368 episodes
Letter from America by Alistair Cooke: The Reagan Years (1981-1988) BBC Radio 4
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- Society & Culture
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4.5 • 17 Ratings
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Ronald Reagan’s presidency, from Reagonomics and the invasion of Grenada in his first term, to the Iran-contra scandal and reconciliation with Soviet leader Mihail Gorbachev in his second. 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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Gorbachev's perilous experiment
Misgivings over Gorbachev's liberalisation proposals as observers fear further splits from satellite nations.
This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two listeners, who between them taped and labelled over 650 Letter From America programmes from 1973 to 1989. It was restored by the BBC in 2014. -
Yasser Arafat's speech at the UN, 1988
Yasser Arafat's speech at the UN, the denial of his visa by US secretary of state George Schultz, and the view that Palestinians are moving towards reconciliation with Israel.
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Fears over US deficit
The economy will be the first challenge facing the new president when his term starts in January.
This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two listeners, who between them taped and labelled over 650 Letter From America programmes from 1973 to 1989. It was restored by the BBC in 2014. -
A dirty campaign
Slander and innuendo are nothing new in campaigning - but the rhetoric will soon be erased.
This archive edition of Letter from America was recorded by one of two listeners, who between them taped and labelled over 650 Letter From America programmes from 1973 to 1989. It was restored by the BBC in 2014. -
The 1988 presidential election
An overview of the ballot paper in the 1988 presidential elections, George Bush's "inevitable" victory, and the issues that proved most important for voting Americans.We apologize for the abrupt end to this audio, this occurred when the episode was originally recorded for the archive.
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George H W Bush vs Michael Dukakis
A review of George H W Bush and Michael Dukakis' presidential campaigns, key values and demographics, and predicted performances before the 1988 elections.
Customer Reviews
An absolute must listen to - just try it
Some 50+ years ago ‘Letter from America’ was a regular weekly 15 min radio slot my father insisted on listening to every Sunday morning. As a young person I kind of listened to it but wasn’t that interested at the time. I now find it a fascinating listen. It’s not only the way in which technological changes have come upon us but also shows how issues that the USA thought they had solved at the time (Middle East for example) are still with us. So much history over the last 50+ years which I had forgotten I have lived through. Just give it a go.
Brilliant
A terrific show. Indisputable classic.
It's spelt Reagan right?
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