In the crowning achievement of his broadcast, history and interview career, Dr. Jack Pulwers talked with the great humorist and columnist , Art Buchwald, at the Washington Hospice Center in Washington, DC in a wide-ranging interview on March 21, 2006.

Mr. Buchwald had made the decision to go into the hospice and await his fate rather than undergo dialysis. Under ordinary circumstances the great humorist was difficult to reach and was indeed very private in his everyday life. Securing an interview with him was difficult at best and was considered to be an accomplishment in itself. Pulwers, a member of the Oral History Committee of the National Press Club, arranged the interview for the Friedheim Library archives of the National Press Club.

Buchwald was cordial and forthcoming in his comments for the interview. In fact, the pair roamed the gamut of his boyhood, culture, politics, world travel and Buchwald's Marine experience in the Second World War. "Buchwald acknowledged that he was influenced by the great humorists and satirists of the twentieth century, Robert Benchley, and P.G. Wodehouse as well as cartoonist, Peter Arno.When Pulwers mentioned other cartoonists, including Bill Mauldin, to whom Pulwers dedicated his book, "The Press of Battle". Buchwald said he struck up a lasting friendship with Mauldin, and always admired the great Army "Stars and Stripes" combat cartoonist of "Willie and Joe" fame.

Buchwald said he was having the "time of my life" greeting people in the hospice and in fact he is getting "everything I want" and more. One day he ordered a corned beef sandwich and he was delivered fourteen sandwichs, all of which he shared with the nurses and aides at the Center.

Former ABC News Chief Pulwers was told of Buchwald's "disagreements" with JIm Hagerty, former Press Secretary for President Eisenhower, and later Pulwers' boss at ABC when Hagerty was Vice President of ABC News. It seems that Hagerty took umbrage at some of Buchwald's biting columns and called Buchwald's remarks regarding the administration as pure "unadulterated" nonsense. Buchwald struck back quickly by calling Hagerty's approach to the presidency as purely "adulterated." That was enough to sever the relationship for some time to come. In the long run he and Hagerty made up and became good friends.

Born in 1926 in Mount Vernon, New York, Buchwald went into great detail about his childhood life: how he was an orphan and spent most of these growing-up-years in foster-care homes. This cycle of his youth was broken when he joined the Marines in World War II. Buchwald was always proud of his days in World War II in the Marine Corps. He was particularly pleased to do "some writing for them" and especially fond of the fellowship he found in the Corps and the life he had as a Marine.

After leaving the Marines Buchwald used his GI Bill to take courses at UCLA where he edited the school newspaper "The Wampus." There he worked with the great future TV producer-to-be David Wolper. Though Buchwald did not finish UCLA he was very proud of his time there and his relationship with Wolper.

He was a great friend of President Truman despite the quarrel that launched their relationship when Buchwald poked fun of Margaret Truman's attempts to became a singing star. Truman became "white hot" at the Buchwald blast at his daughter. In time the feud was settled and the President and Art became good friends.

The great Buchwald sense of humor earned him the title as "the world's number one satirist," and through his columns he became friends with the top stars of Hollywood and Broadway. He also befriended Lyndon Johnson after he became President.

When his term of service in the Marines came to a close he met his wife in Paris and they were introduced by singer Lena Horne. They were married in Westminster Abbey. Buchwald had moved to Paris there to spend several years rubbing elbows with fhe rich cultural class led by Ernest Hemingway. He said that these were some of the most joyous years of his life.

When asked how he felt about General Charles DeGaulle, Buchwald commented that he could never see DeGaulle because he was so tall Buchwald could only look up at him and see the third gold button on his lapel.

As for the person he disliked the most, his last remark of the interview was one that had made the annals of all time humor, "I worship the very quick sand he walks on."

Buchwald joked about his columns and his one-of-a-kind sense of humor and said Americans take themselves too seriously. Pulwers countered with a famous phrase that Buchwald himself made," that now you have the last laugh."