Oral history interview with Herman Talmadge, July 29 and August 1, 1975
Subtitle: interview A-0331-2, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Nelson, Jack, 1929-2009, interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2006
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Legislators; Politicians; Politics and government; Federal government; Watergate Affair, 1972-1974; Attitudes; Television and politics; United States. Congress. Senate; United States
Other titles: Interview A-0331-2, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Herman Talmadge, July 29 and August 1, 1975; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: This is the second interview in a three-part series with Senator Herman Talmadge of Georgia. In the first interview, Talmadge focused primarily on his early career in politics and his tenure as Governor of Georgia from 1948 to 1955. In this interview, Talmadge shifts his focus to his years in the United States Senate. First elected in 1956, Talmadge had just entered his fourth term at the time the interview was conducted in 1975. Talmadge begins by describing the split in the Democratic Party in 1964. In explaining his belief that there was room for variation and diversity along the conservative-liberal spectrum in both major political parties, Talmadge contends that he never seriously considered leaving the Democratic Party during those years. In addition, Talmadge offers his assessment of key political figures. He compares the leadership styles and accomplishments of presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford, and he offers his perception of leaders such as George Wallace, Ralph Nader, George McGovern, and Eugene McCarthy. Throughout the interview, Talmadge pays particular attention to issues of civil rights, the environment, consumerism, and the growing relationship between television and politics. In addition, Talmadge offers his views on the role of federal government, the changing social problems facing Americans during the mid-1970s, and his reaction to the Watergate scandal and its impact on politics.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on August 28, 2008).

Interview participants: Herman Talmadge, interviewee; Jack Nelson, interviewer.

Duration: 01:37:30.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Mike Millner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 127 kilobytes, 178 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series A, Southern politics, interview A-0331-2, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Joe Jaros. Original transcript: 56 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.