Michael Beschloss, called “the nation’s leading presidential historian” by Newsweek, visited Guilford on Feb. 10 as the concluding event in the 2004-05 Bryan Speaker Series, themed “Challenges Facing Democracy.” Beschloss began his activities at Guilford with a student seminar held in Founders Gallery.

Students and professors from Guilford and UNCG attended the seminar, during which Beschloss and the attendees discussed the role of the Internet in news, how people get their news now compared with 30 years ago, how George W. Bush will be viewed in history, and other issues.

When Beschloss asked at the seminar how those who attended primarily get their news, almost everyone cited the Internet as their main source. Beschloss praised this advancement in the way people become informed, and said, “The best thing younger people can do … is to get access to as many sources of information as you can.”

Beschloss said that how the public views presidents depends largely on the results of their actions rather than the actions themselves. For example, people 20 years from now will view Bush very differently depending how the situation in Iraq turns out.

Beschloss also discussed his own life at the seminar. “I’m a historian,” he said. “I’ve wanted to be that, grimly enough, since I was about 10 years old.”

After the seminar, The Guilfordian had the opportunity to ask Beschloss questions.

When asked if he finds it difficult to be objective and keep his own political views out of his history, Beschloss responded that he is “not by nature partisan,” and that we “have to always assume events will look very different 30 years from now” and that this knowledge makes him more careful not to rush to judgment.

When asked if he thinks the media is harmful or helpful to presidential elections, Beschloss said, “The media just reacts to the system that exists,” and said the biggest problem is the presidential nomination process. He pointed out that the process used to last six months, and that this allowed for better candidates to be nominated.

Beschloss’s evening presentation began at 8 p.m. in Dana auditorium. After an introduction by college president Kent Chabotar, he began his speech by praising Guilford. Beschloss, who attended Williams College, the South,” but after visiting, he now thinks of Williams as the “Guilford of the North.”

Beschloss’s speech was full of presidential anecdotes and historical facts. He told the audience about Lyndon Johnson’s “atrocious taste in interior decorating” and fascination with “Muzak.”

He retold one incident where the transcripts of Johnson’s tapes were not accurate. Johnson had said that the Pakistan ambassadors were in his waiting room, but the transcript read that the waiting room held a “Pack of bastards.”

This led to a discussion of a modern historical problem. Advisors encourage modern presidents not to keep diaries, memos, or other records of their activities so that they can’t be subpoenaed. This leads to a lack of sources for later historians who write about the presidents.

Beschloss also discussed his opinion that “historians don’t always do as well as they should,” saying, “We have to get people to understand what that historical moment was like.”

On the issue of presidential leadership, Beschloss said, “We really need presidents who are willing to … be unpopular,” and pointed out that if Franklin Roosevelt hadn’t prepared the U.S. for war in the 1930’s, the U.S. would be a very different place today.

A question-and-answer session followed his speech, and he concluded the presentation with a lesson from Lyndon Johnson. After his career was over, Beschloss explained, Johnson showed regret about not spending enough time with his family. Beschloss asserted that what we learn from Johnson is “What really matters is your friends and your family,” inspiring resounding applause from the audience.

Guilford Political Science professor Kyle Dell, who teaches “The American Presidency” course, said of Beschloss’s visit, “He was extremely intelligent. He had a real gift in the sense of not just knowing history, but being able to communicate it in a way that was interesting, insightful, and funny.”

Following the presentation, Chabotar announced the Bryan Speakers for 2005-06: Karen Armstrong, Desmond Tutu, and Bill Moyers.