Letter From America By Alistair Cooke: The Clinton Years (1997-2000)

The US take on the handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese in July 1997, the ceremony accompanying the transfer of power, and the Chinese hopes for a peaceful return of Taiwan.

The reported sightings of a UFO in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, a review of the military explanations after the incident, and the refusal of some to believe the official accounts.

A look back at the break-in at the Watergate office complex in 1972, the details of the FBI investigation in to the incident and the eventual resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.

The healthy nature of the economy during the Clinton presidency, the need for a scare story in the news media, and the threat of salmonella, cholesterol and alcoholism.

A look at the life and work of William Clayton, the official who assessed the state of post-war Europe, and returned to the US to play a major role in drafting the Marshall Plan.

The cases of Kelly Flinn and Paula Jones, two women at the heart of sex scandals that could change US military law, or even the Constitution.

Alistair Cooke reflects on the differences between the American and British methods of presenting and debating a budget.

The 1997 UK general election, viewed from across the Atlantic, and the story of Sir Lionel Sackville-West, the man whose fatuity lost the Democrats the 1888 presidency.

The unveiling of a Franklin D Roosevelt monument in Washington DC reminds Alistair Cooke of the problems that arise when erecting statues of notable figures.

Tiger Woods, the golfing wonder whose ethnicity proves hard to pigeonhole – and, as fellow golf champion Fuzzy Zoeller discovers, can't be joked about.

How television has become a valuable historical archive, and how film can be replayed to haunt those taped, not least the tobacco industry bosses who lied about nicotine addiction.

A tribute to Jackie Robinson (1919 – 1972) the first black Major League baseball player who ended racial segregation when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

How the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia became the home of golf in America. Alistair Cooke explores the history of his beloved golf course.

Vice President Al Gore oversees the Boeing 777 jetliners deal with China. Plus, should presidential candidates get free television publicity?

A profile of Alan Greenspan, economist and former Chairman of the Federal Reserve. The most powerful man in the world who no one is ever likely to recognise in public.

How does the US restrict children accessing pornography on the internet – without tripping over the Constitution? Does the 1st amendment cover the internet?

President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore have been caught soliciting money from inside the White House for use in the presidential campaign. How will the scandal unfold?

The House of Representatives vote in favour of the Ten Commandments. The legal contest between the American Civil Liberties Union's and Judge Moore over the freedom of speech.

John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth, retires after a lifetime in the public eye.

President Clinton forgets about upsetting organised labour and chooses instead to keep American business flying by forcing a stop to the airline pilots strike.