This is a discussion with Aida Donald, author of “Citizen Soldier: A Life of Harry S. Truman.” The book traces Harry Truman’s early life and entry into politics to the end of his presidency. Donald discusses how the 33rd President’s early career was characterized by his efforts to remain honest despite the corruption present in local Missouri politics. She also talks about Harry’s courtship of Bess Wallace, whom he would later marry, and the lifelong impact she felt as a result of her own father’s suicide. Truman became President after only 82 days in office, and Donald discusses his decision in the following months to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II.

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Film producer Carl Colby discusses his latest documentary film about the life of his father, former CIA Director William Colby. Carl details the actual production of the film, and discusses the choice of his mother, Barbara Colby, as one of his primary interview sources. The film examines the personal and professional life of William Colby who, his son says, was a controversial figure with few close friends and a deep institutional understanding of the spy business.

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Our guest is military historian and author Antony Beevor. He discusses his historical narrative, “The Second World War.” Beevor talks about the origins of the conflict spanning from before Hitler’s invasion of Poland to the aftermath of the war and its global impact on the major powers of the day. He describes Adolf Hitler’s dark and chaotic final days, including his marriage to Eva Braun and the couple’s subsequent suicide. Mr. Beevor also discusses his writing style and the barn he converted to a library in England to research and write the book.

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Justice Antonin Scalia discusses his book, "Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts.” The book is co-authored by Bryan Garner, Distinguished Research Professor of Law at Southern Methodist University. Scalia presents a case for a return to a more scrupulous and attentive approach to the words of legal texts. He defines the meaning of textualism as it relates to interpreting laws. He also spells out what is meant by the words originalism and strict constructionism as they apply to Constitutional law. Justice Scalia cautions individuals to read entire judicial opinions before reaching any conclusion about a particular judge’s fairness. He further asserts that good judges should not be involved in policy description or formulation, only a fair legal reading of what Congress has enacted. He discusses his opposition to cameras in the Supreme Court chamber. Scalia talks about criticism from the press and how he responds by not commenting or writing letters to the editor and throwing them away. He describes his job as one in which people can argue vehemently on the law without hating the person on the other side.

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Author and former commanding officer of the USS Cole, Kirk Lippold, discusses his new historical narrative titled “Front Burner: Al Qaeda’s Attack on the USS Cole.” Lippold recounts the events surrounding the attack which occurred October 12, 2000 at a refueling stop in the port of Aden in Yemen. He describes the heroic measures taken by his crew to save the ship from sinking and help reduce casualties. 17 crew members were killed and 37 injured in the bombing. He comments on the Navy’s formal investigation conducted after the incident, and the final report which stated that all the available force protection measures were not put in place by Lippold on that day. He describes this attack as the “start of the war on terror” and discusses intelligence lapses leading up to and following the day of the incident.

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Guests Charles Evans Jr. and Victor DeNoble discuss the documentary film that chronicles DeNoble’s unexpected discovery of an ingredient in tobacco which, the data revealed, when coupled with nicotine makes cigarettes more addictive. The research and the company’s attempts to keep it private lead to Congressional testimony before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The movie details how this public revelation of DeNoble’s findings led journalists, politicians, attorneys and scientists to join forces against the tobacco industry,  which ultimately resulted in the first ever federal regulation of the tobacco industry. Evans discusses how and why he went about making the film, which began when he first watched Dr. DeNoble’s testimony on C-SPAN in 1994. DeNoble talks about growing up in New York, his early work at the Philip Morris Company and what it was like to testify before Congress on such a controversial subject.

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Douglas Brinkley talks about his book, "Cronkite," which chronicles the life of long time CBS Evening News anchorman Walter Cronkite, often referred to as "the most trusted man in America."

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Ted Widmer is the editor of “Listening In: The Secret White House Recordings of John F. Kennedy.” The book contains two audio CDs with 75 minutes of recorded conversations from the oval office, cabinet meetings, telephone calls, and private dictations during Kennedy’s presidency. Mr. Widmer describes how he was approached by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation to select and introduce and transcribe the recordings. He shares numerous clips throughout the program including a phone call from President Kennedy to Defense department advisors about the best way to board inbound Soviet ships during the Cuban missile crisis. We hear as President Kennedy calls Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman seeking advice. Widmer also chose to share the contentious discussions between Kennedy and then Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett as they dealt with the riots over the enrollment of James Meredith as the first black student to attend the University of Mississippi. Widmer also reveals a more light-hearted side to the President in several of the recordings. Widmer reflects upon his academic training at Harvard, as well as his experiences serving both President Bill Clinton, during his presidency, and Hillary Clinton, during her time as Secretary of State.

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Chalmers Johnson discusses his book, "The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic," published by Metropolitan Books. Topics include the increasing power of the Executive Branch, loss of liberty, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the September 11 attacks, militarism, and the overextension of the U.S. "empire." Johnson taught Chinese and Japanese politics at the University of California at Berkeley for 26 years. He has also authored "Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire," and "Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic."

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Congressman John Lewis, Democrat from Georgia’s 5th congressional district,  is the author of the historical narrative, “Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change.” He talks about his early involvement in the non-violent protests of the civil rights movement, and recounts his experience in leading a group of students across the Edmond Pettus Bridge in Alabama when he was 25 years old. Rep. Lewis explains how he and other students were beaten and arrested by Alabama state troopers.  He comments on many of the early participants in the civil rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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