'The Word' with commentary by professor and historian A.B. Spellman focuses on the pardon and immunity granted to President Richard M. Nixon, based on a plea of depression. Spellman compares this to the treatment given to African Americans facing time in jail.

Aggrery Mbere interview. Program focuses on the current political situation of Africa. Host Marita Rivero speaks separately with Aggrey Mbere (member of the South African National Congress and a current instructor at Roxbury Community College) and Mugelle Otieno about developing an organization by Africans for Africans to solve Africa's problems, revamping aid programs, Secretary of State Henry Kissenger's visit to Africa, MBere's participation in the United States Civil Rights struggle, whether there are true policy changes occurring in the United States, whether liberation will occur with or without outside forces, and how Communism will factor into the struggle. Program includes the 'Community Calendar.' Produced by Marita Muhammad Rivero.

'Dealin'' with poet and Pan African supporter Haki MadhubutiProgram focuses on the meaning, nature, and support of the liberation of African countries by African Americans. Program segments include an excerpt from Henry Johnson's film on the African Liberation Day March in Washington, DC, May 27, 1972 (including footage of Boston residents preparing for the trip to Washington, DC, and event speeches by Charles Diggs, Michigan Congressman and United Nations Delegate and organizer for African self-determination, and Elaine Brown, two years before she became President of the Black Panthers), 'Dealin'' with poet and Pan African supporter Haki Madhubuti (formerly Don L. Lee) discussing the nature of Pan Africanism, 'Commentary' by Askia Muhammad (poet, activist, and journalist) on the disparity between United States support of self-determination for nations and its actual practice in Africa, 'Information' on the meaning of 'African liberation,' interview and performance footage of vocalist Syreeta Wright, and segment interludes featuring Grover Washington (jazz musician), Tasha Thomas (of musical production The Wiz), and Fred Cash (of the musical group The Impressions). Produced by Marita Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.

Caroline Hunter comments on the struggle for African liberation. Guests Caroline Hunter, Dinizulu Ceitou (both of Boston's African Liberation Day Committee), and Christopher Nteta (of the Pan African Liberation Committee) discuss the liberation struggle in Mozambique with host Topper Carew. Topics include Frelimo (the African freedom fighters in Mozambique), the influence of African American support on the cause, the relationship between corporations and the seizure of African land, the need for violence to achieve liberation, the relationship between racism and colonization, and the need for African Americans to recognize that the African struggle is their own. Program includes a 30-minute film titled 'The Struggle Continues (A Luta Continua),' which documents the work of the resistance. Produced by Topper Carew. Directed by Conrad White.

Aggrey Mbere, a native South African and member of the Organization of South African Students, talks about the day to day struggles of Blacks in South Africa under apartheid.

'Blast from the Past' with Jesse Jackson. Program focuses on the history of three of Africa's ancient kingdoms: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. To accomplish this, Say Brother Producer Marita Rivero and her guest Musa Eubanks (of the Afro Audiovisual Company of Boston) discuss and then introduce a filmstrip created by the Afro Audiovisual Company in conjunction with the Unitarian Universalist Association. The program serves to illustrate that the liberation of African Americans from colonized thinking can only be done so via the reexamination and revised representation of Blacks in Africa -namely, that Africa had an economic, cultural, and social history before European intervention. Also included are Say Brother segments 'Blast From the Past' (featuring an interview with Jesse Jackson from 1971), 'The Word' (featuring professor and historian A.B. Spellman's plea for more serious jazz on radio), 'Access' (which provides a summary of the work of the New World News Network), the 'Community Calendar,' and 'Commentary' by Producer Marita Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.

'Dealin'' with African drummer Babatunde Olatunji. Program consists of numerous segments related to African heritage, the first of which is an excerpt from a filmstrip on the fall of the Songhay Empire in West Africa by the Afro Audiovisual Company of Boston. Additional segments include 'Bookbeat,' a 'Spotlight' stage performance by actress Beah Richards, 'Dealin'' with African drummer Babatunde Olatunji, 'Information' on traveling to Africa, and 'Commentary' by Sarah-Ann Shaw on the lack of African history lessons in the American classroom. Produced by Marita Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.

Apartheid protesters gather in front of the South African Consulate at 100 Charles River Plaza in Boston. Mel King (political activist), Charles Yancey (Boston City Council) and Willard Johnson (Head, TransAfrica) demand to see Richard Blankstein (honorary consul to South Africa). Police officers bar entry to the building. Johnson announces that the protestors will ask for Blankstein's resignation from his post. He adds that they will ask Blankstein's law firm to sever ties with South Africa. Johnson and the others are eventually allowed to enter the building. Tug Yourgrau does several takes of his reportage for a news story about the protest. Police, protesters and the media wait outside of the building.Themba Vilakazi (member, African National Congress) exits the building to announce the resignation of Blankstein. Johnson, King and Yancey exit the building. Johnson reads a statement of resignation from Blankstein. The statement reads that Blankstein is not a supporter of apartheid. Johnson announces a victory for the protesters. Johnson, King and Yancey walk over to a group of protesters on the street. Charles Stith (Union United Methodist Church) leads the protesters in a chant. Johnson announces the resignation of Blankstein. The crowd cheers.

A panel of students addresses an audience of faculty members, students and other at Tufts University. A student speaks about the university's policy on divestiture from South Africa. The student calls on the Board of Trustees to divest completely from South Africa. Another student talks about the protesters' efforts to contact and negotiate with the university administration and Board of Trustees. A group of students hold a small meeting at a shantytown set up on the Tufts University campus. A large banner reads, 'Divest now.' Protesters talks about their efforts to communicate with the university administration and Board of Trustees on the issue of divestment from South Africa. The protesters accuse Jean Mayer (President, Tufts University) of not cooperating with the students. One protester promises radical action on campus if the university does not divest. The protesters say that the Board of Trustees is ducking the issue. They accuse the Board of ignoring the voices of students and faculty. The tape features shots of the shantytown on the Tufts campus.

Agha Ibrahim Akram was a lieutenant general who served in the Pakistan Army during the 1965 and 1971 wars with India. In this video segment, Akram recalls 1974 as the watershed year when India detonated a nuclear explosive and took one step toward becoming a nuclear power in hopes of enhancing its global status. That moment also coincided with skyrocketing oil prices, which stiffened Pakistan's resolve to develop nuclear energy for electricity and, if need be, weapons. The interview Akram conducted for War and Peace in the Nuclear Age: 'The Haves and Have-Nots' concentrates on the history of tension and conflict between Pakistan and India. He reviews the three wars: the devastating bloodshed that followed partition in 1947, the pride he felt in 1965 as chief of staff of an infantry division along the West Pakistan border, and his bitterness toward India over the Bangladesh war in 1971. Despite the persistence of tension between Pakistan and India, Akram recognizes circumstances in which their perspectives and geopolitical positions meet. For instance, he fully supports India's critique of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: that the major nuclear powers only selectively enforce and adhere to its provisions. He wishes that South Asia could be a nuclear-weapons-free zone but is willing to settle for India and Pakistan's interdependence: 'The two countries are the protagonists of South Asia. We'll actually cross the threshold together or not cross it at all.'

From 1969 to 1973, Paul Nitze served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT). In this video segment, Nitze describes the useful role that 'back channel' negotiations can play and discusses the particular problems with national security adviser Henry Kissinger's negotiations in the final days of SALT I. The second part of the segment addresses Watergate's impact on Nitze's participation in SALT II.Nitze's interview conducted for War and Peace in the Nuclear Age: 'One Step Forward' focuses on SALT I and SALT II. He recounts how he became part of the SALT I delegation, the key issues within the negotiating process, and the initial position statements he drafted for the Soviet delegation. Increasingly critical of U.S. arms policy, Nitze re-formed the Committee on Present Danger, which argued for a massive military buildup of U.S. forces in the post-Vietnam period. He spends considerable time in his interview going over the then-persistent threat of Soviet expansionism. Nitze explains his objection to President Jimmy Carter's nomination of Paul Warnke as his chief arms negotiator. He also explains his opposition to the SALT II Treaty, which he saw as codifying Soviet superiority in missile megatonnage and throw-weight.

Clark Clifford was special counsel to President Harry S. Truman from 1946 to 1950. In this video segment, he recounts the 1948 Berlin blockade-the first major East-West confrontation in which Western policymakers were required to grapple with choices that risked war with the Soviet Union, a power seen as capable of overrunning Western Europe. Clifford recalls assessing the risk of an unexpected escalation of tension if moves made by the West were perceived as provocations. He heralds the decision to airlift supplies to Berlin in order to fracture the Soviet blockade, although at the time, few believed the airlift could fully supply the city. In the interview Clifford conducted for War and Peace in the Nuclear Age: 'The Weapon of Choice,' he looks back at key moments of the Truman presidency. He recalls his role in drafting what became known as the Truman Doctrine, a founding speech of the "containment order" in which the administration generalized its obligations to Greece and Turkey into a commitment to resist Soviet expansionism wherever it occurred. Following his work on the Truman Doctrine, Clifford helped formulate the Marshall Plan speech, which outlined a program to aid in the rebuilding of a devastated post-war Europe. This speech was part of the United States' search for a new economic order at home and abroad. As the president's top policy adviser, Clifford was on hand for Truman's private reactions. They included shock, disappointment, and hopefulness, as well as anxiety about entering the nuclear age as hostilities with the Soviet Union were deepening and the electorate was becoming increasingly war weary.

'A curious, eclectic tour throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Reflecting man's relationship to nature and his culture, this visual poem is an elegy for what is past and a sardonic commentary about contemporary life in America.' Images from the greater Los Angeles landscape include a lizard in a cage, a man painting a billboard mural, firemen on the roof of a building, a makeshift shooting range, cars driving up and down sand dunes, traffic, and the ocean. The piece is approximately 11 minutes in length and was broadcast as a segment of episode 504 (1989) of 'New Television.' Produced and directed by John Arvanites.

Christy George reports on the end of a two-week fast by chaplains at Brandeis University. George notes that the chaplains fasted to protest the university's investments in South Africa. George's report includes footage from a gathering of apartheid protesters on the Brandeis campus. Father Maurice Loiselle, Rabbi Albert Axelrad and Reverend Diane Moore discuss their fast and the university's policy regarding South Africa. The protesters sing and hold hands at the gathering. George reports that the chaplains' fast serves as the last phase of a community protest against apartheid. George notes that Brandeis trustees will review their investment policy at an upcoming meeting. George reviews the apartheid protest at Brandeis University since last year. George's report includes footage of Brandeis students at a shantytown on campus.

Bruce Kent, ordained a Catholic minister in 1958, became general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in 1980 and chairman in 1987, the year he resigned from the ministry. In this video segment, he challenges the damaging spin that secretary for defense Lord Michael Heseltine used to undermine CND rather than engage in public debate about nuclear policy. Kent also refutes accusations that CND was in support of 'one-sided,' full unilateral disarmament. Instead, he argues for 'sufficiency' to replace 'parity' of nuclear forces. In the interview Kent conducted for War and Peace in the Nuclear Age: 'Zero Hour,' he describes the forces that converged to revive CND and the rallies that drew hundreds of thousands of marchers to the center of London in the early 1980s. He recounts the spread of peace movements to other Western European capitals, the partnership among protest leaders from these other countries, and some of the differences in their national agendas. The 1983 Conservative Party's rise to power on the heels of the Falklands War, coupled with its forceful campaign to mischaracterize CND, halted the movement's momentum. At this point, Kent recalls, CND shifted its agenda to 'the long haul,' prioritizing long-term, international public education over large demonstrations. Kent critiques 'flexible response' what he calls 'the Achilles' heel' of the Western alliance. Nuclear war is so clearly unwinnable, he maintains, that 'parity' must yield to 'sufficiency.' As Kent sees positions like these echoed in public discourse and arms negotiations, he concludes that CND's key contribution is helping 'some serious rethinking of the basics of the whole business.'

Dr. Randall Forsberg is executive director of the Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies, a think tank she founded in 1980 with the aim of reducing the risk of war and minimizing the burden of U.S. military spending. In this video segment, she describes the reach of grassroots activism at the height of 1982's national Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, which called for a bilateral, verifiable halt to new production of nuclear weapons. In the interview she conducted for War and Peace in the Nuclear Age: 'Visions of War and Peace,' Forsberg describes the genesis of the movement, which was born from the failure of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) II and from public awareness of the development of a new generation of war-fighting systems. Forsberg traces the town-by-town growth of the anti-nuclear petition, which began in 1980 with the four-page document 'Call to Halt the Nuclear Arms Race,' and the referendum process that fanned out across the nation but remained largely ignored by the national media. Forsberg details the negative reaction by President Ronald Reagan's administration and the ensuing support on Capitol Hill, which passed a freeze resolution. This was followed just weeks later by congressional approval of the MX missile by an equally large margin-a vote that Forsberg says 'tore up the movement.' Soon afterward, President Reagan suddenly announced the Strategic Defense Initiative-a program that Forsberg critiques at the end of her interview-and he agreed to negotiate with the Soviet Union, which was a key goal of 'Call to Halt the Nuclear Arms Race.' The lasting impact of the nuclear-freeze movement, says Forsberg, has been a shift away from public protest and toward grassroots, long-term education. She concludes that this new 'institutionalized peace movement' will re-emerge more informed and cohesive than the last, with the determination to change 'the direction of the permanent peacetime policy of the United States.'

General Pierre-Marie Gallois, often regarded as the 'father' of the French nuclear strategy, served with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and with French president Charles de Gaulle. In this video segment, Gallois provides a perspective that was shared by many Europeans, including General de Gaulle: that to replace the strategy of 'massive retaliation' with 'flexible response' meant a weakening of the United States' commitment to defend Europe with nuclear weapons. In his interview conducted for War and Peace in the Nuclear Age: 'The Education of Robert McNamara,' Gallois expands upon tensions within French-American relations in the critical post-war period. He also discusses the dynamics among European nations as they faced economic reconstruction, Soviet forces, and the prospect of Germany's rearmament. Gallois recounts his late-night conversations with French prime minister Guy Mollet and with General de Gaulle, when, as a young member of the planning group at SHAPE, he presented his case for France developing its own atomic bomb. At various points he explores the origins of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and SHAPE, shares why the U.S.-proposed Multilateral Force was nicknamed the Multilateral Farce, and explains his support for limited nuclear proliferation in order to keep the peace.

Christopher Lydon interviews Bill Lee (pitcher, Montreal Expos) at Fenway Park. Lee discusses the possibility of a baseball strike. Lee talks about unions and his feelings about baseball. Lee says that he is no longer 'addicted' to baseball. This compilation tape has three essays by Robert J. Lurtsema about the coming of summer, the coming of fall and barnacles. Lydon reports on the upcoming preliminary elections for the Boston City Council. Lydon analyzes voting patterns in various districts and the political networks of some candidates. Lydon notes that there has been little voter interest in the campaign. The report includes interviews with and profiles of candidates Maureen Craven Slade, Craig Lankhorst, and Stephen Michaels. Lydon reports from the Boston Celtics' practice court in Brookline. Lydon interviews Ernie DiGregorio (basketball player) and Nate 'Tiny' Archibald for the report. Lydon's second report on the upcoming preliminary elections for Boston City Council includes footage from interviews with several candidates including Maura Hennigan, James Kelly, David Scondras, Charles Yancey, Ed McNamara, and Michael McCormack. The candidates talk about voter anger and apathy, the city's fiscal crisis, the need for better city services and the policies of Kevin White (Mayor of Boston). Lydon interviews Donald Woods (South African journalist) about South Africa. Woods criticizes the US veto of the United Nations condemnation of the South African invasion of Angola. Woods says that the white minority in South Africa must negotiate with the black majority in order to avoid a civil war. Woods compares the political situations in South Africa to that of Northern Ireland.

This site presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world. It examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. At present, 101 countries and regions are covered.