Press Release
Press Release · Thursday, September 26, 2002

Washington, DC . . . In November and December, the National Archives and Records Administration presents a series of lectures relating to the White House, World War II, the US Military, and the National Archives will celebrate Bill of Rights Day with a special naturalization ceremony.

The programs are free and open to the public and will take place in Room 105 at the National Archives Building, Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, unless otherwise stated. Due to limited seating in Room 105 of the National Archives Building, reservations are recommended. Call (202) 208-7345. The public may verify times and dates by calling the National Archives public events line at (202) 501-5000. TDD users may call (202) 501-5404.

November

Tuesday, November 5—The White House in Pictures
Award-winning photographer Diana Walker has spent much of her career documenting the public and private moments of five American Presidents and their administrations. In her latest book, Public and Private: Twenty Years Photographing the White House, she examines 135 remarkable images—some never before published—that cover public events and also offer a rare and candid look at behind-the-scenes moments at the White House. Co-sponsored with the National Portrait Gallery. 7 p.m.

Thursday, November 7—World War II
Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the riveting story of the war in North Africa in his latest book, An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943. Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, Mr. Atkinson examines the American and British armies and their commanders as they fought in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. 7 p.m.

Tuesday, November 12—U.S. Army
Dr. Lewis Sorley and Lt. Gen. Rick Brown USA (Ret.) will present and discuss their latest works concerning the U.S. Army. Lt. Gen. Brown will screen excerpts from their video documentary All We Could Be, an account of how the Army rebuilt itself after Vietnam to become the Army of Desert Storm. Dr. Sorley will comment on his forthcoming book complementing the documentary. (This event was rescheduled from October 2002.) 7 p.m.

Thursday, November 14—Election 2000
Kathleen Hall Jamieson will discuss her latest book (co-authored with Paul Waldman), The Press Effect: Politicians, Journalists, and the Stories That Shape the Political World. The unprecedented events of election night 2000 and the following 36 days revealed the impact of network overconfidence in polls and how preconceptions color press interpretation. Ms. Jamieson and Mr. Waldman critique the role of the press in mediating between politicians and the citizens they are supposed to serve. Noon.

Thursday, November 14—Eleanor Roosevelt
Robert Cohen will discuss Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters from Children of the Great Depression. As First Lady, Mrs. Roosevelt was the most visible spokesperson for the National Youth Administration, the New Deal's central agency for aiding the needy young, and she insisted that federal aid to young people be administered without discrimination. Mr. Cohen presents nearly 200 of the thousands of letters children wrote to her between 1933 and 1941. 7 p.m.

Tuesday, November 19—Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt's ability to confront and successfully overcome long-standing social hurdles made her one of the greatest leaders of the last century. Robin Gerber will discuss Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way. 7 p.m.

December

Tuesday, December 3—Motion Pictures and the Military
Capt. James Wise USN (Ret.) will discuss his series of books: Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services, Stars in the Corps: Movie Actors in the United States Marines, Stars in Khaki: Movie Actors in the Army and the Air Services, and International Stars at War. In these books, filled with fascinating and revealing profiles of dozens of celebrities, many readers will discover for the first time the patriotic contributions and sacrifices actors have made in the armed forces from World War I to Vietnam. Noon.

Tuesday, December 3—Coast Guard Lecture series
Candace Clifford will discuss Nineteenth-Century Lights: Historic Images of American Lighthouses. Clifford's presentation will illustrate the evolution of the lighthouse construction types through historic images, many from the National Archives. For each historic image, she will include a contemporary image that shows the lighthouse's present state. 7 p.m.

Monday, December 9—Coast Guard Lecture series
Alex Larzelere will discuss The Coast Guard at War: Vietnam, 1965-1975. From May 1965, when its cutters engaged the Viet Cong, to 1975, the Coast Guard worked and fought alongside its sister services, conducting a wide range of operations that have remained largely unknown to the public. Alex Larzelere retired from the U.S. Coast Guard after 29 years of service, including tours in Vietnam and as the first Coast Guard aide to the President. Noon.

Tuesday, December 10—Motion Pictures and the Military
Larry Suid will discuss Guts and Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film, a definitive study of the symbiotic relationship between the film industry and the U.S. armed services. He offers an in-depth look at such classic films as Wings, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, The Longest Day, and Patton, as well as controversial war movies including The Green Berets, The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, and Platoon. This expanded edition has been brought up to date with recent war films, such as Saving Private Ryan, Pearl Harbor, and Windtalkers. Noon.

Tuesday, December 10—U.S. Navy
Lt. Comdr. Henry Hendrix USN will discuss "This Splendid Fleet, On the Spot." One hundred years ago this month, in the calm waters of the Caribbean basin, the U.S. Navy upheld the Monroe Doctrine and firmly established itself as the preeminent instrument of diplomatic influence in the American arsenal. Lt. Comdr. Hendrix will discuss the extensive military preparations leading up to the events of late 1902, and will reveal new, previously uncited sources that validate Theodore Roosevelt's later accounts of this historically controversial and largely undocumented episode of American diplomacy. 7 p.m.

Monday, December 16—Naturalization Ceremony
Bill of Rights Day
The National Archives, in co-sponsorship with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, continues the tradition of holding a naturalization ceremony for petitioners seeking American citizenship. This year's ceremony, which will mark the 211th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights, will be held in the District Court Building for a second year, while the Rotunda of the National Archives is closed for renovations. Attendance is open to the petitioners, families, and guests as well to a limited number of members of the public holding tickets. Tickets are free, but must be reserved by calling 202-501-5215. 10 a.m. 333 Constitution Avenue, NW, Courtroom 20, 6th floor.

Tuesday, December 17—Etiquette
Judith Martin will discuss her latest book, Star-Spangled Manners: In which Miss Manners defends American Etiquette (For a Change). In this wryly perceptive, historically informed new book, America's leading expert on civility reminds her Gentle Readers that when the Founding Fathers created a revolution in the name of individual liberty and equality, they also took a stand against hierarchical European etiquette in favor of simplicity over ceremony, and personal dignity over obsequiousness. 7 p.m.

For PRESS information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail.To verify the date and times of the programs, the public should call the Public Events Line at: 202-501-5000, or view the Calendar of Events on the web at: www.archives.gov/about_us/calendar_of_events/index.html

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