WWII

In The Secret War Against Hate, Steven J. Ross details the racist, anti-Semitic groups that sprang up in the latter half of the 20th century — and the spy network that worked to bring them to justice.

ward winning British author FRANCIS SPUFFORD. His books have won the Costa Book Award, The Ondaatje Prize and have been long listed for the Booker Prize.They include Cahokia Jazz - a 1920’s noir crime novel set in an alternate American history where a sovereign majority indigenous nation-state thrives in the middle of the United States, and Golden HIll a novel set in 18th century New York. Spufford’s new novel, called Nonesuch, takes place in London during the war as the city must try to survive the Blitz - the 8-month bombing campaign led by the Nazis that killed over 40,00 British.

Brody won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who seeks a fresh start in post-WWII America. "I just was in awe when I read the script," he says.

The German filmmaker reflects on his unusual life and the curiosity that has fueled his career in the memoir, Every Man for Himself and God Against All. Originally broadcast Oct. 25, 2023.

In The Road to Surrender, Evan Thomas examines the closing months of WWII, exploring the motivations of key U.S. leaders, and of Japanese commanders and diplomats. Originally broadcast June 20, 2023.

Lance's new book, Chamber Divers, is about research conducted by scientists at University College London before and during World War II — including protocols for operating the miniature submarines used on scouting missions in advance of D-Day.

Peter Pomerantsev co-founded a project recording Russian atrocities in Ukraine to combat Russian disinformation. His new book profiles a WWII propagandist who targeted the Nazi regime.

Psychedelic science began much earlier than you may think - back in the 1920s and '30s. At the center of that research was Margaret Mead, the famous anthropologist, and her third husband, Gregory Bateson, one of the most controversial anthropologists of his time. That early history is covered in the new book by my guest, Benjamin Breen. The book is called "Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, The Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science".

Though more than one million Black Americans contributed to the war effort, historian Matthew Delmont says a military uniform offered no protection from racism. Originally broadcast Nov. 8, 2022.

Manilow was one of the biggest pop hitmakers of the '70s and early '80s. He now has a Broadway musical, Harmony. "I like emotional productions," he said in '02. I like to take the listener on a trip."

In her book, Prequel, Maddow describes ultra-right plots to overthrow the government in the days leading up to WWII — a subject she covered in her podcast Ultra. Originally broadcast Dec. 15, 2022.

Werner Herzog, is a writer and director who makes films about extremes - extreme personalities, predicaments and places. He's written a new memoir called "Every Man For Himself And God Against All," which is also the subtitle of his film "The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser."

Oppenheimer writer and director Christopher Nolan is no stranger to dark, brooding films. His list of credits includes the Batman trilogy, Dunkirk, Inception and Insomnia. But he says the story of Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb, stayed with him in a way his other films didn't.

Author Evan Thomas tells the story of American leaders wrestling with the terrifying dilemmas of nuclear weapons and of determined Japanese leaders confronting the humiliating prospect of defeat.

Otsuka has recently been awarded the Carnegie Medal for Excellence for her novel about a Japanese American woman who's lost much of her memory to dementia. Originally broadcast Feb. 22, 2022.

Infantryman Robert Kotlowitz was one of only three in his platoon to survive an ill-advised attack on the Germans. Robert Williams served with the Tuskegee Airmen. Originally broadcast in '99 and '95.

Historian MATTHEW F. DELMONT is the author of the new book Half-American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad. It's about the African American experience in World War II, the discrimination Black Americans faced in the military and in civilian defense industries.

Ken Burns' new three-part documentary, The U.S. and the Holocaust, explores what everyday Americans knew — or didn't know — about what the Nazis were doing in Europe.

China scholar Michael Beckley says China is engaged in the largest military buildup since World War II, and is being increasingly aggressive with its Asian neighbors and with the U.S.

Dole, who died Dec. 5, represented Kansas in the Senate for 27 years, and was the Republican nominee for president in 1996. He spoke to Fresh Air in '05 about his experiences fighting in World War II.