Interviewees
Styles Bridges American teacher editor and Republican Party politician from Concord New Hampshire He served one term as the 63rd Governor of New Hampshire before a twenty-four year career in the United States Senate
Wallace F Bennett American businessman and politician A member of the Republican Party he served as a United States Senator from Utah from 1951 to 1974 He was the father of Bob Bennett who later held his seat in the Senate 1993--2011
William Benton US senator from Connecticut 1949--1953 and publisher of the Encyclopædia Britannica 1943--1973
John Shearin editor of Catholic World
William Rosenblum rabbi of Temple Israel of the City of New York
Robert J McCracken pastor Riverside Church Scottish-born professor of systematic theology
Charles Howard Graf priest St Johns Church
Alexander Grantham British colonial administrator who governed Hong Kong and Fiji
Gladwyn Jebb prominent British civil servant diplomat and politician as well as the Acting Secretary-General of the United Nations
Benton was born in Minneapolis Minnesota He was educated at Shattuck Military Academy Faribault Minnesota and Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota until 1918 at which point he matriculated at Yale University where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity
He graduated in 1921 and began work for advertising agencies in New York City and Chicago until 1929 after which he co-founded Benton Bowles with Chester Bowles in New York He moved to Norwalk Connecticut in 1932 and served as the part-time vice president of the University of Chicago from 1937 to 1945 In 1944 he had entered into unsuccessful negotiations with Walt Disney to make six to twelve educational films annually
He was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and held the position from 31 August 1945 to 30 September 1947 during which time he was active in organizing the United Nations He was appointed to the United States Senate on 17 December 1949 by his old partner Chester Bowles who had been elected Governor in 1948 and subsequently elected in the general election on 7 November 1950 as a Democrat to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Raymond E Baldwin in December 1949 for the remainder of the term ending 3 January 1953
In the November 1950 election he defeated Republican party candidate Prescott Sheldon Bush father of US President George Herbert Walker Bush and grandfather of US President George W Bush In 1951 he introduced a resolution to expel Joseph McCarthy from the Senate On television when asked if he would take any action against Bentons reelection bid McCarthy replied I think it will be unnecessary Little Willie Benton Connecticuts mental midget keeps on it will be unnecessary for me or anyone else to do any campaigning against him Hes doing his campaigning against himself Benton lost in the general election for the full term in 1952 to William A Purtell Bentons comeback bid failed in 1958 when running against Bowles and Thomas Dodd he failed to win the Democratic nomination for the US Senate He was later appointed United States Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris and served from 1963 to 1968
