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would be putty in his hands.

By that you mean, he wouldn't tell them the truth?

No. He'd tell them the truth. Adam didn't lie about himself. Yeah, but after he told the truth, what would they do? He'd also tell them the truth about themselves.

No, I wouldn't -- in fact, I probably told you in that briefing that after Adam read what I wrote about him, in DARK GHETTO, -- did I tell you what his reaction was?

No.

He said that this is the most inciteful analysis of him that he'd ever read. And Adam wasn't given to glib compliments, you know. It was almost an invitation for further discussion, which I of course would not accept.

Oh, really? You think he wanted to talk to you about Adam?

I think so -- except that he never said so. Of cour se he wouldn't say so. But he said to a number of people, not to me directly, that this was one of the most inciteful analyses that he had read. And after DARK GHETTO came out, we talked a little bit. “Hi, Adam.” “Hi, Kenneth. How are you doing, boy? When are you going to get some sense?” Or something like that, you know.

Now, one of the other things that you said in that briefing was that what surprised you, as far as Harlem politics went,