| From the Editor |
Over the course of his 37-year career in AP's Washington bureau, Larry Knutson (yes, you pronounce the 'K') has covered Congress, the State Department, presidential campaigns and presidents ranging from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush.
A history major at the University of Wisconsin, Knutson has always maintained his interest in history — sometimes by covering it as it happened. He considers himself fortunate to have reported on some significant events over his career, including the Senate Watergate hearings, Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign and the Iran-Contra hearings. Within the Washington bureau, Knutson is considered an aficionado and since 1993, he has written a column called "Washington Yesterday" about the role of Washington, D.C., in American history.
Knutson was attendant when then-President Jimmy Carter went without sleep for more than 24 hours at the very end of his administration as he worked to finalize the deal to free hostages in Iran.
"I remember Carter's exhaustion as he rode up Pennsylvania Avenue to attend Ronald Reagan's inauguration and his elation that the hostages were in fact free."
Following the inauguration, Knutson accompanied Carter to Germany as the former president went to greet the hostages in person, making the trip in what had just become President Reagan's Air Force one.
Yet, in spite of exposure to such hard-hitting political news and events, Knutson says that the fun moments are the ones that stick with him the most - like the time he interviewed the man who maintained the many antique clocks throughout the White House, a former White House chief electrician. During the interview, he told Knutson that then-first lady Bess Truman had asked him to stash extra light bulbs in the White House residence because the president wanted to change his own bulbs.
Knutson says he also enjoyed covering the White House during a time when the press was allowed to mingle with guests at state dinners.
"It was a great pleasure because you could actually walk over and talk to the president to get whatever news you could get," he recalls.
Though his retirement plans are not finalized, Knutson hopes to edit and privately produce an uncle's book of World War II letters. (Jan. 17, 2003)