Statement of Ralph Nader on the Death of David Halberstam

The loss of David Halberstam in a traffic collision in Menlo Park, California, deprived our country of a great reporter and a great man. His journalistic sweep, manifested through original writings in articles, books and interviews, came with a knowledge of historical roots to contemporary events. He went to where the stories, the people, the pathos and the heroics were — no secondary sources for him. He reported up the power ladder as well as down at the scenes of suffering by the powerless and the voiceless. Indefatigable, courageous, and fundamental in his quest to fulfill the people’s right to know, David Halberstam set the highest standards for himself and his profession.

He leaves a large treasure of writings that will proliferate his legacy for young reporters and all citizens who insist on grasping realities, not myths or propaganda, about what is happening to this world of ours. Above all, he was an analytic humanitarian.

My condolences to his wife, Jean, and to his daughter, Julia. David was my friend since we were school boys in Connecticut back in the Forties. Even then he radiated prodigious energy and curiosity. How he will be missed!