This week on From the Vault we listen to social historian Howard Zinn present an informal talk in Berkeley, California in November 1992 titled, “Virtual Optimism: The Other Side of American Histoy,” In this recording, Zinn shares how his personal view of history changed following his experiences during the Vietnam War, and explains his interests in the cause of war, the nature of “enemy” soldiers, the laborers who built the railroad, factory laborers, the poor, and the unrepresented.

From the Vault is presented through the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project, funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, past grants from the Grammy Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the American Archive funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, along with the generous support of Pacifica Radio listeners.

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