Arlen Specter died Sunday, October 14th at the age of 82. He served 30 years in the U.S. Senate. Shortly after he left the Senate in 2011, he sat down for a series of extended oral history interviews with the Pennsylvania Cable Network. In this segment, he reflects on his work on the Warren Commission investigating President Kennedy's assassination.

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Long-serving Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye died December 17, 2012, at age 88. In this progam, Senator Inouye of Hawaii is interviewed as part of an oral history project produced by the U.S. Historical Society and Heritage Series. He had youthful dreams of being an orthopedic surgeon before he was wounded in combat during World War II with the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the all-volunteer Japanese American unit. Inouye is now the most senior member of the U.S. Senate.

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An oral history interview with Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii – the first U.S. Senator with Native Hawaiian ancestry. He was an eyewitness to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and served during World War II with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. He was first elected to Congress in 1976 as a U.S. Representative. The U.S. Capitol Historical Society and Heritage Series conducted this interview.

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American History TV is airing a selection of oral history interviews with former and current Asian American members of Congress.This is a discussion with Representative Mike Honda of California who was elected to the House in 2001. After serving in the Peace Corps, Honda became a science teacher and later a principal at two public schools. Once elected to Congress, he spent much of his time advocating for education and health care. This oral history is part of a series produced by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society and Heritage Series.

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American History TV is airing oral history interviews with former and current Asian American members of Congress. This is an interview with U.S. Representative Doris Matsui of California who serves on the Rules Committee and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. She also served for six years as Deputy Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Public Liaison during the Clinton presidency. Matsui begins by recounting why she ran for office and later discusses how her birth in an internment camp has influenced her politics.  

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American History TV is airing oral history interviews with former and current Asian American members of Congress. We start with Norman Mineta of California, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was also named Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton and Secretary of Transportation under President George W. Bush. Mineta begins by recounting how his family was sent to a Japanese American internment camp during World War II, and explains how that experience led to his long career in public service.

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Arlen Specter died Sunday, October 14th, 2012, at the age of 82. Specter left the United States Senate in 2011 after a 30 year career. Soon afterwards, he sat down for a series of extended oral history interviews with the Pennsylvania Cable Network. Specter reflects on events that take him from his Russian immigrant roots to his involvement in some of this country’s most momentous events – from his work on the Warren Commission investigating President Kennedy’s assassination to the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton. We’re airing a selection of these interviews here on American History TV. In this excerpt, Specter talks about the 2008 financial crisis, the health care debate, his cancer diagnosis and his decision to switch political parties.

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Arlen Specter died Sunday, October 14th, 2012, at the age of 82. Specter left the United States Senate in 2011 after a 30-year career. Soon afterwards, he sat down for a series of extended oral history interviews with the Pennsylvania Cable Network. Specter reflects on events that take him from his Russian immigrant roots to his involvement in some of this country's most momentous events, from his work on the Warren Commission investigating President Kennedy's assassination to the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton. In this excerpt, Specter recounts the events leading up to President Clinton's impeachment, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Patriot Act and the Iraq War. 

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Arlen Specter died Sunday, October 14th, 2012, at the age of 82. In his 30 years representing Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, Specter participated in the confirmation hearings of 14 U.S. Supreme Court nominees. Soon after leaving the Senate in 2011, Specter sat down for a series of oral history interviews with the Pennsylvania Cable Network. In this interview, he recounts his experience as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee as it considered the nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.

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Arlen Specter died Sunday, October 14th, 2012, at the age of 82. Specter left the United States Senate in 2011 after a 30-year career. Soon afterwards, he sat down for a series of extended oral history interviews with the Pennsylvania Cable Network. Specter reflects on events that take him from his Russian immigrant roots to his involvement in some of this country's most momentous events, from his work on the Warren Commission investigating President Kennedy's assassination to the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton. In this excerpt, Specter recounts his arrival in the U.S. Senate just as President Reagan began his first term and he describes the culture of the institution he would call home for three decades.

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