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He arrived and he said very nicely before he entered his room, "Good morning, Miss Fallaci." And then he entered his room and he started reading this paper, giving me his shoulders. I disliked that, I was discouraged. Oh, God, no, I said. Oh, la la la.
Q. Are you apologizing for that interview?
A. Why should I apologize? I put the right questions. He answered badly. Listen, the interview with [North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen] Giap was the worst of all. Pure shit. It's bad. He talked all the time and he wanted to show me how bad the Americans were and how good he was.
Q. Who has refused to talk to you?
A. Tito. Chou Enlai, not because he did not want to see me but because the Chinese never gave me a visa. I never saw Brezhnev or any of the Russians. The reason is that for 14 years I asked the visa for the Soviet Union and it was always denied. Finally when Aldo Moro, who was Foreign Minister at that time, went to Russia [in 1971], I made a scene at the Soviet consulate. I rang the bell for two hours. When my finger became red from pushing, I put the other finger. When the second finger was red, the third finger. I went on with the ten fingers, till the Soviet consul became absolutely hysterical. As soon as he opened the door I entered. I said, "I don't move until you give me the visa!" "Get out!" "I won't get out!" Finally, in total despair he said, "Oh, give me your damn passport, here is your visa."
Q. Others?
A. Now Franco—I have always refused to see him. When I was invited to interview Franco, I said, "I'm not going to shake hands with Franco."
The one I've tried very hard to see is Ford. And they are stupid not to agree to it. They are cutting their balls. They are wrong, honestly. I have no bad intentions. But Kissinger is behind it.
Q. Your toughest subject?
A. Haile Selassie [in 1972]. He was senile, arrogant and unintelligent. He despised women.
Q. How did he show that?
A. Even if I go to see the most important man in the world, I go with slacks. There I was instructed that I could not go to see His Majesty the Emperor with slacks. At first I said, "Would you tell His Majesty that either I go naked or I go with slacks?" But they gave me a dress. A woman had to be dressed as a woman. He didn't even want uncovered arms. The dress had to have long sleeves, like a nun.
Q. What particular techniques have you developed for an interview?
A. Each is a portrait of myself. They are a strange mixture of my ideas, my temperament, my patience, all of these driving the questions. I am what is called a leftist. I don't know the meaning of these stupid words nowadays—leftist, rightist, all shit—but for sure I care very much about freedom.
Let's take [Portuguese Communist Leader Alvaro] Cunhal. I go to this man who is a Stalinist, and who is doing these stupidities. From the first moment I yell at him, "Aren't you ashamed of what you are saying? For Christ's sake, don't you blush?" Can you imagine a journalist of the New York Times yelling at Cunhal? Never, not even if they chop his head off. I do it. When I make an interview, it's a parliamentary debate.
Q. What value do you give to objectivity?