November 15, 2007
by Volt and Electra Penn 

Spunky fortitude, that's what I want in my heroines, gals such as Annie Oakley, Amelia Earhart and of course the late Katharine Graham.  Around the time Washington Post publisher Phil Graham and wife Katharine were hobnobbing with J.F.K. and L.B.J., Phil lost his mental balance, his morals, his character, his credentials and then committed suicide. Poof! He was gone, but instead of sinking into a pit of despair, Katharine sat down at her husband's desk, picked up his pen and took control of The Post.
 
That took place in the sixties. It was much later, shortly after Katharine Graham won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for her memoir, Personal History, that I corresponded with her.  She wrote a short letter, only 4 paragraphs. I understood from her response that she knew my query was sincere, but to explain her entire position would've taken more paper than there were trees to make it.  One has to read between the lines to completely understand her thoughts about my question, Did God Damn Madalyn? Since Mrs. Graham is no longer around, to set the present record straight what follows are her words from a Penn:
 
"After Phil died, it wasn't my confidence in publishing a newspaper that was lacking. It was the Post's editors' confidence in me. They're the ones who couldn't get their minds around the fact that a woman was at the helm and over their heads. I guess they forgot it was my father, Eugene Meyer, who bought The Washington Post to save it from bankruptcy. The editors didn't think to remember that my first word was "Extra!" Even my mom said I was born with The Post in my hand.

"It was early 1963 when this all happened, a time before women were allowed to roar. So what was I to do? Instead of whining and wringing my hands, I did what I had to do - I grew a set of balls and became the de facto publisher of The Washington Post.

"I exercised power without being officially established as the Post's publisher, made the presses roll, printed the news and molded more of the future than most would admit. Formally I was still Mrs. Philip Graham. My own name wasn't listed in the paper as the publisher, or on the letterhead of any official correspondence. But when it came down to difficult decisions, like which story to run - the buck always stopped at my desk.

"That was especially true during the times and trials of Watergate. Without Deep-Throat, Woodward and Bernstein would still be hunting and pecking at The Post's 'features' desk. Along with editor Ben Bradlee, those two reporters convinced me that it was G. Gordon Liddy's rat pack of plumbers, who tried to gnaw their way into the Democratic National Committee's office.

"When Nixon Jabberwocky, John Mitchell, threatened to squeeze my private parts until I squealed, that's when I made the final decision that no man, not even the U.S. Attorney General, was going to stop my presses.

"Of course giving the go-ahead to run the Watergate stories was absolutely the right thing to do. One can only imagine what would have happened to our basic freedoms and the democratic principles of this country, if those kinds of dirty tricks had been allowed to continue and hadn't been exposed to the public.

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"Speaking of 'dirty tricks', let me make it perfectly clear, there are fundamental facts just as true in 2007 as they were in 1972.  In this country we are all Americans, and Americans don't spy on other Americans - period. We don't allow our government to collect personal information on us, unless they have a warrant. And we don't allow our military or the C.I.A. to torture people in our good name, even if suspected of the worst possible crimes. We didn't do those God-awful things yesterday, and we shouldn't do them today or tomorrow. No matter what the circumstances, we have a justice system and Bill of Rights that are supposed to protect us.

"Now, concerning the letter I sent, I knew from the moment I read it your question was impertinent. But no one had put THE END question to me in those terms before. So, to explain, I should add that one could draw the conclusion from the 1st two paragraphs that I'm an atheist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Interpreted another way, when I say innate goodness being its own reward, I believe it's the same as saying 'love conquers all'.

"When I mentioned Ms. O'Hair and the removal of prayer from public schools, I hope you didn't mind my relegating her to the role of a bit player. But the truth is that it was the justices on the Supreme Court who stood firm on the Constitution; which specifically states church and state remain separate.  

"As far as the variety of beliefs, I'd like to add that public schools were not paid for or built for public religious worship. That should always be done in other places that are suitable for praising a deity.

"If my insecurities show in the last paragraph, it's because I'm just being human. In the end that's all we are."
 
April 15, 2001
 
Dear B...
 
Your letter, I'm afraid, stumps me.
 
I don't honestly believe in 'going to heaven'. I think we all believe in innate goodness being its own reward.
 
I didn't know that Ms. O'Hair got prayer thrown out of schools. Someone had to have agreed with her for it to happen.
 
I suppose there are a variety of beliefs in public schools, and people can practice different religions.
 
This may not be the response you were looking for, but I hope you will understand it's the best I can do.
 
Sincerely,
Katharine Graham

**************
 
After those words, who wouldn't give three cheers for Katharine Meyer Graham, an early pioneer of *I Am Woman* philosophy, last of the no-nonsense ladies to jerk herself up by her pearl strands, run a newspaper, bring down an administration and lead a country out of the wilderness. This is the end of this piece, but with more K. Graham's at the helm not The End of us.

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Have Penn they'll listen. Volt Penn writes speeches for Progressive Populists and reasoned arguments for those on the left of center. He has also written speeches for anybody who has read his work. You can reach Volt Penn through his artist friend, b.b.kemp, at bbkemp@bbkemp.com

Volt/Electra Penn copyright 2007