I would like to relate just two memories. He had one of the driest and best wits in the West. I wish you could have heard him say the following, deadpan. It was all in the delivery, believe me. “You always hear that you’re supposed to start out liberal, then become conservative at some point. My view is, you should start out conservative, then get more conservative over time.”
At Yale, there was a conference on Hiss, Chambers, and all that. A speaker said that charm was a big part of Alger Hiss’s appeal. He was a charming liar, Hiss was. Whittaker Chambers had less charm, as charm is usually measured — but he told the truth.
When it was Stan’s turn to speak, he said to that previous speaker, “As someone who has gone his entire life without being charming, I appreciate what you said.”
And as I told Stan afterward, no one without charm could have made his remark. I’m so glad I got to see M. Stanton Evans, just a little bit. So glad.