Does anyone happen to have Joseph Heller's novel Good As Gold? We are desperately looking for a quotation from that book that Senator Zantovsky used in Czech in his speech at our conference "Media and Politicians" last November. He himself is very difficult to approach with such a request, and we have been asking around but nobody seems to have the original. I will try to translate from the Czech what the quotation says:
Kissinger lied about peace and lied about war; he lied in Paris when he announced shortly before the presidential election that peace is behind the door, and then he lied again when he accused Vietnam of bad will... It was humiliating and terribly discouraging that this mean figure, who was guilty of too outrageous an ignominy to be measured, and too numerous to be expressed in numbers, was happily lolling about in chauffeured limousines instead of walking in the Spandau prison with Rudolf Hess.
I am sorry for this translation but that's the best I could do. It would be great if you could help us with this passage. We need it for our English webpage where we will have all presentations delivered at the November conference.
Thanks again.
Liana (not verified) | March 12, 2002 - 23:39
helena, if you contact josef imrich from abc, he may be able to help you. are you from the Ferdinand Peroutka Foundation?
Tony Cook (not verified) | March 13, 2002 - 10:51
Helena - I have a copy of this book at home. I'll try and check it out for you tonight and post up the answer for you!
Cheers,
The Chief Exec.
Tony Cook (not verified) | March 16, 2002 - 18:18
Helena - so sorry - I do have the book and will reply on Monday - things just got a little hectic on Friday and now I've left the book in the office!
Pip Pip
Tony Cook (not verified) | March 18, 2002 - 13:03
OK - I think I've finally found it!
Here's the first bit:
" He lied about peace and lied about war; he lied in Paris when he announced 'peace was at hand' just before the presidential elections and he lied again afterward by blaming North Vietnam for bad faith when all his hondling went mechuleh."
All spellings are correct! hondling and mechuleh are in italics as they are Hebrew or Yiddish words.
The second part of the quotation comes some twenty pages further forward and is as follows:
"It was disgraceful and so discouraging to Gold that this base figure charged with infamies too horrenous to measure and too numerous for listing should be gadding about gaily in chauffeured cars, instead of walking at Spandau with Rudolf Hess, while Gold had to drive rented ones."
I hope that that helps!
Helena Markusova (not verified) | March 19, 2002 - 16:13
Dear Tony,
thanks so much for your help!!! That is exactly it!!! Now that you helped us, we will be able to finalize our brochure and have it printed. So nice of you! I am just thrilled such a great service exists! What a wonderful "Brave New World" - positive! On behalf of the Ferdinand Peroutka Foundation - a Czech NGO that deals with cultivation of the media in the Czech Republic, in particular fostering investigative and analytical journalism, I wish you all the best and, if you are interested to learn more about us, feel free to check our webpage www.nadaceperoutka.cz!
Best regards,
Helena Markusova
executive director
Ferdinand Peroutka Foundation
Helena Markusova (not verified) | March 19, 2002 - 16:22
Dear Liana,
thank you so much for your effort to help us! I was very lucky Tony Cook had found the exact quotation. Now we can go ahead and finalize our brochure and have it printed! That is a great service, and I am so glad that from now on, we can check with this web site for any inquiry regarding literature. Yes, indeed, I am from the Ferdinand Peroutka Foundation. I am Executive Director of the Foundation. Can I ask you how you learned about us? It would be so interesting to know. I would like to hear from you, and if you are interested in our activities, we can provide you with detailed information. You may know our website: www.nadaceperoutka.cz.
Best regards,
Helena