Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Bush I Remembered on Tape


The Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia considers its leading role in preserving presidential history with the release next week of oral history interviews on George H.W. Bush's presidency.  The Center's announcement, given in part below, notes that White House Counsel Boyden Gray was interviewed and that among the topics covered in the various interviews were Bush I's two Supreme Court nominations.  In that respect, the release is quite timely, as we are coming up on the twentieth anniversary of the Hill-Thomas hearings.  Here is the Center's announcement:
On Oct. 14, the Miller Center will release the oral history of President George H.W. Bush. Comprised of interviews with more than 50 senior officials from the Bush White House and Cabinet, the oral history provides an intimate look at the 41st presidency in the words of those who were part of it. The interviews were conducted by teams of scholars, with most lasting 7 to 10 hours each.

The oral history will be released at a two-day event in Charlottesville on Oct. 14 and 15 at which former Bush administration officials and scholars from across the country will discuss interviews that have been cleared for release and reflect on the many historic issues the Bush administration confronted, including the end of the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, the no-new-taxes pledge, and filling two Supreme Court vacancies. Participants will include Bush National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft, White House Chief of Staff John Sununu, and White House Counsel Boyden Gray.

This event, which will start on Oct. 14 at 1:00 p.m., will be streamed live [here]. Opened interview transcripts will be posted online at that time. An archived webcast of the event will also be available soon after the initial presentation.