A Prophet with Honor

by William C. Martin

  482.“I refused . . . everybody knew how I stood.” Billy Graham, interview, February 26, 1987.

  482.Reagan “laughing . . . brilliant man” and “like Ike.” AP, July 18, 1981. “old days in Hollywood.” Billy Graham, interview, February 21, 1986.

  482.BG prays with Nancy Reagan and John Hinckley’s father. San Antonio Star (Sunday magazine), April 26, 1981.

  482.BG lobbied senators re AWAC sale. Rowland Evans and Robert Novak column, November 2, 1981; see also “Graham Calls for Nixon’s Return in Foreign Affairs,” Dallas Morning News, November 10, 1981.

  Chapter 29: A Crack in the Curtain

  483.BG as “Communism’s Public Enemy Number One.” See, for example, William H. Stonement, Daily News Foreign Service, in Chicago Daily News, June 11, 1955, in CN 74, Box 1, File 12, BGCA.

  483.“He knelt in Red Square.” Billy Graham, “Impressions of Moscow,” Christianity Today, July 20, 1959, pp. 14–16.

  484.Haraszti’s near-total recall. Haraszti is a meticulous record keeper, taking extensive notes of events, conversations, and observations in dozens of small black notebooks. Before my first interview with him, I was informed of his prodigious memory. I was astonished by his ability to recall precise dates, the spelling of difficult names, and long sections of conversations, some of which had occurred fifteen years in the past. I was even more astonished to read oral histories taped from two to seven years in the past, and to find that his accounts of the conversations on those occasions were virtually identical with the accounts he had given to me.

  484.Haraszti (AH) translates Peace With God. Alexander S. Haraszti (AH), interview, July 16, 1986, and oral history, May 21, 1979, CN 141, Box 45, Folder 1, BGCA.

  485.“established religious bodies received financial support.” The established churches had received this support since signing a concordat in 1948. AH, oral history, May 21, 1979, CN 141, Box 45, Folder 1, BGCA.

  486.Unless otherwise noted, information on BG’s first steps toward a visit to Hungary was furnished in interviews with Haraszti.

  486.Palotay. AH, oral history, May 21, 1979. Sandor Palotay died in August 1979.

  493.The Grand Hotel. The Graham team suspected that the Grand was chosen less for its ambience than for its isolation and consequent ease of observation; anyone going from or coming to it would be conspicuous. Of an apparent piece with this rationale was the insistence by the Hungarian hosts that members of the team room in pairs, an arrangement that would foster conversation that could be monitored. When members of the TV crew resisted this arrangement and announced their intention to find their own accommodations, Palotay assured them that if they did so, they would be put on a plane bound for home the next day. Conversation, John Akers, February 14, 1991.

  494.BG “open heart . . . Word of God.” AP, September 5, 1977; CBS News, September 4, 1977, CN 74, VT 2-CBS, BGCA.

  494.BG at Pecs. Denton Lotz, interview, April 30, 1986; AH, oral history, May 21, 1979.

  494.BG receives lightbulb. AH, introduction to oral history, ibid.

  494.Closing service at Tahi youth camp. AH, oral history, December 26, 1979, CN 141, Box 45, Folder 2, BGCA.

  495.“things are more open . . . in Hungary.” UPI, September 6, 1977, quoted in Malachi Martin, “The Truth and Billy Graham,” National Review, January 9, 1978, p. 722.

  495.“I have not joined Communist party.” AP, September 10, 1977; Bob Terrell, “Reflections on Hungary, Asheville Citizen, September 22, 1977.

  495.“For friends . . . once.” AH, interview; also, oral history introduction.

  495.Hungary regains crown and most-favored-nation status. AH, oral history, December 26, 1979. BG, interview, March 6, 1989.

  496.“second only to the Pope.” AH, oral history, December 26, 1979.

  497.“Sie sind schlau.” Ibid.

  498.Priest: “Can’t you see my collar?” Denton Lotz and AH, interviews.

  498.BG in Poznañ. AP, Chicago Sun-Times, October 10, 1978.

  498.three hundred priests and nuns raise hands. Lotz, interview.

  498.BG at Auschwitz. Edward Plowman, “Billy Graham in Poland,” pp. 54, 57; Lotz, interview.

  498.Bednorz asks for autograph. Ibid., p. 57.

  Chapter 30: The Preacher and the Bear

  499.BG receives degrees, visits pope. AP, January 5, 6, 9, 23, 1981; Edward Plowman, “The Evangelist and the Pope Confer Privately in Rome,” Christianity Today, February 6, 1981, p. 88.

  500.“Alex knows things which Henry [Kissinger] does not.” AH, interview, July 16, 1986, and oral history, December 26, 1979, CN 141, Box 45, Folder 2, BGCA.

  500.BG meets with Dobrynin. AH, oral history, December 26, 1979.

  502.Orthodox Church invites BG to conference. AH, oral history, June 16, 1982, and June 3, 1983, CN 141, Box 45, Folders 3–5, BGCA.

  503.Haraszti meets with Filaret. AH, oral history, March 15, 1984, CN 141, Box 45, Folder 6, BGCA.

  504.Negotiations about the Siberian Six. AH, interview; oral history, June 16, 1982, CN 141, Box 45, Folders 3–4, BGCA; Edward Plowman, “How the Press Got It Wrong in Moscow,” Christian Century, June 23–30, 1982, p. 718.

  505.Haraszti delivers invitation. AH, oral history, June 30, 1982, CN 141, Box 45, Folders 3–4, BGCA.

  506.Haraszti persuades BG to accept invitation. AH, oral history, June 30, 1982.

  506.Bush tells BG he is neutral. BG, interview, March 6, 1989.

  507.Reagan privately approves of BG visit. Ibid.

  507.White House official: “You have to go.” Stephen L. Nordlinger, Baltimore Sun, May 17, 1982.

  507.State Department opposition to visit. AH, oral history, March 14, 1984, CN 141, Box 45, Folder 6, BGCA.

  508.“as early as 1963.” Robert Ferm to Ruby Escue, October 28, 1963, explaining Graham’s position. Ferm also indicated that Graham believed the UN was “the best possible hope that man has, but that, too, is an endorsement but with many qualifications.” CN 19 (Ferm Papers), Box 4, Folder 28 (12/62–6/63), BGCA.

  508.“he saw commitment . . . was serious.” Denton Lotz, interview, May 1, 1986. Lotz, a Baptist World Alliance executive who accompanied Graham on several forays behind the iron curtain, is the brother of Danny Lotz, husband of Graham’s daughter, Anne.

  508.BG shifts views on nuclear arms. CBS Evening News, March 29, 1979, CN 74, VT 2-CBS; Colman McCarthy, Charlotte News, June 29, 1979.

  508.“I have seen . . . race.” Billy Graham (interview), “A Change of Heart,” Sojourners, August 1979, reprinted in advertisement, Yale Daily News, April 16, 1982.

  508.SALT 10. Billy Graham, Approaching Hoofheats: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Waco, Tex.: Word Books, 1983), p. 146.

  508.“Have we gone mad?” Charlotte Observer, June 10, 1979, and August 30, 1981.

  509.Nixon: “take the long view.” Harold L. Myra et al., “William Franklin Graham: Seventy Exceptional Years,” Christianity Today, November 18, 1988, p. 18.

  509.“These verses have been the key.” Interview, March 6, 1989. In a 1988 interview with Christianity Today, he downplayed the importance of his views on nuclear disarmament. “We went with the understanding that we’d be invited back,” he said. “The Russians kept their word, and we were invited back. Our purpose in going had nothing to do with political or even peace problems—it was just the chance to preach the gospel.” Myra et al., “Seventy Exceptional Years,” Christianity Today, p. 19. Motives are some times complex.

  510.“He has used his prestige . . .” “A few Kind Words for Billy Graham,” Christian Century, May 26, 1982, p. 619.

  510.BG preaches peace. Charlotte Observer, April 21, and May 9, 1982; Yale Daily News, April 16, 20, 21, 1982; Robert M. Randolph, associate dean of students, MIT, conversation, December 5, 1988; CBS Evening News, April 12 and 15, 1982, CN 74, VT 13, BGCA; Tom Minnery, “Stirring the Coals in New England,” Christianity Today, May 21, 1982, pp. 28–29; Harry Genet, “Graham Will Preach in Moscow,” Christianity Today, April 9, 1982, p. 44.

  510
.Templeton Prize. UPI, March 19, 1982; AP, May 15, 1982.

  512.BG and Arbatov. AH, interview; oral history, March 15, 1984.

  513.Admission by ticket. AH, oral history, March 15,1984; Reinhold Kerstan (Baptist World Alliance official), interview, May 2, 1986; ABC, NBC, CBS News, CN 74, VT 13, May 9, 1982; AP, Charlotte Observer, May 11, 1982.

  513.Size of crowd. AH, oral history, March 15, 1984; Christianity Today, June 18, 1982, p. 42.

  513.“I’ve been trying to reach [KGB] for a long time.” Tom Minnery, “Graham in the Soviet Union,” Christianity Today, May 21, 1982, p. 52; AH oral history, March 15, 1984.

  513.Graham’s sermon at Moscow church. “Billy Renders unto Caesar,” Newsweek, May 24, 1982, pp. 89–90; Plowman, “Press Got It Wrong,” p. 718.

  513.“A great event,” Christianity Today, June 18, 1982, p. 42.

  513.“We detain people.” John F. Burns, “Graham Offers Positive View of Religion in Soviet,” the New York Times, May 13, 1982; “Billy Renders unto Caesar,” Newsweek, p. 89; also, Mobile Press Register, May 16, 1982.

  514.Soviet Christians criticize BG. Jim Gallagher, “Graham in Moscow, Preaches Obedience,” Chicago Tribune, May 10, 1982; “Billy Renders unto Caesar,” Newsweek, p. 89.

  514.BG speaks to authorities about 147 prisoners. Minnery, “Graham in the Soviet Union,” p. 56; audio tape, New York Press Conference, May 19, 1982, furnished by BGEA.

  514.BG at Orthodox cathedral. “Billy Renders Unto Caesar,” pp. 89–90; “Billy Renders unto Caesar,” p. 53; J. Martin Bailey, “The Media Missed the Story,” Christianity and Crisis, June 7, 1982, pp. 155, 172; AH, oral history, March 15, 1984. Some sources reported that Pimen introduced Graham, but Haraszti says it was Borovoy. Given Haraszti’s acquaintance with both men, and Pimen’s concern for status, it is likely that Haraszti’s account is correct.

  514.“A made-up meeting.” AH, oral history, March 15, 1984; other quotes are from AH, oral history, June 30, 1982, CN 141, Box 45, Folders 3–5. Interestingly, AH reported that Graham preached for only twenty minutes. Oral history, March 15, 1984. All others’ accounts, including those by eyewitnesses, placed the time at closer to an hour. “Billy Renders unto Caesar,” pp. 89–90; Edward Plowman, interview, February 10, 1987.

  515.Pimen’s introductory statement, “Billy Renders unto Caesar,” Newsweek, p. 90; “Inside Washington,” Human Events, May 22, 1982, p. 5.

  515.Graham’s address. Charlotte Observer, May 12, 1982. This material is not found in the text of Graham’s speech, “Graham’s Mission to Moscow,” Christianity Today, June 18, 1982, pp. 20–23.

  516.Graham urges religious freedom and SALT 10. Graham, “Graham’s Mission to Moscow,” p. 23. The citation from the universal declaration is from Section VII of the Final Act of Helsinki.

  516.Enthusiastic response to speech. AH, oral history, June 3, 1983, CN 141, Box 45, Folders 3–5, BGCA.

  517.Reporters press BG re Pentecostals. AH, oral history, ibid. For reasons not entirely clear, Haraszti emphasized that publicity about the visit was kept down at the request of the Orthodox leaders. The government’s only request was that Graham not visit the Pentecostals at all. The letter from the Pentecostals had been sent to Graham in the United States but had arrived after Graham left Montreat. Jack Anderson, “Graham Asked to Cancel Moscow Trip,” syndicated column, June 6, 1982.

  517.AH advises BG re Pentecostals. AH, interview, July 16, 1986, and oral history, March 15, 1984. In the oral history, Haraszti sets the figure at 600 million people. This appears to be due to his having made a simple error. After giving the population of the USSR as 264 million (approximately correct), he used 464 as the base figure to which he added the population of the satellite countries. In his interview with me, he spoke of 400 million, which is the closer approximation.

  518.BG visits Pentecostals. AH, ibid.

  518.Ps. 37. The quotation from Ps. 37 is from Haraszti’s memory and apparently not an exact rendering of any standard English version of the Bible.

  519.Pentecostals disappointed. ABC, CBS, NBC, TV News, May 11, 1982, CN 74 VT 13, BGCA.

  519.BG “nothing special.” Charlotte Observer, May 12, 1982; “Billy Renders unto Caesar,” Newsweek, p. 90.

  520.BG role in release of Pentecostals. AH interview, and oral history, March 15, 1984; Graham, interview; John Akers, interview, March 6, 1989. For accounts of the emigration of the Pentecostals, see the New York Times, June 28, 29, and July 19, 1983.

  Chapter 31: Tribulation and Triumph

  522.BG statements on religious freedom in USSR. Edward Plowman, “Billy Graham: The Gospel Truth in Moscow,” Saturday Evening Post, September 1982, p. 112; Plowman, interview, February 10, 1987; also, “Graham Says U.S. Wavered on Moscow Trip,” Baltimore Sun, May 17, 1982; “Graham Offers Positive View of Life in Soviet, the New York Times, May 13, 1982, and “For Moscow’s Guests, Life in a Luxurious Cocoon,” the New York Times, May 15, 1982; Charlotte Observer, May 16, 1982; “Questionable Mission to Moscow,” Time, May 24, 1982, p. 60; Tom Minnery, “Graham in the Soviet Union” Christianity Today, June 18, 1982, pp. 52, 56; ABC, CBS, NBC News, CN 74, VT 13, May 12, 1982, BGCA. Of the caviar, Graham later told reporters, “There is a lot of caviar in the Soviet Union and very little in the United States. It was available in Moscow and I wasn’t going to let it sit there.” AP, May 18, 1982.

  523.Reaction to BG statements. Editorial, Christianity Today, June 18, 1982; see also George F. Will, “Listening to America’s Most Embarrassing Export,” column, May 13, 1982, Charlotte Observer.

  524.“heaven only knows.” The New York Times, May 16, 1982.

  524.Wheaton students: “Billy Graham has been duped.” AP, May 17, 1982.

  524.“Then keep out of the discussion.” This Week with David Brinkley, ABC TV, May 16, 1982, CN 74, VT 12, BGCA.

  524.BG met “top Soviet officials.” Minnery, “Graham in the Soviet Union,” p. 56.

  525.BG defends self. “Graham in Moscow: What Did He Really Say?” Christianity Today, June 18, 1982, p. 12; UPI, Charlotte Observer, May 17, 1982; Minnery, “Graham in the Soviet Union,” June 18, 1982, pp. 52, 56; Charlotte Observer, May 23, 1982; CBS News, May 19, 1982, CN 74, VT 12, BGCA; AP, May 20, 1982; “Billy, Are You Blind?” Los Angeles Times, June 5, 1982.

  525.BGEA press release. Crusade Information Service, May 19, 1982, quoted in Kent Hill, The Puzzle of the Soviet Church (Portland, Ore.: Multnomah Press, 1989), p. 196.

  525.Soviets admit decline in churches. Hill, Puzzle, p. 196, quoting an interview with Council for Religious Affairs chairman Konstantin Kharchev, Science and Religion (November 1987): 23.

  525.Radio Moscow broadcast quotes BG. “Vantage Point,” Radio Moscow, August 4, 1982. Quoted in Hill, Puzzle, pp. 196–97.

  525.JDL gang ransacks WCC offices, Dan Rather asserts BG was “deceived and used.” CBS News, May 19, 1982, CN 74, VT 12, BGCA.

  526.“best informed commentator . . . persecuted.” Letter, Michael Bordeaux to Christianity Today, September 3, 1982, p. 8, quoted in Hill, Puzzle, p. 197.

  526.Moyer’s assessment. CBS News, May 17, 1982. CN 74, VT 13, BGCA.

  526.“It’s my calling.” “Graham Backs Moscow Visit as ‘My Calling.’” Chicago Sun Times, May 17, 1982; Graham also mentioned the appearance of opportunism in an AP story, May 17, 1982.

  526.BG has “feeling of serenity.” Minnery, “Graham in the Soviet Union,” p. 57.

  526.GDR and Romania did not approve Hungary visit. AH, oral history, December 26, 1979, CN 141, Box 45, Folder 2, BGCA.

  527.“When I walked in . . . just smiling.” BG, interview, February 26, 1987.

  527.BG meets with GDR officials. “Hopeful Signs for the Church in East Germany,” Christianity Today, December 17, 1982, pp. 40–43; BG, interview, February 26, 1987; Edward Plowman, interview, February 10, 1987.

  528.Czechoslovakia visit. AH, interview, July 16, 1986.

  528.Czechs warm to BG. “Billy Graham Gets a Friendly Reception in Czechoslovakia,” Christianity T
oday, December 17, 1982, pp. 38–40; Reinhold Kerstan, interview, May 2, 1986.

  528.Soviet church leaders angry with Graham. AH, oral history, March 15, 1984, CN 141, Box 45, Folder 6, BGCA.

  529.BG in USSR, 1984. Bob Terrell, Billy Graham in the Soviet Union (Minneapolis: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1985), pp. 21–30. “Billy Graham’s Mission Improbable,” Time, September 24, 1984, p. 48.

  530.BG at Tallinn. Terrell, Graham in the Soviet Union, pp. 35–36.

  530.BG at Novosibirsk. Ibid., pp. 47–48, 52; Beth Spring, “Billy Graham Sees Vitality and Dedication Among Russian Christians,” Christianity Today, October 19, 1984, pp. 38–39; AH, oral history, June 16, 1982, CN 141, Box 45, Folders 3–4.

  531.Ponomarev visit. BG, interview, March 6, 1989; unpublished document, statement of Billy Graham to His Excellency Boris N. Ponomarev, September 20, 1984. I am grateful to Mr. Graham for sharing this document with me. Graham said that with the exception of Ronald Reagan and Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum, he had shown the document to no one else outside his immediate circle of advisers.

  531.Nine BG books in print in USSR. AP, September 28, 1984.

  533.Romania tour. Edward Plowman, “Fanning the Flames of Revival in Romania,” Christianity Today, November 8, 1985, pp. 59–61; Plowman, interview; AH, interview, July 16, 1986; AH report at Columbia crusade, May 1, 1987; Russ Busby, interview, April 30, 1987; BG, press conference, National Press Club, April 26, 1986.

  533.BG lauds corrupt Romanian government. Janice Broun and Grazykna Sikorska, Conscience and Captivity: Religion in Eastern Europe (Washington: Ethics and Public Policy Center, 1988), p. 231.

  534.Government gouges host churches. Ibid., pp. 347–349, quoting a samizdat document produced by a Romanian Baptist and furnished by the Keston News Service, no. 245, June 1986.

  534.1985 Hungary visit. Edward Plowman, “Relations Improve Between Church and State in Hungary,” Christianity Today, November 22, 1985, pp. 64–66; Plowman, interview; AH, interview; Russ Busby, interview.

  534.Cardinal calls BG an actor. AH, interview.