UVa Center Releases George H.W. Bush Oral History
5 November 2011
Media Release
The Miller Center at the University of Virginia Friday released the oral history of President George H.W. Bush, which is comprised of more than 50 senior officials from the Bush White House and Cabinet.
The Miller Center at the University of Virginia Friday released the oral history of President George H.W. Bush.
Comprised of interviews with more than 50 senior officials from the Bush White House and Cabinet, the oral history provides an intimate look at the 41st presidency in the words of those who were part of it. The interviews were conducted by teams of scholars, with most lasting seven to ten hours each.
Interview transcripts, excerpts, and audio clips can be found here.
“Fortunately, the Miller Center has always understood and respected the goal of public service. That shows in the Center’s scholarly work, like the patient, ongoing project to chronicle the story of my administration. The documentary record is vital, but your scholars also add the human side that those papers can never capture. For my presidency, and for others, the Miller Center is a place that gets history and preserves it for future generations,” said President George H.W. Bush.
Interviews cleared for release include Secretary of State James Baker, who also served as White House chief of staff; Defense Secretary Dick Cheney; CIA Director Robert Gates; Adm. David Jeremiah, acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Frederick McClure, assistant for legislative affairs; Vice President Dan Quayle; National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft; White House Chiefs of Staff John Sununu and Samuel Skinner, who also served as transportation secretary; Attorneys General Richard Thornburgh and William Barr; and others.
“No questions were off-limits to our interviewers, and in most cases those being interviewed were exceptionally generous, welcoming our curiosity and patiently explaining both success and failure as they saw it. Their words add detail and texture to our understanding of President Bush, the team of people he led, and the unique problems of the world as they occurred,” said Russell Riley, chair of the Miller Center’s Presidential Oral History Program.
The Miller Center has already released the oral histories of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. It is currently conducting those of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as well as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
Number of Visits: 5741
The latest
- Memoirs of Majid Yousefzadeh
- Oral History News/April–May 2026
- Expert Panel Session on Oral History of the Country – (Part 1)
- 100 Questions/ 32
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 32
- Ta An Setareh (Up to that Star) (Part One)
- Memoirs of Mohammad Kazem Taqavi
- Theory Two: The Borderline Legitimacy Crisis of Oral History in the Academic System
Most visited
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 31
- 100 Questions/ 31
- Theory Two: The Borderline Legitimacy Crisis of Oral History in the Academic System
- Ta An Setareh (Up to that Star) (Part One)
- Memoirs of Mohammad Kazem Taqavi
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 32
- 100 Questions/ 32
- Expert Panel Session on Oral History of the Country – (Part 1)
Authenticating Oral History: From Possibility to Necessity
The use of oral history as one of the historical sources has long been one of the principal challenges facing oral historians and those who employ it in contemporary historiography. The development of international standards for oral history, as well as IRIB standards, was intended to address the criticisms raised in this regard. The relationship between Diplomatics in written records and oral history is reciprocal.100 Questions/27
What is the place of research ethics in compiling oral history?We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week.
Photo Album from The Doctor of fly
The Doctor of fly, authored by Fatemeh Dehghan Niri, presents the memoirs of Dr. Mohammad-Taqi Khorsandi Ashtiani, Professor Emeritus and a subspecialist in Otolaryngology at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Compiled within the framework of oral history, the work recounts different stages of his life—from childhood and years of ...The Beating Pulse of a Nation at the Moment of Nowruz
Every year, in the days and nights leading up to Nowruz, Shohada Square had a special charm. A few days before the New Year, the shops would fill with customers, and street vendors would take over the sidewalks. You could find everything in their stalls (from items for the Haft Sin table, candles, goldfish, and spring flowers to clothes, bags, and shoes).
