>>> I FELT THIS WHOLE PLANE JOLT
FORWARD AND SOON IT WAS A LOT OF
SMOKE.
IT WAS A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE,
BUT NO DIFFERENT THAN A LOT OF
KIDS WENT THROUGH IN WORLD WAR
II.
AND THATS THE POINT I WANT TO
MAKE.
BECAUSE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, TALK
ABOUT, IM YOUR HERO.
THERES NOTHING HEROIC ABOUT
DOING YOUR DUTY, TRYING TO SERVE
WITH HONOR.
AND THERES NOTHING HEROIC ABOUT
GETTING SHOT DOWN.
I ALWAYS WONDER HOW THEY HONOR
YOU IF YOUVE BEEN SHOT DOWN,
BUT IF YOU LAND YOUR PLANE
SAFELY BACK ON THE SHIP, YOURE
JUST ANOTHER PILOT.
>> THAT WAS PRESIDENT H.W. BUSH
RECOUNTING HIS HARROWING WORLD
WAR II EXPERIENCE WHEN THE PLANE
HE WAS PILOTING WAS SHOT DOWN
OVER JAPAN.
BUSH LATER RETURNED AFTER HIS
PRESIDENCY, WHICH OUR NEXT GUEST
DESCRIBES AT LENGTH IN HER NEW
BOOK.
JOINING US NOW, FORMER CHIEF OF
STAFF TO GEORGE H.W. BUSH, GENE
BECKER.
SHE IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK,
"THE MAN I KNEW: THE AMAZING
STORY OF GEORGE H.W. BUSHS POST
PRESIDENCY."
ALSO WITH US, HISTORIAN JON
MEACHAM, WHO IS ALSO A
BIOGRAPHER OF THE LATE
PRESIDENT.
ITS GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH ON
THIS MEMORIAL DAY.
>> GENE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING WITH US.
I CANT LOOK AT YOUR TITLE, "THE
MAN I KNEW" AND NOT THINK OF A
1988 OP-ED I REMEMBER CALLED
"THE GEORGE BUSH I KNEW," AFTER
IT WAS "NEWSWEEK" THAT HAD SOME
RIDICULOUS COVER, TALKING ABOUT
THE WIMP FACTOR AND OTHER PEOPLE
TRYING TO TEAR THIS MAN DOWN.
SOMEBODY THAT HAD KNOWN BUSH A
LONG TIME TALKED ABOUT RIDING
WITH HIM IN A PLANE WHERE THE
DOOR FLEW OPEN, EVERYBODY
PANICKED, HE QUIETLY REACHED
OVER, CLOSED THE DOOR, TALKED
ABOUT WALKING OUT OF A BIG
CONTRIBUTOR IN WEST TEXAS THAT
WAS GOING TO GIVE HIM A TON OF
MONEY, BUT WOULDNT DO IT
BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT HE WAS TOO
RACIALLY INSENSITIVE AND
WOULDNT TAKE HIS MONEY.
TIME AND TIME AGAIN, YOU HEAR
THAT CHARACTER IS WHAT YOU DO
WHEN NOBODYS LOOKING.
TIME AND TIME AGAIN, THATS THE
MAN WHOSE CHARACTER SHOWN,
ESPECIALLY DURING THOSE TIMES.
>> JOE, MIKA, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR HAVING ME ON.
YOU SORT OF JUST CAPTURED THE
HEART AND SOUL OF GEORGE HERBERT
WALKER BUSH.
PART OF THE REASON I WROTE THE
BOOK IS, ONE, HE LEFT ME SO MANY
AMAZING STORIES THAT REALLY HAVE
TO BE TOLD.
HE WAS FUNNY AND WE HAD SO MUCH
FUN FOR 25 AREAS.
BUT THE OTHER REASON, THE MORE
SUBSTANTIATIVE REASON IS THAT HE
REALLY LEFT US A BLUEPRINT ON
HOW WE SHOULD ALL BE LIVING OR
LIVES.
HE KNEW HOW TO LIVE LIFE WITH
JOY, WITH PRINCIPLE, WITH
SUBSTANCE.
THE BOOK IS FULL OF GREAT
STORIES ABOUT HOW UNTIL THE DAY
HE DIED, HE NEVER QUIT LOVING
THIS COUNTRY AND QUIT GIVING
BACK.
SO THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME TALK
ABOUT MY FAVORITE PERSON ILL
EVER MEET.
>> JON MEACHAM IS WITH US AND HE
HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU.
JOHN?
>> JUNE, PRESIDENT BUSH REFERRED
TO JEAN AS SIMPLY THE GREAT
BECKER, SO THE GREAT BECKER.
JEAN, I HAVE TO ASK YOU, ONE OF
MY MANY UNRESOLVED ISSUES AS
FRIENDS IS THAT YOU KEPT THE
STORY FROM ME.
SO TELL US ABOUT BANDAR?
>> WELL, BEFORE -- I WANT THIS
SEGMENT TO BE FULL OF LIFE AND
JOY AND HAPPINESS, BUT I DO WANT
MIKA AND JOE AND ALL OF YOUR
LISTENERS TO KNOW THAT ON PAGE
195 OF THIS BOOK, IN A CHAPTER
CALLED "THE WORST OF TIMES," I
LITERALLY WROTE, "THE HARDEST
DECISION I HAD TO MAKE HAD TO DO
WITH JON MEACHAM.
>> UH-OH.
>> AND YOURE GOING TO HAVE TO
READ THE BOOK, EVERYONE WILL
HAVE TO READ THE BOOK TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS, BUT
THIS WAS ALL ABOUT MYMEACHUM PRE
DIARIES THAT NO ONE HAD READ.
SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY.
YOU HAVE TO READ THE BOOK.
YES, JON, THERE ARE STORIES IN
THIS BOOK THAT I HELD OUT ON
YOU.
IM SO SORRY.
NOT REALLY.
IM NOT SORRY AT ALL.
YOU WANT ME TO TELL THE WHOLE
STORY?
DO WE HAVE TIME?
>> DO IT.
>> AT SOME POINT AROUND 2004,
2005, MARGARET TUTWEILER CALLED
ME AND SAID, JEAN, WE ARE
HEARING RUMORS THAT BANDAR HAS
BEEN ASSASSINATED BY THE
SYRIANS.
HE WAS THE AMBASSADOR TO THE
UNITED STATES FROM SAUDI ARABIA
FOR SOMETHING LIKE 30 YEARS, ALL
THROUGH PRESIDENT BUSHS
PRESIDENCY.
THEY WERE VERY CLOSE.
MARGARET SAID, WE THINK BANDAR
HAS BEEN ASSASSINATED.
HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING?
I HAD NOT.
MARGARET SAID, CAN YOU CHECK
YOUR SOURCES?
I CALLED THE CIA.
THE CIA ALWAYS HAD SOMEONE
DEDICATED TO PRESIDENT BUSH TO
ASK MANY QUESTIONS.
THEY LOVED HIM.
SO I CALLED.
THEY SAID, WE HAVE HEARD THE
RUMORS.
WE ARE VERY NERVOUS THEY ARE
TRUE.
HE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN FOR MONTHS.
WE HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
WE ARE CHECKING.
WE WILL LET YOU KNOW.
THE NEXT MORNING, MARGARET
CALLED ME AND SAID, THE FRENCH
PRESS IS GOING TO GO -- IS GOING
TO REPORT THIS IN ABOUT A HALF
HOUR.
IF YOU HAVENT TOLD HIM, YOU
HAVE TO TELL HIM.
BECAUSE ITS GOING TO BE ON CNN
IN ABOUT AN HOUR.
SO YOU NEED TO TELL HIM.
SO I REALLY DIDNT WANT TO.
HE WAS GOING TO TAKE IT REALLY
HARD.
BUT I TOLD HIM.
I SAID, SIR, WE THINK PRINCE
BANDAR HAS BEEN ASSASSINATED.
HE SAID, DID YOU TRY CALLING
HIM?
THE ANSWER TO THAT WOULD BE NO.
IT HAD NOT OCCURRED TO ME TO
CALL HIM.
I WOULD NOT CALL PRINCE BANDAR.
PRESIDENT BUSH SAID, GET HIM ON
THE PHONE.
I HOLLERED TO HIS YOUNG AIDE.
I SAID, JIM, COULD YOU CALL
PRINCE BANDARS CELL?
HE SAID, HAVE YOU TOLD HIM
WHATS GOING ON?
I SAID, IVE TOLD HIM. DIAL HIS NUMBER.
DIAL HIS NUMBER.
ABOUT FIVE SECONDS LATER, JIM
HOLERS INTO
HOLLERS, PRINCE BANDAR ON LINE
ONE.
PRESIDENT BUSH PICKS UP THE
PHONE.
THIS IS THE CONVERSATION.
GEORGE BUSH.
DEAD OR ALIVE?
UH-HUH.
THEN HE COVERS THE PHONE AND
LOOKS AT ME AND SAYS, HES
ALIVE.
I SAID, YEAH, I THOUGHT THAT.
BANDAR ASSURES HIM, IM OKAY,
THE SYRIANS DONT LIKE ME.
THEY ARE AFTER ME.
IM IN HIDING.
EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE FINE.
DONT WORRY.
HE GETS OFF THE PHONE.
HE SAYS, JEAN, THIS IS A GOOD
LIFE LESSON FOR YOU.
THIS IS SOMETHING TO REMEMBER.
IF THERES CONFUSION ABOUT
WHETHER SOMEONE IS DEAD OR
ALIVE, CALL THEM ON THE PHONE.
IF THEY ANSWER THE PHONE,
THEYRE ALIVE.
THERE YOU GO.
>> THATS HYSTERICAL.
>> I LEARNED SOMETHING FROM THE
MAN EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE.
WHAT CAN I SAY?
>> GREATEST STATESMAN OF OUR
TIME.
THERE YOU HAVE IT.
THIS IS MEMORIAL DAY.
YOU HAD THE REMARKABLE
EXPERIENCE OF GOING TO WHERE ON
SEPTEMBER 2, 1944, OF COURSE,
LIEUTENANT GEORGE H.W. BUSH WAS
SHOT DOWN, LOST TWO CREWMATES
WHOSE LIVES WE HONOR TODAY.
HE WOULD WANT US TO MENTION
THEM.
>> THANK YOU.
>> TALK ABOUT WHAT ITS LIKE,
WHAT THAT WAS LIKE TO BE -- ITS
A LITTLE LIKE BEING WITH
EISENHOWER AT NORMANDY.
>> IT WAS AMAZING.
IT WAS SUCH AN HONOR TO GO WITH
HIM.
HE CAME INTO THE OFFICE ON
JANUARY 2, 2002 AND SAT DOWN IN
MY OFFICE AND SAID, JEAN, IVE
BEEN THINKING OVER CHRISTMAS, I
HAVE TO GO BACK.
ITS SOMETHING I HAVE BEEN
THINKING ABOUT.
HE WOULD NOT LIKE THIS TERM.
HE WOULD THINK THIS IS A CLICHE.
I THINK HE NEEDED CLOSURE.
THOSE TWO MEN HAD WEIGHED
HEAVILY ON HIS MIND EVER SINCE
SEPTEMBER 2, 1944.
IT WAS LOGISTICALLY COMPLICATED
TO GET THERE.
IRONICALLY, WHO GOT US THERE WAS
THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AND THE
JAPANESE NAVY.
THE COUNTRY THAT SHOT HIM DOWN
WHILE HE WAS BOMBING THEM WAS
KEY TO GETTING HIM BACK TO THAT
ISLAND.
IT WAS AN IMPORTANT JOURNEY FOR
HIM TO MAKE, JON.
HE AT ONE POINT -- WERE ALL ON
THIS BOAT GOING OUT TO WHERE HE
WAS SHOT DOWN AND WHERE HE WAS
RESCUED.
HE WANTED TO GET RID OF ALL OF
US.
HE WANTED TO GET -- WE HAD
CAMERAS, A DOCUMENTARY CREW WITH
US.
ME, THE SECRET SERVICE,
EVERYBODY.
HE ASKED TO GET IN A LIFE BOAT
BY HIMSELF.
HE SAYS, I NEED TO BE ALONE.
HE GETS IN A LIFE BOAT AND
PADDLES OUT AWAY FROM THE BIGGER
BOAT THAT WE WERE ALL ON AND
JUST SAT THERE FOR A WHILE.
HE NEEDED CLOSURE ON THAT.
THE INTERESTING THING -- YOU ARE
GOING TO HAVE TO RAETDEAD THE BO
HE MET A JAPANESE MAN WHO SAW
HIM BEING SHOT DOWN AND SAW HIM
RESCUED.
ITS JUST A GREAT, GREAT STORY.
WONDERFUL STORY.
HE MET ANOTHER PILOT WHO WAS
SHOT DOWN AND SURVIVED.
MOST OF THE PILOTS DID NOT
SURVIVE.
THE COMMANDER OF THAT ISLAND,
THE JAPANESE COMMANDER, WOULD
CUT THEIR HEARTS OUT AND EAT
THEM, WOULD EAT THE HEARTS OF
THE PILOTS.
PRESIDENT BUSH USED TO TORTURE MRS. BUSH BY SAYING, I ALMOST
MRS. BUSH BY SAYING, I ALMOST