The Pen is Mightier

As Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev prepared to put pen to paper in a worldwide

television event to sign the document that would officially end the USSR and issue

in a new era in global history – his Russian-made pen didn’t work. That’s when a former Austinite, Tom Johnson, pulled his personal pen from his

pocket and said “Here, Mr. Gorbachev, use mine.” Tom’s Montblanc pen dissolved a global power and instantly became a historical artifact.

Mikhail Gorbachev and Tom Johnson's Mont Blanc Photo: REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo

So how did this footnote to history come to pass? I detailed how this incident

occurred on pages 181 and 182 of my recent memoir, With the Bark Off. It is

timely to recall now because Gorbachev died August 30, 2022, at age 91.

Following service as a White House aide to President Lyndon Johnson, Tom came

to Austin in 1971 and became Executive VP of KTBC-TV, Channel 7. From there,

he had a meteoric rise to the top ranks of journalism with publishing stints at the

Dallas Times Herald and the Los Angeles Times Mirror.

Tom Johnson, Former LBJ White House aide, former publisher of Los Angeles Times, former CEO, CNN

He caught the eye of Ted Turner who had started a 24-hour cable TV venture called CNN. Tom took over as CNN CEO the day before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. CNN’s stellar coverage of the Gulf War, under Tom’s leadership, won virtually every award in TV News.

Gorbachev was well aware of CNN’s worldwide influence and its splendid coverage of the Gulf War. This enabled Tom to meet with Gorbachev in Moscow and to out-negotiate ABC’s Ted Koppel for exclusive rights to cover the dissolution of the Soviet Union live.

Fast forward to signing day in Moscow. All the pomp and circumstance of this

rare event was unfolding as CNN cameras carried it worldwide. Tom was standing

just off to Gorbachev’s side when, damn!, his pen didn’t work. When Tom

handed his pen to Gorbachev, the once-powerful world leader glanced at it,

looked at Tom and with a wry smile asked “American?”

That was it. He scribbled his signature. And quick-thinking Tom took back his pen

– the pen that after almost 75 years signified the end of the Union of Soviet

Socialist Republics.

“How important was that one little pen in Gorbachev’s hand? It dissolved a global

power that had dominated a scattering of small Eastern European nations since

World War II, promulgating an ideology that had fueled a dangerous Cold War

that had divided the world for decades,” I wrote in With the Bark Off. Now for the rest of the story, as broadcaster Paul Harvey used to say.

Tom donated the pen to a museum. Then, many years after Tom had departed CNN,

Tom invited Gorbachev to speak in Austin at the LBJ Library. At the end of the

program, I watched as Tom said “Mr. Gorbachev, you may remember that I took

my pen back on that historic day in Moscow. So I want you to have a new pen

exactly like that one.”

He presented Gorbachev with a new black Montblanc fountain pen.

You can learn more about Tom Johnson in hard cover, ebook or audiobook in my memoir With the Bark Off please Join My List.

#nealspelce #withthebarkoff #mikhailgorbachev #tomjohnson

Words Can Make 2022 More Bearable (if you know what to look for)

One of the joys of a life in journalism is you get to enjoy the “sayings” of public figures – without regard to politics. Despite all the harsh words tossed around in the public arena, some gems can actually emerge – even those with a bit of a bite. Watching for those can make 2022 a bit more bearable. Let me share some examples from the past.

President Harry Truman was the master of telling it like he saw it. After his controversial firing of popular General Douglas MacArthur due to insubordination, he famously told reporters “I didn’t fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that’s not against the law for generals. If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail.” Truman’s wife Bess was asked if she could get him to stop saying manure. Her reply: “You don’t know how hard it was just to get him to use that word.”

From that same era, failed presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson said “I will make a bargain with the Republicans. If they stop telling lies about us, we’ll stop telling the truth about them.” A lie? Former Secretary of State Al Haig said “That’s not a lie. It’s a terminological inexactitude.”

President Ronald Reagan quipped that “one of the most important rules in politics is poise – which means looking like an owl after you have behaved like a jackass.” President Dwight Eisenhower cautioned that “sweet praise is like perfume. It’s fine if you don’t swallow it.”

Storytelling is a form of humor used by Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson, as I point out in my memoir, With The Bark Off A Journalist’s Memories of LBJ and a Life in the News Media.

Former Treasury Secretary and Texas Governor John Connally liked to twist the old George Washington-chopping-down-a-cherry-tree-legend into a Texas tale. Connally pointed out George Washington’s father told his son they would have to leave Texas and move to Virginia after young George confessed he couldn’t tell a lie when he cut down a mesquite tree in their backyard. As his father put it: “You’ll never get elected in Texas if you can’t tell a lie.”

Or sometimes, a Texas politician can simply “twist” the facts. Agriculture Secretary John White was badly beaten when he ran for Texas Governor. His rationale: “Texans like the job I was doing as Ag Commissioner, so they voted overwhelmingly to keep me in this job.”

And the following quote was made in jest, but it’s a good ’un: Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice John Hill commented after he was soundly defeated in a race for Texas governor: “The people have spoken – the bastards!”

As 2022 unfolds and the harsh political rhetoric heats up, be alert for the little humorous gems that are sure to emerge and brighten your day a bit.

To receive updates for With the Bark Off please Join My List.

#nealspelce #withthebarkoff

Lowell Lebermann: And the Blind Shall Lead You

Photo: Texas Exes Scholarship

Don’t know if you ever knew Lowell Lebermann. Well, even if you did, you probably didn’t know many of the intriguing aspects of the complicated, witty, civic leader whose life was cut way too short. Many of us still miss him years after his untimely death and still tell “Lowell Stories” to this day.

Lowell was not always blind. A gunshot accident while in high school caused the loss of one eye, which he covered with a black eyepatch the rest of his life. The wound so severely damaged his remaining eye that he went officially blind while serving as student body president at the University of Texas. His disability obviously did not slow his education nor his achievements.

After graduation, his successes were bolstered – he admitted this – by marrying money – so much so, that he relinquished his seeing-eye dog and hired amazingly-bright, young men who served almost ’round the clock as his aides until Lowell’s death.

Lowell Story:

He contacted me early in his career to help him run for the Austin City Council. I quizzed him incessantly to determine if there was anything in his background that might cause a campaign problem. Finally, his patience wore thin. Lowell slammed the table and said “Damn it, Neal. You need to understand the biggest problem I have when I wake up each day is figuring out how to spend my wife’s money!” Nuf said. He hired me. He won the election.

He parlayed his wife’s fortune into business successes. He bought a Lincoln-Mercury car dealership. After doing quite well with that enterprise, he took the money he made from selling that dealership and bought another mega-money-making franchise, a Miller Beer distributorship. Ka-ching! Ka-ching! His business successes lasted, his marriage didn’t.

Lowell had a command of language that stood out among the more articulate and well-educated. And his memory was a thing to behold. His aides read to him constantly, even as he moved through political and civic leadership positions. He was in great demand, not so much for his money, but for his charismatic qualities and decision-making. His laughter was contagious. His humor was legendary. And he used his rapier-wit to good advantage.

Lowell Story:

One of his fellow City Council members was Berl Handcox, the first African American since Reconstruction to serve on the Austin City Council. Berl was the only black man serving on the Council during a time of racial tensions in Austin. During a particularly-tense discussion that included some pointed racial remarks, it was getting quite dicey and almost out-of-control. Someone referenced the fact that Berl was black. It got very hushed. You could only hear some who nervously cleared their throats. Lowell’s wit surfaced when he broke the silence and loudly piped up: “Black? Berl’s black?” The room roared with laughter. The tension was broken.

And yes, there are many more “Lowell Stories.”

Watch this oral history filmed in 1987 recorded for the Austin History Center.

To receive updates for With the Bark Off please Join My List.

#nealspelce #lowelllebermann #austincitycouncil