June Daytime Public Programs at the National Archives
Press Release · Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Washington, DC

The National Archives continues its series of daytime programs on topics including Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the November 1974 election, following the historic Watergate scandal; America’s first female soldiers The Hello Girls; the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy; and WWII airmen in the world premiere of the documentary The Cold Blue.

These programs are free and open to the public and will be held at noon (unless otherwise noted) in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.  Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW.  Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. For those without reservations, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Theater doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. Late seating will not be permitted 20 minutes after the program begins.

BOOK TALK & SIGNING:The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America’s Unknown Soldier and WWI’s Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home
Friday, June 8; Register; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is sacred ground at Arlington National Cemetery. In The Unknowns, celebrated military historian Patrick O’Donnell illuminates the saga behind the creation of the Tomb, the selection of the body to represent the thousands of unidentified American soldiers lost in WWI,  and the moving ceremony during which the Tomb was consecrated.  

BOOK TALK & SIGNING: The Class of '74: Congress After Watergate and the Roots of Partisanship
Tuesday, June 12; Register; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
In November 1974, following the historic Watergate scandal, Americans went to the polls determined to cleanse American politics. Instead of producing the Republican majority foreshadowed by Richard Nixon’s 1972 landslide, dozens of GOP legislators were swept out of the House, replaced by 76 reforming Democratic freshmen. In The Class of '74, John A. Lawrence examines how these newly-elected representatives bucked the status quo in Washington, helping to effectuate unprecedented reforms.  

BOOK TALK & SIGNING: The Lost Indictment of Robert E. Lee: The Forgotten Case against an American Icon
Wednesday, June 13; Register; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel      
In his latest book, The Lost Indictment of Robert E. Lee, historian John Reeves tells the story of the forgotten legal and moral case that was made against the Confederate general after the Civil War. The actual indictment, which claimed Lee was guilty of treason and war crimes, went missing for 72 years, and over the last 150 years, there has been an incredible turnaround in attitudes toward the defeated general who has been transformed into an American hero.

FILM SCREENING:The Hello Girls
Friday, June 15; Register
Featuring archival film and photographs from the National Archives, this new documentary film tells the story of America’s first female soldiers. In 1918, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 women to France as telephone operators to help win the Great War. By war's end, they had connected over 26 million calls and recognized by General John J. Pershing for their service. When they returned home, the U.S. government told them they were never soldiers. For 60 years, they fought their own government for recognition. Following the screening, director James Theres and historian and author Mitchell Yockelson will discuss the film and answer audience questions.

FILM SCREENING: World Premiere of The Cold Blue presented in collaboration with AFI DOCS
Saturday, June 16, at 3 p.m.; Register
In 1943, legendary Hollywood director William Wyler (Ben-Hur, Funny Girl) crafted a celebrated tribute to WWII airmen. The resulting film, Memphis Belle, captured the famed B-17 bomber that survived 25 near-suicidal missions over Western Europe against incredible odds. Using long-archived footage from the project in the National Archives, director Erik Nelson has crafted a new film, featuring gripping narration from some of the last surviving B-17 pilots, now in their nineties. Flyers as young as 19 endured treacherous 14-hour missions, 40 below zero temperatures, non-stop barrages of enemy attacks, and emotional gut punches as thousands of their fellow airmen never returned. A meditation on youth, war, and stunning bravery.  (73 minutes.)

BOOK TALK & SIGNING: We Few: U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam
Tuesday, June 19; Register; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel     
On his second tour to Vietnam, Nick Brokausen served in a small reconnaissance company that conducted some of the most dangerous missions of the war, infiltrating areas controlled by the North Vietnamese, so the U.S. military could take the war to the enemy. This small unit racked up one of the most impressive records of awards for valor of any unit in the history of the United States Army. We Few is a riveting memoir that details the actions and experiences of this small group of Americans and their indigenous allies.  

BOOK TALK & SIGNING: Robert F. Kennedy Legacy Program Robert F. Kennedy: Ripples of Hope
Thursday, June 21; Register; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel   
In her book, Ripples of Hope, daughter Kerry Kennedy captures the legacy of her father, former senator and U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, through interviews with dozens of prominent and international figures who have been inspired by him and his stands for civil rights, education, justice, and peace. Through these interviews, Kerry Kennedy aims to enlighten people anew about her father’s legacy and bring to life RFK’s values and passions.