I'm Gretchen Ribbon and this is a little happier.

One thing I've realized is that when I'm dealing with other people, it's all too easy

to be honestly misled, to misunderstand, to think that I grasp someone's motives when

in fact I'm totally wrong.

It's just very hard to understand other people's thoughts and actions.

We think we understand more than we do.

For instance, I remember a story I read when I was doing the research for my short, unconventional

biography, 40 ways to look at JFK.

What a fascinating subject Kennedy was.

I loved writing that book.

Now Kennedy had a devoted aide, Harris Wofford, and in his book called of Kennedy's and Kings

making sense of the 60s, Wofford writes about just this kind of misunderstanding between

JFK himself and the journalist, Theodore White.

Wofford explains this misunderstanding, which happened when White was drafting his book,

the making of the President 1960.

Wofford writes, late on election night with Nixon still not conceding, John Kennedy walked

across Bob Kennedy's lawn.

In the dark his companion, journalist, Theodore White, thought he said, I'm angry.

In the original manuscript, Theodore White showed me white pegged the making of the

President 1960 on that incident.

What finally broke the calm of this cool, contained Kennedy and caused him to display such heat.

To answer this, white in his first draft flashback over all the miles traveled, talks given,

...