Scholars at the Miller Center of Public Affairs' Presidential Oral History Program will soon begin to conduct audio interviews with members of former President George W. Bush's administration, as well as foreign public officials. The 43rd president selected the Miller Center to document the official oral history of his two terms.
As part of the project, University faculty and staff will conduct interviews with members of the former White House Cabinet, representatives of Congress, independent political advisers and foreign leaders - particularly those affected by the Bush administration's presence in the Middle East.
Bush's "presidency might prove to be one of the most influential in this country's history," said Russell Riley, chair of the Presidential Oral History Program. "And listening to the people who led the administration is essential to understanding why they did what they did. It's essential to understanding the administration's successes as well as its failures."
This understanding could help shed light on contemporary politics and help politicians learn from their predecessors' mistakes and accomplishments, Riley said.
"This oral history project will offer future generations a comprehensive look at what it was like to lead the country during some extraordinary challenges," Bush stated in a University press release.\nRiley said the Oral History Project documents the audio history of elites instead of simply relying on textual archives.
"Nearly everything that's done in the White House starts in-person," he said. "The thousands and thousands of boxes filled with reports and files don't tell the whole story."
The over-arching goal of the Oral History Project - which began in 1981 and has since documented the presidencies of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton
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