Eyewitness History

Michael Chertoff is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. He was the co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. Chertoff previously served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as Assistant U.S. Attorney General. He succeeded Tom Ridge as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005. Since leaving government service, Chertoff has worked as senior of counsel at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Covington & Burling. He also co-founded the Chertoff Group, a risk-management and security consulting company.For links to the 9/11 episodes Josh references in the interview, see below:Dave Paventi - https://rb.gy/hjoncTom Wilson - https://rb.gy/gzvywMichael O'Connor - https://rb.gy/wdrdzIvonne Sanchez - https://rb.gy/1haxtSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Landon Y. Jones (Lanny) is an author and magazine editor. His most recent book is Celebrity Nation: How America Evolved into a Culture of Fans and Followers, to be published in May 2023 by Beacon Press. His previous books are William Clark and the Shaping of the West (Hill and Wang, 2004), The Essential Lewis and Clark (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2000) and Great Expectations: America and the Baby Boom Generation (Putnam, 1980). The latter coined the phrase “baby boomer” and was nominated for the American Book Award in Nonfiction. From 1989-97, Jones was the head editor of People magazine at Time Inc., the most successful magazine in publishing history. While at People, Jones directed the editorial planning and launching of three new magazines: Who Weekly (1992), the Australian version of People; In Style (1994), the successful celebrity lifestyle monthly; and People en Espanol (1996), the first general-interest magazine published for the U.S. Hispanic market. He serves on the board of The Rita Allen Foundation, a philanthropy with a special focus on transformative ideas in their early stages. He has previously served on the boards of The Alzheimer’s Association , American Rivers, and Princeton Alumni Corps. He is a former member of the Graduate Advisory Council of the Princeton University Department of English. He and his wife Sarah live in Princeton, NJ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Tyson retired from the CIA’s Directorate of Operations in 2020 after a 25-year career. The majority of his service was overseas; most of his postings and deployments were in Central Asia, the Caucasus region, and South Asia. David was a member of Team Alpha, the first group of U.S. personnel inserted behind enemy lines in Afghanistan after 9/11. During that deployment, David and the team worked closely with U.S. Special Forces (ODA 595) along with Afghan allies. David began his intelligence career as a linguist and interpreter, achieving fluency in Russian, Uzbek, Turkmen, Turkish, and Farsi/Dari. He is a recipient of the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Cross, the Agency’s highest award for valor, and the Agency's Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. Prior to working for the Agency, David served in the U.S. Army, both enlisted and as an officer. He has a BA in International Relations and Russian Language from West Chester State University, and two master’s degrees from Indiana University, in Central Asian Studies and Russian Studies. David was born and raised in Pennsylvania and currently lives with his family in rural Virginia. Find out more at www.badgersix.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paula Stone Tucker was a witness to the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State University. A retired clinical psychologist, she worked with survivors of trauma and abuse. In her younger days she was a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal and the Daily Kent Stater. She grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and graduated from Kent State. She splits her time between northeast Ohio and The Villages, Florida where she writes, plays the flute and is learning to play golf. Her son is a musician in New York City. This is her first book. She is available for interviews. You can also contact her at paulastonetucker.com or on Facebook at Paula Stone Tucker, Author.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Still in love with making records, Charles Fisher is currently based in his home studio in Melbourne. He is renowned for his great ears (finding and developing talent; selecting hits), his canny arrangement skills and his psychological skills, getting the best out of a range of personalities. The extraordinarily versatile ‘song doctor’ is at home with rock guitars (Radio Birdman, Hoodoo Gurus), popular and orchestral arrangements (Olivia Newton-John, Air Supply, The Seekers), and many other forms including pop and electronica (Savage Garden, 1927). In 1997 Fisher won ARIA Producer of the Year for Savage Garden’s Savage Garden; ‘Down on Me’ (Hoodoo Gurus); ‘Far Shore’ (The Seekers); plus ‘I Am Australian’ for Judith Durham, Russell Hitchcock and Dr Yunupingu (RIP) of Yothu Yindi. In the early 21st century Fisher began producing overseas-based acts including Olivia Newton-John, whose ‘(2)’ album went platinum; Swedes Ace of Base and Canadians SoulDecision, whose single ‘Faded’ went to No.1 in Canada and No.6 in the US and whose album No-One Does It Better went platinum too. Find out more about him here: https://www.charlesfisherproducer.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right out of high school Nick Sanza entered the U.S. Army 2nd and 15th Infantry, 3rd Division working in teletype and in decoding/crypto. He served during the Cold War in the Berlin Border Patrol in Wildflecken at the East and West German border and three other tours of duty. Nick’s family had four generations in the U.S. Army: His grandfather rode with the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War; his father is the last driver for General George Patton from the beaches of Normandy to the outskirts of Berlin during World War II; and his son was a sniper in Special Forces during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict and gave his life for his country. During Vietnam, he was what was known as a “Tunnel Rat” which we go into in a great amount of detail. After serving Vietnam, Nick decided to try his hand in Hollywood. Nick Sanza is known in the entertainment industry as “Napa Nick”. He started in the film and television industry with the television series Falcon Crest (CBS) as a second unit production manager, location scout and script development. During his time with Falcon Crest from 1982 to 1989 he also was a stuntman and stunt coordinator for Francis Coppola Productions, Paramount Studios, Castle Rock Production (Rob Reiner), NBC, CBS, Universal Television Productions and Dick Wolf Productions. When Falcon Crest went off the air, Nick became a production manager, location manager and stuntman for over 60 national commercials and “Movie of the Week” for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and Universal Studio Television Productions. In 1992 Barbara Walters, working for ABC, hired Nick as a production manager and location manager to set up a television special for ABC’s 20/20 spotlighting Julia Roberts who was filming in the Napa Valley in a feature film called “Dying Young”. Two months after this special was aired, Nick was hired as a producer and investigative journalist for ABC’s Good Morning America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The roots of the Second World War in Europe lie within the First World War. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles formally ended the war between Germany and the western Allies, but the geopolitical situation it created was far from stable. Ten years later, the Great Depression made things even worse. In this episode preview from Key Battles of American History (the first in the World War II in Europe series), James and cohost Sean McIver discuss the unsettled state of Europe between 1918 and 1930 and the gradual fracturing of the uneasy peace that it enjoyed.To continue listening to Key Battles of American History, check out the links below!Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3nCfZZySpotify: https://spoti.fi/3nIwO5cDiscover more episodes of Key Battles of American History:Mexico and Texas (1836-1844): https://apple.co/3mbDEjd / https://spoti.fi/3U6ASIJZachary Taylor’s War (1845-1846): https://apple.co/3nNvNJf / https://spoti.fi/3U71E3CWinfield Scott’s War (1847): https://apple.co/3zwZ25v / https://spoti.fi/3GdgqjBIntroduction to Key Battles of World War II in Europe: https://apple.co/3GfVAA5 / https://spoti.fi/3zwGEK3See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nelson Johnson is an author and former judge, lawyer and historian, best known for his 2002 New York Times bestseller, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City. His book served as the basis for the popular and Emmy Award-winning HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire. In the early 1980s Nelson represented the Atlantic City Planning Board during the approval of many of the casino properties which exist today. That experience captured Nelson’s interest in Atlantic City’s past and motivated him to write his best-selling book, Boardwalk Empire which inspired the HBO series of the same name. The sequel The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City was published in 2010. His third book Battleground New Jersey: Vanderbilt, Hague and Their Fight for Justice was released by Rutgers University Press in November of 2014. During the past 15 years, Nelson has made 200(+) presentations on his books before a wide range of audiences. He has recently completed his fourth book Darrow’s Nightmare which vividly brings to life the worst two years in the life of the legendary lawyer, Clarence Darrow. Nelson believes that Darrow’s Nightmare will warrant treatment on either the “big or little screen.” Nelson’s writings as a historian are products of his insatiable curiosity and passion for the written word. Find out more about him here: https://nelsonjohnsonauthor.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul G. Gill, Jr., M.D. is a fifth-generation South Bostonian. He grew up in Stony Brook, New York, and attended the University of Notre Dame and the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He practiced emergency medicine for thirty-five years and was a freelance medical writer for many of those years. His articles appeared in many outdoor magazines, and his books, The Ragged Mountain Press Guide to Wilderness Medicine & First Aid and The Onboard Medical Handbook were published by McGraw-Hill. He retired from medical practice in 2013, and now spends his time building boats and furniture, sailing, and hiking in the United States and Europe with his wife, Mary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frank Spotnitz is an television screenwriter and executive producer, best known for his work on The X-Files and The Man in the High Castle. Spotnitz is also the chief executive officer and founder of Big Light Productions, a London- and Paris-based production company, which specializes in international television series, including drama, comedy and documentaries. Spotnitz's career includes creating, writing and producing series with networks, cable, streaming and other broadcast platforms around the world. Under the Big Light banner, Spotnitz has produced: Amazon's Emmy-winning The Man in the High Castle; Medici: Masters of Florence, and two seasons of Medici: The Magnificent (RAI, Netflix, SFR Play); The Indian Detective (Netflix, CTV); Ransom (CBS, Global, TF1, RTL); season three of Crossing Lines (Tandem Productions / StudioCanal); and season two of Transporter: The Series (TNT, M6, HBO Canada). Most recently, Spotnitz co-created and executive-produced Leonardo, which is currently in production in Italy. More can be found out about Frank at: https://frankspotnitz.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.