Connie and Pierre begin the interview briefly talking about his early life as a child concert pianist as well as his service with the U.S. Navy during World War II. For the majority of the interview, Pierre and Connie, in a wide ranging discussion, talk about his professional career as a journalist and public relations specialist. For example, Pierre describes his friendship with the Kennedy family and being Kennedy’s press secretary. In particular, Pierre highlights his backchannel communications with Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In addition, he discusses his backchannel role in covering and helping to free the American hostages taken during the Iranian Revolution. Connie and Pierre also discuss his thoughts on the American media’s coverage of the world, and why the Persian Gulf War was a “bad” war that increased tensions in the Islamic world that have hampered the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks. Near the end of the interview, Pierre talks about his work as a public relations specialist. He also discusses his philosophy of life, wanting to help the public better understand their world as a journalist, his many love affairs, and losing his children to cancer and suicide.
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