came up leading up into the time of reagan who knew reagan, corresponded with each other, you see this break of where reagan comes in and he is bringing basically the character and belief system of his mother who was an itinerant minister and no one knew that. server several years when i give a speech about reagan's spirituality and faith and character people's jaws drop on the floor. why didn't anyone ever tell us this? it was in plain sight but reagan never talked about it but i don't want to go down that road. just thinking that maybe being out on the campaign trail as i am now, have been to 25 cities with this book since it launched on april 11th, there is this longing, it isn't so much take us back to this pure time in politics that never existed, that was maybe camelot the didn't really exist,

museumhard nixon library hosted this event. >> before we s t

the richard nixon library museum hosted this event. >> before we start the discussion, i would like to introduce someone will introduce our speaker. ken served in both the nixon and reagan white house is. he joined president nixon's campaign in 1968, in the midst of going to law school at columbia university, and served as a deputy assistant to president nixon.

when interview -- one interview was posted on the nixon presidential library website. you have any insight into that? alexander: i know she ended up not speaking to nixon. she was very upset with him. anna. >> something similar was alleged against the reagan campaign of 1980. that they had contacted tehran and said if you keep the hostages until after the election you will get a better deal from the new administration in the case of reagan is not clear whether this had any authorization. in the case of 1968, you didn't have to be a political genius if you were the leader south vietnam to think, we are going to get a new president anyway. there's no point in going out on the land for president was going to be leaving office. let's hold out and see what we get from the new president. i don't think it's that important. common sense would say don't give any concessions because you are going to deal with a new president and there might be a new ballgame. the transition from johnson to nixon. nixon was going to initiate the policy of detente. he was going to go to the approac

they didn't want to just speak about reagan' nixon library.bout the presidents that came up leading up into the time of reagan and who knew reagan and where they xponded with each other, then you see this big break of where reagan comes in and he is bringing basically the faith, the character, and the belief system of his mother who is a minister. i think being out on that campaign trail as i am now, i've been to about 25 cities with his book since it launched on april 11th. there is this longing, you know, it isn't so much take us back to this purer time in politics because that never existed. that was maybe camelot. it didn't really exist. and not the kennedy era. cam loss that never actually existed. but i think that since reagan showed us a way of character against which we're judging this time. >> i'm just going to ask you to pull the microphones closer and turn them off when we're not speaking. we're going to try to deal with the feedback issue. >> there is an independent women's forum event. we need to kind of think about the role that

nixon obituary. we mentioned kentucky derby and you rightfully pointed out hells angels as a classic book of journalism and now history in the modern library with what's considered to be an american classic. it will be the 50th anniversary next year, 2017. then he did fear and loathing in las vegas and then fear and loathing in the campaign trail of 72. those three books are considered classics now. when did you become aware that your dad was a writing classic books that were not just books of the moment or "rolling stone" pieces but works that would be celebrated in red this many decades later? >> a slow revelation and very much a part of doing these readings, first of all, hunter's death, the outpouring of sympathy and the fact that so many people talked about how hunter had changed their lives in some ways. it wasn't his craziness or the drugs and alcohol that touched people. it was his writing. as i've been doing these readings, i hear the same thing. what's so amazing is how he continues to be inspiring to not only his generation or my generation but the next generation. his influence continues to pass down and it's a wonderful thing