Q. You were elected Governor of Alabama four times. At your first inauguration in 1963, you uttered your most memorable lines: "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." Why did you say that?
A. That's the reason I hate to give people interviews that ask about all that stuff. It happened a quarter-century ago. My vehemence was against the federal courts. I never said a word against black people in my heart since I ran for Governor.
Look at that. ((Wallace pulls from his desk drawer an honorary doctor of laws degree given to him by Tuskegee University, founded as an elementary and secondary school for blacks in 1881.)) Do you have one of those?
Q. No, I don't.
A. That right there ought to answer a lot of questions about my attitude. Now, I shouldn't have said those words. It was really aimed at the federal judges. People were mad with the federal courts, and I never said anything against black people, because they voted for me the last two times. Every Governor who ran in 1962 had to face the race question, or they would have been defeated.
Jimmy Carter told me if he had run when I ran and I'd run when he ran, I might have been the vice-presidential nominee, but he never would have been the presidential nominee, because he would have had to face that question ((about segregation)). These New South Governors all were elected after the race question was settled, and they didn't have to face it. But if they had run when I ran and had had to face it, they wouldn't have been elected. Our platform was simply this: I will do all I can to maintain segregation within the law without violence.
Q. Do you think that stand hurt black people?
A. No. I didn't hurt black people. In fact, I helped black people. I appointed three times more blacks than any other Governor.
You see, if I had ever said anything in the race for Governor that reflected on black people other than being for the segregation of the school system, they would never have voted for me.
Some of the Governors used to say they were inferior in mind and all that kind of stuff. If I had ever said anything like that, no decent black person would have ever voted for me, and I wouldn't blame them, because all those things aren't true.
Q. Was it wrong to support segregation?
A. Didn't you know back then that people thought it was in the best interest of both races? They were all raised that way for 150, 200 years, and I believed it was in the best interest too.
Q. So how has your view on race changed?
A. It never changed about how I liked black people and got along with them. But I realized after about two years as Governor that segregation wouldn't work because blacks are more educated and more motivated. Either we had to do away with segregation or we wouldn't have any peace in this country.
Q. You ran for President four times, including in 1968, when you ran as a third-party candidate and captured nearly 14% of the vote. Why were you so successful back then?
A. Well, I didn't talk about race. That wasn't an issue. I don't think I even mentioned it, except I would like to have had anybody, regardless of their race or color or creed, vote for me. I didn't even mention race. I did say I was against busing but so did the other candidates.