Special Collections

1964 Interviews

The 1964 Interviews Collection is made up of 71 raw interviews from the American Experience documentary of the same name. The film, partly based on Jon Margolis' The Last Innocent Year: America in 1964, discusses 1964 as a year that defined American politics and culture for decades to come. 1964 begins with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, and discusses the major events of 1964, including the British Invasion, the publication of The Feminine Mystique, Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston's boxing match, Freedom Summer and the Civil Rights Movement, and President Lyndon B. Johnson and Barry Goldwater's contentious presidential election. Interviews took place with activists, historians, authors, and journalists, including Hodding Carter III, a journalist who worked on Lyndon B. Johnson's presidential campaign; Stephanie Coontz, a historian; Dave Dennis, a Civil Rights activist who planned Freedom Summer with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); Robert Lipsyte, a sportswriter; and Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative activist and author of A Choice Not an Echo. Subjects include music and the Beatles, feminism, civil rights, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Barry Goldwater, Muhammad Ali, boxing and sports, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the Harlem Riots.

The 1964 interviews were conducted in 2014 for the American Experience documentary of the same name, directed by Stephen Ives. In 2017, the GBH Archives digitized the 1964 interviews and in 2018 submitted them to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.

Bob Moses, Civil Rights Activist, part 1 of 2
Bob Moses, Civil Rights Activist, part 2 of 2
Claire Bond Potter, Historian, part 1 of 2
Claire Bond Potter, Historian, part 2 of 2
Dan T. Carter, Historian, part 1 of 2
Dan T. Carter, Historian, part 2 of 2
Dave Dennis, Civil Rights Activist, part 1 of 2
Dave Dennis, Civil Rights Activist, part 2 of 2
Francis Bator, professor emeritus at Harvard Kennedy School of political economy, part 1 of 2
Francis Bator, professor emeritus at Harvard Kennedy School of political economy, part 2 of 2
Frederik Logeval, part 1 of 3
... and 60 more, continuing below.
Frederik Logeval, part 2 of 3 Frederik Logeval, part 3 of 3 Gay Talese George Lois, part 1 of 2 George Lois, part 2 of 2 Hodding Carter III, Newspaper Editor, part 1 of 6 Hodding Carter III, Newspaper Editor, part 2 of 6 Hodding Carter III, Newspaper Editor, part 3 of 6 Hodding Carter III, Newspaper Editor, part 4 of 6 Hodding Carter III, Newspaper Editor, part 5 of 6 Hodding Carter III, Newspaper Editor, part 6 of 6 Interview John H. Bracey, Historian, part 1 of 3 Interview John H. Bracey, Historian, part 2 of 3 Interview John H. Bracey, Historian, part 3 of 3 Jann Wenner, Founder of Rolling Stone, part 1 of 2 Jann Wenner, Founder of Rolling Stone, part 2 of 2 Jon Margolis, Author, The Last Innocent Year: America in 1964, part 1 of 5 Jon Margolis, Author, The Last Innocent Year: America in 1964, part 2 of 5 Jon Margolis, Author, The Last Innocent Year: America in 1964, part 3 of 5 Jon Margolis, Author, The Last Innocent Year: America in 1964, part 4 of 5 Jon Margolis, Author, The Last Innocent Year: America in 1964, part 5 of 5 Leah Wright Rigueur, Historian Lee Edwards, Historian, part 1 of 2 Lee Edwards, Historian, part 2 of 2 Marilyn Young, Historian, part 1 of 2 Marilyn Young, Historian, part 2 of 2 Mark Kurlansky, Writer, part 1 of 3 Mark Kurlansky, Writer, part 2 of 3 Mark Kurlansky, Writer, part 3 of 3 Max Frankel, Correspondent and Editor
Molly Haskell Phyllis Schlafly, Conservative Leader Rev. Ed King, Civil Rights Activist, part 1 of 2 Rev. Ed King, Civil Rights Activist, part 2 of 2 Richard Viguerie, Conservative Activist, part 1 of 3 Richard Viguerie, Conservative Activist, part 2 of 3 Richard Viguerie, Conservative Activist, part 3 of 3 Rick Perlstein, Writer, part 1 of 3 Rick Perlstein, Writer, part 2 of 3 Rick Perlstein, Writer, part 3 of 3 Rita Schwerner Bender, Civil Rights Activist, part 1 of 2 Rita Schwerner Bender, Civil Rights Activist, part 2 of 2 Robert Caro, Author, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, part 1 of 4 Robert Caro, Author, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, part 2 of 4 Robert Caro, Author, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, part 3 of 4 Robert Caro, Author, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, part 4 of 4 Robert Cohen, Historian, part 1 of 2 Robert Cohen, Historian, part 2 of 2 Robert Dallek, Historian, part 1 of 2 Robert Dallek, Historian, part 2 of 2 Robert Lipsyte, Sportswriter, part 1 of 2 Robert Lipsyte, Sportswriter, part 2 of 2 Ron Delsener, 1 of 2 Ron Delsener, 2 of 2 Stephanie Coontz, Historian, part 1 of 2 Stephanie Coontz, Historian, part 2 of 2 Susan J. Douglas, Historian, part 1 of 2 Susan J. Douglas, Historian, part 2 of 2 Todd Gitlin, Sociologist, part 1 of 2 Todd Gitlin, Sociologist, part 2 of 2