United States

Academy Award-winning film director Costa-Gavras. His films include, "Z," "State of Seige," "Missing," and "Betrayed." His new film, "The Music Box," stars Jessica Lange as an attorney who must defend her Hungarian immigrant father against accusations of committing a series of war crimes.

John F. Sears, author of "Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century." Sears went back to magazines, fiction and painting of the 19th century to find out when and why tourism developed in this country. He says that natural wonders like Niagara Falls and Yellowstone were a substitute for the cathedrals of Europe, and that tourism gave Americans a way to shape their national identity. (Interview by Sedge Thomson)

Political journalist Christopher Hitchens. His latest book, "Blood, Class, and Nostalgia," looks at the ironic relationship between America and Great Britain.

The humor writer's new book details his travels across America to fulfill ten personal goals, including working at the world's largest McDonalds, finding and kissing 60s actress Tina Louise, and photographing his dog in front of Babe Ruth's tomb. His previous book is called Roadside America.

Writer Barry Lopez reads from a new essay, called the Rediscovery of North America, about contemporary views of indigenous landscapes, which developed during the era of European conquest.

Television critic David Bianculli reviews the new three-hour profile of the rise and fall of Richard Nixon, presented on the American Experience show. The documentary comes on the heels of Ken Burns' Civil War series, and continues PBS' streak of excellent programming.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg reviews "Cultural Misunderstandings: The French-American Experience" by Raymonde Carroll. It's a look at the different ways different cultures behave and think.

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews poet Robert Bly's new book Iron John, which explores what he sees as a crisis of masculinity affecting men today. She says it's a fascinating but far from perfect counterpoint to feminist writings of the 1970s and '80s.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new movie, "Not Without My Daughter." It stars Sally Field and Alfred Molina and is based on the true story of an American woman and her daughter who are trapped in Iran after the Iranian revolution. Among the movie's many problems is its demonization of Muslims -- which, in light of the Gulf crisis, couldn't have come at a worse time.

Defense Correspondent for The Sunday Times of London James Adams gives his scenario for a war in the Gulf. Among other points, he says the war will be brief, and that Iraqis troops will be totally unprepared for the opening air assault.

Fred Halliday, professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, discusses some possible motives for the Soviet Union's attempt to find an end to the Gulf War -- including how these negotiations could affect relations with the United States. He'll also give us a primer on the history of the Soviet Union's relations with Iraq.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews "The Original All-American Sousa," a collection of marches by John Philip Sousa that includes both new recordings and rare clips of Sousa himself from 70 years ago.

Writer P. F. Kluge. He was a Peace Corp volunteer in Micronesia, a group of 2000 islands in the Pacific. He's written a book, "Edge of Paradise," contrasting the exotic quality of this "lost paradise" with the worst aspects of American culture that the Micronesians seem to be drawn to.

E.J. Dionne's new book is an analysis of what's gone wrong in American politics. He will soon start publishing a column in the Washington Post.

Reporter Scott Armstrong. Jones has an article in the current issue of "Mother Jones" magazine, describing the long history of secret military agreements between the governments of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Armstrong contends the military deals, which cost more than 150 billion dollars, violate the Constitution.

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "American Mythologies" by Marshall Blonsky, which seeks to recover the meaning behind the totality of American cultural production, from fast food to news anchors to pornography. Corrigan admires the project, but says Blonsky doesn't seem to like or respect his subjects.

Kremlin insider Georgi Arbatov. His new book, "The System," is a memoir of his long political career as Director of the Institute for the USA and Canada, the Soviet Union's most influential foreign policy think-tank. He was not a dissident or an enemy of the system; rather, he worked within it. His book begins with his World War II career, chronicles the repressive Stalin era, the Cold War, the August 1991 coup attempt and its aftermath. He's been an adviser to every Soviet leader from Khruschev to Yeltsin.

Award-winning historian Michael Beschloss just co-authored a new book, "At the Highest Levels: The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War." He and co-author Strobe Talbot were in contact with officials in both American and Soviet governments, and in NATO. They show the close tie between George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, which "eventually caused both men to lose touch with their domestic constituencies."

Maureen Corrigan reviews, "The Dialectic of Sex," by Shulamith Fireston. First published in the 1970s, it serves as an important document of second-wave feminism.

Economics correspondent for CBS This Morning Robert Krulwich discusses President Clinton's economic plan. A former NPR correspondent, he's best known for making money matters interesting and accessible.