Music
In addition to my legal and business efforts I was one of the first Presidents and organizers of the Baton Rouge Symphony. I know a lot about classical and jazz music and have met many famous performers and talked with them on a friendly basis.
Art
Know a great deal about art. For example, detailed knowledge of the work of Charles LeBrun since I possess in my good collection a work he probably painted. Have spent time in nearly all the great art museums in the world, including for example, two of my favorites, the Hermitage and the Gutenberg. Visited and studied in detail a number of the Gothic cathedrals, including Chartres and Notre Dame.
Libraries
Having always been interested in libraries, and having served on the Board of Control for the Parish [County] of Baton Rouge for some time, I was named the President and exercised that office for ten years during which I promoted the issuance of a bond issue, which passed by sixty-eight per cent of the vote during a time of economic recession. The Parish system was expanded and four handsome new libraries were constructed.
Travels
Have made it a point to visit every State within the continental United States. Having visited them all except West Virginia, in the last several years was invited to attend a session at the Greenbrier which completed the effort. Since have been to Hawaii, this leaves only Alaska among the fifty States unvisited.
With respect to foreign travel there has been the same dedication. Since Europe is the cradle of our particular civilization one starts there. One began with an extensive visit to Greece which included the Parthenon, the Plaka, Corinto and Delphi. The next year came Italy concentrating on Roma and Firenze. Several tours have been made of Italy, with emphasis on Northern Italy, which found particularly delightful. Thought Verona particularly engaging. Although Paris had been visited previously, after the first excursion into Italy, began the sojourns into France. Spain followed, and the same methodology was used to acquaint one self with nearly every country in Europe.
Went to Russia with a Polish group from Pennsylvania that spoke Russian and explored Moscow and St. Petersburg when the Soviet Union was under tight Communist control. After Spain there was an interesting incursion into Portugal. Having visited, with the exception of Scandinavia almost every country in the Western bloc of Europe, almost immediately after the Berlin Wall fell, flew to Vienna and rented a car. Went into Hungary and roamed Budapest. Was visited by the lawyer who was the principal drafter of the new Constitution. Drove on through Slovakia, with their numerous clear-cut and dismal forests, and across into Poland, where the homes were brighter and spent a day and night in historic Krakow.
Upon reentering Czechoslaovakia drove nearly its full length. Was probably one of the first Americans in many years to spend the night in Olemous, the historic capitol of Bohemia. Stayed at a small charming hotel in Praha and took the editor of the largest newspaper there and his wife to supper.
Also have been to South Korea and nearly every seaport in Japan. Know Mexico and Central America very well, particularly Nicaragua.
Had been assigned by the Navy to duty in Recife, Brazil. Have checked out Colombia. Went over a good part of Morocco. Many of the places I have explored are not mentioned. Had houses in Aspen and Chatham Mass so know Aspen and Cape Cod well.
Louisiana Particulars
Knew intimately many Louisiana political leaders. One of the few people that knew the Long family and the Weiss family well. Know some facts, not generally known, relative to the Kennedy assassination, arising from Louisiana. Also know facts, not generally known, relative to Lyndon Johnson and relationship to Louisiana. Know the State of Louisiana physically as well as anyone, including the villages that are unique and distinctive, which stand out in vivid contrast to most parts of our nation.
Languages
Have an easy time with languages, speaking several. Have read all of Cervantes, Dante and Francois Villon in the original.
In Japan, I picked up a Japanese phrase book and got around well. Believe I was born speaking Italian and enjoy reading Umberto Eco in Italian. Know smatterings of other languages.
Personalities
In addition to travel and books a great source of knowledge of how the world ticks, is found in the people that one encounters and the establishment of a rapport, if propitious, with the more interesting ones. This phase of learning has not been neglected.
From a standing line of two hundred lawyers I was ushered to a seat three feet from Thurgood Marshall as he argued Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court.
When George H. Bush was running Zapata Oil Cmpany arranged through a mutual friend that I have a meeting with him in Houston, which resulted in an hour long pleasant visit.
Was dined by Sam LeFrak on his yacht at Long Island, then taken to his office on Long Island, then to his office in the Squibb Building, which he owned, then to his place on Park Avenue. He showed me a Picasso on the wall, and said, Nelson Rockefeller came for dinner the other night. I heard he liked Picasso, so I told my people to go down the street and buy one.
When I had a house in Aspen, where I met many interesting folks, one night after skiing I went to the disco for a cognac and a girl I knew brought in some other attractive girls. One of them sat next to me and I conversed with her pleasantly, then asked her to dance, at which she was great. When she went to dance with another fellow my friend came over and asked me if I knew who that was. Obviously I did not know who she was. My friend, said that was “Cher”.
Interviewed W.H. Auden at the Automat, with a college colleague, who was writing a dissertation on him.
Have known some of the most interesting oil and business characters, the type which don't exist anymore. Since everybody has gone to college the world has gotten a lot more boring. I would eat lunch each Friday with Claude “Doc” Pennington, an optometrist, who got involved in the oil business. He made a fortune and founded the nationally known Pennington center which does considerable beneficial research, particularly in the nutritional field.
Met with “Tiger Mike” Davis, and had the privilege of turning down a million dollars cash he offered for an oil lease. Met with the other Mike Davis at the request of the manager of his New Orleans office. Each Wednesday he flew from Denver to his offices in New York, New Orleans and Houston, and returned to Denver where he could sleep in his own bed. Davis’s manager submitted a drilling proposition to me. When he was through with the presentation, Davis said, “What’s in it for Burt?”. He was smart enough to realize that it was not a great proposition from my standpoint.
Davis’ manager called me six months later, on a Friday, to discuss an oil deal. He said he would phone me from his office before noon Monday. I called at 4:00 p.m Monday to discover that he had been shot that morning by a random shooter who had shot several people in the financial district.
One day in New Orleans, I sat at lunch between the President of Mitsui, and the President of Mitsubishi, and walked back to the hotel with the President of Hitachi.
Have met personally with a number of people in the musical field. When in college, I encountered Tommy Dorsey in Boulder, Colorado, and bought him a beer and engaged him in conversation. After a major performance in which Sir Thomas Beecham had conducted the Royal Philharmonic in New Orleans, I drove him to his hotel. Because he had to crawl under the steering wheel of my car, my boys having made the front right door inoperable, and the resultant amiable conversation that took place, he asked a Louisianian who attended a concert in London quite a bit later, “If he knew, his good friend, Burton LeBlanc?”.
Met with Jean Pierre Rampal and arranged for my wife and daughter to take him to a restaurant in Donaldsonville where the chef created a dish in his honor. Have talked with Arthur Rubenstein at some length on two occasions.
A number of musical greats and other well known people have been to my home for private receptions, following concerts or performances, for example, Byron Janis, Claudio Arrau and Bennet Cerf.
Clark Gable used to like to make movies around Baton Rouge so that he could eat every night at The Village, an excellent restaurant. I have personally taken various important people there including the Countess Von Trapp on one occasion and Aunt Abbey on another. Have attended many special concerts, exhibitions, ballet performances, outstanding dramatic performances etc.
For example, arranged for difficult to obtain tickets for a performance of “Norma” with Joan Sutherland in Philadelphia. Attended the Pablo Casals festival in Puerto Rico at which he performed and a new conductor named Zubin Mehta conducted. I remarked to my wife that that conductor would go places.
Foreign Affairs
From undergraduate college days have always had an intense interest in foreign affairs and have kept up with them assiduously. My major professor in government who had been a Rhodes scholar, wanted me to apply for one, but at that time the Louisiana selections also included some athleticism, so that Howard K. Smith, who was a good hurdler was chosen.
Although had volunteered for duty in World War II, realized early on the problem with Vietnam, having a knowledge of the history of French Indo China. Helped organize a team of experts, including hospital administrators, engineers and others to visit Nicaragua immediately after the terremoto, in and attempt to aid the citizenry. My group met daily with Somoza in his home and I sat at the opposite end of the table from him. He addressed me as Dr. LeBlanc, in keeping with the Nicaraguan custom of recognizing scholastic degrees. I was flown all over the country and stopped at the most interesting places.As an agricultural professor from the University of California told me in conversation in the hotel in Managua, “They can grow anything here.!”
When it became clear that Somoza was more interested in cutting deals than assisting the country, we pulled out. Later, when Lacayo was running the country, I personally submitted to him a proposed hydrocarbon code, drafted in Spanish, which was largely adopted. There is a rather vibrant middle class in Nicaragua and it would not have taken much funding or foresight to propel the country to a better future.
The other country that I havr devoted much time in studying is Russia.
Having been to Russia under the Communist regime, after the fall of the
Berlin Wall immediately went to Eastern Europe to check the lay of the
land. I later met and talked with Gorbachev. Engaged in cordial correspondence
with Bill Clinton about Russia. I pointed out to him that Yeltsin was
mouthing democracy but making no real contribution toward it. He disagreed
with me, citing his “well informed” advisers. An article
in the New York Times of March 30, 1904 proves that I was once again
right in analyzing and prognosticating Russian affairs. The article refers
to a treatise authored by Khodockovsky, the richest man in Russia.“He
wrote that only by sharing with society the profits of the highly questionable
privatization deals—which left a few insiders like himself fabulously
wealthy—could liberalism as a political force regain the trust
of ordinary Russians.” A separate article on the Russian situation
is merited.