The John Batchelor Show

Neil Lanctot details the March 1916 sinking of the Sussex, which caused more American deaths and pushed Wilson to the brink of war. German Ambassador Johann von Bernstorff worked desperately to maintain peace, recognizing that American entry would doom Germany, while Wilson largely ignored his own ambassadors in London and Berlin, whom he considered useless or biased. Interestingly, the Wilson adm...

Neil Lanctot covers the winter of 1915–1916, when TR championed the "preparedness" movement, arguing that the U.S.was dangerously vulnerable with only 100,000 men in its army. Wilson, feeling the political pressure, launched a speaking tour through the Midwest to sell a defense buildup, using the analogy that he could not keep "sparks" from a world on fire from hitting the American roof. While TR...

Neil Lanctot examines the May 7, 1915, sinking of the Lusitania by a German submarine, which killed over 100 Americans and sparked a massive crisis for American progressivism. Wilson's advisor, Colonel House, urged severing ties with Germany—a move that typically signaled war—but Wilson resisted, famously declaring that a nation could be "too proud to fight." This restraint infuriated TR, who was...

Neil Lanctot turns to early 1915, when the Great War had stabilized into a brutal stalemate in Europe while Americaremained neutral under Wilson. Jane Addams, horrified by the massacre, organized the Women's Peace Party to act as a pressure group for peace. Her subsequent trip to Europe to meet with heads of state in Berlin, Paris, and London was a remarkable act of "amateur diplomacy," though her...

Neil Lanctot, author of The Approaching Storm: Roosevelt, Wilson, Addams, and Their Clash Over America's Future, introduces the three primary figures of the narrative in 1912: Jane Addams, Theodore Roosevelt (TR), and Woodrow Wilson. All three identified as progressives, though their interpretations of the movement differed significantly. Addams, a world-renowned social reformer and founder of Hul...

Barry Strauss follows Octavian's advance on Egypt after Actium, securing the loyalty of Eastern kings. Cleopatraattempts to build a new fleet in the Red Sea to escape to India, but her plans are thwarted. In Alexandria, a complex negotiation unfolds as Antony and Cleopatra separately communicate with Octavian, often lying to each other. Antony, increasingly desperate, challenges Octavian to single...

Barry Strauss narrates the naval Battle of Actium, which begins on September 2, 31 BC. Antony and Cleopatracommand approximately 230 ships against Octavian and Agrippa's fleet of nearly 400. Facing starvation due to Agrippa's blockade, Antony and Cleopatra decide on a breakout battle to escape by sea with their treasury. During the battle, Cleopatra's flagship, flying a purple sail, breaks through...

Barry Strauss shifts the conflict to the western coast of Greece, where Antony and Cleopatra's massive fleet waits at Actium. Strauss emphasizes that while tactics are for amateurs, logistics are for professionals. Marcus Agrippa executes a brilliant logistical strike by capturing Methone, a vital supply base on the southwestern coast of Greece. This amphibious landing, conducted under the cover o...

Barry Strauss examines Mark Antony's critical "unforced error" of 33 BC: divorcing Octavia, Octavian's sister. This move provides Octavian with a massive propaganda victory, allowing him to frame Antony as having betrayed Rome for an Egyptian queen. Strauss explains the divorce was a "credible commitment" by Antony to show his Eastern supporters he was fully committed to the coming conflict. Despi...

Barry Strauss traces the fracturing of the Second Triumvirate as Octavian utilizes his sister, Octavia, who marries Antony to seal a peace treaty in 40 BC. While depicted as a devoted housewife, Strauss suggests she remained loyal to Octavian, potentially providing intelligence. In Rome, Octavian builds power by marrying into the high nobility and cultivating talent, specifically his "secret weapo...

Barry Strauss introduces Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt and member of the Ptolemaic dynasty founded by one of Alexander the Great's generals. Strauss describes Alexandria as the Mediterranean's greatest metropolis and a wealthy cultural hub. Cleopatra is depicted as a "tough player" who survived deadly family intrigues to rule Egypt. When she meets Antony in 41 BC at Tarsus, she dazzles him with a...

John Batchelor introduces Barry Strauss, author of The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium, to discuss the transition from the death of Julius Caesar to the rise of Augustus. Strauss identifies Plutarch and Cassius Dio as the primary historical sources, noting they had access to earlier, now-lost records. The discussion focuses on three main figures: Mark Anto...

Alan Philps profiles Alice Moats, a wealthy American socialite who reinvented herself as a war correspondent during the siege of Moscow. Known for her book No Nice Girl Swears, "Mozy" was often viewed as light entertainment, yet she was a persistent and effective reporter. She famously defied the British ambassador's attempts to evacuate her, hiding in embassy annexes to remain in the city. Philps...

Alan Philps recounts how Charlotte Haldane, a prominent British Communist and wife of scientist JBS Haldane, traveled to Moscow in 1941 as a correspondent for the Daily Sketch. She arrived with high hopes for the "Soviet paradise," even clashing with Polish exiles on her journey who feared Stalin's betrayal. However, her arrival at the Metropol Hotel revealed a "down at heel" reality of faded gran...

Alan Philps tells the story of Tanya, a 28-year-old woman who used her English skills to escape a life of poverty and suspicion in Moscow. Denied education due to her "bourgeois" background, she became a translator at the Metropol for correspondent Ronnie Matthews. Matthews, a heavy-drinking but devoted reporter, eventually begged her to marry him. The Soviets attempted to prevent her departure, b...

Alan Philps tells of Nadia, a translator at the Metropol Hotel who became a "secret dissident" after losing faith in Stalinism during the purges. She trusted Australian journalist Godfrey Blunden, believing him to be more reliable than "snobbish" British or career-driven American reporters. She shared her true, dangerous views with him and even took him to visit private Soviet homes, which was str...

Alan Philps examines Ralph Parker, a mysterious correspondent for The Times and The New York Times, and his secretary-turned-wife, Valentina. A central event involves a chaotic press conference regarding the Katyn Forestmassacre, where reporter Harold King tried to physically block Valentina, suspecting she was an NKVD colonel. In the ensuing scuffle, Valentina was thrown through a glass door but...

Alan Philps profiles A.T. Cholerton, the "grand old man" of Moscow correspondents, who lived in a shambolic apartment and possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the Soviet experiment. Having witnessed the show trials and purges, he was eventually barred from returning to the USSR after a trip to Britain because he "knew too much" and briefed inexperienced reporters on the grim reality behind the s...

Jeremy Zakis shares that his dog, Dallas, has expanded his "avian menagerie" by befriending two ducks that unexpectedly settled in his garden. These ducks traveled miles from their typical lake habitat during winter, a period when they are normally inactive. Dallas interacts with these friends peacefully, demonstrating his unique status as a magpie whisperer. Concurrently, John Batchelor prepares...

Jeremy Zakis reports Joe Root is the expected successor to Ben Stokes as English cricket captain. As a prolific batter and the team's "only adult," Root is viewed as a strategic savior who can restore maturity to a side plagued by off-field controversies. Meanwhile, Canadian cricket faces upheaval following allegations of match-fixing linked to organized crime. Funding remains frozen while investi...

Jeremy Zakis reports meteorologists predict a record-breaking Super El Niño, which is expected to cause extreme heat and unpredictable drought patterns globally. Currently, Sydney's winter is unusually cold and dry, causing physical discomfort for residents. This lack of rainfall threatens the Warragamba Dam supply and points toward a dangerous, early fire season starting in September. This irregu...

Jeremy Zakis notes carpet pythons are emerging during winter when they should be hibernating, signaling significant environmental shifts. Wombats, stout marsupials unique to Australia, are described as "gladiators" of the animal kingdom due to their extreme muscular strength. Though shy burrowers with sharp claws, they are remarkably docile and can even be domesticated. Lacking natural predators,...

  Nick Lloyd concludes with the arrival of General John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Force in 1917, which fundamentally shifted the war's atmosphere despite the initial lack of a prepared army. Pershing famously resisted "amalgamation," refusing to allow American soldiers to serve directly under French or British officers, insisting instead on a semi-independent American command. By...

Nick Lloyd describes British leadership during the Great War as defined by constant arguments, doubt, and backstabbing among its political and military elite. Prime Minister H.H. Asquith and War Minister Lord Kitchener struggled to manage the war's unexpected scale, which saw the British army balloon from a tiny expeditionary force to a massive 60-division organization within eighteen months. The...

Nick Lloyd characterizes 1916 as a "meat locker," dominated by the twin horrors of Verdun and the Somme. Falkenhayn's strategy at Verdun was a "concentrated experiment in killing," designed to bleed the French army dry through superior artillery rather than territorial gain. This prompted the British and French to launch the Somme offensive to relieve the pressure, leading to a significant tactica...