Letter from America by Alistair Cooke: The Early Years (1940s, 1950s and 1960s)

The assassinations of John F Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy through to Vietnam and America’s shame at the My Lai massacre. A fascinating social, cultural and political history of American life, through the words of British-American journalist and broadcaster, Alistair Cooke (1908 – 2004).

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Episodes

Bobby Kennedy's assassination, 1968

An eyewitness account of the assassination of Bobby Kennedy on June 5, 1968 in Los Angeles, and the collective-guilt aftermath for America.

Jun 09, 1968•14 min

1000th letter - American reactions to Vietnam, 1968

The national mood begins to change over the Vietnam war - how America began to move from early indifference to the recognition of a nightmare.

Mar 24, 1968•14 min

Christmas 1967

Senator Jacob Javits' parking fine, Mayor Lindsay and the water commissioner, and a President Truman Christmas story.

Dec 24, 1967•14 min

Honeymoon with President Johnson, 1966

Democracy demonstrated - how the President of the United States had to make way for Mr Meyer Sugarman's wedding night.

Aug 21, 1966•14 min

The LA Watts riots, 1965

The Watts riots in Los Angeles - were they an uprising by black Americans angry at their treatment or simply criminally motivated looting and violence?

Aug 22, 1965•14 min

Clay vs Liston Fight

How the debacle of the Cassius Clay–Sonny Liston boxing prize fight tarnished one of the elements of American culture - sportsmanship

May 30, 1965•14 min

President Johnson's inauguration, 1965

President Lyndon B Johnson's inauguration for his own full first term, and some earlier notable inaugurations, including Washington and Jefferson's.

Jan 17, 1965•14 min

Assassination of J F Kennedy, 1963

The assassination of John F Kennedy, the first president of the television age, and the style, grace and fun he brought to the White House.

Nov 24, 1963•14 min

Big brains

How New York construction was brought to a halt by the Electrician's Union strike, and why the computer or 'the big brain' will soon change how people work.

Jan 21, 1962•14 min

500th letter

Alistair Cooke remembers Lindsay Wellington, the BBC head who came up with the idea of weekly letters to help people in the UK understand American life in 1946.

Sep 08, 1957•16 min

William Kapell (1922-1953)

A tribute to American Pianist William Kappell, the best pianist of his generation, and what music means to Americans.

Nov 05, 1953•13 min

Television in America, 1951

How a new daily diet of television in America is changing people's lives, as reported by Alistair Cooke.

Jan 19, 1951•14 min

A fragment from 1947

A fragment preserved from Cooke's talk, reflecting on the importance of democratic capitalism and a free economy to Americans.

Jan 12, 1947•4 min

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