whittaker chambers is emblematic of that change. he was wonderfully trained by his years in the economist party to link ideas to movements and initiatives and deep brought and others rocked that strategic way of thinking to conservatism. for example when he argues in the 1950s with william f. utley junior the republicans chamber says we have to use the republicans party. we don't think eisenhower's a conservative. there is a huge distance to travel the ford comes to his conservative party. we have to be pragmatic and realistic and we have to work through the gradual mechanics of social change. that spirit is quite new. after goldwater becomes the spirit conservative movement and we could argue he comes a political fact in the larger culture at the 40s and 50s were seen as transition. >> host: what do you teach at catholic university? >> guest: i teach 20 century american history and a little bit of literature and a little but of great books do that. >> host: is this your first book? >> guest: yes. >> host: "the conservative turn" an

>> guest: yes, even when whittaker chambers was a spy, they had lunch. after the early 1920's they were not really friends but in 1947, the moment his case is beginning, trilling published a novel and it is clear one of them is based on chambers. trilling uses it to show the movement away from communism. the most interesting point is trilling sees a new conservative on the rise. trilling sees in 1947 this new conservative on the horizon. >> host: was lionel trilling a member of the communist party? >> guest: he was never a member, but he was emotional very infested in the political destiny of the soviet union. he didn't write anything or go to meetings for the communist party, but he felt an emotional connection you can sense in the books he was writing. then there is a break and he is critical of the party and knows through a period of disillusionment. he is reluctant to endorse american involvement in the world war ii. he is deeply involved in the radical orbit but by 1942 it changed and by the end of the world war he is approaching establish. so the m

lost out, he got nominated for blood diamond, and you remember the last king of scotland, forest whittakert for that one, and he was very good. >> you're like our own oscar historian. >> get it, oscar historian, not pistorius? eric, you're next. >> a monday pun. eric, you're next. >> okay, "one more thing," so i decided to relate my weekend for you. here's a picture of this, 12 episodes of "house of cards." one episode of "walking dead" and one hour of the oscars. but dana has turned me on to "house of cards" and it's the best show. >> i'm going to do it, too, so we can talk about it. >> you binge watch it. there's 26 episodes available on netflix. i did 12 in a day and a half. >> okay. did you also watch "scandal"? >> i have watched it a couple times. bob, you're next. >> h 116 years of age. she bridged three centuries. her husband died, believe it or not, 83 years ago. >> why are you laughing? >> 83 years is a long time. she said her secret was sushi and sleep. >> see? >> in that order? >> i love it. >> she's still alive? sorry, i thought you said she was dead. it's her birthday. >> oh,

bill whittaker has spent three decades covering stories both nationally and around the world for cbson, he'll be doing it here with us on sunday nights. i'm steve kroft. we'll be back next week with another edition of "60 minutes." 50% off lenses with frame purchase including bifocals no-lines and even prescription sunglasses hurry, ends march 31st. lenscrafters loves eyes. and this is my aha moment. i've had the opportunity of working with a select group of young men from the inner city. some of them come from broken families where there's no father in the home. these are phenomenal young men that just needed someone to say that, "you can make it." being able to step in, and not even being their fathers, and being able to tell them that, "i love you. you know i care about you," is just a phenomenal, overwhelming experience. [ female announcer ] mutual of omaha. proud sponsor of life's aha moments. (music) defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. calcium citrate plus d. highly soluble, easily absorbed. . . "the amazingsly on race: all-stars" -- mark built

keith, we have heard so much about the new gm, whether it was whittaker or dan ackerson. thatthis story suggests the old, hulking, slow-moving bureaucratic gm still exists? class that would be the big question. when we get into congressional hearings. those are the questions that will be asked. this ten-year time they knew about this problem. i first found out about in 2004, it is bifurcated. half came before the bankruptcy and half afterwards. still plenty of corporate gridlock that happened in the process since the bankruptcy. a lot of committees announced. in many cases, passed on it. does that explain adequately to you or anyone else how an issue of this seriousness -- thinkeople die, you would it gets elevated to the highest level of the organization immediately. how could -- how to get stuck for this long? >> they have solutions to this problem. getting into that -- dating back six,04, 2005 and 2000 and -- 2006, it took almost 10 years to get to the corner office. are the things congressional investigators want to know and frankly, so does gm. she has ordered her ow