American Politics

Part 1 of Fresh Air's interview with G. Gordon Liddy. Liddy became a writer after he was released from jail for his role in the Watergate scandal. Now that all statutes of limitations have passed, he speaks frankly about the affair, as well as his views on protest and law-breaking. Fresh Air callers join the conversation.

Media consultant Elliott Curson helped shape the public persona of President Ronald Reagan through television advertising. He discusses his opinions of other political campaigns.

Tuli Kupferberg was in the radical rock band the Fugs. He and Lannes Kenfield perform in the Revolting Theater group. They discuss the role their political convictions play in their creative pursuits.

John D. Case was a prison warden based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He worked to improve the prison system through better training and pay for prison employees and an emphasis on inmate rehabilitation. He also advocates for the repealing of laws which he feels lead to unnecessary prison sentences.

In light of the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Department of Justice is considering requiring all Iranian students in the U.S. to report to the I.N.S. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit in response. A.C.L.U. executive director Ira Glasser explains how checks on government help protect constitutional rights.

Terry Gross speaks with four occupiers of an armory in New Hampshire protesting the construction of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant.

Ralph Flood introduces a talk given by I. F. Stone at La Salle University on the intelligence network in the United States.

John Dean, former White House Counsel for Richard Nixon, discusses his new book "Blind Ambition" and the Watergate scandal.

Novelist Anthony Cave Brown discusses his latest novel and the role of the intelligence community in World War II.

John Aiello, head of the Italian American Bicentennial, talks Italian Americans and their role in U. S. society.