History

Moscow Bureau chief for the New York Times, Michael Gordon. He's been covering the war in Chechnya. The New York Times is one of only two western news organizations allowed in Chechnya by the Russian military. Gordon also covered the Gulf war and the war in Kosovo, and is co-author of the book "The Generals' War" about the Gulf War.

Filmmaker Barbara Sonneborn. In her debut documentary Regret to Inform, Sonneborn weaves together the stories of widows from both sides of the American-Vietnam War. Sonneborn is a war widow herself; her husband was killed in Vietnam in 1968. Regret to Inform will air on PBS later this month. IT has already received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary feature, and won the Best Director and Best Cinematography documentary awards at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.

We remember novelist Joseph Heller, author of "Catch-22" which became an American classic. He died Sunday night at the age of 76, from a heart attack. (REBROADCAST from 1/29/88)

Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Garry Wills. His new book is "A Necessary Evil: A History of American Distrust of Government" (Simon & Schuster). Wills is also the author of "Lincoln At Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America." And he's written other books on Nixon, Reagan and Kennedy, as well as a look at the relationship between politics and popular culture via celebrity, "John Wayne's America: the Politics of Celebrity."

Actor, director, writer Tim Robbins talks about his new film *The Cradle Will Rock*. It is the first film written and directed by Robbins since the Academy Award winning Dead Man Walking. The Cradle Will Rock is based on the events surrounding the production of a 1937 labor musical, directed by Orson Welles. The play was shut down by a government injunction for the cast's alleged left-wing politics. Robbins is known for his roles in such films as Shawshank Redemption, The Player, and Bull Durham.

We remember crime novelist George V. Higgins. He was found dead at his home on Saturday, apparently of natural causes. He was 59. He was best known for his best seller, "Friends of Eddie Coyle," published in 1972. (REBROADCAST from 9/30/1986)

Writer Edmund Morris. His biography of former president Ronald Reagan, "Dutch," (Random House) has garnered a lot of controversy. Morris uses a fictional narrator to tell much of the story, taking unprecedented artistic liberties. This is the first biography authorized by a sitting president, and it took Morris fourteen years to finally complete the work. Morris, a South African by birth, is the author of "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt," which won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award. He is currently at work on a second volume of the Roosevelt biography.

Film critic John Powers reviews "Three Kings," starring George Clooney, Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg. It's written and directed by David O. Russell, whose last hit film was "Flirting With Disaster."

Boxing trainer Harry Keitt. He can be seen in the new documentary "On the Ropes" about the world of boxing at a Brooklyn neighborhood gym. Filmmakers Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen follow four boxers and Harry Keitt, their trainer, as they prepare for the 1997 Golden Gloves Tournament.

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson. He's a former Florida congressman and a former P.O.W. during the Vietnam war. He spent almost seven years as a prisoner of war. Now everyday, living in Vietnam, he passes by the Hanoi Hilton, the building that held him. Peterson is the subject of a new PBS documentary, "Assignment Hanoi." (It airs on many PBS stations September 7th).

Actor Dan Hedaya. He's currently starring as President Nixon in the new comedy about Watergate, "Dick." His performance has been called "hilarious and sly." Though Hedaya stars in this film, he's best known for his supporting role in many other films and TV shows.

World music critic Milo Miles offers a tribute to South African singer "Mahlathini". He died last week at the age of 61. Simon Nkabinde Mahlathini (nicknamed "the Lion of Soweto") was best known for his lead vocals for the group Mahlathini and the Mhaotella Queens after emerging on the international stage with the 1985 sampler The Indestructible Beat of Soweto.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. She is also former President of Ireland. Robinson visited Sierra Leone recently. She warned that the United Nations will not recognize the amnesty, brokered in the peace accord, as applying to gross violations of human rights.

Human rights activist and pro-democracy leader in Sierra Leone, Zainab Bangura ("ZI-nahb Bahn-gurrah"). She's been threatened both by the government and by the rebels because of her outspokenness.

World War Two combat veteran Robert Kotlowitz has written about his experiences in "Before Their Time: A Memoir." 1997 Hard cover and just re-printed this year on Anchor Books. Kotlowitz was part of a platoon that was ordered to charge the German front, an order that killed all but 3 men. His previous books included: The Boardwalk, His Master's Voice, Sea Changes, and Somewhere Else. (THIS CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW.)

Former fighter pilots Ed Mechenbier and Ron Bliss. During the Vietnam War they were both shot down, and became POWs in Hanoi. They are interviewd in the new documentary "Return with Honor." The film was made by Freida Lee Mock and Terry Sanders, the team that made the Oscar winning film, "Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision."

Steve Erlanger is the Central Europe and Balkans Bureau Chief for The New York Times. He reports from Prague, Czech Republic on the aftermath of the NATO bombings in Yugoslavia. During the war, he filed reports from Belgrade.

Leo Marks served as one of Britain's top code makers during WWII. There he revolutionized the military's code making methods. He's written about his experiences in "Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War 1941-1945. (Free Press) Marks is also a screenwriter. His most famous film is the 1960's cult-classic "Peeping Tom."

James Farmer, one of the architects of the Civil Rights movement, died Friday at the age of 79. He was the last surviving major Civil Rights leader of his generation. Farmer co-founded CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality, which was one of the first Civil Right's groups to apply Ghandi's principles of non-violent resistance. Terry spoke with James Farmer in 1985.

Scott Anderson is author of the new book "The Man Who Tried to Save the World : The Dangerous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Fred Cuny ." (Doubleday) He talks about the life of disaster relief specialist Fred Cuny who went to war-torn regions of the world to help the people rebuild their communities. CUNY disappeared in April, 1995 while working in Chechnya. Anderson is also author of the novel "Triage" set in the Kurdish occupied region of Iraq.