Heidi Alexander: “Senator Inouye told me a story which I wish to repeat for our colleagues. In 1973, George Gallup, the pollster, asked to…”

“Senator Inouye told me a story which I wish to repeat for our colleagues. In 1973, George Gallup, the pollster, asked to come see him. This was at the height of the Watergate hearings. Back then, these investigations into President Nixon's Watergate break-in were consuming the country. Then there were only three major television networks, plus the Public Broadcasting System, and the Watergate hearings were televised from the Senate every single day, for several hours a day, on all four of those networks. So, almost everyone in the country watched the Watergate hearings for weeks. They got to know Sam Ervin, the chairman. They got to know Howard Baker, the ranking Republican. But George Gallup came to see Senator Inouye. And Senator Inouye said, I am glad to see you, but why do you come to see me? He said, Senator, who would you say is the most recognized person in the United States today? Senator Inouye said, Well, I am sure President Nixon is. And Gallup said, That is right. But the second most recognized person is Senator Dan Inouye. Inouye said, Well, how could that be? George Gallup said, Well, Senator, I suspect so many Americans have never seen a United States Senator of Japanese ancestry with one arm and a distinguished voice and presence, and you have made an indelible impression on the American people. That was 1973. That was a long time ago.…”