Main content
A history of party conventions
Three dramatic party conventions from the past, and how the system of choosing a presidential candidate has evolved.
Last on
Fri 17 Jul 199221:00
BBC Radio 4
![]()
Audio Transcript
Read a transcript of this recording
![]()
See Alistair Cooke's original script
View the script for this programme at the BU archive.
![]()
Electoral debates past and present
How can a televised debate change the public perception of a politician?
![]()
Etiquette for presidential candidates and the heat wave of Summer 1988
When presidential candidates only talked policy, and when Adlai Stephenson broke the rule.
Broadcast
- Fri 17 Jul 199221:00BBC Radio 4
Featured in...
![]()
The Bush Sr Years (1989-1992)—Letter from America by Alistair Cooke
George Bush’s term, the Panama invasion, the Soviet bloc collapse and the first Iraqi war
![]()
See the scripts at the Boston University Archive—Letter from America by Alistair Cooke
Link through to Alistair Cooke's original scripts, at Boston University's HGARC.
![]()
Courts and caucuses - American institutions explained—Letter from America by Alistair Cooke
Alistair Cooke demystifies America's political and legal systems.
Why do Americans love their flag?
How The Stars and Stripes became an emotional symbol of a nation.
