Speechwriting with Peter, Cont'd.
Peter, I take your point that since the White House is not actually on the phone and begging us to write this speech, it's probably too much time and effort to do gratis. I often experience these kinds of manic enthusiasms until someone more level-headed than I says, "Hey, Claire, no one's paying you to do that." Such people are inevitably also more solvent than I. Still, let's keep the clippings file going. You never know when the White House will call. When they do, by the way, you're responsible for the financial negotiations. Living in Turkey has done nothing to make me any less lousy at bargaining. This old IM interchange with my brother--about the position I should adopt toward an agent who was keen to represent Loose Lips--sort of sums it up.
Mischa: If she hears desperation in your voice,
Mischa: you will be less attractive to her.
Claire: Of course.
Claire: I am well aware of that.
Mischa: Of course.
Mischa: I'm just reminding you.
Mischa: Don't, for example, offer to sell the rights to your life's work
Mischa: for the February rent.
Claire: No,
Claire: I wouldn't dream of it.
Claire: I will tell her that I will take nothing less than one BILLION dollars.
Claire: Anything less is an insult!
Mischa: Don't start giggling insanely, and muttering, "Rich! I'm going to be rich!"
Mischa: A billion dollars is not what it used to be.
Anyway, I was fascinated by your account of writing the Brandenburg Gate address. The revelation that some of the most famous and stirring lines of Cold War history were originally meant to be delivered in German surprised me at first, but I can see why you were thinking that way. After all, Ich bin ein Berliner made it into the history books, so why not? But my big question is: What did State and NSC want you to change? That's a question of very significant interest to us late-Cold War historians. I wish I'd thought to ask you about this when writing the chapter about Thatcher, Reagan and the end of the Cold War in There is No Alternative.
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