Alistair Cooke

The Essential Letters from America: The 1970s Alistair Cooke

A collection of some of Alistair Cooke s most memorable radio letters from the 1970s

Alistair Cooke was a radio legend, entertaining millions of listeners for over fifty years in his weekly "Letter from America." It was the longest-running one-man series in radio history, and every show was a virtuoso performance. Wise and witty, informed yet informal, Cooke was the doyen of foreign correspondents.

This selection of letters includes Cooke s reports on momentous events such as Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal, the ceasefire in Vietnam, and the assassination attempt on Gerald Ford. Here, too, are Cooke s thoughts on Jimmy Carter becoming president, the death of Harry S. Truman, the accident at Three Mile Island nuclear power station, and the Apollo-Soyuz link-up in space.

The letters are set in their historical context with a specially commissioned script narrated by the BBC s award-winning American correspondent Matt Frei.

Whether the topics he explores are serious or humorous, Cooke s unique style of expression and analysis shines through in these classic broadcasts from one of the world s most famous letter writers and radio s greatest observer."