RICHARD REEVES: DARING YOUNG MEN
WEDNESDAY, January 13, 2010, 6:30 p.m. Free. Reservations required. Please call 215.409.6700.
Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach
F.M. Kirby Auditorium
National Constitution Center
Independence Mall
525 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA
Join the National Constitution Center for a conversation with acclaimed presidential biographer Richard Reeves, as he discusses his new book, Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift. Reeves recounts the stories of the brave pilots who risked their lives to supply humanitarian aid to those who were considered enemies only a few short years earlier during World War II. Utilizing previously unpublished documents and numerous interviews, Reeves provides a voice for these pilots to tell their stories. Thomas Childers, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, moderates.
The pilots who took part in the Berlin Airlift supplied vital goods to West Berlin, due to the land and water blockade instituted by the Soviets in 1948. Over the following year, some 227,000 flights were made with an average of 8,000 tons of goods delivered daily, mainly consisting of food and fuel. The success of the Berlin Airlift is viewed as the first Cold War victory for Britain and America against the Soviet Union. The Soviets were humiliated, as they never believed such a plan could work, and hoped to push the Allied powers out of the city. By May of 1949, the Soviets lifted the blockade, but goods continued to be delivered until September of that year, in order to provide a surplus for the people of West Berlin.
A starred review in Publishers Weekly says “Reeves gives us a mesmerizing portrait of America at its best when challenged by Russia’s tyranny.”
Richard Reeves is the Senior Lecturer at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. As a syndicated columnist, Reeves’ articles have appeared in more than one hundred newspapers since 1979. Reeves served as the Chief Correspondent on the PBS series “Frontline” and has made six television films, garnering numerous awards, including the Emmy for "Lights, Camera . . . Politics!" for ABC News. In 1998, Reeves won the Carey McWilliams Award from the American Political Science Association for his contributions to the understanding of American politics as the Goldman Lecturer on American Civilization and Government at the Library of Congress. In addition, he is the author of several books, including A Ford, Not a Lincoln, What the People Know: Freedom and the Press, President Kennedy: Profile of Power, and President Nixon: Alone in the White House.
Thomas Childers is the Sheldon and Lucy Hackney Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 1976. In addition to teaching at Penn, Childers has held visiting professorships at Trinity Hall College, Cambridge, Smith College, and Swarthmore College, and he has lectured in London, Oxford, Berlin, Munich, and other universities. He is a widely recognized authority on Twentieth Century Germany and the author of several highly acclaimed books on the Third Reich and the Second World War. He has recently completed a trilogy on the war, the final volume, Soldier from the War Returning. The Greatest Generation’s Troubled Homecoming from World War II, examines the largely forgotten difficulties of American veterans returning home from the Second World War.
A book sale and signing will follow the program, courtesy of Joseph Fox Bookshop. Parking for this event is available for $9.00 at the National Constitution Center garage located at the rear of the building on Race Street between 5th and 6th Streets. Parking availability is subject to change, so please call the Constitution Center on the day of the program or check our web site for more information. Please also see our directions by public transportation.
For reservations please call 215.409.6700 or order online*. Programs at the National Constitution Center begin promptly and latecomers may not be admitted to the program. Please note that this program is subject to change.
*Convenience fees apply to online ticket orders. Call to reserve your tickets at no cost: 215-409-6700.