PHOTOS: American writer Beth Day and Philippines Foreign Minister Carlos P. Romulo
THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK
Title: THE WRITER, THE LOVER AND THE DIPLOMAT
Subtitle: Life with Carlos P. Romulo
Authors: Beth Day Romulo and David F. Hyatt
I first met Beth Day Romulo in Manila in 1983. At that time, I was a foreign correspondent and the VOA Southeast Asia Bureau Chief in Bangkok. The Philippines was part of my “news beat.” I had heard from a correspondent friend at NBC that Beth’s husband, Carlos P. Romulo, was good friends with the Aquino family. Romulo was the Philippine foreign minister and I wanted his reaction to the assassination of popular opposition leader Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino.
Romulo was 82 years old; his health was frail and he was weak but, when I asked to see him, he responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!” He invited me over to his house on a Saturday afternoon. Beth answered the door and led me into a large bedroom where Romulo was stacking some pillows behind him before turning and greeting me with smiling enthusiasm and a hearty handshake. At first I sat across the room but he asked me to come closer. “I’m too weak to talk very loud for very long,” he explained. On several occasions, when I thought he was getting tired, I got up to leave but he insisted I stay a little longer. “We have much to talk about,” he said. And he was right. For more than three hours, I sat at the foot of his bed. I remember thinking, “I’m listening to one of the world’s truly great statesmen.” (Romulo co-founded the U.N., was named one of the top diplomats of the 20th century, and was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He also rose to the rank of General in both the U.S. and Philippine army and was a top adviser to General Douglas MacArthur. Out of respect, Romulo was often referred to simply as “General.”)
General Romulo died the following year.
But I never forgot that Saturday afternoon or how generous he was with his time despite his failing health. I left their home that day feeling as if I owed him a great debt of gratitude.
RECONNECTING WITH BETH DAY
In the summer of 2012 I was in the middle of writing a book about my foreign correspondent days. I was working on a chapter that focused on the Philippines and the Aquino assassination and General Romulo. As I was researching, I came across the Carlos Romulo Foundation web site which contains a rich treasure of rare photos, footage, radiograms and other historical documents and anecdotes (www.carlospromulo.org). I was excited to learn that Beth Day was still alive. (She was 26 years younger than her husband.) On a whim, I did something I had never done before. I clicked “Contact Us” and wrote, “My name is David Hyatt. I used to be a foreign correspondent with the Voice of America in the 1980s and I interviewed Carlos Romulo. I understand that his wife is still alive. If at all possible, I would like to talk to her about that time period for a book that I’m writing that includes General Romulo.”
To my delight, I received a reply that same night from Liana Romulo, one of the General’s granddaughters who oversees the foundation web site.
Liana has written a number of books and essays. One of her essays, which is posted on the foundation web site, is of special note. It’s entitled “Laughter in a Funeral Parlor.” In it, she describes how General Romulo crisscrossed the U.S. (mostly by train) from 1942 to 1944 speaking in 466 cities and towns, successfully rallying American support to help oust the Japanese Imperial military from the Philippines. General Romulo, one of the greatest orators of his time, had a flair for the dramatic and always laced his speeches with humor. The New Yorker described him as “the hottest thing to hit the American lecture platforms.”
Liana’s essays make for fascinating reading as she meticulously documents a pivotal time in both Philippine and American history and underscores the historical significance of US-Philippine relations. Her essays are even more relevant today with the recent pivot in U.S. foreign policy back to Asia, giving new importance to the special strategic partnership between the United States and the Philippines as a counter to the growing military power of China. (Here’s a link to the essay… http://carlospromulo.org/2010/01/laughter-in-a-funeral-parlor-part-1-of-2/ )
In her reply to my request, Liana wrote,
“Of course, Mr. Hyatt. My grandmother lives here in Manila. I see her at least once a week. She’s 88 years old and of sound body and mind. Just write me a letter and I will hand carry it to her.”
I wrote the letter and waited. One week passed. Then two weeks and three and so on. I began to wonder whether a response would ever come. Then one day, when I checked my Inbox, there was an email from Beth Day Romulo. I opened it with great anticipation, only to read that she had turned down my request, saying that “it was a very long time ago.”
I thought for a few minutes and decided to reply with a “thanks-for-your-consideration” email, and attach the chapter that included stories about her husband. Within a few days, I received another email from Mrs. Romulo. She said the stories brought back a rush of nostalgia about her life with General Romulo and she shared some stories of her own. She added that if I was ever in Manila to please look her up. But what also got my attention was this PS -“I have all of these notes but I no longer have the energy to write my autobiography.” (She has published 28 books.) I volunteered to help and outlined a range of possibilities from cheering her on from the sidelines to total collaboration. After going back and forth for months, she made her decision in the first week of January 2013. She opted for total collaboration based on one condition: that my name “get equal treatment on the book cover”.
THE PENINSULA HOTEL IN MANILA
Two weeks later I arrived in Manila at midnight on a Sunday> I was unpleasantly surprised by long lines at airport immigration, followed by traffic backups. It was 2 am before I checked into the Peninsula Hotel in the Makati area of Manila. But by 10 am, I was ringing the doorbell at the Romulo house, ready to begin the project.
I interviewed Beth Day Romulo extensively for this book. Each morning at 10 I would arrive at her home and then spend the next six to eight hours interviewing, researching, and taking notes. She gave me folder after folder of memorabilia and personal notes and historic photos to help with the book-writing project. Then each night I would return to the Peninsula Hotel, where I would pour over the notes while eating dinner in the Lobby Cafe. In fact, it was at the Peninsula that I first started writing the book. ( http://manila.peninsula.com/en/default )
THE WRITER, THE LOVER AND THE DIPLOMAT.
When I returned home to the Washington, D.C. area, I began writing in earnest, waking up before dawn to write a couple of hours before going to work. I also wrote during lunch hours and weekends. Each time I finished a chapter I would email a copy to Beth for her review. It took almost a year to write the book but for some reason it didn’t quite feel right. Beth was once told that her life was like a movie. And I agree. We had what we thought was a final draft but it didn’t excite like a movie.
Within a day or two of leaving my day job in November of 2013, I woke up in the night with an epiphany, an “aha” moment. Beth’s story needed a narrative arc that would read more like a novel. Chronology needed to take a backseat to dramatization. But I didn’t want to say anything. After all, we had a “finished” product. And what if the new version didn’t work out? What if it fell flat? What if no one liked it? So I kept quiet and worked full time on a major rewrite. Month after month I rewrote, reworked, and restructured the entire book and suggested a new title: THE WRITER, THE LOVER AND THE DIPLOMAT. I emailed a copy to Beth. Weeks later she replied. She was thrilled with the new version. She thought it read well and was ready for prime time.
Beth Day Romulo is now 90 years old. Her life story is fascinating. She has witnessed and written about significant historical events. And I’m thrilled for her that her life story will soon be in print and available online.
For an overview of the book…
http://davidfhyatt.tumblr.com/thewritertheloverthediplomat
titsay