Galbraith Film Debuts at ARCO

A standing-room-only crowd turned out last night to honor John Kenneth Galbraith, Warburg Professor of Economics emeritus, on the occasion of the completion of a WGBH documentary about his life.

The ARCO Forum's premier showing of "Thus Galbraith: The Life and Times of John Kenneth Galbraith," an hour-long feature scheduled to air next week on Channel 2, was preceded by introductory remarks from Graham Allison, director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Henry P. Becton Jr., president of WGBH, and William E. Buckley, a longtime personal friend and political adversary who moderated Galbraith's documentary. Galbraith spoke briefly after the viewing.

WGBH's program traces the policyshaping role of the former professor and influential liberal economist through the years of the Depression, the New Deal, the Kennedy White House, the Johnson administration and continuing into the present.

Allison called Galbraith "the towering figure, literally and figuratively, of the 20th century." According to the documentary, Galbraith stands at six feet, eight-and-a-half inches tall.

Galbraith's stature has distinguished him during a career spent, in his own words, "concerned for the well-being of people as a whole and the well-being of the least fortunate."

Buckley, who described Galbraith as a "beloved friend," offered wry characterizations both in his introduction to the show last night and in his capacity as moderator of the documentary.

"John Kenneth Galbraith quietly, discreetly engages us," Buckley said. "He has a quiet respect for his friends, a willingness to tell them what to think and say."

During the course of the television program, Buckley combines satire and sincerity in narrating the life of his cohort, whose success he attributes to "personal traits," particularly Galbraith's writing ability.

In his on-camera interviews, Galbraith offers commentary about his experiences as an economist, moral philosopher and political pundit.

Accounting for his 1940s tenure as a journalist for Fortune, a publication owned by the right-wing Henry Luce, Galbraith says, "Luce had a choice between conservatives who couldn't write and liberals he couldn't print, so he chose liberals."

In one of the documentary's colorful moments, Galbraith recollects how he learned the hand signal (a two-finger wiggle) for "Stop that horseshit!" in meetings with American business leaders while he served as czar of domestic price controls during World War II.

Students in attendance at the event said they appreciated both the light-hearted moments and the unbiased rendering of the documentary.

"I thought the best thing about it was that it was balanced," said Andrew D. Sacher '01. "It wasn't just worshipping the guy."

Senior members of the Harvard community in the audience reacted to the historic significance of Galbraith's contributions. Students expressed approval of the jocular presentation.

"Sarcasm brought it a lot of life," said Christian J. Westra '01.

Those seeking Galbraith's opinion of the contemporary rightward shift in economic thinking were rewarded by his analysis at the documentary's conclusion.

"I consider myself to be in a current which is under attack--maybe even unfashionable," Galbraith said. "Next time there's a slump, liberals will be back, and it will be the conservatives who are unfashionable."

In the face of the current unpopularity of liberal doctrine, Galbraith promised to continue to contribute to economic and social thought.

"I have no plan about stopping," Galbraith said. "There are others who might suggest it, but I think I'll keep on writing for a while.