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Namely, if you're going to try to solve the problem with Bryant Park, you have to go out and solve it. You have to dispose of all the underbrush. You have to make the path clear. And when the path is clear you can get the Mayor to come up and say, “We're going to save this park, and give it back to the people.” So on, so forth. But unless you've eliminated all political opposition to it he isn't going to get up there and say that. That's a case history, not a theory.

Well, we are going to talk about Bryant Park in detail, but in your dealings with him either at the Library, or--when we talk about the Library, when it's appropriate, you'll bring him in to the discussion. But any recollection of dealings with him as, in your role as CEO at Time?

No. Only, you know--he's always present every time there's an event. When we agreed to renew our lease for twenty years at the Time and Life Building, he was there to sign the document. Well, you know these are all publicity events. The job of the mayor, or this one, and of previous ones is made very difficult in New York City because New York City has been reformed to death. And there is a law to prevent you from doing practically anything. Anybody can use those laws and it also makes it very difficult for the mayor to do anything because the opposition can immediately bring up something. And there are boards. Anytime you want to do anything you have go through endless amounts of boards and environmental estimates and so on, so on.