Ford Hall Forum Recordings
This page includes audio, video, and transcripts of Ford Hall Forum’s lectures, programs, and the New American Gazette radio series. The majority of the lectures date from 1981-2013 with the exception of one recording from 1923 and a small number from the 1960s and 1970s.
For a full list of the collection, including non-digitized items, browse the Ford Hall Forum Collection Finding Aid
Many additional recordings are held by the Boston Public Library, WGBH, and Northeastern, please consult their Archives for more information.-
2006 Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award: Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg, and Linda Wertheimer at the Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 12/1/2006
Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg, and Linda Wertheimer
From Watergate to the confirmation hearings of Samuel Alito, from the Reagan Revolution to war in Iraq – the highly praised and award-winning coverage of Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg and Linda Wertheimer has shed light on the people, institutions, and social forces shaping our nation. In print, on television, and, most notably, over National Public Radio airwaves, their groundbreaking journalism has not only changed the way millions of Americans view their country and their world, but also had a profound impact on the profession of broadcasting. They join us tonight to receive the Ford Hall Forum’s Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award and share their thoughts on their life and work.
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Thomas B. Wilner, P. Sabin Willett, and Gita Gutierrez discuss, "Guantanamo Bay: Who are the Detainees and Why Does the U.S. Continue to Hold Them?," at the Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 3/30/2006
Thomas B. Wilner, P. Sabin Willett, and Gita Gutierrez
Thomas B. Wilner, Partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP and lead counsel to the Kuwaiti citizens in Supreme Court case Rasul v. Bush; P. Sabin Willett, Partner at Bingham McCutchen and legal counsel to several Uighur detainees; Gita Gutierrez, civil rights attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, conducted the first visit by a habeas attorney to Guantanamo. Moderated by Joshua Rubenstein, Northeast Regional Director, Amnesty International USA.
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Dan Kennedy, Jay Rosen, and Stephen Burgard at the Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 9/21/2005
Stephen Burgard, Dan Kennedy, and Jay Rosen
The speakers discuss how technology is impacting the field of journalism.
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Howie Carr and Jeff Jacoby discuss, "Both Sides of the Street" at the Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 6/21/2005
Jeff Jacoby and Howie Carr
Howie Carr discusses his book, The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century.
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Gloria Steinem's speech “Moving Beyond Words” at Ford Hall Forum transcript, 5/12/1994
Ford Hall Forum
Transcription of a Ford Hall Forum that featured Gloria Steinem, an American feminist, journalist, and co-founder of Ms. magazine. Steinem read excerpts from her book Moving Beyond Words and discussed child abuse as wells as economics in a forum entitled, “Moving Beyond Words.”
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Nat Hentoff discusses, “Is Any Form of Speech So Harmful, So Disgusting, So Dangerous, or So Offensive That It Should Not Be Spoken or Published?" at Ford Hall Forum, transcript, 3/14/1993
Ford Hall Forum
Ford Hall Forum featuring Nat Hentoff, a Northeastern University alumnus, former columnist, novelist, biographer, and Bill of Rights expert. Hentoff discussed current events relating to First Amendment rights in a forum entitled, “Is Any Form of Speech So Harmful, So Disgusting, So Dangerous, or So Offensive That It Should Not Be Spoken or Published?” Nat Hentoff is introduced by Nick Daniloff.
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Al Gore discusses “Earth in the Balance: The Environmental Crisis for Our Nation and Our World," at the Ford Hall Forum, audio recording and transcript, 4/4/1992
Al Gore and Jan Putnam
Al Gore, an American politician and environmentalist, provides an analysis of the environmental crisis and suggestions for individual and collective action in a forum entitled, “Earth in the Balance: The Environmental Crisis for Our Nation and Our World.” Introduced by host and moderator Jan Putnam.
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New American Gazette: “An Agenda for America: David Duke on the Issues,” at Ford Hall Forum, audio recording and transcript, 3/31/1991
David Ernest Duke and Steve Curwood
David Duke, a former Klu Klux Klan leader and Louisiana State Representative, discussed first amendment rights and welfare reform in a forum entitled, “An Agenda for America: David Duke on the Issues.” The forum was originally recorded on March 28 1991 and rebroadcast as part of the New American Gazette radio program on March 31, 1991. The radio broadcast was introduced by host William Hahn.
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The New American Gazette: Stokely Carmichael's speech "Black Power" at Ford Hall Forum, transcript, 2/2/1991
Ford Hall Forum and Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael, a leader in the civil rights struggle and chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, appeared at Boston's Ford Hall Forum in 1966 advocating for the Black Power movement as a means to reclaim Black Americans’ history and identity. This forum was rebroadcast in 1991, with an introduction by Donald Stewart, as part of the New American Gazette radio program.
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The New American Gazette: An Evening with Robert Frost at Ford Hall Forum, transcript, 3/31/1991
Ford Hall Forum, Robert Frost, and Marvin L. Kalb
Robert Frost, a Pulitzer Prize winning American poet, addresses his views of America through readings of his poetry. The forum was originally recorded in 1961 and rebroadcast as part of the New American Gazette radio program on March 22, 1990. The radio broadcast is introduced by host Marvin Kalb.
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The New American Gazette: Daniel Yergin discusses, "Oil, Money, and Power" at Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 4/25/1991
Daniel Yergin
Dr. Daniel Yergin, an energy expert and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power, discusses the role oil plays in world affairs. The New American Gazette radio broadcast is introduced by host William Hahn.
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John F. Kennedy Library, "Baseball and the Course of American Society: The Last 30 Years," at the Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 4/16/1990
William Almon, Lou Gorman, Stephen Jay Gould, and Eugene Orza
This Ford Hall Forum features William Almon, Lou Gorman, Stephen Jay Gould, Eugene Orza, and Dan Shaughnessy speaking at the John F. Kennedy Library on 16 April 1990. Ford Hall Forum Collection, Item #: MS113.0142.
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The New American Gazette: Michael Barrett and Theodore Sizer; "How Much School is Enough?," at Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 11/15/1990
Michael J. Barrett and Theodore R. Sizer
Throughout our country, educators, parents and public officials are seeking ways to improve our schools. Debating, this week, the question of "How Much School is Enough?" are Massachusetts State Senator Michael Barrett, author of November's Atlantic Monthly cover article arguing for dramatic lengthening of the public school year, and Brown University Education Professor Theodore Sizer, who sees the need for a broader range of reforms.
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The New American Gazette: Henry Kissinger with Gerald R. Ford at Ford Hall Forum, transcript, 1/31/1990
Ford Hall Forum, Henry Kissinger, and Gerald R. Ford
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger reviews domestic affairs and world events with former President Gerald Ford. They discuss U.S. foreign policy, issues facing the Soviet Union, and the situation of reform in China. The forum was recorded at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation in Grand Rapids, Michigan and broadcast on the New American Gazette radio. The program was introduced by host Marvin Kalb.
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The New American Gazette: Ayn Rand “Apollo (11) and Dionysus (at Woodstock)," at Ford Hall Forum, transcript, 3/1/1990
Ford Hall Forum, Ayn Rand, and Marvin L. Kalb
Ayn Rand provides a detailed analysis of two major event of the sixties -- the Woodstock music festival and the Apollo 11 spaceflight in a forum entitled, “Apollo (11) and Dionysus (at Woodstock).” The forum was originally recorded on November 9, 1969 and rebroadcast as part of the New American Gazette radio program on March 1 1990. The radio broadcast is introduced by host Marvin Kalb.
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The New American Gazette: Maya Angelou receives the Ford Hall Forum's First Amendment Award, audio recording, 2/16/1989
Maya Angelou
Charismatic writer, poet and lecturer Maya Angelou addresses the value of the First Amendment with story, song and spirit. The best-selling author of I Know why the Caged Bird Sings reflects on the responsibility to speak for freedom's sake, in this rebroadcast from the Ford Hall Forum archives.
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The New American Gazette: Ellen Hume and Linda Wertheimer discuss, "Covering the Presidential Campaign: Lessons for 1992", at Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 4/6/1989
Ellen Hume and Linda Wertheimer
Did media coverage of the last presidential campaign influence its outcome? NPR political correspondent Linda Wertheimer and Ellen Hume, former political reporter for The Wall Street Journal, assess press coverage of the recent election and lessons learned for 1992.
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The New American Gazette: Barbara Jordan and Betty Friedan at the Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 7/20/1989
Barbara Jordan and Betty Friedan
This episode combines talks given by two prominent women in politics: Barbara Jordan, a former member of Congress from Houston examines the politics of exclusion in "One Nation Indivisible: Rhetoric or Reality?" and feminist Betty Friedan traces the recent history of American women and political power and sets goals for the future.
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The New American Gazette: Mitchell Kapor discusses, "What's So Personal about Personal Computers?", at Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 4/16/1989
Mitchell Kapor
Mitchell Kapor, the one-time teacher of transcendental meditation who became Founder and President of Lotus Development Corporation, surveys the future of technology and its implications for our society. Recorded at the Ford Hall Forum on 4/16/1989 and broadcast on the New American Gazette radio program.
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The New American Gazette: Henry Kendall and Claudine Schneider discuss, "Global Warming: What can we do about the Greenhouse Effect," at Ford Hall Forum, audio recording, 11/12/1989
Henry W. Kendall and Claudine Schneider
Chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists Henry Kendall and US Congresswoman Claudine Schneider (R-RI) look at the consequences of the warming of the earth and how it can be averted through individual and collective action.
