Political Quotes

“George Seldes, who died Sunday in Vermont at the age of 104, was literally, a Witness to a Century--the title of his autobiography. A true investigative reporter who refused to accept the subtle pressures imposed upon journalists by publishers, editors, and advertisers--he was uncompromising in reporting what he saw and heard, and printed those observations in his own independent publication--In Fact. Izzy Stone called Seldes the ``granddaddy'' of investigative reporters--high praise from another great independent journalist of our century. My visits and frequent correspondence with George rank among the highlights of my Senate career. He never intruded, but did on occasion offer some very good advice to this senator--and most times, I was smart enough to recognize good counsel when I heard it. I had the great pleasure of joining him at his 100th birthday party in Vermont--an event that became a public celebration of his life. Here was a man who interviewed William Jennings Bryan, Theodore Roosevelt, Eddie Rickenbacker, Generals Pershing, Patton, and MacArthur; a personal observer of Lenin and Mussolini and a confidant of Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Sinclair Lewis. One of the great lives of our century has passed--but George Seldes left behind a recorded history to guide our understanding of the turbulent time.”