Morley Safer, 60 Minutes journalist, dead at 84 Photo: Courtesy of Morley Safer
Morley Safer, the legendary TV newsman, died Thursday at age 84. So why am I, an art critic, writing about him? Like a lot of people in the art world, I feel I have a sort of history with him.
I don"t mean to be speaking ill of the dead instantaneously, and I intend this more as a begrudging compliment: To us, Safer was a persistent pain in the a*s, most famously in his September 1993 quarter-hour hit piece for 60 Minutes on the whole culture of contemporary art, snidely titled "Yes, But Is It Art?" In the segment, which quickly became insider shorthand for all the ways the wider world misunderstands and sometimes disdains contemporary art, the irascible Safer dressed in an almost-tuxedo and dripping with disdainful innuendo that implied that all of this was just a sham attacked high prices (or what seemed then like high prices), the infamous "political" Whitney Biennial, and, of course, Jeff Koons. And even though every potshot he took seemed slanted, one-sided, his arch insinuations got under the art world"s skin a sign of different times, I guess, both for art and for television news. I remember how miffed I was when, two weeks after his hatchet job hit the airwaves, I spied him drinking free Champagne at that season"s Whitney Museum benefit dinner. In 2012 he more or less repeated the drive-by, sauntering down the aisles of one of the grossest souks on Earth, the Art Basel Miami Beach Art Fair, for another segment, all the while drolly pointing to this or that fashion victim or crapola work of art, cluelessly assuming that all art was like this.
What most people don"t know about Safer is that he was himself an artist. Or, at least, he made art. In the 1990s I"d heard he made watercolors of motel rooms, and I continuously tried to coax him into allowing me to mount a show of them. I don"t even know if my requests ever got to him, as I never heard from him or CBS. That changed last year, when I was writing an article on art by celebrities. Somehow he must have heard about it. Out of nowhere I got the dearest email asking if I"d consider writing about his work. He offered to send a package to New York Magazine. Before I could say "OMG! The bear is coming out of the woods," a carefully wrapped bundle of small original works arrived at our offices. I don"t believe they"ve been published, or possibly even seen publicly before.
UNICODE Photo: Courtesy of Morley Safer
I didn"t hate them. What I saw had a certain earnest pathos, someone being an artist in a mid-20th-century Sunday-painter way. The work seemed influenced mainly by a very conservative idea about plain modernistic surfaces, depiction, and color. Safer was a careful drawer, and his colors stayed within lines. His subjects were ordinary landscape, portraits, churches, tourist sites, and the like.
Photo: Courtesy of Morley Safer
I wouldn"t have bought any of these if I saw them at a yard sale, except one. His motel-room picture has everything you"d want it to have, and even a little bit more. Which is to say banality, blankness, something sweet, neat, forlorn, and soul-killing. The space is cramped, the dcor drab and sterile; a rotary dial phone sits on the bare night table next to one generic lamp. Over the small double bed is just the kind of clich landscape that Safer liked to paint: two trees on a hill with a yellow sun in the white sky. Ironies extend. The rumpled bed with only one side turned down lets us know Safer has been here, alone on the road. A plain poignancy lingers, even in the uninspired style.
Photo: Courtesy of Morley Safer
In 1990 he painted a native of Burkina Faso, West Africa. He"s black, sitting on the ground against a stuccolike building, and wears some sort of scarlet robe. Never mind the Orientalizing that most in the art world would spot as colonialist, Safer does the whole thing in an unhurried, controlled Gericault-meets-Matisse air.
Photo: Courtesy of Morley Safer
Another work from the same year finds him giving us a scene overlooking bountiful planted summer fields of musky green. (The guy obviously enjoyed his first-class perks and leisure time.) Other than a great tree that feels like it must have been made on the African serengeti, the rest of the work I saw was typical tourist postcard art. The unhurried arid mise-en-scne conjures sparsely peopled retirement communities built around golf courses.
Photo: Courtesy of Morley Safer
Adding to the pathos of the pictures, after the article came out and he wasn"t included, I got another email asking me, honestly, why not, and what I thought of his art. I never got back to him. Had I, I would have said that it was too bad he never gave art a real chance, as he seemed to have a real feel for a certain strain of painting from observation. And that, had he not set himself against the whole world of contemporary art, he might have picked up a thing or two that might have helped him.
In 2005, Abigail Pogrebin published Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish. The following is an excerpt from the chapter about Morley Safer, the Canadian-American broadcast journalist best known for histenureas a reporter onCBS 60 Minutes, who diedon Thursday at the age of83.
MORLEY SAFER, the seventy-four-year-old, wizened newsman, is reclining on a well-worn leather couch in his handsome carriage house, smoking the cigarettes hes never quit, and sipping coffee he cant do withouteven on Yom Kippur. Im not a total hundred percent faster as I once was, he says with a smile. I do have coffee. I need it. Giving up coffee would be cruel and unusual. Aside from caffeine, fasting is not a hardship. I never eat breakfast anyway and not much of a lunch, he explained. But I remember the agony of it as a kid. I mean, agony.
He and his wife, Jane, are not observant, but they do go to synagogue each year. Then we go for a long walk. I think the sheer disengagement, even if one didnt go to synagogue, does make you think. Which is hardly a punishment once a year, and in fact, may be a bonus. Its not exactly wearing a hair shirt or flogging your back or climbing one thousand steps on your knees.
Safer grew up in Toronto, where he experienced some anti-Semitic incidents he prefers not to talk about: I dont want to go into all that, he says, stubbing his cigarette out in a large ashtray.
His family observed a modified Shabbatattending Saturday services, then a matinee. The only holiday he still celebrates without fail is Passover. Weve been doing it for the last thirty-odd years, since Sarah was born, he says, referring to his only child, who is thirty-four when we talk. Its an interesting, really jolly mix of people. Not all the guests are Jewish. I think its about evenly split, Safer says. And the most insistent onesthe ones who start calling weeks before, saying, We havent been invited yettend to be the non-Jews. He chuckles.
For the traditional meal, the Safers order their gefilte fish from Rosedale Fish and Oyster Market on the Upper East Sideits the oldest fish market, Safer tells me, as if that should be obvious to any true New Yorkerbut hes still in search of the perfect lump of pike. Ive yet to find gefilte fish that is as close to the one my mother made, he says wistfully.
Sarah was sent to Hebrew school, he says, so that shed be equipped to spurn Judaism with intelligence. Youve got to know what youre going to reject, Safer says. You should not be allowed to reject something without learning it first. Today she is non-observant. It was her choice, he says. Would I like her to come to synagogue on Yom Kippur with us? She has once or twice. But I cant imposeshes a thirty-whatever-old woman. As a young woman she kind of rejected it, probably more strenuously than she does now. She has a sonour first and only grandchild. Sarahs husband is a Russian Jew, but they chose not to circumcise their son. I would have wanted it because its such an ancient tradition, he says. But he didnt pressure her. Theres nothing more destructive than that.
The Safers never celebrated Christmas, and I ask if he has any reaction to Jews that do. I find it a little alien, but Im not a tyrant on these things. I find excessive Christmas stuff kind of gives me the w*****s anyway. And I hate Christmas in New York because of what happens to the city. I mean, you cant get a cab, the weather is lousyyou freeze your a*s off, and there is no joy in it. I love the idea of itthe idea of charity and all of that.
Ill tell you a story, he continues. At the office, you always get presents for the people you work with around the holidays. Id been doing it for the thirty-three years Ive been at 60 Minutes; I always give a couple of very good bottles of wine, or one very good bottle of wine and one very good bottle of spirits or malt. And it was just fascinating: One year, it was at the height of the homelessness crisis, and I said to my staff, Look, I have a thought: What I would love to do is go and buy food and gloves and scarves. And well distribute the stuff and then all go and have a nice supper together. They looked at me like I was crazy: What? Thats the worst idea you ever had. I was devastated, he says with a laugh. I tell Safer they probably couldnt stand the idea of giving up their malt liquors. He nods. Here I am, engaging this holiday with the kind of heart that youre supposed to have. And people were appalled.
The doorbell rings. Thats our dog coming back from her walk, he says, looking suddenly like a thrilled little boy. Come here, Dora! We have a houseguest! Dora! Dora runs to Safer and they canoodle each other. Hello, my little lady; heres my sweetie pie, They clearly have a mutual admiration. I try to pat her casually, despite my complete awkwardness with animals, and think of the right thing to say. Shes so clean, I manage.
She likes you, Safer says with a smile. She loves loving. I warn you. After some genuine ardor from her owner, Dora pads away, ostensibly to seek a second breakfast.
As Safer fetches a bottle of Pellegrino water from the open kitchen, I ask him whether he thinks being Jewish has affected his reporting in any way. I think, after all these years, and having spent a lot of time covering Middle East wars and covering Israel between the wars, you really are able to detach when you do this work.
But I remember the first time I went to Auschwitzit was probably in the fifties. I was working for the CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation], doing a half-hour documentary on Poland. This was after the food riotslate fifties, early sixtiesand the full horror had really been revealed. That was just one of the most powerful moments in my life. The camp hadnt been museum-ized yet; it was in many respects not much different from how it was left.
And it was also very powerful the first time I went to Germany, which was even earlier. I remember getting off the plane in Frankfurt and hearing that sound of the guttural language. He pauses. And you think, There but for a few years . . .this was 1954 as opposed to 1944its not that much time.
So, would Safer say that his Jewishness is a significant part of him? Oh yes, he responds. Its who I am. I think its an important part mainly for what many people may regard as secular reasons, though I dont think theyre entirely secular. That is, I think it leads to a more contemplative kind of life. I think it gives you a very, very clear idea of ethics, which Im not suggesting I may practice. But I certainly have a clear idea. Which is why I never understood why they go through this charade now of teaching ethics. You cant teach ethics. You have to be a zombie not to know the difference between right and wrong. I think that a Jewish background does give you a very, very strong sense of doing the right thing.
Excerpted from Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish by Abigail Pogrebin. Copyright 2005 by Abigail Pogrebin. Used by permission of Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Abigail Pogrebin is the author of Stars of David and One and the Same. She moderates the interview series What Everyone"s Talking About at the JCC in Manhattan.
White House Shooting, EgyptAir 804, Morley Safer dead at 84, & Obama"s trip to Vietnam May 23
A number of people who reached the peak of the fields have passed in recent months. The music world mourned the deaths of David Bowie and Prince, while fans of film and television bowed for Alan Rickman and Doris Roberts. The list goes on, from noted journalist Morley Safer to author Harper Lee.
Here, the notables we"ve recently said goodbye to.
Alan Young
Actor Alan Young, who played Wilbur Post opposite a talking horse on the 1960s sitcom "Mr. Ed," died on May 19, 2016. He was 96 years old. Young was among the stars of the 1961 film "The Time Machine," as well as the voice of animated character Scrooge McDuck. (Credit: Getty Images / John M. Heller)
Actor Alan Young, who played Wilbur Post opposite a talking horse on the 1960s sitcom "Mr. Ed," died on May 19, 2016. He was 96 years old. Young was among the stars of the 1961 film "The Time Machine," as well as the voice of animated character Scrooge McDuck. (Credit: Getty Images / John M. Heller)
Morley Safer, former "60 Minutes" correspondent/co-host, died at age 84, CBS announced on Thursday, May 19, 2016. After joining "60 Minutes" in December 1970 in the show"s third season, he retired just a week before his death. He was known for both celebrity interviews and investigative pieces on injustice and worldwide issues. (Credit: Getty Images / Fernando Leon)
Morley Safer, former "60 Minutes" correspondent/co-host, died at age 84, CBS announced on Thursday, May 19, 2016. After joining "60 Minutes" in December 1970 in the show"s third season, he retired just a week before his death. He was known for both celebrity interviews and investigative pieces on injustice and worldwide issues. (Credit: Getty Images / Fernando Leon)
Prince
Prince, the singer and musician, died April 21, 2016, at age 57. His body was found at his Paisley Park studios, located in Chanhassen, Minnesota, the Carver County Sheriff"s Office tweeted. (Credit: Getty Images / Vince Bucci)
Prince, the singer and musician, died April 21, 2016, at age 57. His body was found at his Paisley Park studios, located in Chanhassen, Minnesota, the Carver County Sheriff"s Office tweeted. (Credit: Getty Images / Vince Bucci)
Chyna
Former professional wrestler and reality TV personality Chyna was found dead in her Los Angeles-area home on April 20, 2016, police said. She was 46 years old. (Credit: Getty Images)
Former professional wrestler and reality TV personality Chyna was found dead in her Los Angeles-area home on April 20, 2016, police said. She was 46 years old. (Credit: Getty Images)
Doris Roberts
Actress Doris Roberts, best known for her role as Marie Barone on the hit sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," died on April 17, 2016 at 90. She won five Emmys during her career, four of which were for her work on "Everybody Loves Raymond."
(Credit: Getty Images / Joe Scarnici)
Actress Doris Roberts, best known for her role as Marie Barone on the hit sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," died on April 17, 2016 at 90. She won five Emmys during her career, four of which were for her work on "Everybody Loves Raymond."
(Credit: Getty Images / Joe Scarnici)
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Merle Haggard
Country music star Merle Haggard died on April 6, 2016 of pneumonia. Haggard, who passed away on his 79th birthday, was known for hits like "Mama Tried." (Credit: Getty Images / Frazer Harrison)
Country music star Merle Haggard died on April 6, 2016 of pneumonia. Haggard, who passed away on his 79th birthday, was known for hits like "Mama Tried." (Credit: Getty Images / Frazer Harrison)
Patty Duke
Patty Duke, who won an Oscar as a teenager for "The Miracle Worker," died at the age of 69 on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, of sepsis. The actress" long career included her own television show, "The Patty Duke Show," and the Neely O"Hara role in "The Valley of the Dolls." (Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter)
Patty Duke, who won an Oscar as a teenager for "The Miracle Worker," died at the age of 69 on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, of sepsis. The actress" long career included her own television show, "The Patty Duke Show," and the Neely O"Hara role in "The Valley of the Dolls." (Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter)
Earl Hamner
Earl Hamner, the creator of TV"s "The Waltons" and "Falcon Crest," died at age 92 on March 24, 2016. (Credit: TNS)
Earl Hamner, the creator of TV"s "The Waltons" and "Falcon Crest," died at age 92 on March 24, 2016. (Credit: TNS)
Garry Shandling
Comedian Garry Shandling, the star of HBO"s "The Larry Sanders Show" and Showtime"s "It"s Garry Shandling"s Show" has died at age 66. Shandling suffered an apparent heart attack, his publicist, Alan Nierob, told Reuters. (Credit: Getty Images / Alberto E. Rodriguez)
Comedian Garry Shandling, the star of HBO"s "The Larry Sanders Show" and Showtime"s "It"s Garry Shandling"s Show" has died at age 66. Shandling suffered an apparent heart attack, his publicist, Alan Nierob, told Reuters. (Credit: Getty Images / Alberto E. Rodriguez)
Phife Dawg
Rapper Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest died early Wednesday morning, according to Rolling Stone. He was 45.
(Credit: Invision / Brian Ach)
Rapper Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest died early Wednesday morning, according to Rolling Stone. He was 45.
(Credit: Invision / Brian Ach)
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Rob Ford
Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, notorious for smoking crack while in office, died at the age of 46 on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, his office said. Ford had been struggling with cancer since September 2014 when the diagnosis forced him to end his re-election campaign for mayor.
(Credit: Getty Images)
Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, notorious for smoking crack while in office, died at the age of 46 on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, his office said. Ford had been struggling with cancer since September 2014 when the diagnosis forced him to end his re-election campaign for mayor.
(Credit: Getty Images)
Frank Sinatra Jr.
Frank Sinatra Jr., son of Frank Sinatra and a singer himself, passed away on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. His sister Nancy Sinatra announced he had died of cardiac arrest on her official Facebook page. He was 72. (Credit: Getty Images / Charley Gallay)
Frank Sinatra Jr., son of Frank Sinatra and a singer himself, passed away on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. His sister Nancy Sinatra announced he had died of cardiac arrest on her official Facebook page. He was 72. (Credit: Getty Images / Charley Gallay)
Keith Emerson
The founding member of prog rockers Emerson, Lake and Palmer has died at age 71. Per a statement from the band, Emerson died at home in Los Angeles. (Credit: Getty Images / Frazer Harrison)
The founding member of prog rockers Emerson, Lake and Palmer has died at age 71. Per a statement from the band, Emerson died at home in Los Angeles. (Credit: Getty Images / Frazer Harrison)
Sir George Martin
"Fifth Beatle" Sir George Martin died on March 8, 2016 at the age of 90. The wildly successful producer had more than 50 No. 1 hit records in the U.S. and Britain. Pictured: Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, Sir George Martin and producer Giles Martin accept the Best Compilation Soundtrack Album award for "Love" onstage during the 50th annual Grammy awards on Feb.10, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter)
"Fifth Beatle" Sir George Martin died on March 8, 2016 at the age of 90. The wildly successful producer had more than 50 No. 1 hit records in the U.S. and Britain. Pictured: Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, Sir George Martin and producer Giles Martin accept the Best Compilation Soundtrack Album award for "Love" onstage during the 50th annual Grammy awards on Feb.10, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter)
Nancy Reagan
Former first lady Nancy Reagan died on March 6, 2016, at age 94. (Credit: Getty Images)
Former first lady Nancy Reagan died on March 6, 2016, at age 94. (Credit: Getty Images)
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George Kennedy
Actor George Kennedy, who starred in "Cool Hand Luke" and "Airport," died at 91, media outlets reported on Feb. 29, 2016. (Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter)
Actor George Kennedy, who starred in "Cool Hand Luke" and "Airport," died at 91, media outlets reported on Feb. 29, 2016. (Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter)
Umberto Eco
The Italian author Umberto Eco died on Feb. 19, 2016, at age 84. The European intellectual saw his acclaim move from academic circles to the world at large in 1980 with the success of his novel "The Name of the Rose." (Credit: EPA / Arno Burgi)
The Italian author Umberto Eco died on Feb. 19, 2016, at age 84. The European intellectual saw his acclaim move from academic circles to the world at large in 1980 with the success of his novel "The Name of the Rose." (Credit: EPA / Arno Burgi)
Harper Lee
Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," died Feb. 19, 2016. She was 89. (Credit: Getty Images / Chip Somodevilla)
Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," died Feb. 19, 2016. She was 89. (Credit: Getty Images / Chip Somodevilla)
Angela "Big Ang" Raiola
"Mob Wives" star and Brooklyn native Angela Raiola, better known as "Big Ang," died on Feb. 18, 2016, after battling cancer. She was 55 years old. (Credit: Getty Images / Robin Marchant)
"Mob Wives" star and Brooklyn native Angela Raiola, better known as "Big Ang," died on Feb. 18, 2016, after battling cancer. She was 55 years old. (Credit: Getty Images / Robin Marchant)
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia, the conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice, died at age 79 on Feb. 13, 2016. According to the San Antonio News-Express, Scalia died of natural causes. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Scalia began serving the nation"s top court in 1986. (Credit: EPA / Peter Foley)
Antonin Scalia, the conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice, died at age 79 on Feb. 13, 2016. According to the San Antonio News-Express, Scalia died of natural causes. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Scalia began serving the nation"s top court in 1986. (Credit: EPA / Peter Foley)
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Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White died on Feb. 3, 2016, at age 74. The R&B funk band was known for huge disco-era hits including "September," "Shining Star" and "Boogie Wonderland." White died at home in Los Angeles.
Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White died on Feb. 3, 2016, at age 74. The R&B funk band was known for huge disco-era hits including "September," "Shining Star" and "Boogie Wonderland." White died at home in Los Angeles.
Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner (left), founding member of Jefferson Airplane and later Jefferson Starship, died on Jan. 28, 2016. He was 74. (Credit: Getty Images / Mario Tama)
Paul Kantner (left), founding member of Jefferson Airplane and later Jefferson Starship, died on Jan. 28, 2016. He was 74. (Credit: Getty Images / Mario Tama)
Abe Vigoda
Actor Abe Vigoda, known for diverse roles from detective Fish on the sitcom "Barney Miller" to Sal Tessio in "The Godfather," died on Jan. 26, 2016. He was 94.
Actor Abe Vigoda, known for diverse roles from detective Fish on the sitcom "Barney Miller" to Sal Tessio in "The Godfather," died on Jan. 26, 2016. He was 94.
Glenn Frey
Founding Eagles member Glenn Frey died Jan. 18, 2016, due to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia, the band said. He was 67. (Credit: EPA / Franco Greco)
Founding Eagles member Glenn Frey died Jan. 18, 2016, due to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia, the band said. He was 67. (Credit: EPA / Franco Greco)
Alan Rickman
British actor Alan Rickman"s death was announced on Jan. 14, 2016. He died after a battle with cancer at the age of 69. (Credit: Getty Images / Chris Jackson)
British actor Alan Rickman"s death was announced on Jan. 14, 2016. He died after a battle with cancer at the age of 69. (Credit: Getty Images / Chris Jackson)
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David Bowie
David Bowie, aka Ziggy Stardust, left Earth on Jan. 10, 2016, at age 69. (Credit: John Griffin)
David Bowie, aka Ziggy Stardust, left Earth on Jan. 10, 2016, at age 69. (Credit: John Griffin)
Morley Safer Dead at 84 | 60 Minutes Reporter Passes Away
CBS News has reported the death of broadcaster Morley Safer at 84 years old. He had officially retired just last week after 46 years in the business. According to the network, Safers health had been in decline when it announced his retirement. His wife, Jane Safer, told The New York Times he died of pneumonia.
Morley was a fixture, one of our pillars, and an inspiration in many ways. He was a master storyteller, a gentleman, and a wonderful friend. We will miss him very much, 60 Minutes Executive Producer Jeff Fager said in a statement. Morley was one of the most important journalists in any medium, ever, added CBS Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves.
CBS News celebrated his long career this past Sunday evening with a post-60 Minutes special, titled Morley Safer: A Reporters Life,featuring interviews with historians, colleagues, past interview subjects, and Safer himself. Perhaps showing his sense of humor, Safer told CBS upon his retirement: What would I do if I wasnt doing this? I have not a clue. Maybe running a whorehouse or something like that. Im not equipped to do much else.
Morley Safer"s 2001 CNN interview (Larry King Live official Interview)
In his 1990 interview with Terry Gross, Safer discussed his groundbreaking coverage of the war in Vietnam. He died Thursday at 84.
DAVE DAVIES, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. Morley Safer, the CBS correspondent known for decades of work on the Sunday news magazine "60 Minutes" died of pneumonia yesterday at his home in New York. He was 84. Safer won a host of awards, including Emmys, Peabodys and a George Polk Award. Terry interviewed him in 1990.
Safer"s reporting ranged far beyond "60 Minutes." He covered wars in the Middle East, the conflict in Northern Ireland, the Cultural Revolution in China, the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia and most significantly the war in Vietnam. He was known for his compelling stories from Vietnam of American troops in combat and the impact of the war on civilians.
Safer"s report of Marines burning Vietnamese huts while weeping villagers begged them to stop so infuriated President Johnson that he wanted Safer fired and had him investigated as a potential communist. Let"s start with an excerpt of that 1965 report from Vietnam.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MORLEY SAFER: If there were Viet Cong in the hamlets, they were long gone, alerted by the roar of the amphibious tractors and the heavy barrage of rocket fire laid down before the troops moved in. The women and the old men who remained will never forget that August afternoon.
Today"s operation is the frustration of Vietnam in miniature. There"s little doubt that American firepower can win a military victory here. But to a Vietnamese peasant whose home is a - means a lifetime of backbreaking labor, it will take more than presidential promises to convince him that we are on his side.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)
TERRY GROSS, BYLINE: Can you describe what the mission was?
SAFER: The mission was not an extraordinary one. I had been up in Danang, which was the - where the headquarters of the Marines were. The Marines were responsible in Vietnam for something called I Corps. It"s the military way of saying first corps. And I had arrived back up in Danang - I used to go up there every couple of weeks - and went out from the press center and checked in with various battalions to find out whether they had operations going on.
And one group said they had an operation going on the next morning. Would I like to come? And I said, yes, I would. And the cameraman, Ha Thuc Can, and I and a young man named Tin (ph), who was a soundman, arrived at - oh, I don"t know - 5:30, 6 in the morning. And off we went in some amphibious track vehicles.
And along the way, a young officer told me they were going to in effect burn out a group of hamlets called Cam Ne, and I said why? And he said because the head honcho, the head Vietnamese honcho who was, I guess, the - would"ve been the district chief - had ordered. And I found this hard to believe because as brutal as search and destroy operations often were, at least in theory, they were not designed to level a place. I mean, if you receive fire, if there was fighting, that might"ve been the end result.
But we moved into this village. There was - they laid down a full array of what they call prepping it - rockets and some artillery and very heavy small arms fire - with very little return fire seemed to be coming out of the place. And then the Marines moved in and proceeded to burn the village down with everything from flamethrowers to cigarette lighters. And this wasn"t an atrocity. You can"t make any comparison with anything that happened in Germany or something like My Lai. This is quite a different kind of thing. But nevertheless, people were in shock to have seen on their television screens this kind of action by their boys.
GROSS: After your report from Cam Ne, you laid awake all night with a gun - a loaded gun. What were you afraid of? What were you expecting?
SAFER: Well, after sending that piece in, we left and went back to Saigon. And the following day - you must remember, Terry, I was younger - the following day I got a call from the Marines in Danang saying if I ever showed my face there again, they would not be responsible for what happened to me. And I said, well, you"ve never been responsible for what happens to me. What do you mean by that? Is this a threat? We just want to tell you show your face around here and something is going to happen. So I went to Ha Thuc Can, and I said, listen, I"m not going to tell you you got to come up -back up there, but I"m going up. Do you want to come to see this thing through? So Can and I went back to
GROSS: This is your cameraman.
SAFER: Yeah. Back to Danang and we had a little - the Marines ran something called a press center. It was like a motel there, and each of the networks and a couple of the papers had permanent rooms there. It"s the only time I carried a gun. And I went into the sort of bar dining room and had my dinner alone with Ha Thuc Can. Nobody would join us except for the Air Force officer who hated the Marines because he was in the Air Force.
And at about 8 or 9 o"clock, I got up, and there were a lot of cracks coming from the bar and pretty rough stuff. And I pointed to my bag, and I said there"s a gun in here. Anybody comes through that door, I"m just going to blow them away. I"m not going to ask any questions. You know, tough guy.
(LAUGHTER)
SAFER: I"ve seen too many movies or something. And I was scared stiff and kind of - I went back, and we got into our bunks. And I locked the door, and I sat there trying to - lay in bed trying to read. And I had this pistol on the night table, and I had the safety on and then I had the safety off. And I thought better leave the safety on because I roll over in the middle of the night, and I shoot my foot off or something. So I put the safety on. And I lay awake all night scared as h**l that somebody might actually come through the door.
And I knew I wouldn"t do anything. I just don"t think I could fire a pistol at someone - or at something for that matter. Anyway, it was - tempers cooled - I"ll put it that way. And my relationship with the Marine Corps now is very good.
DAVIES: Morley Safer speaking with Terry Gross in 1990. Safer died yesterday in New York. He was 84.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DAVIES: On Monday"s show, Rabbi Susan Silverman, sister of comedian Sarah Silverman. After giving birth to two daughters, she and her husband adopted two boys from Ethiopia. She"s become an advocate for international adoption which has been in decline, and she"s the author of the new book "Casting Lots: Creating A Family In A Beautiful, Broken World." I hope you can join us.
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