Letter from America: The Reagan Years (1981-1988)

US interference in UK politics

03 Oct 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Labour policy on nuclear weapons could change US-UK alliance, says Weinberger.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two l...

United Nations in decline

26 Sep 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Public confidence in the United Nations at its lowest as it loses its ability to adjudicate on international troubles.This archive edition of Letter f...

Tougher drug laws

19 Sep 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Politicians seen to join the 'rush to righteousness' as the anti-drugs crusade takes on a vote-catching twist.This archive edition of Letter from Amer...

Labor Day parades end

05 Sep 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Reagan's stand on air traffic controllers' strike blamed for loss of labour union power which has seen membership fall dramatically.This archive editi...

Keeping secrets

29 Aug 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the 'public knowledge' promised by the constitution, there are times when keeping decisions secret is the best policy.This archive edition of ...

Hotels for the homeless

22 Aug 1986

Contributed by Lukas

New York mayor to look at suggestion to house the city's homeless in empty hotel rooms.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one...

Drought hits farmers

15 Aug 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Government set to bail out farmers after worst drought for decades devastates crops and livestock.This archive edition of Letter from America was reco...

A small earthquake

08 Aug 1986

Contributed by Lukas

How to get on with Californian life when the next earthquake could well be the expected Big One.This archive edition of Letter from America was record...

Averell Harriman (1891-1986)

01 Aug 1986

Contributed by Lukas

A tribute to politician and diplomat Averell Harriman, former US Ambassador, Governor of New York and a leading official in the Roosevelt, Truman and ...

Drug addiction spreading

25 Jul 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Mrs Reagan's 'Say no to drugs' campaign isn't enough to tackle the growing social problem of addiction.This archive edition of Letter from America was...

A popular president

11 Jul 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Never take anything for granted - like why a president's popularity has nothing to do with his policies.This archive edition of Letter from America wa...

Independence Day celebrations, 1986

04 Jul 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Alistair Cooke looks at how Americans now celebrate Independence Day; and the current debates on immigration policy at the time of the 100th anniversa...

Sounding American, 1986

27 Jun 1986

Contributed by Lukas

An expert opinion on why Americans can't sound English - and the English can't sound American.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded...

Supreme Court changes

20 Jun 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Reagan's surprise announcement of new Supreme Court appointments could sway judgments on abortion.This archive edition of Letter from America was reco...

Ozone loss and cancer

13 Jun 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Time to stay out of the sun? Special Senate report links ozone loss with increasing skin cancers.This archive edition of Letter from America was recor...

Americans fly abroad again

06 Jun 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Resurgence of American bookings to European holiday spots as terrorism fears abate.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of ...

Yakima Canutt, 1986

30 May 1986

Contributed by Lukas

In praise of the little-known name behind the thrilling stunts of many big-name movie stars.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded b...

Chernobyl nuclear disaster, 1986

23 May 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Alistair Cooke on the political aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, differences in its reporting, and what lessons Gorbachev and Reagan can l...

Michael Deaver case

16 May 1986

Contributed by Lukas

US ethics committee to investigate allegations of improper lobbying by former White House aide Michael Deaver. The sound quality on this recording is ...

Growing US deficit

09 May 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Reagan gets thumbs-up from voters through tax cuts - despite national deficit rocketing into hundreds of billions. The sound quality on this recording...

Ukraine nuclear disaster

02 May 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Western Europe - in the direct line of contamination - clamours for more information about Ukraine nuclear power plant accident.This archive edition o...

US bombing of Libya, 1986

25 Apr 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Alistair Cooke on the aftermath of the US air raid on Libya of 15th April 1986, and the demands of pianist Vladimir Horowitz during his first visit to...

US attack on Libya

18 Apr 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Britain is the only Western European country to back US air strikes against terrorism headquarters in Libya.This archive edition of Letter from Americ...

TV violence

13 Apr 1986

Contributed by Lukas

When religion clashes with real-life fixtures, which wins? Does watching violent television or film lead to real acts of violence?

Americans stay at home

04 Apr 1986

Contributed by Lukas

After US-Libya stand-off, the threat of terrorism - aided by low fuel prices at home - see American travellers stick to their own continent.This archi...

US-Libya missile battle

28 Mar 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Political storm follows naval battle between US and Libya in Gulf of Sidra.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two list...

Loving Los Angeles

21 Mar 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Time to reconsider that smug, cliched view of the cultured city of Los Angeles.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two ...

International airlines in trouble

14 Mar 1986

Contributed by Lukas

The battle for market share of intercontinental air travel leaves major players in financial crisis.This archive edition of Letter from America was re...

Floods in California

07 Mar 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Homes and crops wiped out after massive flooding leaves northern California under water.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by on...

Marcos overthrown by people power

28 Feb 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Watching people power overthrow a dictator - and the new CNN news network showed us how it happened.This archive edition of Letter from America was re...

Reagan blunders over Marcos election

21 Feb 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Reagan statement about 'fraud on both sides' of Philippines election seen as huge blunder which could have left opposition to Marcos in a dangerous po...

Philippines election queried

14 Feb 1986

Contributed by Lukas

US queries organisation of snap election called by Philippines dictatorial President Marcos.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded b...

The US budget

09 Feb 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Which hand holds the US purse strings – is it the president's, or that of Congress?

Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger disaster, 1986

31 Jan 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Alistair Cooke reflects on the life and death of Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian astronaut who was killed in the space shuttle Challenger disast...

Loans warning on economy, January 1986

24 Jan 1986

Contributed by Lukas

International debt is threatening the stability of the world economy, warns MIT expert.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one...

Martin Luther King day

17 Jan 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Three years after it became law, a national holiday to celebrate the civil rights' leader is observed across the US.This archive edition of Letter fro...

Sanctions against Libya

10 Jan 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Gaddafi's public support of airport terrorists prompts US into imposing sanctions against Libya.This archive edition of Letter from America was record...

Reagan's Russian broadcast

03 Jan 1986

Contributed by Lukas

Reagan speaks to the Russians, Gorbachev to the Americans, in the first direct broadcasts to each nation.This archive edition of Letter from America w...

Paul Castellano shot dead

20 Dec 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Mafia family head killed in daylight shooting, confirming prejudice about crime and New York's Italian-Americans.This archive edition of Letter from A...

Some stories don't date

13 Dec 1985

Contributed by Lukas

You may think that today's news is fresh, but check the headlines and you'll see that some things just don't change.This archive edition of Letter fro...

Making assumptions

06 Dec 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Surveys question what we think must be so - which is why we should never make general assumptions.This archive edition of Letter from America was reco...

The computer age, 1985

29 Nov 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Computers are changing the way we live - but can they work out how we can live together?This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by on...

California's sea otters

22 Nov 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Not extinct, just hiding - California's sea otters return to their native waters.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of tw...

Old hatreds

15 Nov 1985

Contributed by Lukas

This time of remembrance begs the question of whether there is a set amount of time before old hatreds fade away. The sound quality on this recording ...

Tennessee jails crisis

08 Nov 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Tennessee judge demands that state resolves prison overcrowding so he can continue sentencing. The sound quality on this recording is variable/poor.Th...

US labour unions

01 Nov 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Labour unions lose power as disputes are settled by agreement rather than coercion.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of ...

Limousine envy, 1985

25 Oct 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Spectacle of world leaders competing for limo one-upmanship sums up the problem of the United Nations.This archive edition of Letter from America was ...

Cholesterol discovery wins Nobel prize

18 Oct 1985

Contributed by Lukas

University of Texas duo win Nobel prize for their work on cause of cholesterol build-up.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by on...

Achille Lauro hijack

11 Oct 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Americans seen to condone Israel attack on PLO following hijacking of Achille Lauro cruise ship.This archive edition of Letter from America was record...

Hurricane Gloria

04 Oct 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Living through Hurricane Gloria - thanks to the warnings from the weather forecasters. The sound quality on this recording is variable/poor.This archi...

1985 Mexico City Earthquake

27 Sep 1985

Contributed by Lukas

The aftermath of the 1985 earthquake in Mexico, the Canadian concern over the sulphur emissions from power plants in the American Mid-West, and the th...

On the 40th anniversary of the United Nations

20 Sep 1985

Contributed by Lukas

The 40th anniversary of the United Nations, the history of the organisation, and the security arrangements for the 1985 meeting of the Security Counci...

Summer's end, September 1985

13 Sep 1985

Contributed by Lukas

End of summer sees the holiday cottages empty and normal life resume in the coastal towns.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by ...

Hurricane Elena, 1985

06 Sep 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Hurricane Elena's path of destruction along the Florida coast, and the proposed raise in the legal drinking age from 18 or 19 to 21 in all but fifteen...

Kevin Curren and Flushing Meadows

30 Aug 1985

Contributed by Lukas

The defeat of Kevin Curren by Boris Becker at the 1985 Wimbledon tennis tournament, and the controversy surrounding the new home of the US tennis cham...

Moscow's spy dust

23 Aug 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Soviets admit to using chemical powder to trace movements and contacts of Americans living in Moscow.This archive edition of Letter from America was r...

General Douglas MacArthur and the Japanese surrender

16 Aug 1985

Contributed by Lukas

The 40th anniversary of the surrender of the Japanese at the end of the Second World War, the devastating hurricane in Galveston, Texas, and a profile...

The president's nose

09 Aug 1985

Contributed by Lukas

The president's skin cancer removal prompts reminders on the perils of sun bathing.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of ...

Francis Perkins and the US deficit

02 Aug 1985

Contributed by Lukas

A profile of Francis Perkins, the first woman cabinet officer in America, and columnist William Safire's grim evaluation of President Reagan's plan fo...

South Africa boycott

26 Jul 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Zulu chief Buthelezi wades US row over South Africa business boycott.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two listeners,...

Reagan has surgery

19 Jul 1985

Contributed by Lukas

President Reagan's surgery tops the news agenda; but there was a time when the president's health was a private matter.This archive edition of Letter ...

Sport and tax avoidance

12 Jul 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Top sports players who leave home to avoid paying taxes.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two listeners, who between ...

TWA hostages released

05 Jul 1985

Contributed by Lukas

President obliged to deny making a deal with the Israelis to prompt release of the TWA hostages.This archive edition of Letter from America was record...

No comment

28 Jun 1985

Contributed by Lukas

The press - and the country - does not always have the right to know everything that is going on to resolve the hostage crisis.This archive edition of...

TWA plane hijack

21 Jun 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Hijackers demand release of Israeli prisoners in exchange for passenger hostages from TWA plane. The sound quality on this recording is variable/poor....

Being a good politician

14 Jun 1985

Contributed by Lukas

How the ability to be a good loser is essential to anyone wishing to be a good politician.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by ...

Hotel strike in New York

07 Jun 1985

Contributed by Lukas

New York hotel workers strike is latest row over the new two-tier pay structure.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two...

Simpler taxes suggested by president, 1985

31 May 1985

Contributed by Lukas

President Reagan's plan to make the tax structure simpler hits the right note across the US.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded b...

Defining death

24 May 1985

Contributed by Lukas

New legislation to clarify definition of death to avoid indecision over when life support should be ended.This archive edition of Letter from America ...

Trade deficit with Japan

17 May 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Japanese imports soar as American shoppers ignore pleas to buy 'Made in America' goods.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one...

Voters back Bitburg visit

10 May 1985

Contributed by Lukas

President Reagan's visit to Bitburg military cemetery proves to be a political asset.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one o...

Contra aid cut off

03 May 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Defeat for the president as House cuts off aid to Nicaragua's Contras amid fears of another Vietnam.This archive edition of Letter from America was re...

Senator Sam Ervin

26 Apr 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Rememering Sam Ervin, the Southern senator whose skilful chairmanship steered the Watergate hearings to the downfall of a president.This archive editi...

Anniversaries to remember

19 Apr 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Uproar over president's anniversary plans to visit German war cemetery but not a concentration camp.This archive edition of Letter from America was re...

Politicising the dictionary

12 Apr 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Row over the new Russian version of the Oxford dictionary which contains politically-slanted definitions.This archive edition of Letter from America w...

Street crime fears

05 Apr 1985

Contributed by Lukas

As the Bernhard Goetz trial nears, how far should self-defence go when it comes to street crime?This archive edition of Letter from America was record...

MX funding agreed

29 Mar 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Job creation given as reason why vote on MX funding went Reagan's way.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two listeners...

Strong dollar hits jobs

22 Mar 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Jobs hit as strong dollar means US exports are too pricey for world markets.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two lis...

Reagan budget defeated

15 Mar 1985

Contributed by Lukas

President Reagan's cost-cutting budget soundly defeated by the Senate committee which instead demands defence spending is trimmed.This archive edition...

America's acid rain

08 Mar 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Reagan in top-level talks to halt US acid rain falling on Canada.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two listeners, who...

Meese takes oath of office

01 Mar 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Months of investigations end with Reagan's choice confirmed by Senate vote. The sound quality on this recording is variable/poor.This archive edition ...

General Westmoreland libel case

22 Feb 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Vietnam commander General Westmoreland's libel case against CBS ends in stalemate. The sound quality on this recording is variable/poor.This archive e...

US farming in crisis

15 Feb 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Farm bankruptcies rise as prices fall and Reagan sticks to planned cuts on subsidies. The sound quality on this recording is variable/poor.This archiv...

New Zealand bans US navy

08 Feb 1985

Contributed by Lukas

New Zealand's new premier brings in promised nuclear ban - resulting in a US navy destroyer being turned away from port of call. The sound quality on ...

Defending Kingsley Amis

01 Feb 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Defending Kingsley Amis - and free speech - against some of the top women in American publishing.This archive edition of Letter from America was recor...

Inauguration parade cancelled

25 Jan 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Plunging temperatures force cancellation of Reagan's second term inauguration parade.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one o...

The strong dollar and Lindsay Wellington

18 Jan 1985

Contributed by Lukas

The falling value of the British pound in comparison to the US dollar, and the death of Lindsay Wellington, the former head of the BBC in North Americ...

Budget cuts continue

11 Jan 1985

Contributed by Lukas

Reagan's election promises on spending will be overtaken by Congress ready to trim more from proposed budget.This archive edition of Letter from Ameri...

Cholesterol-free Christmas, anyone?

21 Dec 1984

Contributed by Lukas

Keep cutting your cholesterol, say the experts - just as the Christmas eating binge beckons.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded b...

China denies move to capitalism

14 Dec 1984

Contributed by Lukas

Good news or bad news? China's main daily newspaper rebuked for 'flawed' story of the country's potential move to a capitalist economy.This archive ed...

Texas A&M University

07 Dec 1984

Contributed by Lukas

Not your average university - the Texas A&M does things on a grander scale.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two ...

George Aiken of Vermont

30 Nov 1984

Contributed by Lukas

An upright man - in his walk, and his ways. Remembering Senator George D. Aiken, the politician who could never be bought.This archive edition of Lett...

Senator Jesse Helms

16 Nov 1984

Contributed by Lukas

Senator Jesse Helms ponders whether to take the foreign affairs chair, or continue to rally support for the tobacco growers. The sound quality on this...

George Gallup (1901-1984)

09 Nov 1984

Contributed by Lukas

The achievements of George Gallup, inventor of the Gallup poll, a method of measuring public opinion, and responsible for revolutionary change in the ...

Bodyguards and personal security

02 Nov 1984

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination, Cooke looks at the increased personal security for public figures over the years and the role of bo...

Being 'on welfare'

26 Oct 1984

Contributed by Lukas

Confused messages about poverty levels in the US come from media reports misinterpreting the official figures.This archive edition of Letter from Amer...

Political TV commercials

19 Oct 1984

Contributed by Lukas

How the young are getting their political understanding - from 30-second TV commercials.This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by on...

Old Man Reagan, 1984

12 Oct 1984

Contributed by Lukas

1984 Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale questions President Reagan's age suitability in a televised election debate.

Gangsters in Chicago

05 Oct 1984

Contributed by Lukas

Alistair Cooke looks at mafia involvement in alcohol during prohibition, cattle during World War II and in the heroin trade, as an international ring ...

Reagan meets Gromyko

28 Sep 1984

Contributed by Lukas

Washington observers interpret meeting between Reagan and Gromyko as sign that Soviets foresee a second term for the president.This archive edition of...