Writer Gore Vidal discusses his novel “1876” and how the political corruption and social atmosphere of the 1870s inspired its plot. Vidal reads several excerpts from the book. The song, “Tilden and Reform,” is played.

Author George Thayer speaks with Studs Terkel about Thayer’s book “The War Business: The International Trade in Armaments,” the business of weapons manufacturing, the arms trade, and what part the United States plays in international arms dealing. Terkel plays an audio clip of his interview with Gerald P. Nye, a Senator from South Dakota, and both Terkel and Thayer read excerpts from Thayer’s book.

After writing the book “Flying High” about her experiences as an airline stewardess, Elizabeth Rich moved on to research the trend of skyjacking in her second book “Flying Scared: Why We Are Being Skyjacked and How to Put a Stop to It.” Rich is one of the first people to conduct a study on these crimes, and criticizes both the US government and Federal Aviation Administration for essentially ignoring repeated skyjacking.