History

Political Science professor Ehud Sprinzak (A-houd Sprin-zack) of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He talks with Terry about how the radical right in Israel is no longer a fringe group but a growing force in Israeli politics and life. His new book is, "The Ascendance of Israel's Radical Right," (Oxford University Press).

We get a personal view of recent events in the Soviet Union, with Soviet emigre writer Mikhail Iossel ("YO-sill"). Iossel's latest book, "Every Hunter Wants To Know: A Leningrad Life," is a collection of short stories about life during the Brezhnev years. (It's published by W.W. Norton).

Admiral Stansfield Turner. The former director of the CIA under Jimmy Carter. He talks with Terry about what he thinks is going on in both the American and Soviet intelligence communities in the wake of the Soviet coup attempt. (Turner has just come out with his second book, "Terrorism & Democracy" (Published by Houghton Mifflin)).

We check in again with journalist Robert Cullen, for his take on the latest events in the Soviet Union. He's a former Moscow correspondent for Newsweek, and he writes regularly on Eastern Europe for The Atlantic and the New Yorker. (Cullen has a book coming out this autumn, titled, "Twilight Of Empire: Inside the Crumbling Soviet Bloc").

We discuss last night's overthrow of Mikhail Gorbachev, with journalist Robert Cullen. He's a former Moscow correspondent for Newsweek, and he writes regularly on Eastern Europe for The Atlantic and the New Yorker. He was most recently in the USSR this past June, working on an article on the influence of the Soviet military. Cullen has a book coming out this autumn, titled, "Twilight Of Empire: Inside the Crumbling Soviet Bloc."

Edward Fiske, the education correspondent for the New York Times. Fiske's new book is called "Smart Schools, Smart Kids: Why Do Some Schools Work?" In it, Fiske looks at the decline of the American school system, and he examines some of the grass-roots programs that are reversing that trend. (It's published by Simon and Schuster). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Former hostage David Jacobsen. In 1985 he was abducted in Beirut where he was director of the American University of Beirut's Medical Center and was held for 17 months. He was held captive along with Terry Anderson, Tom Sutherland, Ben Weir, and Martin Jenco. He's written about it in, "Hostage: My Nightmare in Beirut." (Published by Donald I. Fine, Inc.) (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "American Nervousness." It's a new book by Tom Lutz about a turn of the century disease called neurasthenia. Neurasthenia was a term applied to a wide variety of conditions related to just being "stressed out" by 19th century life. Perversely, neurasthenia was taken as a sign of status, that if you suffered from it, it meant you were fashionably sensitive. (It's published by Cornell University Press).

Writer John Balaban. Balaban was one of the very few Vietnam-era conscientious objectors who volunteered to go to Vietnam. Once there, he was overwhelmed with the paradoxes of the war...among other things, he found himself picking up a gun, in order to defend a hospital from attack. His memoir of that time, called "Heaven's Face: A Moral Witness in Vietnam" has just been published by Poseidon Press. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Historian Robert Dallek. Dallek's new biography of President Lyndon Johnson, "Lone Star Rising," has been praised for its scholarship, and for painting a more balanced portrait of LBJ than some other recent biographies. Dallek was nominated for an American Book award for an earlier biography, "Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy." ("Lone Star Rising" is published by Oxford University Press).

Admiral Stansfield Turner. The former director of the CIA under Jimmy Carter, Turner has just come out with his second book, "Terrorism & Democracy."(Houghton Mifflin). Turner looks at the failed and successful policies of eight American presidents in dealing with terrorism.

New York Times correspondent Thomas Friedman. Friedman has spent the last decade covering the Middle East, work that has won him two Pulitzer Prizes. Today he looks at the current state of the Mideast, as we approach the first anniversary of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

Commentator David Gurevitz examines Soviet culture in the wake of the end of the Cold War.

We look at the connection between the Israeli and U.S. intelligence communities.
We first talk with journalists Andrew and Leslie Cockburn. Their new book, "Dangerous Liaison," alleges the two nations relationship extends far beyond the Mideast, into areas like the war against drugs, the South African nuclear weapons program, and the Contras. (The book's published by Harper Collins).
We also talk with Benny Morris, co

Historian Glenda Riley. Riley's new book, "Divorce: An American Tradition," looks at the long history of divorce. Among the book's revelations: the first divorce in America happened way back in 1639 (on grounds of bigamy) and that in 1880 as many as one in 16 marriages ended in divorce. (The book's published by Oxford university Press).

Writer David Gurevitz (GIR-ah-vich) gives us his perspective as a Soviet emigre on the new revisions that Gorbachev is suggesting for the Soviet Union. He's the author of "From Lenin to Lennon," a memoir about growing up in Russia during the 60s.

South African labor leader Emma Mashinini. Mashinini was Secretary of the Commercial, Catering, and Allied Workers Union of South Africa, one of South Africa's biggest trade unions, and was arrested and detained for six months. Mashinini's autobiography, "Strikes Have Followed Me All My Life," has just been published. (by Routledge).

We examine recent developments in the Iran-Contra Affair, and how those developments is affecting the nomination of Robert Gates to head the CIA. We speak with Tim Weiner, (wi-ner, not we-ner) who covers national security issues for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Film maker Marlon Riggs. His documentary about the lives of gay black men in America "Tongues Untied," airs next week on the public television series, "P.O.V." However, many PBS stations will not be showing the film, citing the films strong language and imagery. We'll also talk with three public broadcasting executives involved in the controversy:

Journalist Milton Viorst of the New Yorker reports on the Middle East. In April, he was in Bagdad to observe the state of Iraq several months after the end of the conflict.