Recently released transcripts of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s telephone conversations reveal a marvellous potential happening: beat poet, legend and personal hero Allen Ginsberg, and Kissinger, naked together on the telly, discussing world peace:
K: I have been meeting with many members representing peace groups but what I find is that they have always then rushed right out and given the contents of the meeting to the press. But I like to do this, not just for the enlightment of the people I talk to but to at least give me a feel of what concerned people think. I would be prepared to meet in principle on a private basis.
G: That’s true but it is a question of personal delicacy. In dealing with human conscienceness, it is difficult to set limits.
K: You can’t set limits to human conscienceness but –
G: We can try to come to some kind of understanding.
K: You can set limits to what you say publicly.
G: It would be even more funny to do it on television.
K: What?
G: It would be even more useful if we could do it naked on television.
Sadly, the 1971 suggestion never came to pass, although Ginsberg continued to mediate between Kissinger and the leaders of the “May Day” anti-war demonstrations in Washington – and encourage the leaders of the free world to start meditating.
The full transcripts are available from George Washington University. Thanks to PageOneQ for the tip.
Photo detail from Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky, Poets, 1963, by Richard Avedon.
