when vaclav havel became president of the new czech republic in 1989 esther michael zantovsky served as a press secretary and advisor and since that time he has also held posts at the top in washington and currently as his country's ambassador in london. so i think it's worth noting that critics and reviewers are often skeptical when they pick up a book written by an author who knows the subject so well and was close to that subject. and we know that he has talked about the tendency that is not too popular, assuming they heroes can only be perfectionist and that is a term that i have out without asking. and that includes a bland perfectionist, certainly he was not, it was produced as an unvarnished friend in college and it reminds us that the great public figures are seldom one-dimensional, a contradictory and even paradoxical and we do a disservice if we don't present in the fullest light. in conversation tonight, this is one of our nation's most respected diplomats and i have to say one of my all time favorite people in the whole world and we were just reminiscing about the fact th