Ben was renowned for creating the Post’s Style section, which was the ne plus ultra destination for major profiles and features that changed the character of what readers could expect to find in newspapers. The edgier writing of the kind that had previously been found in magazines like Esquire made the section hugely popular and influential. Style was as closely read in Washington as the front page and leading columnists. It is generally acknowledged now that Style revamped the way celebrities were covered—particularly politicians and the public figures whose reputations depended on their visibility. Ben liked the sassy tone that Style set and the rest of the paper benefited from the readers it attracted.

His loyalty to the newsroom’s best interests was total. He had an exceptionally close relationship with Post Publisher Katharine Graham, whose confidence in him enabled him to make decisions that more than occasionally irritated Mrs. Graham’s friends—especially Henry Kissinger. When Kissinger once wrote a peevish note to Kay about a story of mine, Ben sent it along saying in a cover note that I should put it with pride into my “baby book.” Whatever pressure Ben may have felt from the powers that be in Washington, he made sure his reporters felt secure. As long as a story was solid to the satisfaction of Ben and his editors, he would go with it and accept the consequences. Kay’s support for Ben through scores of tense moments was a definite reason the Post was so formidable in the years of their partnership.

As it happens, I literally owe Ben my life. In 1971, he was making a swing through Asia with a stopover in Saigon. I had made arrangements to join a Vietnamese general on a helicopter foray to firebases near the Cambodian border, but with Ben’s arrival I canceled the trip and accompanied my colleague Peter Jay to pick him up at the airport. When we returned to the office, we were told that the helicopter had exploded on takeoff and everyone aboard was killed. My legs went out from under me as I collapsed in a chair. Although I was badly shaken, we went ahead with Ben’s itinerary. It was not until decades later when he was writing his memoirs that we revisited the episode.

When I founded PublicAffairs in 1997, I asked Ben if I could include a tribute to him in every book and put the initial “B” on the spine, recognition of what he meant to me and to so many others in his bailiwick. I wondered whether he would find the accolade sycophantic. But he agreed, so this is part of the note we include in each book, summarizing the impact of his charismatic leadership: “It was Ben who gave the Post the range and courage to pursue such historic issues as Watergate. He supported his reporters with a tenacity that made them fearless and it is no accident that so many became authors of influential, bestselling books.”

Ben Bradlee’s Washington Post enlivened the stodgy national capital. His newsgathering instincts were superb; his commitment to journalism of excellence was total; and the whole enterprise reflected Bradlee’s inimitable persona and integrity. He was truly everything a great editor should be.

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