Letter from America by Alistair Cooke: The Clinton Years (1993-1996)
Channel Details
Letter from America by Alistair Cooke: The Clinton Years (1993-1996)
Bill 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-A...
Recent Episodes
206 episodes
A history of Father Christmas
Santa 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...
UN Leader Mr Boutros Boutros-Ghali
A tribute to Mr Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former leader of the UN General Assembly, whose peacekeeping skills were put to the test during the Rwandan Gen...
Gulf War Syndrome
Madeleine Albright becomes the first Secretary of State in America, and investigations reveal a possible chemical cause of Gulf War Syndrome.
Permissive California
Cults of California, tolerance in San Francisco, and the permissive parenting backlash are discussed by Alistair Cooke in this week's Letter From Amer...
Thanksgiving in California
From California, Alistair Cooke examines the un-politicised institution of Thanksgiving and the changing face of US politics.
Sexual harassment in the armed forces
After 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...
US intervention in Rwanda
US intervention in the Rwandan refugee crisis and the history of President Clinton's press conferences.
The 1996 presidential election
The results of the presidential elections and how technology is turning busy television studios into silent cathedrals, as discussed by Alistair Cooke...
Halloween, 1996
The 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
A season of disaster, forest fires, tornadoes, earthquakes and leads to a recollection of a vast storm in 1938 which descended on the Northern Atlanti...
The science of electoral predictions
The science of electoral prediction and the possible pitfalls of keeping one ear to the ground following the Dole and Clinton debates.
Vice-presidential responsibilites
Vice-presidential responsibilities, the careers of Bob Dole, Dan Quayle and Jack Kemp, and the false predictions of Lord Kelvin, Albert Einstein and A...
The 1996 presidential debates
The first presidential debate between President Clinton and Mr Dole, and the unique election advantage gifted to incumbent presidents, the presidentia...
Boris Yeltin's heart surgery
Boris 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
As 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 tria...
The Defense Of Marriage Act 1996
The 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
The 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...
Chicago and the Democratic convention
The Democratic Party convention returning to Chicago, the history of the city and the 'circus within a plague' of the last, disastrous conference of 1...
The return of Ross Perot and US social concerns
The return of Ross Perot as a presidential candidate, the prohibition of third-trimester abortions, the proliferation of guns and the education of chi...
The 1996 Republican convention
The history of the party nomination conventions, the switch to the primary election as the method of choosing a presidential candidate, and Bill Clint...
Atlanta Olympics 1996
The 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
The presidential race, US welfare and healthcare reform and the prurience and pressure surrounding the TWA flight 800 crash investigation.
The TWA Flight 800 crash
The 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 199...
The Helms-Burton Bill
The Helms-Burton bill, which penalises foreign companies doing business with Cuba, Senator Jessie Helms and tobacco , and the importance of Southern...
Melvin Belli (1907-1996)
A 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
Boris Yeltsin's victory in the Russian presidential elections, the relative novelty of universal suffrage in the West and the need for democracy, as d...
Max Factor Jr and make-up (1904 - 1996)
The 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
With Bob Dole resigning from the Senate, Alistair Cooke examines the legislator's time as Senate leader and explores the uncertain future of the Repub...
Timothy Leary (1920 -1996)
The 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 Alistai...
Memorial Day, 1996
Memorial Day, now indistinguishable from Veteran's Day, leads Cooke to consider on how recognition of military service has changed and, how Bill Clint...
Single issue groups
The unique power of single issue groups in American presidential elections and President Clinton's stance on gay marriage are discussed by Alistair Co...
The debate over assisted suicide
The preparations for the upcoming presidential elections, and the resurgence of the legal and moral debate over assisted suicide in the US, as conside...
Diplomacy and the Star Wars defence program
The diplomacies of Wilson and Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan's Star Wars defence programme, and the American response to international elections, as detaile...
Kennedy's rocking chair
The sale of President Kennedy's rocking chair, JFK's ailments and the discreetness of the press, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.
Erma Bombeck
The 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
The 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...
The Montana Freemen
The 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
Euthanasia, 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 d...
Perot, Buchanan and Dole
Ross 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 B...
The first Letter from America 1946
On the 50th anniversary of his Letter from America broadcasts Alistair Cooke re-presents the first talk, describing his return from an austere Britain...