Letter from America: The Clinton Years (1993-1996)
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
A Nation of hair stylists
13 Jan 1995
Contributed by Lukas
The nature of reviewing the past and predicting the future, and musings on how abstract votes will affect the nomination of Democratic presidential ca...
Clinton and 'Me too' Democrats
06 Jan 1995
Contributed by Lukas
Newt Gingrich becomes speaker of the US House of Representatives. American apathy towards foreign policy and Clinton's shift towards the centre are ex...
Barry Goldwater, and Reagan's speech
30 Dec 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Former Senator Barry Goldwater, the speech that won Ronald Reagan the Governorship of California and the state of the Republican Party in 1994 are ass...
Carter's diplomacy and White House security
23 Dec 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Jimmy Carter's diplomatic efforts, the security problems faced by the White House and the size of Lyndon Johnson's handkerchief are mused over by Alis...
OJ Simpson and the legal process, 1994
16 Dec 1994
Contributed by Lukas
A mass shooting on a Long Island commuter train, the OJ Simpson trial and the litigation involved in becoming a US citizen lead Cooke to discuss the l...
Cable TV and local news
09 Dec 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The rise of cable television and the difficulty it creates when trying to find a truly local news story, discussed by Alistair Cooke in San Francisco.
Bosnia and the power of NATO
02 Dec 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The erosion of San Franciscan water pipes, the continuing conflict in Bosnia and the American feeling that NATO is becoming a redundant entity are dis...
Newt Gingrich and the constitution
25 Nov 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Newt Gingrich is installed as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alistair Cooke examines his suggested amendments to the constitution, and the l...
Clinton on welfare and free trade
18 Nov 1994
Contributed by Lukas
President Clinton's failure to deliver on welfare reform, the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the need for speculation in journa...
Clinton's medical reforms
11 Nov 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The Republican landslide Senate victory leads Alistair Cooke to critique Clinton's medical reform and recalls presidents who have triumphed in the fac...
Halloween 1994
04 Nov 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The history of Halloween, how a rise in street crime has affected the celebration and the objections of the Christian right, are discussed by Alistair...
The Kennedy Family
28 Oct 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Senator Edward Kennedy and Mitt Romney's televised debate before the 1994 Congressional elections provides an opportunity to discuss the history of th...
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
21 Oct 1994
Contributed by Lukas
A new American ally is assessed by Alistair Cooke, following the donation of four billion dollars to North Korea to curb the production of nuclear arm...
Diane Feinstein's forestry bill
14 Oct 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Senator Diane Feinstein's heroic effort to pass a bill in Congress for the protection of 6 million acres of Californian desert highlights the drama of...
North Korean nuclear development
30 Sep 1994
Contributed by Lukas
North Korea's persistent nuclear development puts the UN in a tough situation; Cooke wonders whether Jimmy Carters diplomatic discussions or the UN Fo...
American troops in Haiti
23 Sep 1994
Contributed by Lukas
As American troops enter Haiti, Alistair Cooke chronicles President Clinton's motivations for intervening in the conflict and explains Jimmy Carter's ...
American political underdogs
16 Sep 1994
Contributed by Lukas
How President Clinton's position will be affected by the upcoming congressional elections leads Cooke to recall the underdogs and upsets from the hist...
Employment in America
09 Sep 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Employment in America, and attempts to define the modern working population are discussed by Cooke, following the cancellation of the Labor Day parade...
Allied troops leave Berlin in 1994
02 Sep 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The Allied troop withdrawals from Berlin prompt Alistair Cooke to remember the division of Germany following the Second World War.
USA, Cuba, and Guantanamo Bay
26 Aug 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The US role in the Cuban War of Independence and how America is housing Cuban refugees in the Guantanamo Bay facility are considered by Alistair Cooke...
Johnny Madison Williams
19 Aug 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Bank robber Johnny Madison Williams Junior's story, leads Cooke to explore the concept of the crook as a national hero, and anticipate the fallout fr...
Community policing, protest and riots
12 Aug 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The FBI's powers, the need for "community policing", and the history of protest at UC Berkley are discussed by Alistair Cooke following a riot in Harl...
Preserving the peace in Serbia
05 Aug 1994
Contributed by Lukas
America's historic obligation to preserving the peace and protecting the innocent in Greater Serbia, discussed by Alistair Cooke.
Nuclear non-proliferation
29 Jul 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Kathleen Bailey, a straight talking organiser shakes up a world conference at Livermore, with the renewal of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Arthur C Clarke
22 Jul 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 collision with Jupiter leads Alistair Cooke to discuss the thinning of the ozone layer and the work of Arthur C Clarke.
Haiti
15 Jul 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Clinton's desire for a stronger relationship with Germany, the history of Haiti and the latest developments in the OJ Simpson case are mulled over by ...
OJ Simpson media coverage
08 Jul 1994
Contributed by Lukas
How the OJ Simpson trial is being reported on either side of the Atlantic, and some parallels with the abdication of Edward VIII are discussed by Alis...
OJ Simpson trial
01 Jul 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Unceasing rumours surrounding the OJ Simpson trial make Alistair Cooke reflect on the American desire to know the verdict before hearing the facts.
American sport
24 Jun 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The state of sport in America is assessed by Alistair Cooke as the 1994 World Cup commences. And he commemorates the final allied troops leaving Berli...
Clinton and Gonzales
17 Jun 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The leadership of Clinton and Felipe Gonzalez of Spain is compared by Cooke, who explores how the public expectations of elected officials have change...
Clinton and the military
10 Jun 1994
Contributed by Lukas
President Clinton's relationship with the military is explored by Alistair Cooke, who considers whether his lack of active service places him in a com...
50th anniversary of D Day, 1994
03 Jun 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The Polish contribution to the Normandy landings are examined by Cooke following the 50th D Day commemorations, including why recent allied operations...
Pearl White
27 May 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Silent movie actress Pearl White (1889-1938), the case against Dan Rostenkowski and the latest allegations levelled against President Clinton are dis...
Health bill and Brown v Board Board of Education
20 May 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Clinton's controversial health bill, and the impact of the famous Brown v Board of Education case 1954, 40 years ago, including its unintended consequ...
American education
13 May 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The American education system is examined by Alistair Cooke, who considers the rise of progressive schools and asks whether an increase in home school...
President Clinton's first 15 months
06 May 1994
Contributed by Lukas
President Clinton's first 15 months in office and the challenges he faces both at home, and abroad including, the looming crisis in Haiti are reflecte...
Richard Nixon: his great work
29 Apr 1994
Contributed by Lukas
In his assessment of Richard Nixon, Alistair Cooke details the life of the only president to resign from office, including his work in China and the W...
Michael Fay in Singapore
22 Apr 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Following the detention of 18 year old Michael Fay, an American citizen in Singapore, Alistair Cooke looks at what Fay's treatment can tell us about S...
Clinton’s global reputation
15 Apr 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The manipulative power of magazines, President Clinton's reputation abroad and the public demand for representation are explored by Alistair Cooke in ...
Justice Blackman retires
08 Apr 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The retirement of Justice Blackman from the Supreme Court of Justice reminds Alistair Cooke of the good, the bad and the senile aspects of law making....
Whitewater
01 Apr 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The Whitewater investigation, the reaction to Hilary Clinton's controversial financial dealings and the workings of the commodities market are explain...
Admiral William J Crowe
25 Mar 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Admiral William J Crowe, the newly appointed American Ambassador to the United Kingdom, is profiled by Alistair Cooke.
The tobacco industry, and Tonya Harding
18 Mar 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The uncertain future of America's tobacco industry and the growing problem of plea bargains after the trial of figure skater Tonya Harding are discuss...
The survival of immigrants in America
11 Mar 1994
Contributed by Lukas
A 1930's tourist guide describing Boston's demographic make-up makes Alistair Cooke reflect on how immigrants survive and prosper in America.
Nixon, 'and the rest you know'...
04 Mar 1994
Contributed by Lukas
How the wistful sign off "and the rest you know" at the end of Alistair Cooke's letter on how congressional moves to impeach Richard Nixon came about.
Military intervention in Bosnia
25 Feb 1994
Contributed by Lukas
President Clinton's concerns over US military intervention, a newfound resolve over the war in Bosnia and a bogeyman in the shape of a Russian bear ar...
History of chocolate
19 Feb 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The history of chocolate and how new research is re-defining it as an unlikely health food is considered by Alistair Cooke, on his travels to Californ...
Clinton’s draft dodge
11 Feb 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Clinton's draft dodging during the Vietnam War is remembered by Alistair Cooke upon hearing that America's trade embargo on Vietnam is soon to be...
How ice cream changed America
04 Feb 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Reuben Mattus, the inventor of Haagen-Dazs ice-cream, reminds Alistair Cooke of other immigrants who have shaped America.
The Bobbitt case
28 Jan 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Lorena Bobbitt's acquittal for cutting off her husband's penis causes Alistair Cooke to reflect on legal definitions of insanity in the state of Virgi...
Freezing weather and earthquakes in 1994
21 Jan 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The exceptionally cold weather scouring America, the earthquake in southern California and the conclusion of the Iran-Contra affair investigation are ...
Tip O'Neill
14 Jan 1994
Contributed by Lukas
The life and career of 'essential Boston Irish Catholic Democrat' and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill (1912- 199...
New Year's Resolutions
07 Jan 1994
Contributed by Lukas
Alistair Cooke looks at the changing fashions in New Year's resolutions, and the success of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Christmas, and Alistair Cooke meets a computer
30 Dec 1993
Contributed by Lukas
A 1940s style flight to Vermont brings Alistair Cooke to his family and a computer which has swallowed several libraries, a few archives and already k...
The constitution and religious festivals in America
24 Dec 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The difficulty of celebrating a religious festival in America without behaving unconstitutionally, A Christmas Carol, Washington style and the Park La...
The GATT agreement and peace talks in Northern Ireland
17 Dec 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The GATT Trade Agreement, the prospect of peace in Northern Ireland, electoral defeat for Russian authoritarian Vladimir Zhirinovsky and nuclear weapo...
The Long Island train shootings and gun control
10 Dec 1993
Contributed by Lukas
A random multiple murder on a Long Island train, America's problem with guns, the future for gun control and the failure of the 'Brady Bill'.
The first World AIDS Day
03 Dec 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The first World AIDS Day, reaction to the disease from sufferers and the public and an interruption to an unusually heartfelt speech by President Clin...
Thirtieth anniversary of Kennedy assassination, 1993
26 Nov 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Searching for a fair evaluation of John F Kennedy's life, 30 years after his assasination and how the significance of anniversaries is transformed by ...
Personality in politics
19 Nov 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Examining the surprising result of a debate between the 'boring' Al Gore and 'sassy' Ross Perot and how the reputations of politicians are formed by t...
The 'Brady Bill' and the New England fall
12 Nov 1993
Contributed by Lukas
A blazing New England fall offers relief from the violence and disaster of the television news and Congress passes the 'Brady Bill' for gun control.
Balancing domestic and foreign policy
05 Nov 1993
Contributed by Lukas
President Clinton's struggle to balance the demands of foreign and domestic policy, war in Bosnia and Somalia, free trade and healthcare in an complex...
America's problem with gun ownership
29 Oct 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The problem of US gun ownership, why the constitution doesn't actually guarantee a right to bear arms and the increased likelihood of a 'Brady Bill' f...
The social effect of TV violence
22 Oct 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The Senate Committee considering the social effect of television violence, the history of concerns about the influence of immorality in the media and ...
Aphasia and studying the human brain
15 Oct 1993
Contributed by Lukas
A study examining the effect of Mozart on intelligence and how people affected by aphasia offer revelations about the way in which the brain deals wit...
Clinton's foreign policy issues
08 Oct 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Alistair Cooke examines some of the foreign policy issues that the Clinton administration has found itself involved in, less than a year into his pres...
The health reform bill
01 Oct 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The progress of a major health reform bill, the extensive involvement of Hilary Clinton and ex-ambassador George F Kennan's opinions on US foreign pol...
Feminism in American 1993
24 Sep 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The Miss America Pageant, the progress of feminism in the US, 25 years of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique and the problem of sexual harassment.
Deaths of tourists in Florida
17 Sep 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Florida stops all tourism advertising after the deaths of 9 foreign visitors in 1992, Alistair Cooke considers the scale of the threat and the amplify...
US immigrants and identity
10 Sep 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The replacement of American unity with old world identities in immigrant communities old and new and the decision to re-route New York's jets for the ...
Labor Day and school closures
03 Sep 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The history of Labor Day and why hundreds of thousands of pupils in Chicago and New York won't go back to school after their summer holiday.
The Korean war and political holidays
27 Aug 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The real reason the Russians never vetoed US military action in Korea and the media's interest in political holidays are examined, as Alistair Cooke a...
Presidential recreation
20 Aug 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The meaning attached to the time presidents spend on vacation, recreation and playing sport in light of the Clinton family's holiday in Martha's Viney...
Obscenity and public art funding
13 Aug 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Controversy over public art funding in the US, the struggles of the National Endowment for the Arts and the history of attempts to protect the public ...
America's exceptional weather
06 Aug 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Examining an unseasonably hot San Francisco summer and why America's weather, drowning Missouri and parching Georgia, is in the wrong place and refusi...
General Matthew Ridgeway
30 Jul 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The death of General Matthew Ridgeway, his rise to prominence during US intervention in Korea, his stance on nuclear weapons and the nature of 'good w...
Mississippi relief package
23 Jul 1993
Contributed by Lukas
How will President Clinton pay for his Mississippi flood relief package in a time of austerity? How Reganism and Thatcherism are still powerful forces...
Choosing a US ambassador to London
16 Jul 1993
Contributed by Lukas
President Clinton's planned replacement of Raymond Sites with Admiral William Crowe as ambassador to London and the sometimes dubious history of US di...
The Tokyo G8 summit and unemployment
09 Jul 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The activities of the 1992 G8 summit in Tokyo and the ways in which governments through history have dealt with the problem of unemployment.
US foreign policy in Bosnia
02 Jul 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Tennis player Goran Ivaniševic's demand to be recognised as Croatian, the escalating failure of US foreign policy in Bosnia and a puzzling missile at...
The Haitian refugees enter America
25 Jun 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The US government allows the Haitian refugees held at Guantanamo Bay to enter the US and considering the chequered history of immigration into New Yor...
President Clinton's alcohol and tobacco taxes
18 Jun 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The ramifications of President Clinton's attempt to introduce 'sin taxes' on alcohol and tobacco.
The future of advertising
11 Jun 1993
Contributed by Lukas
A dystopian future for advertising and the people planning to put messages on animals, the wind and the edge of space.
Gary Graham and the death penalty
04 Jun 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Texas death row inmate Gary Graham, the vagaries of constitutional interpretation, state law and the legal complexities of the death penalty.
Hair Force One
28 May 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Clinton's falling approval rating, accusations of cronyism, the importance of the trivial in presidential politics and what happens when a boy from Ar...
The closing of the San Francisco Presidio
21 May 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Alistair Cooke reflects on the closing of the San Francisco Presidio, a historic military base that has been a garrison for over 200 years.
Racial tensions in New York
14 May 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The history of racial tensions in New York, the gap between policy ideals and their reality and the chaos caused by the presidential visits to the cit...
President Clinton's first 100 days in office
07 May 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The successes and failures of President Clinton's first 100 days in office and how the Roosevelt presidency set the benchmark for judging a new Presid...
Economic recession and military spending cuts
30 Apr 1993
Contributed by Lukas
The possibility of the US sliding back into economic depression and the ramifications of Clinton's military spending cuts in California.
Rodney King trial
23 Apr 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Examination of Rodney King's second trial for civil rights violations after being beaten by police. His first trial acquitted the officers and caused ...
Prisoner rehabilitation
16 Apr 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Alistair Cooke remembers reporting on the 100th Anniversary of the California gold rush and contemplates the pros and cons of prisoner rehabilitation.
The history of US-Russia summits
05 Apr 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Yeltsin and Clinton meet in Vancouver and Alistair Cooke considers the eventful history of US-Russia summits and what purpose they serve after the Col...
Bill Clinton's Presidential Honeymoon
02 Apr 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Expensive Britain, Bill Clinton's Presidential Honeymoon and Screen Violence are examined by Alistair Cooke.
Ambassador Raymond G H Seitz
26 Mar 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Raymond G H Seitz becomes the first career diplomat to be appointed as United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James's.
The Irish in New York City
19 Mar 1993
Contributed by Lukas
An attempt by the Ancient Order of Hibernians to ban the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organisation from New York's St. Patrick's Day parade is examined by Al...
David Koresh and Reverend Jim Jones
12 Mar 1993
Contributed by Lukas
An FBI raid on David Koresh's religious camp in Mount Carmel reminds Alistair Cooke of the cult leader Reverend Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple, and t...
World Trade Centre basement explosion
05 Mar 1993
Contributed by Lukas
An explosion in the basement of the World Trade Centre, the resultant shock and speculation and the remarkable calm of people temporarily trapped insi...
James Baker and Clinton's deficit
26 Feb 1993
Contributed by Lukas
Outgoing cabinet member James Baker, President Clinton's failure to deliver on his campaign promise of a tax cut for the middle class, and the true co...
Zoe Baird and American childcare
19 Feb 1993
Contributed by Lukas
What the blocking of proposed Attorney General, Zoe Baird, reveals about US childcare, why Americans employ illegal immigrants and the fashion for gov...
Government waste and White House job cuts
12 Feb 1993
Contributed by Lukas
President Clinton's proposal to cut government waste, George Bush's dislike of broccoli, and a reduction in the number of staff in the White House, as...