Recently Published

The Appalling Decline of Literacy Among College Graduates

by William O'Neill

Everyone who cares about higher education in this country knows about the chronic under funding of public universities, which has been going on for at least 25 years but has now reached crisis levels owing to the curren

How Ike Can Help Obama’s No Nukes Quest

by William Lambers

Just over half-way into his presidency, Barack Obama has already seen North Korea detonate a nuclear bomb and continue its missile testing. But Obama is not the first president to receive nuclear shocks so soon after taking office.

What Savvy Leaders Could Do to Move Toward a Nuclear-Free World (Obama--Are You Listening?)

by Lawrence S. Wittner

Addressing a U.N. Security Council Summit on September 24, 2009, President Barack Obama observed that the resolution unanimously adopted by the Security Council earlier that day "enshrines our shared commitment to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons."But the enthusiasm for this measure among the representative

Barack Obama in the Footsteps of James Meredith

by Frank Lambert

On September 26, 2008, Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama arrived on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, Mississippi for his first debate with the Republican candidate Senator John McCain.  Many of

The Moderometer: Charting Obama's Zig-Zag, September 28 to October 12

by Gil Troy, with Theodoric Meyer

 This is part of an ongoing project to track the ideological shifts of t

Why We Fear General McChrystal's Counterinsurgency Plan May Be Doomed

by Joseph Magagnoli and Andrew Enterline

American Gen. Stanley McChrystal, recently appointed military commander of allied forces in Afghanistan, contends that absent a significant change in strategy, the outcome of the counterinsurgency war against the Taliban and associated groups will result in a military defeat.  The critical question before President Obama and the allied nations engaged in the war in Afghanistan is whether a failed counterinsurgency  can be corrected and military victory achieved. In addressing this ques

Weimar America

by Steve Hochstadt

Dangerous political movements have threatened the peace and structure of democratic society throughout recent American history. Violent hatred has motivated groups on the left and right extremes, and sometimes these movements have gained considerable local power. I found Maine to be a most tolerant and peaceful place when I lived there for 27 years, but I learned to my surprise how pervasive the influence of the Ku Klux Klan had been in Maine during the 1920s, when it had 150,000 members. The W

The Woman Who Attempted to Etch Herself into the History of the Cuban Revolution

by Katrina Gulliver

Camilo Cienfuegos, Cuban revolutionary leader and close comrade of Fidel Castro, disappeared on 28 October 1959. The small plane in which he was travelling from Camagüey to Havana did not arrive, and searches of the Cuban coast and the Florida everglades failed to locate a crash site. Speculation and conspiracy theories began almost immediately: that the plane had been shot down by accident, or that it never took off and the sto

Why It's Time to Write Wives into the Story of the Civil War

by Carol Berkin

Perhaps no subject captures the imagination of Americans as much as the Civil War. Every year, thousands of families make their pilgrimage to the battlefields on

The Moderometer: Charting Obama's Zig-Zag, September 3 to 27

by Gil Troy

 This is part of an ongoing project to track the ideological shifts of t

History Handed George W. Bush Greatness on a Platter, but He Kicked It Aside

by John Edward Philips

Three times in history the United States of America has been attacked early in a president’s term of office.  In such a situation the president may find greatness thrust upon him, or at the very least he (and so far it has always been a he) may achieve greatness.  None are really born great.  Some American presidents cannot handle greatness.  Such was George W. Bush.  Only now that his presidency is finally over is it fair to judge his overall performance

A Curtain Call for the Domino Theory?

by Kenneth Weisbrode

News leaked recently that President Obama had called a group of historians to the White House a few months ago to educate him on the thinking of President Lyndon Johnson in late 1964 as Johnson weighed the possibility of ordering a major military escalation in Vietnam. As we know, that fateful escalation came in 1965. Are we to conclude that Obama has Vietnam in mind as he considers sending more troops to Afghanistan? Most likely. Experts will argue forever about whether the Vie

Another Nobel Controversy

by Lawrence S. Wittner

The swirling controversy over President Barack Obama's receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize brings to mind another controversy that began in October 1985, when the Norwegian committee announced that that year's prize would go to International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).This global physicians' movem

Why Can't We Do Something to End Hunger? We Can.

by William Lambers

It was in November, 1945 that the Cincinnati Enquirer reported a heroic effort by area schoolchildren. The students helped to collect 36,000 pounds of clothing, bedding and shoes for the charity Save the Children, which then

Roman Polanski and the History of “Rape-Rape” in America

by Heather Munro Prescott

By now, many readers of this website are probably familiar with Whoopi Goldberg’s remarks on the television show “The View” regarding the arrest of Roman Polanski. According to Goldberg the charges

The Unknown Connection between General David Petraeus and Harry Truman

by Ryan Forman

General David Petraeus is one of the most influential men in America today as the current commander of U.S. Central Command and former head of the Multi-National Force in Iraq.  He is increasingly spoken of as a future presidential candidate. A look through General Petraeus's family tree reveals that he has a historical connection to major turning points in America's involvement in foreign wars. From the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I, to the drive across France and Germany in WWII,

Affidavit of Robert Proctor

    IN THE CIRCUIT COURT, SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDAIN RE: ENGLE PROGENY CASES TOBACCO LITIGATION Pertains to: STELLA KOBALLA and ROBERT KOBALLA,  

Plaintiffs’ Motion For Reconsideration of Order Overruling Objections To Subpoena And For Protective Order Concerning Unpublished Manuscript [by Robert Proctor]

To comment on this story click here.IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUITIN AND FOR VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDACIVIL DIVISIONIN RE: ENGLE PROGENY CASES TOBACCO LITIGATIONPertains to:  Stella Koballa and Robert Koballa,Case No. 2007-333-CICIPLAINTIFFS’ MOT

Happy Birthday ER!

by Nancy Shear

Eleanor Roosevelt didn't photograph well. The camera seemed to capture not only the sloping chin and protruding teeth but the insecurity and shyness that had plagued her since childhood. This week, the week of Mrs. Roosevelt’s 125th birthday, some forty-seven years after her death, first-person accounts of the warmth of her presence and the vibrance of her personality – what many who met her describe as a radiant charm and powerful magnetism – are increasingly rare. And the fac

The “Tea Party” Movement and Its Misuse of History

by Jeremy Stern

We’ve seen a lot of the “Tea Party” protesters in recent weeks. Their main announced purpose, as they parade and wave their tea-bags, is to stop health-insurance reform, which they have branded a “socialist” (or, alternatively, fascist) invasion of private rights. They complain bitterly about taxation, and about government spending in general. Many go a good deal further, spouting incendiary (and often blatantly false) claims about government leaders and in