>>> I BET YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS.
THIS. A WEEK FROM TODAY WILL MARK 20
YEARS SINCE JOHN F. KENNEDY JR.,
SON OF FORMER PRESIDENT, DIED
AFTER HIS PLANE WENT DOWN IN
MARTHA’S VINEYARD.
MARTHA’S VINEYARD. AN ATTORNEY, MAGAZINE FOUNDER,
AND UNWITH OF THE MOST FAMOUS
MEN IN THE COUNTRY.
HIS WIFE AND HER SISTER ALSO
KILLED.
KILLED. A BOOK "FOUR FRIENDS" LOOKS AT
HIS LIFE AND THE LIVES OF FOUR
OF HIS FRIENDS.
BILL, TELL US ABOUT THIS VENTURE
VENTURE, THIS BOOK.
WHY DID YOU DO IT AND WHY NOW?
>> I HAVE WRITTEN FOUR OR FIVE
OTHER DEEPLY INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTING BOOKS ABOUT WALL
STREET AND THE DUKE LACROSSE
CASE.
CASE. I WANTED A BIG-TIME REPORTING
CHALLENGE AND WANTED A WAY TO
REMEMBER MY FRIENDS.
I HAD NOTICED OVER THE YEARS
THEY HAD PASSED AWAY TOO YOUNG
AND TOO TRAGICALLY.
SO THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
HAVE AN INCREDIBLE REPORTING
CHALLENGE.
CHALLENGE. THEY’RE NOT HERE.
I HAD TO GO BACK AND FIGURE OUT
WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM IN THEIR
LIVES, JUST LIKE I HAD TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT HAPPENED AT BEAR
STERNS.
STERNS. >> YOU WROTE THE COMMON THREAD
WAS THIS.
WAS THIS. PRIVILEGE AND EXPECTATIONS, TWIN
BURDENS.
BURDENS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND WHY
EXPLORE IT?
EXPLORE IT? >> THERE IS SOMETHING IN THE
DNA.
DNA. ANDOVER IS THE ONLY ONE THAT
PRODUCED TWO PRESIDENTS, BOTH
BUSHES.
BUSHES. IT WAS STARTED IN 1778.
ONE OF THE OLDEST PRIVATE
SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY THAT MADE
US FEEL LIKE WE COULD DO
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. THAT OUR LIVES WERE SPREAD OUT
BEFORE US LIKE A PATIENT ON A
TABLE.
TABLE. WE COULD DO WHATEVER WE WANTED
TO DO.
TO DO. UNFORTUNATELY, REAL LIFE ENTER
CONVENIENCE AND IT’S REALLY NOT
LIKE THAT IN THE END.
>> HELP US UNDERSTAND.
JFK JR. SPECIFICALLY, PEOPLE
MIGHT NOT REMEMBER HOW BIG A
PUBLIC FIGURE HE WAS IN THE
’90s.
’90s. YOU TALK ABOUT THE GREAT PROMISE
OF HIM.
OF HIM. AT THE TIME IT SEEMED LIKE HE
TRULY COULD DO ANYTHING IN
AMERICA.
AMERICA. >> LOOK AT THESE PICTURES ON
THIS WALL.
THIS WALL. I THINK LITERALLY TODAY,
STEPHANIE, WE COULD BE TALKING
ABOUT PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
JR. INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT TRUMP.
HE HAD THAT MUCH CHARISMA.
HE WAS UNBELIEVABLY POPULAR.
PEOPLE FLOCKED TO HIM.
I SAW PEOPLE PHYSICALLY CHANGE
IN HIS PRESENCE.
HE WAS WARM.
HE WAS GRACIOUS.
HE WAS NOT WITHOUT HIS FLAWS.
BUT HE WAS GOING TO RUN FOR
GOVERNOR IN 2002 AGAINST GEORGE
PATAKI.
PATAKI. HE WAS GOING TO RUN AS SENATOR
OF NEW YORK BEFORE HILLARY
CLINTON DECIDED TO RUN, SO HE
BACKED OFF.
BACKED OFF. BUT THIS MAN DECIDED AFTER
GEORGE, THE MAGAZINE, THAT HE
WAS GOING TO GO INTO POLITICS.
AND I THINK IT’S NOT IN
CONCEIVABLE IN 2016 IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN HIS YEAR.
HE WOULD NOT HAVE CHALLENGED
PRESIDENT OBAMA, OBVIOUSLY, BUT
WOULD HAVE LEAKED IN AFTER THAT,
I THINK.
I THINK. .
. >> THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN GONE FOR
YEARS.
YEARS. IN JFK’S CASE, 20 YEARS.
IT’S AMAZING.
IT’S AMAZING. IT FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE LEARN FROM THEIR
STORIES?
STORIES? >> LIFE IS VERY FRAGILE.
YOU THINK YOU ARE ON THIS
TRAJECTORY WHERE YOU CAN DO
ANYTHING YOU WANT.
THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS, THE
LEAST YOU CAN EXPECT IT.
YOU GO OUT FOR A SALE, GO TO THE
OFFICE TO DO A JOB, AND
SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS.
GRAVEYARDS ARE FILLED WITH IN
DISPENSABLE MEN.
DISPENSABLE MEN. YOU KNOW, WHY ARE WE ALWAYS
FIGHTING WHEN IT COMES TO
POLITICAL DIVIDE?
POLITICAL DIVIDE? WE SHOULD ACTUALLY REALIZE THAT
WE’RE GOING TO GO A LOT FARTHER
PULLING TOGETHER IF WE WORK
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. WHO KNOWS HOW LONG WE’RE GOING
TO LAST?
TO LAST? OUR MUTUAL FRIEND ALEX DEAD ON
SUNDAY.
SUNDAY. THESE THINGS HAPPEN.
AND IT’S VERY, VERY SAD.
SO FORGET FIGHTING.
FORGET, YOU KNOW, I RECONCILABLE
DIFFERENCES.
DIFFERENCES. LET’S TRY AND GET ALONG.
I KNOW IT’S CLICHE AND TKPAOFY
BUT THAT IS THE REAL MESSAGE OF
THIS BOOK.
THIS BOOK. .
. >> A FAMILY MAN, TRUE NEW