Letter from America by Alistair Cooke: The Clinton Years (1993-1996)
206 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 27 years ago - ★★★★ - 8 ratingsBill Clinton’s first term encompassed controversies from the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo accords and gays in the military to the North American Free Trade Agreement and an attempt at healthcare reform. A fascinating social, cultural and political history of American life, through the words of British-American journalist and broadcaster, Alistair Cooke (1908 – 2004).
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Episodes
A history of Father Christmas
December 27, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBSanta Claus or Father Christmas? The origin of the Patron saint of Christmas is explored. Plus, the surprising popularity of a Tickle Me Elmo toy has caused prices to skyrocket.
UN Leader Mr Boutros Boutros-Ghali
December 20, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBA tribute to Mr Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former leader of the UN General Assembly, whose peacekeeping skills were put to the test during the Rwandan Genocide.
Gulf War Syndrome
December 13, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBMadeleine Albright becomes the first Secretary of State in America, and investigations reveal a possible chemical cause of Gulf War Syndrome.
Permissive California
December 06, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBCults of California, tolerance in San Francisco, and the permissive parenting backlash are discussed by Alistair Cooke in this week's Letter From America.
Thanksgiving in California
November 29, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBFrom California, Alistair Cooke examines the un-politicised institution of Thanksgiving and the changing face of US politics.
Sexual harassment in the armed forces
November 22, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBAfter public revelations of cases of sexual violence in the US Army and Navy Alistair Cooke examines the scandal of the sexual harassment of women in America's armed forces.
US intervention in Rwanda
November 15, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBUS intervention in the Rwandan refugee crisis and the history of President Clinton's press conferences.
The 1996 presidential election
November 08, 1996 21:00 - 14 minutes - 13 MBThe results of the presidential elections and how technology is turning busy television studios into silent cathedrals, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.
Halloween, 1996
November 01, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBThe history Halloween, the origin of the vampire myth and the roaring business performed by pumpkin farmers during the month of October.
Forest fires, tornadoes and earthquakes
October 25, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBA season of disaster, forest fires, tornadoes, earthquakes and leads to a recollection of a vast storm in 1938 which descended on the Northern Atlantic coast.
The science of electoral predictions
October 18, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBThe science of electoral prediction and the possible pitfalls of keeping one ear to the ground following the Dole and Clinton debates.
Vice-presidential responsibilites
October 11, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBVice-presidential responsibilities, the careers of Bob Dole, Dan Quayle and Jack Kemp, and the false predictions of Lord Kelvin, Albert Einstein and Arthur C Clarke.
The 1996 presidential debates
October 04, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBThe first presidential debate between President Clinton and Mr Dole, and the unique election advantage gifted to incumbent presidents, the presidential halo.
Boris Yeltin's heart surgery
September 27, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 13 MBBoris Yeltsin's heart-bypass surgery and the cultures of secrecy that have surrounded the heath and governance of gravely ill leaders.
OJ Simpson's civil trial
September 20, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBAs O J Simpson's civil trial begins Alistair Cooke considers what can be gained from a civil suit and examines the differences in the way the new trial is being run.
The Defense Of Marriage Act 1996
September 13, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBThe Defense of Marriage Act and the implications it has to same sex marriage, and news from Bob Dole's floundering presidential campaign.
Cruise missile strike in Iraq
September 06, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBThe US cruise missile strike in Iraq, the claims that the first Gulf War was left unfinished and the complexities of the first conflict, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.
Chicago and the Democratic convention
August 30, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBThe Democratic Party convention returning to Chicago, the history of the city and the 'circus within a plague' of the last, disastrous conference of 1968.
The return of Ross Perot and US social concerns
August 23, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBThe return of Ross Perot as a presidential candidate, the prohibition of third-trimester abortions, the proliferation of guns and the education of children about global warming.
The 1996 Republican convention
August 16, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBThe history of the party nomination conventions, the switch to the primary election as the method of choosing a presidential candidate, and Bill Clinton's lead in the polls.
Atlanta Olympics 1996
August 09, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBThe commercialisation and crass television coverage of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and the effect that an influx of money has on sport.
The welfare and healthcare reform debate
August 02, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBThe presidential race, US welfare and healthcare reform and the prurience and pressure surrounding the TWA flight 800 crash investigation.
The TWA Flight 800 crash
July 26, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBThe TWA Flight 800 crash and the media coverage of the accident, the casino life of the financial markets and Bob Dole's reluctance to embrace the 1990s.
The Helms-Burton Bill
July 19, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBThe Helms-Burton bill, which penalises foreign companies doing business with Cuba, Senator Jessie Helms and tobacco , and the importance of Southern states to President Clinton.
Melvin Belli (1907-1996)
July 12, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 13 MBA reflection on the life and legal crusade of the flamboyant US celebrity lawyer Melvin Belli, self-proclaimed defender of the 'little helpless guy'.
1996 Russian presidential elections
July 05, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBBoris Yeltsin's victory in the Russian presidential elections, the relative novelty of universal suffrage in the West and the need for democracy, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.
Max Factor Jr and make-up (1904 - 1996)
June 21, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBThe death of Max Factor Jnr. and the origin of the word "make-up" are the subjects considered by Alistair Cooke.
Bob Dole to run for president
June 14, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBWith Bob Dole resigning from the Senate, Alistair Cooke examines the legislator's time as Senate leader and explores the uncertain future of the Republican Party.
Timothy Leary (1920 -1996)
June 07, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBThe death of Timothy Leary, the impact of LSD in the 1960s, and the need for each generation to rebel against the one before, as chronicled by Alistair Cooke.
Memorial Day, 1996
May 31, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBMemorial Day, now indistinguishable from Veteran's Day, leads Cooke to consider on how recognition of military service has changed and, how Bill Clinton joined the US army.
Single issue groups
May 24, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBThe unique power of single issue groups in American presidential elections and President Clinton's stance on gay marriage are discussed by Alistair Cooke.
The debate over assisted suicide
May 17, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBThe preparations for the upcoming presidential elections, and the resurgence of the legal and moral debate over assisted suicide in the US, as considered by Alistair Cooke.
Diplomacy and the Star Wars defence program
May 10, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBThe diplomacies of Wilson and Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan's Star Wars defence programme, and the American response to international elections, as detailed by Alistair Cooke.
Kennedy's rocking chair
May 03, 1996 20:00 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBThe sale of President Kennedy's rocking chair, JFK's ailments and the discreetness of the press, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.
Erma Bombeck
April 26, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBThe life and work of columnist Erma Bombeck, "America's only woman humourist", and writer of "At Wit's End", is remembered by Alistair Cooke.
The South Florida University bomb
April 19, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBThe University of South Florida's reaction to a bomb threat leads Alistair Cooke to consider the emergence and nature of America's new anti-terrorism laws.
The Montana Freemen
April 12, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBThe rise of Montana's armed insurgents, their historical inheritance and their opposition in the FBI, as chronicled by Alistair Cooke.
Euthanasia and the terminally ill
April 05, 1996 20:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBEuthanasia, and the right to die for the terminally ill, the case of Karen Ann Quinlan, and Dr Jack Kevorkian, the Michigan doctor who has helped 27 dying people.
Perot, Buchanan and Dole
March 29, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBRoss Perot and Pat Buchanan's challenge to Bob Dole in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and how a thief in the night may yet undo Bill Clinton.
The first Letter from America 1946
March 22, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBOn the 50th anniversary of his Letter from America broadcasts Alistair Cooke re-presents the first talk, describing his return from an austere Britain to a bountiful New York.
Lockerbie and anti-terror laws
March 15, 1996 21:00 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBThe Lockerbie bombing, the unpredictable threat of terrorism and the difficulty of making anti-terror laws compatible with constitutional rights, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.
Churchill's Soviet warning and the Chinese threat
March 08, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBFifty years after Churchill's speech warning of Soviet ambitions in Europe, Alistair Cooke considers the new threat posed by communist China.
Pat Buchanan and divisions with the Republican Party
February 23, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBPresidential candidate Pat Buchanan, divisions within the Republican Party and the greatest anxiety of "middle America" are discussed by Alistair Cooke.
The US tax system
February 16, 1996 21:00 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBThe varied nature of democratic governments, the legal and political powers of state government and the arcane operation of the US tax system are considered by Alistair Cooke.
Great American frauds
February 09, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBPhineas T Barnum, Hershel Geguzin and Ruldolph Walter Wanderone, three notable fraudsters, are all profiled by Alistair Cooke.
The 1996 New Hampshire primary
February 02, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBThe importance of the New Hampshire primary election in the race to become president is the subject of a discussion by Alistair Cooke.
Clinton's State Of The Union address
January 26, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBPresident Clinton's State of the Union Address and the origins and purposes of the grand jury system.
Hilary Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt and Abigail Smith
January 19, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBThe controversy surrounding Hilary Clinton's involvement in the presidency and the actions of Mrs Roosevelt and Mrs Adams, are the subject of a comparison by Alistair Cooke.
The snow of 1996, 1947 and 1888
January 12, 1996 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBThe New York blizzard of 1996, the great snowfall of 1947 and the "paralysing anxiety" during the blizzard of 1888, as chronicled by Alistair Cooke.
Government services and the budget bill
January 05, 1996 21:00 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBA halt on US Government services and the consequence of the refusal to pass a continuing resolution on the Budget Balancing Bill, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.