You have apparently developed some kind of ongoing relationship with President Hinckley. You don't do that, obviously, with everyone you report on...
Mike Wallace:
"No."
Why is he the exception?
Wallace:
"He's an interesting man. I suppose that's why. And an open man. And he's only a little bit older than I am (laughs). He's a cordial, pleasant, interesting fellow, and he gave me an opportunity to understand a little bit of Mormonism."
Initial meeting with President Hinckley
Wallace:
"I was very surprised when my colleague and I were invited to the Harvard Club to dine with and listen to a man by the name of Gordon B. Hinckley, who was president of the Mormon church... We went to lunch thinking, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' And here is this charming man-- open, pleasant, funny, seemed to have a certain wisdom."
Reaction to 60 Minutes Report on Mormonism
Wallace:
"All manner of Mormons from strange places come up to me on the street and say, you know, we expected that you would have a totally different take, and we were so pleased to see that you and Gordon Hinckley got along so well."
Did the experience of interviewing President Hinckley change your impression of Mormons or the Mormon Church?
Wallace:
"I hadn't any firm feelings about the Mormons or the Mormon Church. But what it did change was my impression that it was a closed corporation that nobody wanted to let outsiders look in."
"The fact that young people are sent overseas on their two year mission, I had no idea about that."
How does President Hinckley compare to others you've interviewed over your career?
Wallace:
"He was a surprise to me. Vladimir Horowitz, the pianist, was a surprise. Frank Lloyd Wright was a surprise. Eleanor Roosevelt was a surprise. It's a joy sometimes to interview an older individual who has lived, who has thought, evolved-- they have something to say."
Do you expect to keep an ongoing relationship with President Hinckley?
Wallace:
"I would doubt that there will be a continuing relationship. I am certainly open to it. But he's a busy fellow, I'm a busy fellow. Our paths would not ordinarily cross."
