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Behind big, explosive public events, often there is an untold back-story, a buried motive or an unknown character, like Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal, crucial to the story, but [...]

What ties this little tale together, however loosely, is the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, one of the most extensively examined foreign policy events in modern American history. That is [...]

Reviews the motion picture "Huey Long," directed and produced by Ken Burns.

Focuses on allegations imposed upon civil rights activists Albert and Evelyn Turner by a U.S. federal grand jury for conspiracy, vote fraud, and mail fraud. Information that they have been accused of gathering the absentee ballots of their elderly, illiterate, and infirm supporters, and then altering those ballots to favor the candidates of their own choice; Relationship between Senator Jimmy Lee Jackson and Albert Turner; Prediction that more absentee ballots will be cast in elections to be held in Perry County.

Argues that Thomas Quinn, head of the Brown Exploratory Committee, should strive to get Jerry Brown the Democratic Party's 1980 presidential nomination. Need for Quinn to improve the timing of his political maneuvers; Author's observation that the image of Brown among the national political establishment will take its toll, at least in the beginning; Tendency of the political parties to see Brown as erratic and unprincipled, a politician who has shown serious lapses in judgment; Need for Brown to win some primaries.

Focuses on U.S. presidential candidate George Bush. Family; Career history; Highlights of Bush's political career; Scheme to capture the Republican nomination; Qualifications to become president; Views on the constitutional amendment on abortion and the federal government paying for abortions; Bush's creation of a campaign organization of established professionals; Campaign strategy of Bush.

Presents tips on which American congressional and gubernatorial candidates to bet on for the 1978 elections. Sources of information on the election prospects of candidates, such as pollsters, insider political newsletters and political consultants; Estimation of probable voter turnout; Finding that 95 percent of House incumbents who run again, win again; Election prospects of Howard Baker, Jerry Brown, Strom Thurmond, Hugh Carey, Ed Brooke and Arch Moore.

Reports on the possibility that Edward Kennedy might oppose President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic Party nomination for the presidential elections. Lead of Kennedy against Carter in all areas of the country as shown by national polls; Emergence of Kennedy as one of the administration's most loyal backers in the Senate on issues such as human rights and tax reform; Kennedy's staking out of his differences with the administration on the Middle East arms package and national health insurance; Kennedy's acts that make him look like a one-man alternative government; Restraining factors that influence Edward Kennedy as a potential presidential nominee.

Presents views on the present-day prostitution in the United States. Belief that enforcement of the prostitution laws amounts to an unnecessary drain on law enforcement resources according to Marilyn Haft, director of the sexual privacy project of the American Civil Liberties Union; Basic elements of the sleazy complexes of pornography and adult entertainment; City where the sex-boom is concentrated in; Special zoning category in Boston, Massachusetts for adult entertainment.

Looks at the political influence of the Democratic party in the state of Massachusetts. Victory of Democrats in presidential elections in the state; President Jimmy Carter's appointment of Evan Dobelle to the position of Democratic National Committee treasurer; Appointment of Dobelle's wife, Kit to U.S. chief of protocol; Role of partisanship in election outcomes; Challenges faced by Carter from Republicans during his campaign for the presidential nominations. INSET: Sidney Hillman Award..

Presents information on political strategies of U.S. Republicans Bill Brock and Jesse Jackson. Information on support of Brock to Barry Goldwater during presidential election in the U.S.; Establishment of the People United to Save Humanity, an organization that involves itself in picketing, protesting, boycotting and various other maneuvers; Reports that statistics compiled by the Joint Center for Political Studies shows that all African American votes cast for U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Attitude of Jackson towards African American.

Comments on the potential of former California governor Ronald Reagan to become the presidential candidate of the Republication Party in the U.S. Survey in Republican Party encampments suggesting that Reagan is preeminent in the party and front-runner for the presidential nomination; Political track record of Reagan; Skills as a fundraiser and campaigner; Public perception of Reagan as a right-wing extremist.

Focuses on some useful glimpses of presidential candidate Howard Baker's foreign policy and his stand on Panama Canal treaties. Assessment of Baker's leadership success; Popularity of Baker in the U.S.; Strength and position of Baker in Republican Party; Challenges to be faced by U.S. President Jimmy Carter from Baker; Disagreement of Baker with Carter on the Middle East policy; Argument of Baker on the ratification of Panama treaties.

Presents information on Governor of Illinois Jim Thompson. Stand taken by Thompson on a balanced budget and a tough crime bill; Legislation on denial of state funds for abortions to women on public aid; Information on Thompson's veto of the bill on medicaid abortions; View that Thompson's modest approach to government have made him an object of interest in some Republican Party circles.

Presents information on the relationship between the U.S. government officials, conservatives and the Republican Party. Interest of Republican politicians in presidential politics; Comparison of votes between Republicans and Democrats; Information that the Grand Old Party has held the governorship in six of the 11 states of the old confederacy since the mid-1960s; Discussion on problems related to the Republican party; Factors responsible for the decline in the interest of citizens in presidential elections.

Reports on a national advertising campaign initiated by political figure Jerry Wurf in his aim to attack the city of Atlanta, Georgia, and its black liberal mayor Maynard Jackson in the late 1970s. Messages used by Wurf in the advertisements in major newspapers and national magazines; Discussion on the effect of the strike called by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees' (AFSCME) Atlanta local; Reputation of Wurf in the U.S.; Role of advertising in labor disputes.

Focuses on the political imbroglio created by some suggestions that money of Robert Lee Vesco, a fugitive American financier, might have made its way in political campaigns. People selected for primary nominations for next year's presidential elections; Allegation of José Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, that present President Daniel Oduber got his campaign funds from Robert Vesco, a fugitive American financier; View that Figueres had initially great interest in Vesco; Discussion on efforts to extradite Vesco from Costa Rica because of frauds that he was charged with; Investments by Vesco in Costa Rica; View that there are no laws effectively regulating political finance in Costa Rica; Deliberation on steps that should be taken to find out the truth in the face of allegations by Figueres; Impact of the current confusion over Vesco episode on the ongoing presidential election. INSET: Letter fron the President of Costs Rica.

Focuses on the relationship between the government headed by President Jimmy Carter and organized labor in the United States. Views of George Meany, the president of the 15-million member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) on the election debt of the President; Views of Lane Kirkland, secretary-treasurer of AFL-CIO on the economic stimulus package proposed by the President; Report that the federation's annual meeting included proposals on picketing, strip mining, minimum wage, and labor law reform; View that organized labor has always been a very important political force in Washington, a working man's lobby on the economy; Account of the relationship between Meany and Carter; Criticism of the President by Kirkland on issues related to full employment, inflation and labor exploitation.

Focuses on the electoral system in Costa Rica. Information about the first primary elections for president in Costa Rica; Details about the campaign activities of presidential candidates; Comparison of election system of Costa Rica with Latin American countries; Criticism of the constitution of Costa Rica; Agreement among political leaders that the constitution has become a clumsy legal and economic aggregation; Information on the system of universal voter registration in the country.

Discusses the competition between United Steelworkers of America district directors Lloyd McBride and Edward Sadlowski for the right to succeed retiring president I.W. Abel. View of McBride and Sadlowski on the Experimental Negotiating Agreement (ENA); Report that the ENA represents a new phase of industry, union relations-labor-management cooperation for greater productivity; Detail of the respective campaigns of the candidates; Claim of Abel and McBride against Sadlowski; Statement that Sadlowski is running against the official machine of the largest union in the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations from a shaky base in a single district; Discussion of the problems faced by both the candidates; Fact that under the Landrum-Griffin Act, the Labor Department has the authority to step in and supervise all aspects of the balloting, which would be the best assurance of an election unmarred by irregularities or intimidation.

Presents information on the election for the majority leader for Democratic members of the U.S. Senate. View of the U.S. senators on these elections and the participants; Report that the contest for the post of majority leader would be between senators Hubert Humphrey and Robert Byrd; Discussion on the fate of Humphrey in the contest; Information on the authorities associated with the designation of Majority leader; Description of the political journey of Byrd; Revelation of support base of Byrd in the Democratic Party; Focus on the role played by U.S. President Jimmy Carter in this election; Fact that Humphrey's supporters have accommodated Byrd's cause by running up their own distress flags, another sign of weakness.

Focuses on the treatment given by this political magazine to the candidacy of presidential aspirant Jimmy Carter in the U.S. Articles published in the periodical about the election campaign of Carter; Encounter of the candidate with anti-abortion demonstrators; Comparison of Carter's campaign with that of his opponent Gerald R. Ford; Public opinion on Carter.

Focuses on the impact of the announcement of the vice presidential candidates of the U.S. Republican party and the U.S. Democratic Party. Views that the greatest electoral asset of the past two Republican Presidents has been their conduct of foreign affairs; Views that the selection of Dole is an indication of the election strategy of the U.S. President Gerald R. Ford; Beginning of a campaign against Jimmy Carter, an aspirant for the presidency of the United States; Selection of Dole can be read as merely one final indication that the President recognized the need to get out of Kansas City with the party intact, portents might improve for the U.S. Republican party.

Discusses the fight of five candidates running for the New York Senate race. Description about the political career of Bella Abzug, one of 18 women in the U.S. Congress; Popularity and political image of Ramsey Clark, more recently a self-described public interest lawyer for the Berrigans; Revelation that although Democrats have an edge in registration of nearly a million potential votes, they have trouble converting that margin into electoral victory because this is sometimes a four-party state; Argument pertaining to the race between Abzug and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, an ambassador to India; Political campaign of Abzug in New York; Political image of Abzug and her outcry for civil rights.

Focuses on the effort of Jimmy Carter for his nomination as the presidential candidate in the US. Democratic Party convention. Statement made by Democratic National chairman Robert Strauss, appealing for unanimity in the Party's platform; Dispute between various women's groups and the Carter campaign for guarantees for more female representation at future conventions; Difficulties faced by Carter in nominating the vice presidential candidate; Prospects of the nomination of Edmund Muskie as the vice presidential candidate of Democratic Party.

Focuses on the political career of U.S. presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. List of states in favor of Carter's candidacy; Assessment on the possible victory of Carter; Effect of Carter's nomination on the Democratic Party of Georgia; Comments on the recent results of the primaries; Objectives of the Anybody But Carter group formed by Carter's opponents.

Focuses on the performance of presidential candidates in the primaries in the U.S. Number state won; Details on the various strategies used by the candidates during the campaign period; Comments on the political campaign of Coalition leaders; Discussion of a meeting in which politician Jimmy Carter addressed UAW members; Trouble caused by ethnic purity in the campaign of Carter; Support of the political parties for representative candidates.

Focuses on the growing popularity of Jimmy Carter, Senator from Georgia among the black community of the United States. Support for Carter from the blacks of all parts of the United States; Views that black support can earn critical margins for Carter and the black vote remains a major factor in the primaries; Views that Carter garnering the support of the blacks to oppose George Wallace, Senator from North Carolina; Votes against Wallace, not for Carter; Utilization for better campaign skills to woo the black voters; Support of Martin Luther King for Carter. INSET: The New Republic Votes..

Presents information on U.S. politician Morris Udall. Opponents of Udall in the field of politics; Political priorities of Udall; Career background of Udall; Political conditions of New York and Wisconsin; Issues related to primaries in Wisconsin and New York; Inability of Udall to predict the crossover votes.

Focuses on the role of radio and television in political advertising in the U.S. Claim by Roger Ailes, former President Richard Nixon's television adviser, that no candidate will ever again be elected without the medium's help; Problems faced by various politicians due to the radio and television advertising; Impact of the television campaigning conducted by presidential candidate Jimmy Carter.

Focuses on the position of candidates in primary elections for the post of president in New Hampshire and Massachusetts states. Contest between Morris Udall and Birch Bayh in Massachusetts; Campaigns of Jimmy Carter and Udall in New Hampshire; Possibility for Carter's lead in New Hampshire; Dependence of election on performance of Sargent Shriver and Hubert Humphrey among voters in New Hampshire.

Reports on the largely successful efforts of the two separate factions of the Democratic party in Mississippi, the Loyalists and the Regulars, to patch up the differences which resulted in a split of the party over 12 years ago. Events that led to the splitting of the party; Full national recognition won by the Mississippi Loyal Democrats at the Democratic National Convention; Provisions included in the Loyalists' negotiating points.

Focuses on the difficulties of public opinion polling in election years and the pitfalls of interpreting poll results in the U.S. Opinion that polls taken during pre-election periods may find voter opinion about candidates less stable than attitudes toward gun control, desegregation or the right to strike; Establishment of reputation of polling organizations by accurate forecasting of the outcomes of presidential elections; Difficulty faced by candidates ranking low in polls to raise money; Impact of polls on presidential contests in Democratic and Republican parties; Problem of lower voter turnout in polls in the primary elections.

Focuses on issues related to the candidacy of George Corley Wallace as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Views of the Democrats on the candidacy; Report that despite all odds Wallace is running and has all his old third-party options open; Report that as he makes his bid for the Democratic nomination Wallace may be substantially aided by changes in rules of the political game; Information on the new post-Watergate campaign finance law; View that another boon to Wallace in his run for the Democratic nomination is the expanded number of primaries and the inflated proportion of delegates--about 75 percent--to be chosen in primaries; View that to run in the Democratic primaries this time and still hold open his third-party options, Wallace will have to rely on someone else to be sure there is a place for him on presidential ballots as an independent.

Presents a list of distinguished citizens of the state of Ohio, who ran for Presidential elections in the U.S. Fact that none but Ohioans had the opportunity to vote for any of these distinguished citizens for the presidential nomination. Opinion that nomination for the presidency must present a petition signed by at least 50 delegates, of whom no more than 20 may come from a single state; Recommendation that state delegate selection systems be structured so that the delegation chosen fairly reflects the strength of each presidential candidate.

Focuses on African-Americans and the 1972 presidential elections. Strategies of African American leaders; Role of African-Americans in elections; Efforts of African-American leaders to support a presidential candidate; Candidacy of Congressman Shirley Chisholm; Attitudes of black leaders on efforts to seek representation at the national nominating convention; Mention of the Fraser-McGovern Commission guidelines; Argument of sociologist Andrew Greeley regarding a black vice-presidential candidate.

Focuses on the guidelines adopted by the commission of the National Democratic Party which was chaired by Senator George McGovern regarding the selection of delegates to the 1972 convention in the U.S. Objective behind adopting these guidelines; Statistics on how many U.S. states are in compliance with these guidelines; Reforms made in the selection of the party delegates to the convention in various states.

The Preacher and the Politician: Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama and Race in America by Clarence E. Walker and Gregory D. Smithers. University of Virginia Press, 159 pp., $14.95 (paper). The [...]

THE HOUSE THAT ROONE BUILT The Inside Story of ABC News. By Marc Gunther. Illustrated. 381 pp. Boston: Little, Brown & Company. IN the old days, from Edward R. Murrow [...]