Purdue News

February 27, 1998

Purdue lecture series to examine U.S.-Israeli relations

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.-- The 1998 Louis Martin Sears Lecture Series at Purdue University will consist of four lectures in March and April about "U.S.-Israeli Relations: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Recognition of the State of Israel."

"Since President Harry S Truman extended de facto recognition to Israel in 1948, the United States and Israel have maintained a close, even special relationship," said Michael A. Morrison, Purdue associate professor of history. "U.S.-Israeli relations have had a significant effect on political, economic, and social developments in the Middle East. A host of calamities has tested the limits of the relationship, but the close connection -- although sometimes strained -- endures."

The series, presented by the Purdue Department of History and the Department of Convocations and Lectures, is free and open to the public. All lectures will begin at 7:30 p.m. The schedule:

Monday, March 23. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Professor Alonzo Hamby of Ohio University will address the circumstances and political atmosphere surrounding Truman's formal 1948 recognition of the newly independent state of Israel.
Monday, March 30. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Professor Mark Tessler of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee will focus on the 1967-1977 decade, from the start of the June War through the election of Likud.
Tuesday, April 7. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Professor Burton I. Kaufman of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will examine the role of President Jimmy Carter and the United States in the Camp David Accords.
Monday, April 27. South Ballroom, Purdue Memorial Union. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman of the New York Times will discuss the state of the Middle East today.

The Sears Lecture Series has a 16-year tradition of presenting informative and distinguished orators to the Purdue community. Speakers have included Gen. William C. Westmoreland; Sens. George McGovern and Frank Church; Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times correspondent Hedrick Smith; Leonard Woodcock, first U.S. ambassador to the People's Republic of China; and Michael Manley, former prime minister of Jamaica.

The biennial series, named for the late Purdue historian Louis Martin Sears, is alternately sponsored by the Departments of History and Political Science. Sears, a Chicago native, joined the faculty of Purdue's Department of History and Political Science in 1920. He specialized in diplomatic history and biography and was the author of numerous books and publications. He retired from Purdue in 1956 and died in 1960.

Seating for the lectures will be first-come, first served, and no tickets are necessary. For more information, contact the Department of History at (765) 494-4122 or the Department of Convocations at (765) 494-9712.

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu

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