Historians of the modern American presidency, including speakers Otis Graham, William Leuchtenburg, and David McCullough, have written about the Age of Franklin D. Roosevelt. How far does this extend into American politics in the mid-1980s? What is the nature of presidential influence, and how do historians measure it? What are some of the noteworthy effects of the administrations of FDR on his successor, Harry S. Truman?
At the time of this interview, Graham was professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Leuchtenburg, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1978-81), was also professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. McCullough is a historian and author.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.