>Sender: <LIST@mcwilliams.com>
>To: <LIST@mcwilliams.com>
>X-Original-Message-ID: <006001bf1f63$5798fa90$9acf69cf@pacbell.net>
>From: "Peter McWilliams" <peter@mcwilliams.com>
>Subject: Bush bio update
>Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 20:36:51 -0700
>X-Mozilla-Status: 8001
>X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
>
>
> >>Regarding Bush see attached.  A potentially damaging biography hit
> >>Amazon as a best seller, thanks mostly to the Drudge Report.  In about 
a
> >>week, the Bush machine was publicising the fact (?) that the author 
had
> >>a prior felony conviction, which of course is iron-clad proof that the
> >>book is a work of fiction and all the sources quoted are liars.  "But
> >>wait, there's more!"  The publisher has recalled the book from stores
> >>and is in the process of shredding and/or burning all the copies they
> >>can lay their hands on.
> >>
> >>Welcome to Imperial Amerika.
> >>
> >>:o/
> >>
> >>SteveDRUDGE REPORT
> >>October 24, 1999
> >>
> >>Author J.H. Hatfield's Response to the Controversy Surrounding the
> >>Publication and Recall of Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making 
of
>an
> >>American President
> >>
> >>My recently published biography Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the
>Making
> >>of an American President is "scrupulously corroborated and sourced," 
as
> >>described by my publisher, St. Martin's Press, in their own press release
>on
> >>October 18.  However, when an author writes about the current governor 
of
> >>Texas and the front-runner for the U.S. presidency (whose father happens
>to
> >>have been the former director of the CIA and the president of the United
> >>States), it is amazing how quickly the smear campaign and character
> >>assassination efforts can be mobilized.
> >>
> >>On Monday October 18, I was in New York City promoting Fortunate Son.
> >>Although John Murphy, the head of the publisher's publicity department,
>had
> >>previously promised they could arrange an appearance by me on the Today
> >>show, Good Morning America, and interviews with most major news outlets 
in
> >>the country (I even taped a segment for the CBS Evening News with Dan
> >>Rather), we quickly found ourselves running into a virtual news blackout
>and
> >>lack of media coverage of the release of my new biography of the leading
> >>presidential candidate George W. Bush.  St. Martin's Press, a respectable
> >>publisher who had previously published the Barbara Bush's best-selling
> >>memoirs and Monica Lewinsky's story, were told repeatedly "off the record"
> >>by news agencies that the George W. Bush presidential campaign was putting
> >>pressure on the news organizations to NOT give my biography any coverage.
> >>
> >>Two days after the book tour began, the emphasis of the story changed 
from
> >>presidential front-runner George W. Bush to biographer J.H. Hatfield.
>From
> >>the beginning of civilization, if you wanted to destroy the message, 
you
>had
> >>to destroy the messenger.  And, quite frankly, that has happened this
>week.
> >>Not only have I been attacked repeatedly in the news media and harassed 
to
> >>the point that I was forced to send my wife, and less-than-a-month-old
>baby
> >>girl into hiding, the publisher took the unprecedented step of not only
> >>suspending publication of the book (there are 90,000 copies in print), 
but
> >>also recalling it from bookstores because St. Martin's Press called 
into
> >>question their ability to trust the information provided to them by 
the
> >>author.
> >>
> >>>From Midland to Dallas to Houston, I spent over a year researching
>Fortunate
> >>Son, interviewing hundreds of George W. Bush's friends, college
>classmates,
> >>business associates, political colleagues, employees, acquaintances-all
>who
> >>graciously contributed their time, knowledge, and experiences.   Thomas
> >>Dunne, whose division and imprint published the biography for St. Martin's
> >>Press, told a reporter on Monday, October 18, that the book had been
> >>"carefully fact-checked and scrutinized by lawyers."  Actually, during 
my
> >>stay in New York earlier in the week to promote the book's publication 
on
> >>October 19, my editor Barry Neville, and others, told me that I didn't
> >>realize the extent of this book's legal review by not only the publisher's
> >>in-house counsel, but also the company's outside legal firm, Levine
>Sullivan
> >>& Koch of Washington, D.C.   Supposedly, I was a "dream author" who 
kept
> >>meticulous notes and background material exhaustively researched.  I 
have
> >>been complimented repeatedly for the almost sixty pages of source notes 
in
> >>the last pages of the biography, which, incidentally, the publisher's
>legal
> >>representatives-both in-house and outside attorneys-reviewed after the
> >>manuscript was completed.
> >>
> >>The Bush family responded directly to Fortunate Son at least a month 
ago,
> >>when one of their representatives called my publisher in regards to 
an
> >>allegation we made in the book that George W.'s engagement to  Cathryn 
Lee
> >>Wolfman in 1967 was called off due to pressure from the elder Bushes
>because
> >>the prospective bride's stepfather was Jewish.  In the interest of
>balanced
> >>reporting, we added a footnote to the book before it went to press that
>the
> >>Bush family "vehemently denied this explanation" for the young couple's
> >>breakup, even though we stood by our sources who stated otherwise.
> >>
> >>On Saturday, October 16, my publisher and I were informed that George 
W.
> >>Bush had a copy of Fortunate Son's twelve-page Afterword, in which we
> >>alleged through three informed sources that he had been arrested for
>cocaine
> >>possession in 1972 and had his record expunged by a Houston judge after 
he
> >>worked as a youth counselor for several months at Project P.U.L.L., 
where
> >>his father was a heavy contributor and honorary chairman.  Because the
>word
> >>"expunge" is defined as "to blot or strike out; erase," this created
> >>significant problems for me as a biographer.  I had to rely on the
>informed,
> >>but confidential testimony of three sources close to the Texas governor
>who
> >>were knowledgeable of the cocaine possession charge against Bush when 
he
>was
> >>a younger man.  In a court of law, attorneys rely on documentary evidence
> >>and sometimes more heavily on the testimony of witnesses.  The Afterword
>to
> >>the Bush biography relied solely on the irrefutable testimony of three
> >>sources close to the governor and because of that proof I came under
>attack.
> >>But these are informed sources who had previously aided with the writing
>of
> >>the biography in other areas of Bush's life and their testimony was 
always
> >>corroborated by other documentary evidence or other sources.
> >>
> >>Cited confidential sources appear every day in newspapers and magazines
> >>around the world.  While flying to New York, I was reading U.S. News 
and
> >>World Report, a respected weekly newsmagazine, and noted in an article 
on
> >>the current rivalry between the F.B.I and Janet Reno's Justice Department,
> >>that an unnamed White House staffer stated that the FBI had been
>attempting
> >>to damage the Clinton administration for some time. In another article 
in
> >>that same magazine, an unnamed Bush campaign official was quoted as 
saying
> >>that former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney was on the short-list of
>possible
> >>running mates with Bush if he received the Republican presidential
> >>nomination.  If it wasn't for that mysterious, shadowy figure, Deep
>Throat,
> >>who assisted Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein,
>we
> >>may have never learned the truth about Watergate and Richard Nixon may
>never
> >>have been forced to resign.  Because of their proven credibility and 
close
> >>attachment to George W. Bush himself, I stand by my sources and the
> >>allegations we make in his biography regarding the cocaine possession
>charge
> >>in 1972 and the subsequent expunging of the arrest after he performed
> >>community service.  And although my publisher urged me to violate my
> >>journalistic principles and confidentiality agreement with my sources 
and
> >>provide their names to various news agencies in hopes of advancing
>publicity
> >>for Fortunate Son, I steadily declined.
> >>
> >>I have received hundreds of e-mails this week from concerned Americans
> >>questioning why the elder Bush, the former president, felt compelled 
to
>give
> >>an exclusive interview with the Fox News Channel to discuss my biography
>and
> >>the charges I make, and why the publisher took the unprecedented step 
of
> >>recalling what they termed "furnace fodder" while the book was on the 
top
>10
> >>of Amazon.com's best-seller list.  Although my CHARACTER has certainly
>been
> >>called into question, my CREDIBILITY as a biographer cannot be debated
> >>because this "scrupulously corroborated" (the publisher's own words)
> >>biography was exhaustively researched by the author and fact-checked
> >>numerous times by several lawyers representing my publisher.
> >>
> >>What does Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American
> >>President contain within its covers that the presidential front-runner,
>and
> >>now evidently my publisher, doesn't want you to read?   It could be 
any
>one
> >>of the following:
> >>
> >>*How George W. avoided the draft at the height of the war in Vietnam 
and
> >>remained
> >>stateside in the National Guard through the assistance of a Houston
> >>businessman and close Bush family friend;
> >>
> >>*Bush's partnerships with controversial Middle Eastern money men
>(including
> >>the family fortune of Saudi terrorist, Osama bin laden), whose enormous
> >>financial sources were used to underwrite his oil drilling ventures 
in
> >>Texas;
> >>
> >>*How he transformed a $606,000 investment in the Texas Rangers major
>league
> >>baseball team into a multimillion dollar profit in less than a ten years;
> >>
> >>*The intimate details behind Rev. Billy Graham's role in Bush's religious
> >>conversion and why he quit drinking alcohol on his 40th birthday;
> >>
> >>*Bush's behind-the-scenes role as his father's chief troubleshooter 
and
> >>"loyalty enforcer" during the 1988 presidential race; and the same role 
in
> >>1992 when the politically instinctive Bush was the first adviser to 
focus
>on
> >>the seriousness of Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot's grassroots candidacy,
> >>arguing that he was entering the race largely to fulfill his personal
> >>vendetta against the president and was "trying to steal away" some key
> >>states; along with former president Gerald Ford attempted to persuade 
his
> >>father to dump the seemingly hapless Dan Quayle ("another political
> >>liability") from the Republican ticket; urged his father to bring back
>media
> >>adviser Roger Ailes, and "go ballistic" in negative television ads
>attacking
> >>Clinton like they  successfully  did  against   Michael  Dukakis  in
>1988;
> >>advised the reelection  effort to focus on Perot's opposition to the 
Gulf
> >>War, his support of abortion rights, and the $146,550 he and his family
>had
> >>given to congressional campaigns since 1978; talked the elder Bush into
> >>going to Bentonville, Arkansas, "home of Wal-Mart and Clinton's own
> >>backyard," to present the company's founder, the revered  and
> >>terminally-ill  Sam Walton, with the Presidential  Medal of Freedom,  
the
> >>nation's highest civilian award;  and implored his father to "green 
light"
> >>the use of GOP private investigators who wanted to track down rumors 
of
> >>young black women Clinton had allegedly impregnated in south Arkansas
>while
> >>he was the state's attorney general;
> >>
> >>*Charges of insider trading and subsequent SEC investigations after 
Bush
> >>sold almost a million dollars' worth of oil company stock a week prior 
to
> >>the end of a quarter in which the firm posted a $23 million loss;
> >>
> >>*Why his business partners have profited enormously while he has served 
as
> >>governor;
> >>
> >>*Bush's record as a "compassionate conservative," which has proven to 
be
> >>merely another way of packaging the right-wing agenda and old-fashioned
> >>intolerance;
> >>
> >>*Details of his well-planned, long-considered strategy to win the White
> >>House in 2000.
> >>
> >>
> >>As pointed out earlier, Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making 
of an
> >>American President was fact-checked, corroborated by documentary evidence
> >>and the testimony of numerous sources by several in-house and outside
> >>attorneys representing St. Martin's Press, who remarked in their press
> >>release upon the book's publication: "No other book this season will 
be as
> >>balanced or impartial in its portrait of George W. Bush as Fortunate 
Son.
> >>The author's insights will be invaluable to anyone who wants to make 
an
> >>informed decision come Election Day."
> >>
> >>Thanks to the Dallas Morning News (which ironically employs a reporter 
who
> >>has written the only other competing George Bush biography at this time),
>my
> >>credibility has come under attack this week, but in my defense I must
>quote
> >>my former editor at Kensington Publishing Company, Tracy Bernstein, 
who
> >>edited my first six books and stated in the October 21 edition of the
> >>on-line magazine Salon.com: "I found Jim Hatfield to be a tireless worker
> >>who I could count on to always deliver, and in every way an easy author 
to
> >>work with," she said.  "Most of the books we worked on concerned
>pop-culture
> >>trivia, but even those books had a certain amount of 'backstage' info
>about
> >>the stars, creators or what have you.  So those books, as well the Patrick
> >>Stewart bio, were vetted by our lawyers and anything that was questioned
>he
> >>had reputable sources for.  I thus never had cause to doubt his
> >>professionalism or honesty."
> >>
> >>Although, in the span of a few, short days, Fortunate Son rose to the 
top
>10
> >>of the best-seller list, the book's success certainly took its toll 
on me
> >>personally and my family.  My credibility as a biographer and author 
of
> >>eight books was questioned, but worse, my character was fiercely battered
> >>and beaten.  Was it all worth it?  I must answer with a definitive "no."
> >>Keeping that in mind, I will not appear on 60 Minutes or a host of other
> >>national television shows or grant interviews to Newsweek or the Wall
>Street
> >>Journal-all who offered me an opportunity to "tell my side of the story."
> >>Simply stated, I don't have a story to tell.  I did not write an
> >>autobiography of J.H. Hatfield.  I wrote an even-balanced, but unflinching
> >>biography of possibly the next president of the United States.  That
>should
> >>be the topic of discussion-not me.  Please return your attention to
> >>Fortunate Son and question why the emphasis shifted from George W. Bush 
to
> >>J.H. Hatfield.  As Confederate General Robert E. Lee once said, "When
>you're
> >>too weak to defend, you must attack."
> >>
> >>Please allow my wife, new baby, and me to continue with our lives because
> >>after a family discussion (and against the advice of legal counsel and
> >>publicists who wanted to put a successful "spin" on this story), we 
have
> >>decided to take the "high road" and not dignify the press accounts
>regarding
> >>my character.  I can provide background material on my life today,
>tomorrow,
> >>and the next day, but it would never be enough to satisfy the media 
and I
> >>would remain the center of the story, rather than George W. Bush.  We're
>not
> >>discussing character.  We're discussing credibility and Fortunate Son, 
a
> >>definitive biography of Bush, speaks volumes about my credibility as 
an
> >>author and, more importantly, his credibility as a candidate for president
> >>of the United States.  Quite frankly, my family and I are disturbed 
by the
> >>fact that we're on defensive while no one is questioning the presidential
> >>front-runner.  Why does he continue to refuse to answer allegations 
about
> >>past drug use?  Rather than me, what is George W. Bush hiding in his 
past?
> >>What does that say about this country and the real issues when the media
>is
> >>more obsessed with the life of the biographer instead of the subject 
of
>the
> >>biography?
> >>
> >>Therefore, we will have nothing further to say about this book or the
> >>allegations regarding my own past.  I am not the one running for office, 
I
> >>am not a presidential candidate, and I am not the subject of a biography.
> >>Please refocus your attention on the appropriate person and determine 
if
> >>George W. Bush should be elected to the highest political office in 
the
> >>United States.  As I point out in Fortunate Son: "The only thing most
>voters
> >>know for certain about Bush is who his parents are.  It's way past time
> >>that, not only Texans, but the rest of America begins to learn more-a 
lot
> >>more-about the younger Bush, the man who would be a second-generation
> >>president."
>
>
>================================================================
>
>This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to
>   the mailing list <LIST@mcwilliams.com>.
>To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <LIST-off@mcwilliams.com>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------