William L. Shirer discusses his book "The Collapse of the Third Republic". Shirer talks about the fall of the third republic of France. Shirer also discusses World War II Europe.

Journalist and correspondent in Moscow for the New York Times Harrison Salisbury discusses and reads from his novel “The Gates of Hell”, a novel that closely mirrors the life of Russian novelist and Soviet dissident Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. As Salisbury states, the characters in this novel discover the discrepancies between the legend and reality of the Russian revolution in a post-WWII era.

Harrison Salisbury discusses his book “The 900 Days: The Siege Of Leningrad” and the lasting impact of the siege on the Soviet Union and life in Leningrad during the siege. Salisbury reads a poem by Olga Bergholz.Isabella Zorina discusses a trip to mass graves, including the many young people who were also visiting, some as part of wedding ceremonies, and the music played at the graves. Terkel plays Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, conducted by Leonard Bernstein, at the end of the program.

His experiences as a journalist are what's covered in Harrison Evans Salisbury's book, "A Time of Change: A Reporter's Tale of Our Time". Salisbury believed as a reporter, one truly needed to be at the event, in order to obtain the true story. Once Salisbury questioned if he was living in America because he was asked to switch rooms at a hotel in Birmingham, only to find out later that there were special, bugged rooms for reporters.

Author Francine du Plessix Gray discusses and reads from her book “Soviet Women: Walking the Tightrope.” The discussion is heavily focused on the feminist movement in Russia as it compares to the 1960s feminist movement in the United Sates; as Gray states the Russian movement being much more radical in terms of free love, eroticism, and artistic expression. Studs plays "Chastushki" - Zinaida Kozakova (1961).

Daniel Yergin, author and economic historian, discusses his book, "Shattered Peace: The Origins of the Cold War and the National Security State." He explains the key players in the Cold War and his thoughts on the Yalta and Riga Axioms. Yergin also explores the end of World War II and other events that led to the tensions between US and the Soviet Union.

The Big Three leaders - Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Harry Truman - are among the main topics of Charles L. Mee's book, "Meeting at Potsdam." It was the ending stages of World War II and as Mee explains, the meeting at Postdam was really a peace conference. The beginning of this recording includes an excerpt of a speech by Churchill.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Blanche Wiesen Cook, historian, professor, and author discusses her book, "The Declassified Eisenhower," and explains Eisenhower's peace and war beliefs. She describes his beliefs at the end of World War II and his relationships with fellow generals and leaders.