鲍勃·伍德沃德 — — 在即将出版的回忆录《秘密》中令人震惊的节选中透露，他最好的朋友之一、已故的理查德·达曼，也是他在罗纳德·里根和乔治·H·W·布什政府时期最重要的消息来源之一。该节选已在《纽约客》新刊中预览。
Bob Woodward— in an eye-opening excerpt from his forthcoming memoir, "Secrets," that's previewed in the new issue of The New Yorker — reveals that one of his best friends, the late Richard Darman, was also one of his best sources during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations.
- “达曼愿意，甚至有时很渴望，谈论最敏感的情报事项，包括国家安全局的拦截和中央情报局的秘密行动，”伍德沃德在他的书中写道，该书将于11月15日出版。“我相信他总是小心翼翼，避免谈论可能损害国家安全的事项，但他会一直走到边缘 — — 这是记者梦寐以求的消息来源。”
• "Darman was willing, even eager at times, to talk about the most sensitive intelligence matters, including N.S.A. intercepts and covert C.I.A. operations," Woodward writes in his book, out Nov. 15. "He was always careful not to talk about matters that would harm national security, I believed, but he would go right up to the edge — a reporter's dream source."
为何重要： 83岁的伍德沃德 — — 他当年追踪水门事件的爆炸性报道，随后出版了一系列关于美国总统的揭秘之作 — — 他坦诚地讲述了他在一份对布什不利的《华盛顿邮报》系列报道之后，与达曼友谊破裂的经过。伍德沃德详细描述了他在《华盛顿邮报》职业生涯中的失望，并在一起他作为责任编辑的报道中承认了“道德失误”。• 《纽约客》称达曼的节选为《危险的友谊》，揭示了“与消息来源关系过于密切”的危险。伍德沃德和达曼从未和解，尽管《秘密》一书描述了他们在临终前的相遇。
Why it matters: Woodward, 83 — who followed the blockbuster Watergate reporting of his youth with a shelf of revelatory books about American presidents — gives a searingly honest account of the collapse of his friendship with Darman after a Post series that was damaging to Bush. Woodward details a disappointment in his Washington Post career and, in the case of a story where he was the responsible editor, a "moral failing." • The New Yorker calls the Darman excerpt "A Dangerous Friendship," revealing the danger of "getting too close to a source." Woodward and Darman never reconciled, although "Secrets" describes their deathbed encounter. Woodward writes in his New Yorker debut that he and Darman, who controlled the paper flow to Reagan as staff secretary and was budget director for Bush 41, "had countless long lunches together — Saturday or Sunday — at the Madison Hotel, across the street from the , discussing government, journalism, and ourselves": "I felt like I was getting a master class in how government really operated. Plus, many scoops.
伍德沃德写道在他的《纽约客》首篇文章中，他和达曼 — — 达曼曾作为幕僚长控制里根的文件流动，并担任布什41的预算主管 — — “在麦迪逊酒店共进了无数次长时间的午餐 — — 周六或周日 — — 酒店位于街对面的 ，他们在那里讨论政府、新闻业以及他们自己”：
In later years, Darman would drive out on weekends to our country house near Annapolis, Maryland, to spend large parts of the day with me and my wife, the journalist Elsa Walsh, who was particularly fond of him. Some people found him arrogant, but I loved his comfortable confidence as a friend and a source. It was part of what made him so extraordinary and valuable.
“我觉得自己仿佛上了一堂关于政府运作方式的‘高级课程’；此外，我还获得了许多独家新闻。” 后来，达曼经常在周末开车来到我们位于马里兰州安纳波利斯附近的乡间别墅，与我们和我的妻子——记者埃尔莎·沃尔什——共度大量时间。埃尔莎特别喜欢他。有些人认为他很傲慢，但我非常欣赏他作为朋友和消息来源时所表现出的那种自信与从容。这正是他如此非凡、如此宝贵的原因之一。他懂得如何展现自己的魅力，对埃尔莎和我来说，他都极具吸引力。
He knew how to turn on the charm, and he did for both Elsa and me." Behind the scenes: "From critical national-security information to the colorful office tales he shared, Darman provided me with a gold mine of information," Woodward recalls.
“幕后故事：”“从涉及国家安全的机密信息，到他分享的那些有趣的办公室趣闻，达曼为我提供了丰富的信息来源，”伍德沃德回忆道，“我至少通过五十八次面谈或电话交谈与他进行了交流。我的文件夹里装满了数百页的谈话记录。每次重要的谈话结束后，我都会按照惯例撰写一份一到六页的备忘录，详细记录下他的讲话内容。”
"I interviewed him in at least fifty-eight meetings or phone conversations. I have boxes filled with hundreds of pages of notes on our discussions. After our most important conversations, as is my practice, I typed a memo of one to six pages, laying out in detail what he'd said."
关于达曼的‘执行者’角色：’伍德沃德透露：“在达曼的所有‘目标’中，最难对付的当属第一夫人南希·里根。虽然他在私下里对她嗤之以鼻，称她为‘刻薄的泼妇’，但他始终找不到办法真正伤害到她。”
• Detailing Darman's "hatchet man" role, Woodward reveals that the "hardest of Darman's targets to dislodge was the First Lady, Nancy Reagan. While Darman poured scorn on her in private, describing her to me as a 'mean bitch,' he could not find a way to drive a stake into her heart."
在一次来之不易的立法胜利之后，达曼对伍德沃德说：“哇！有没有过这样的感觉：觉得自己刚刚‘拉了一坨菠萝’（即做了件极其尴尬或令人不快的事）？”
After a hard-won legislative victory, Darman told Woodward, Reagan said: "Whew! Ever feel like you shit a pineapple?"