Roundup

William Hague on William Pitt the Younger [audio 30min]

James Naughtie and an audience of readers are joined by British MP and former leader of the Conservative Party William Hague to discuss his 2004 biography of William Pitt the Younger, who became the youngest ever Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24. Hague's book offers many insights into the life of an extraordinary man who dominated politics in his time, dominated British politics (and especially the House of Commons itself) in the era of the aftermath of the American revolution, the French

William F. Buckley, Jr., remembered [audio 6min]

This week marked the passing of editor, publisher, columnist, author and TV host William F. Buckley, Jr., one of the most prominent media figures of the 20th century. But to remember Buckley as just a media phenomenon may be giving him short shrift.

Anthony Lewis & Ronald Collins: The First Amendment [video 58min]

Anthony Lewis, author of Freedom for the Thought We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment, is interviewed by Ronald Collins, a scholar at the First Amendment Center. Lewis recounts the different interpretations of the First Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1791 and first enforced by the Supreme Court in 1931. He profiles the people and controversies that have shaped today's understanding of the First Amendment and the current arguments that surround freedom of expression. Lewi

Death in Anglesey [audio 15min]

Over a series of five programmes, archaeologist Dr George Nash of Bristol University visits five rock art sites in England, Wales, Ireland, Portugal and Italy, to attempt to unravel the real, hidden meaning of rock art. Who creates rock art, and why? Can our present day graffiti artists provide some clues? In Programme Five,"The Architecture of Death", George Nash, Cadw officer Mike Yates and rock art photographer Adam Stanford visit Barclodiady-Gawres

The New Deal presidential campaign of 1932 [video 57min]

Donald Ritchie, associate historian at the U.S. Senate Historical Office, recounts the presidential election of 1932, which pitted Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his New Deal policy platform against the incumbent, Herbert Hoover. Ritchie follows the election from the primaries to the enactment of the New Deal. He is the author of several books, including Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps. He presented his book Electing FDR at the Library of Congres

Digitally reassembling shredded Stasi files [audio 6min]

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the East German secret police scrambled to shred the records they'd been keeping on their citizens. German computer scientists are now digitally reassembling 600 million scraps of paper from life under the Stasi. Reporter Andrew Curry chronicled the process for Wired magazine.

Jason Emerson on 'The Madness of Mary Lincoln' [video 45min]

Jason Emerson, author of The Madness of Mary Lincoln: A New Examination Based on the Discovery of Her Lost Insanity Letters, discusses the mental health of Mary Lincoln as revealed in recently discovered letters written by Mary Lincoln while she was confined in a mental hospital. Emerson is a journalist, newsletter publisher and freelance writer, and was a National Park Service park ranger at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and at Gettysburg National Military Park. He spoke at the

Art in World War I trenches [audio 30min]

Historian David Snow joins an archaeolological dig in the WWI trenches in Thiepval Wood in France, the site of the worst fighting in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. It is dangerous ground. There were four million tons of shells brought here during the war, and one in three of those shells remains unexploded in this ground. This is a no man's land, an unofficial cemetery. In addition to putting together the story of the 36th Ulster Regiment stationed there, the team of volunteers, historians and

"Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism" [audio 71min]

George Kenney, who blogs at Electric Politics, says protectionism can be a good thing. He adds that protectionism, in fact, is the only way that a developing country can become developed and the only way an industrial country like the U.S. can retain its industrial base and high standard of living in the face of wage arbitrage by large corporations that offshore their operations. Praising the argument of Ha-Joon Chang, Kenney says,"A rational high c

Iraq War costs, Bush 43 v. Bush 41, Margaret Thatcher, Dorothy Wordsworth [audio 45min]

"Start the Week" sets the cultural agenda every Monday. Guests are drawn from the top movers and shakers in politics, history, science and the arts. This week's guests, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, writer and political commentator Jacob Weisberg, former Conservative Party MP Michael Portillo, and biographer Frances Wilson, discuss the costs of the Iraq War, Bush 43 v. Bush 41, Margaret Thatcher, and Dorothy Wordsworth. The White House originally estimated the Iraq war would cos

Who was the mysterious Master of Paspardo? [audio 15min]

Over a series of five programmes, archaeologist Dr George Nash of Bristol University visits five rock art sites in England, Wales, Ireland, Portugal and Italy, to attempt to unravel the real, hidden meaning of rock art. Who creates rock art, and why? Can our present day graffiti artists provide some clues? In Programme Four, "The Master of Paspardo", Italian archaeologists Professor Angelo Fossati and Dr Andrea Arca show Nash round the biggest rock art area in Europe. There are an asto

Executive power and Congressional oversight [audio 51min]

Diane Rehm hosts a discussion of what many constitutional scholars and former government officials see as the expanding role of the Executive Branch since 9/11, and whether Congress is fulfilling its constitutional role of legislative oversight. Guests: Bruce Fein, former associate deputy attorney general, Republican counsel during the Iran-contra hearings, and founding partner with the Lichfield Group; Lou Fisher, a specialist in constitutional law with the Law Library of the Library of Congres

New evidence on JFK assassination [audio 51min]

Recently released documents and artifacts related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy raise new questions about his murder. Historians weighing in on unanswered questions about the killing of JFK are Max Holland, author of The Kennedy Assassination Tapes; Gary Mack, curator, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Dallas; and David Kaiser, professor of history at the Naval War College and author of American Tragedy.

Eric Burns on the Founding Fathers' pursuit of fame [video 41min]

Historian and media critic Eric Burns explores the ways in which the Founding Fathers mantained their image and how they exploited their political fame to futher their ideologies. Burns is host of"Fox News Watch" and A&E's"Arts & Entertainment Revue," and the author of Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism and The Spirits of America: A Social History of Alcohol. He presented his book Virtue, Valor, & Vanity at Politics and

Naftali discusses his George H.W. Bush biography [video 72min]

Timothy Naftali, historian and director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, profiles the presidency of George H.W. Bush. Naftali contends that the 41st President had to make difficult economic decisions following the fiscal exuberance of the Reagan administration. Naftali is the author of numerous books, including Khrushchev's Cold War: The Inside Story of an American Adversary and Blind Spot: The Secret History of American Counterterrorism. He discussed his book at the Amer

Northern family confronts legacy as largest slave-trading dynasty in U.S. history [video 75min]

Seven years ago Thomas DeWolf discovered he was the descendent of the largest slave-trading dynasty in America. He and a group of distant cousins traveled to Bristol, R.I., the home of their ancestor and slave trader Senator James DeWolf and to West Africa and Cuba to confront their family's past. DeWolf served as an elected local official in Oregon, concentrating on the arts and children's issues. He presented his book Inheriting the Trade at Linden Place Museum in Bristol, R.I., on Jan

Edward Lengel on WWI's Meuse-Argonne Offensive [video 64min]

Edward Lengel recounts the World War I battle at Meuse-Argonne in France, which took place over six weeks in 1918. The conflict entailed the deaths of 26,000 American soldiers and led to the signing of the armistice that ended the First World War. He profiles several of the soldiers who participated in the battle, including Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, and Harry Truman. Lengel is an associate history professor at the University of Virginia and the author of numerous books, including Gene

U.S. Capitol is monument to African-American slaves who built it [video 2min]

Author and AP writer Jesse Holland tells some of the history behind the U.S. Capitol - history that includes slave labor building much of the government's seat. Holland has written a book about the role blacks played in building Washington, Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African-American History in and around Washington, D. C.

PBS documentary 'Banished' recounts history of forced segregation [audio 14min]

Many stories have been left out of the history books. A new documentary seeks to tell these stories. Nearly a century ago, from the 1860s to the 1870s, thousands of African-Americans were forced by white people to flee their homes and neighborhoods in communities across America. Their stories of this forced segregation are told in Banished, a new documentary airing on February 19th 2008 on the PBS program Independent Lens. The film's director, Marco Williams, explains the project,

Secrets of Stonehenge [audio 30min]

Francis Pryor reports on a vast archaeological project on England's Salisbury Plain, where a team led by Prof Mike Parker Pearson is challenging existing theories about the Neolithic society that built Stonehenge, the reason for the site's location and its purpose. Pryor is a retired British archaeologist specialising in the Bronze and Iron Ages. He is famous for his role in the discovery of Flag Fen, an English Bronze Age site, and appears frequently on British radio and television.