"Nuclear Age" Brings Historical Footage and Interviews into the Digital Age

WGBH Media Library & Archives makes nearly 300 hours of Cold War interview footage available online

BOSTON, Aug. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States dropped the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima 68 years ago today and changed the world forever. Nuclear weapons ended a world war, started a Cold War and are still in headlines today. With support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, WGBH's Media Library and Archives (MLA) is making available nearly 300 hours of interviews from world leaders, policy makers, academics, and scientists who played a critical role during the Cold War era. The interviews, which cover historical events from 1945-1989, were conducted for "War & Peace in the Nuclear Age," a 13-part miniseries that aired on PBS in 1989. WGBH, the Boston-based public broadcaster and largest producer of PBS content, produced the series in partnership with Central Independent Television (now ITV-Central) and in association with NHK.

President Jimmy Carter, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara, chief U.S. negotiator Paul Warnke, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, and nuclear physicist Edward Teller are among the 265 individuals featured in "Nuclear Age."  These key participants offer remarkable first hand accounts on post World War II international relations and the era of nuclear politics.

"The men and women featured in this collection offer some of the most insightful perspectives on international relations during this period. While the Cold War ended more than 20 years ago, the lessons are as timely today as ever," said WGBH MLA director Karen Cariani.

"Nuclear Age" interview materials, including video and transcripts, will be made available to the public in a special "Nuclear Age" section on WGBH MLA's Open Vault website. In a second installment this fall, WGBH will post an additional 40 hours of related materials including films, newsreels and B-roll originally shot for the series.

Open Vault hosts nearly one million digital assets from the WGBH Archives dating back to 1947 and provides access to content of national significance, including rare audio from the 1963 March on Washington, an extensive collection of interviews and related film materials from WGBH's landmark series "Vietnam: A Television History," and original, uncut interviews from "Rock and Roll," a co-production from WGBH and the BBC.

"Nuclear Age" is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this Web resource do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web. Television channels include WGBH 2, WGBH 44, and the digital channels World and Create. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH Boston Public Radio; 99.5 WCRB Classical New England; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. Find more information at wgbh.org.

CONTACT
Michael Raia
617-300-5333
[email protected]

Regina Daley
617-300-5318
[email protected]

SOURCE WGBH