[Adlai Stevenson, American Democratic politician.] Producer Hugh Burnett's copy of typescript of Stevenson’s interview with John Freeman in the BBC TV series 'Face to Face', marked up for publication.

Author: 
Adlai Stevenson [Adlai Ewing Stevenson II] (1900-1965), American Democratic nominee for President of the United States [John Freeman, interviewer on BBC programme ‘Face to Face’; Hugh Burnett]
Publication details: 
Undated, but BBC interview broadcast on 22 July 1959, and this item prepared for publication in 1964.
£80.00
SKU: 24172

The present item is producer Hugh Burnett's own copy, from his papers, of the transcript of Stevenson's interview with Freeman, broadcast in the groundbreaking BBC television series 'Face to Face' on 22 July 1959. The single-spaced typed transcript was produced for inclusion in Burnett's book 'Face to Face / Edited and introduced by Hugh Burnett' (London: Jonathan Cape, 1964), and is marked up with printing instructions in pencil and red ink, with a few proof corrections in pencil and green ink. 2pp, foolscap 8vo, on two leaves. An interesting interview, with Stevenson beginning by downplaying his political roots. He describes his father as ‘a professional farmer. By this I mean to say he managed farms throughout central Illinois, and my grandfather was a newspaper proprietor. My other grandfather was a politician and lawyer. My Stevenson ancestor was a democratic politician. My mother’s family were republican newspaper publishers.’ He describes his youth (‘I always contrived to get in fights quicker than anybody in my neighbourhood. On the whole I lost them. That’s pursued me ever since.’), his desire to be ‘a rancher in Wyoming’, his time in Italy during the war, his belief that it is ‘intolerable’ that Americans should wish to have nothing to do with politics (‘The best reason I can think of for not running for President is you have to shave twice a day. I’ve had to do that twice, and that’s enough.’).