Adlai Stevenson Reports

1 9 6 1 – 1 9 6 3 (USA)

Seen on alternate Sundays, Adlai Stevenson Reports gave viewers a perspective on global concerns from Adlai Stevenson, the Illinois Democrat serving as America’s representative in the United Nations during the Kennedy administration.

Reporter John MacVane gave a brief news update at the start of each show, and host Arnold Michaelis (who co-produced the show) discussed current events with Stevenson and guests, who were divided roughly equally among American officials, UN representatives, and foreign leaders.

A notable guest was U Thant on 29 October 1961. He would become acting UN secretary general following Dag Hammarskjold’s death at the end of that year.

Stevenson told TV Guide he enjoyed the forum this show allowed him. “There is no doubt in my mind that television at its best can add a dimension to the appreciation of almost any subject,” he said. “And it’s for this reason that I am grateful for the opportunity to do this series, which I believe can substantially contribute to the never-ending job of bringing government and the people into harmony through mutual understanding of the great issues of our day.”

Stevenson died in 1965, shortly after the series went off the air.