Booknotes & Politicians

Political leaders often write books on diverse topics, including foreign affairs, their years of public service, and history. Several high-powered national and international political leaders appeared on Booknotes. Politicians were attracted to the program’s serious audience, fair and balanced reporting of issues, and the care Brian Lamb took in preparing for interviews.

Booknotes provided the distinct opportunity to hear major public figures discuss the issues, their lives, and their writing styles in an uninterrupted, hour-long format.

Between Hope and History

On December 15, 1996, President Bill Clinton sat down with Brian Lamb to discuss his book, Between Hope and History: American’s Challenges for the Twenty First Century. The interview provided the opportunity to hear from a sitting American President what he thought his next steps should be during the lengthy interview.  

For future scholars it helps to provide a snapshot of the Clinton years. Unlike most Booknotes interviews--filmed in C-SPAN’s offices--this interview was filmed in the White House.

Seize the Moment: America’s Challenge in a One-Superpower World

In his 1992 Booknotes interview President Richard Nixon also departed from the norm. Nixon shot a rare two-part, two-hour interview to discuss his book Seize the Moment: America’s Challenge in a One-Superpower World. Here President Nixon is shown writing in the White House.

With such powerful individuals appearing on their program, even the professional Booknotes staff could be impressed by guests. In her March 2015 oral history interview, former C-SPAN Senior Producer Sarah Trahern recalled being awestruck by the former President, with whom she chatted about baseball before his interview.

A World Transformed

In this photo President George H.W. Bush, C-SPAN staffer Carol Hellwig, and Bush’s National Security Advisor General Brent Scowcroft pose with their book in C-SPAN’s offices following the October 1998 appearance on Booknotes.

Both Scowcroft and President Bush appeared on the program together to discuss the book they co-authored, A World Transformed. Among other topics, this book and interview tackle international relations, the Cold War, and political leaders, including Mikhail Gorbachev.

Memoirs

Booknotes provided the opportunity to hear about issues from multiple personal and political perspectives. This was the case when former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev appeared on Booknotes in 1996 to discuss his book Memoirs. Gorbachev discussed communism, his time in power, the Cold War, and the USSR, providing the American public with the chance to learn about these issues from multiple points of view through the Booknotes program.

Interviewing international leaders was a great way to broaden the audience’s perspectives, but it posed challenges. Gorbachev’s interview, for example, had to be conducted through a translator.