segment, later in today's show we will talk about the legal justification behind the resident's efforts in iraq and syria. and the cost of u.s. counterterrorism efforts. next talk with documentary filmmaker ken burns and jeffrey ward about the roosevelts that began airing last night on pbs. here is just a part of that documentary. [video clip] >> they belonged to different parties. they overcame different obstacles. i had different temperaments and styles of leadership. it was the similarities and not the differences between the two that meant the most to history. both were children of privilege who came to see themselves as champions of the working man and earned the undying enmity of

many of those with whom they have grown to manhood. they shared a sense of stewardship with the american land. an unseen love of people and politics and the full belief that the united states had an important role to play in the wider world. were hugely ambitious, impatient with the drab notion that the mere making of money should be enough to satisfy any man or nation, and each took unabashed delight in the power of his office to do good. each displayed unbounded optimism and self-confidence am a each refused to surrender to physical limitations that might have destroyed them. each had an uncanny ability to rally men and women to his cause. can't expect people like that to happen all the time. the exceptional presidents are

the exception. and these two roosevelts were exceptional with a capital e. underscored. to two roosevelts belongs two branches of an old new york family whose members sometimes viewed one another with suspension. them was theodore roosevelt's best-loved needs -- best loved niece and franklin's wife, eleanor. she had learned to face fear and master it long before her husband declared that the only thing americans had to fear was fear itself. her own energy and devotion to principle would make her the most consequential first ladies and one of the most consequential women in american history. >> it is shakespeare. >> washington journal continues. >> host: film maker ken burns and

writer jeffrey ward joins us now to talk about the roosevelts, an intimate history. yearsers about a hundred -- several years of the three most famous americans. we could've done what hundred 40 hours. an incredible family in an amazing country. host: why the roosevelts and why now? guest: this is a family that touched more americans than any other family and american history. we say that out front and we prove it. they raise issues that we are dealing with today about the role of government and the nature of leadership in the tension between idealism and pragmatism. the important thing is that traditionally weak cover these guys independently. we assume that because the it or was republican and franklin was a democrat that you can segment

them and they contribute to different silos of american history when in fact they intertwined and integrated families, with the last name roosevelt is of much more interest. exponentially more interesting when you see how related they aren't that there is no franklin or eleanor without theodore. that there is no "new deal," without the policies of theodore roosevelt's nearly two terms as president but his attempts to run on a progressive third party. a great deal of history is commanded on his roosevelts. rest of thee the 20th century and the 21st century but is still in the wake of their a cop judgments. accomplishments. on the roosevelts and fdr, what draws you to them? i am particularly drawn

to him. franklin ande eleanor if you don't have theodore. that is the link that we wanted to show in the program and the book. me, in exhaustively interesting people. it was a great privilege and joy to do the book. host: the book we can show you the companion piece is the 14 hour documentary that is airing all this week on tbs. mr. burns, i have heard you describe this as an inside-out history. guest: often we talk about it, over the 32 years we have collaborated on what seems at least that many films, american history is usually top down. the stories of presidents and wars and generals. linears a linear nest -- for most people

as american history. we have been doing things on ordinary people. labor, women, minorities. we fully enjoyed participating that in many things. in this case we subtitled it "an intimate history. " we went to understand the way that character forms leadership and more importantly, the way that adversity, and all three had it in spades, the way that adversity helps shape that character. psychological, psychobabble. we want to know who these people are. they are deeply wounded people and we want to understand how they negotiated an escaped the specific rabbit he of these booms to become the people that --y are who are interesting specific gravity of these wounds

to become the people that they are. that is part of our democratic impact. they reinvigorated in a way that i can't think of any two leaders, three if you add eleanor, have ever done. this just livens up page after page of history. i hadok that just and done, particularly geoff, we wanted it to be a standalone. asple say companion books though it is attached to the film. we always make a book, and this is our proudest example, if the series didn't exist it would be a good book. guest: that is the idea. host: we want to bring in our viewers to the segment as we are talking with ken burns and geoffrey c. ward. democrats can call at (202) 737-0001. republicans (202) 737-0002.

independence (202) 628-0205. and if you're outside the u.s. (202) 628-0184. us forhey will be with the next 45 minutes or so as we discussed this 14 hour documentary and the book. i want you to pick up on that theme of overcoming adversity. why were these three able to do it, when so many around them including their own family were not able to overcome adversity? guest: i don't think i can explain why they could, but each of them had these extraordinary things to battle with. theodore roosevelt was terribly asthmatic as a child. her doctors tell his parents that he wouldn't live. the awful death of his wife and mother on the same day. andomehow pulled himself up decided he would live what was called the strenuous life and became unbelievably strenuous

and he taught the country how to do that. eleanor roosevelt, his niece, was the daughter of his younger brother who was an alcoholic and delusional and was orphaned as a child and was betrayed by her husband. somehow she overcame all of that. ,ranklin suffered from polio which the story of his battle against that is for me the proudest part of the film and the book. didn't you have it? guest: yeah i had polio as a kid. burns, one of the things i was surprised about is how young they were when they died. here is a picture of franklin roosevelt just before he died and that was age 63. guest: i don't think we can appreciate that these two man gave their lives and their

sacred honor to this country. they really sacrificed everything. older look at the pictures of theodore roosevelt, he looked about 85. he died when he was 60. if you look at franklin roosevelt, he looks like a cadaver. he looked like 95 or 100, he died at 63. they gave everything they could to the service of this republic. host: we will get to our questions on twitter and the phone lines as well. twitter, mr. burns and mr. ward how did you start working together? guest: i had an association with american heritage magazine and geoff had been the editor. i was working on my second film and i felt i had learned to roadblock. a friend of mine, had suggested geoff, as well and check it

out. and he ratified what we were doing. i was in the beginning moments of doing a film on the life of the turbulent southern demagogue, she we long. geoff and i hit it off and i signed him up to write that she we long script in the last -- u ughie long. and the rest is literally history. congress, helm on wrote the civil war, and baseball, and we did biographies on thomas jefferson, susan b anthony, mark twain, the history of jazz. a biography of jack johnson, the first african-american heavyweight champion. a history of world war ii called "the war." the history of prohibition and

the roosevelt. i'm probably missing two or three. host: we are talking about the roosevelts on tbs all this week. i want to ask mr. burns, would you explain that again -- i've watched that last line and i will watch it till it goes off, about how they were related ? one more question, i love your shows. i've watched all -- especially lewis and clark. will that ever be back on? thank you so much. we love that one too. every time it plays, cbs plays these ready frequently. check local listings. this is a very complicated family drama. most eleanor and theodore r

fifth cousins of franklin. i am a seventh cousin of free door -- theodore and eleanor, so you can say that fifth cousins is far away, but eleanor is the niece of theodore. that means that theodore's brother elliott is eleanor's father and theodore is the great president and his brother elliott died of alcoholism and mental illness and orphaned eleanor by the time she was 10. that is how they are related. always felt a special kinship with eleanor and she was his favorite niece. that is their relationship. from new hampshire on our line for independents. caller: good morning gentlemen. it is nice to put a face to the team instead of just seeing mr. burns all the time.

you gentlemen have done fantastic work. i am not a good reader but i can sit with your book all day long. you have given me more information over the years than i can count. no matter what your format is i will continue to sponsor you any way i can. guest: thank you very much. host: your face appears in this work in the film. how many of the films have you appeared in? guest: this is the only one. i've been on screen a couple of times but not any of can's -- ken's. has been my principal collaborator for 32 years but as you mentioned geoff had contracted polio as a boy. two extraordinary

books about franklin roosevelt's early life and we felt that we were going to give space to something that jumped over and people technology that he had polio and moved to the president's ability to ignore what was going on. we wanted people to have a visceral, first-hand experience of what it was like. it sets franklin roosevelt's achievements it sets franklin roosevelt's achievements which are many in proud, proud relief when you day of his life he's struggling, in constant ain, and trying to sort of overcome a thing that he cannot overcome. and jeff understands that struggle. seemed incredibly stick jeff in front of the cram and let us know what it's like. >> any trepidation on doing that? >> my generation was raised not

talk about it. fdr used to call it sob stuff. didn't want to write about it. i'm older now. to do it without a moment's notion. and ken got me on the second question. was the question? > i had avoided asking him about it. i think he was hyped up not to to have an el motional reaction. i danced around it and i said it hell.be and he just said -- i said so.as and don't have tos we point neon signs with the way they resonate with all of the questions of the day. put signs that say jeffrey ward, polio victim. that's the wrong word. we wanted to do is clearly communicate that he was someone going on.hat was that under -- firsthand understanding and help us

way all d just in the of the roosevelts took what they and the bout life adversity they faced and overcome. a guide to what it was like for franklin roosevelt. >> once you understand the last you watch him, you realize as you have before, hat he's going through just to make a public appearance, make a speech. host: barbara up next, blair, nebraska on the line for independents. good morning. > >>. caller: we marked the calendar to watch this. purchase this.

offer recall the guest: wonderful books. caller: of course. i kept asking him if we were oh, yes.him, is it -- thought teddy had adhd. if he were alive today, he would be on medicine. historians in the film brings it up. the first episode is as you just blair, it's really our table setting. it's the 19th century. e're introducing you to all three characters. eleanor and franklin in a minor it's the trajectory of theodore roosevelt's birth to president ofas the the united states. episode two, everything gets started. the story, you know everybody. happening. all of the dynamicsful all this tightening noose and

dramatic things each night. to understand who the add kind of unstable little boy. you remember that the president is 6, meaning 6 years old. energy.the wonderful but you have a cost for that as well. thank you, blair, so much. is in arkansas for the line for republicans. diane, good morning. good morning, everybody. guest: good morning. caller: for you to know where be 80 ing from, i'll years old next month. roosevelt ber the to a certain oh extent. i'm reminded about the narrations and all on the whole adoring tonehad an

to you. you it seems to me that --ld have been a little less the bias in this comes out strong. it seemed thing, to -- when i was watching it, it teddy roosevelt was up in montana, was it, for 23 years. come to find out, he wasn't -- he wasn't there that long. it is a -- it's keeping the roosevelt family. >> let's let -- >> these are all important things. if you stay with it, you bring up some really good points. not hero ll, this is worship. we're very, very critical of all three people. done more than i think

anybody else to sort of expose the flaws of each one of these characters. acknowledge their greatness and also acknowledge the wounds. fifth cousin is far away. i'm the fourth cousin of abraham lincoln. that's about as remote as you could possibly be. say is ink what we do we're actually very, very clear that he spent a specific amount we list n the west and the number of months that he did off and on, we say. course, it's quite scandalous when he goes back and marries within a couple of years of his wife, his old sweetheart and there is, of "the new york times" notice which the sister so upset about that she gets them to retraction even though it's true announcing the engagement. stay with it, the tone is

critical and celebratory at times when it deserves that. it's an even-handed piece. any you want to address of the caller's concerns? caller: exemplary answer from ken. host: demetrius for republicans, thanks for getting up with us on the washington journal. caller: hello. it looks to me like theodore roosevelt was hyperactive. shortage ue to oxygen to his as ma? ny sign of meningitis or pneumonia as a child? guest: i don't think so. he ink it had to do with -- feels many things, one was a depressive. from -- the to keep him,ess from descending on almost excessively

active. >> black care can rarely sit a rider whose pace is fast enough. it is to say you can never outrun your demons. because the family was so alcoholism and mental illness, he was as jeff sant.ts a depress he had it to be seen, to get going. set him in motion for sort of the taunt. you remember that patricia o'toole is saying -- in all of photographs, his fist is clinched. way he went through life. it's important to understand how uch we are the beneficiaries and how much we are, you know, see to be very careful and in very, very clear eyes what the deficits are of that kind of behavior in a human being.

host: chapter one of the book, "get action" from 1858 to 1901. you can see the finger pointing forward. >> always, always. guest: you think about his life, you hear you're not expecting to live out of story is and the called "get action," you could realize the kind of tension this under.s i think that's why he burned out so quickly. when he at age was he died? guest: 60. he looks 85. stunning. after the adventure in the amazon where the ex-president of he united states is lost, suffering from malaria, and has aggravated an old leg wound, with a ting through lethal don't of morphine that he always carried with him on such that he could kill himself so as not to be a burden expedition.

you go, what? what? the ex-president of the united states. meese out of the office just four years, not quite four years. he's there to take a lethal dose. i'll live and, you know, i'll -- host: and maybe be president again one day. guest: he's certain all will be in 2016 and 2020. this is the eternal child, an optimist. >> william, you're on with ken burns and jeffrey ward. caller: good morning. wondering if there is any future plans for henry ford business?tomotive thank you very much. guest: it's great to hear a call in from michigan. playing ten years out, we know what we're doing between now and the rest of the decade. history of cancer, a biography

of jackie robinson. massive ten-part, 18.5 million series on the war, country etnam music, a biography of earnest hemingway. gluttons for punishment, we're planning for if 20s. we want to talk about american and technology. you would have to include, you know, the 19th century. thinking about it. if we were given 1,000 years to live, we wouldn't run out of toipings in american history. that's a good one, thank you. ost: talk about the one that gives us the voice i felt the third person narrator, if it's alone, it's a scold. it's telling you what you should know. the last time i checked was homework. to break it up with first person voices that read and diaries and military

things and telegrams. amazing supporting cast, patricia clarkson. delano reed, clarkson is a disabout the cousin. ed harris and adam arkin and the late eli walk. giamatti to do fdr and a meryl streep to do eleanor. i think she's going some place. attention to that name, s-t-r-e-e-p. she's fantastic. is.t: she host: shawn up next for "the independent." morning. caller: i wonder if in the series you guys have a reference proposed takeover by industrialists who wanted to get to lead tanley butler the army of the potomac.

>> it didn't fit in this story. host: you want to expand. guest: stanley butler was a of the american occupation of haiti who turned against all of that. he's a fascinating man. deserves a good book. one yet.ave braden s up next from ton, florida, good morning. we need, a is what

person like theodore roosevelt 1901 to 1909. because he was for the middle for the poor people. he was not for corporations. and the rich people. most of our working people. nailed it.hink you that's exactly the story of the roosevelts. remarkable to us is three people, all of whom are ich, all of whom are born to privilege. and yet decide they're going to dedicate their lives to evening he playing field and saying, look, this government doesn't work unless it works for everybody. it just can't work for the influence. money and it has to work for everyone. nd we have to have a viable

middle class and a viable middle class needs a strong economy. means trying to lift those people out of poverty and into the middle class. whole range t the of the 20th century, not only theodore, but particularly they're annual to do that and in essence, save the at really om itself critical times. ot saying and -- and theodore is clear on that. he wants to enlist, as he said, alike.nd poor this is not class warfare. its's saying we tuth have a level playing field. be able to -- everybody should have the same opportunities to rise. nd i think both people and eleanor particularly and let's not forget her, she's hugely her idealism.r she understands all of the issues of poverty, race, minorities, immigration, health, children, labor. able to act as a goad and conscious to her husband. we're drawn to

this story is when thomas jefferson articulates universal as he thinks, as we all of k in the declaration independence all men are created equal. hat among these are life, libber tim, and the pursuit of happiness, the work of the united states is always trying applies to that everybody. now when jefferson wrote it, he white men of property free of debt. we don't mean that anymore. reasons we don't mean that anymore is theodore, roosevelt nd eleanor host: what was it about their upbringing that made them want o do it when so many other people in the socioeconomic status may have not taken the same route? boit theodore and franklin power believed their comfort demanded of them helping

the less fortunate. in their time it was a little more patronizing than it was in of their sons. i think their sons just their duty.w it as public service was the serious thing for them. theodore roosevelt was the first tgovernment when it's hanging correctly is us, you and me. popular view these days, but that's the basis from which all three worked. a healthy basis tod too. look at the dome and blame our problems or look at the white house and blame our problems. that's us. ownership stake in that, because you voted or didn't vote, as lock as you make other, you can't do anything about it and they servants.our

up next. caller: you made a comment if would s was around, they be laughing at franklin for having polio. i thought that was an awful comment. that's why i didn't watch the documentary. caller: my mother lives from north bramford. interested to y hear from her. no, no. that.ld never have said hat i meant was in roosevelt's day, people did not automatically report his handicap. a sort of a gentleman's agreement not do so. tragically, i

think tv crews would follow him see him looking helpless. >> not all of them, not just fox. msnbc, cnn, all of the networks. they would be straining, it looking for that the braces are unlocked. and the ee the sweat obvious pain of it. i hope you'll return to the series, catch up with it. by no means is bias, i promise you. next in ncy up amilton, ohio for the line for republicans. good morning. caller: gook to you all. aller: from what i read and heard, franklin delanor consultinginstead of

short the dell presentation prolonged the depression. i don't know everything about it. but i want you to expand on that in regard to what policies he prolonged the depression. and my second thing is why did a lot of territory to he end of world war ii the soviet union. phenomenal, phenomenal questions. one. take the first i'll let jeff handle the other one. these are central questions and mythology and f disinformation about franklin roosevelt. let's be clear. you can argue anddy bait over the correct role of government, and how little government we want to have. it's clear that without the bold nd decisive action that franklin roosevelt took in the early days of the depression, we have a united states of america. to use the moral

persuasion of his office to help people put their money back in save the banking system. he explained it to the people. number of ed a programs that not only helped to begin to pull americans out of the depression. but he himself who was a fiscal attempted after his extraordinary mandate in '36 to thence the budget and slach stimulus programs, the united states went back into a very rele session. it's also true, ma'am, and you're right, that it really world war ii that the arsenal of democracy was the stimulus program that the depressionof and into the war. roosevelt anklin himself who so redesigned the by ican economy that september 2, 1945 when the japanese were surrendering, 50%

all of the manufacturing in the entire world took place in the united states and it's franklin cause roosevelt, having worked through the depression to lift up around people, turned and made sure that the great enormous ists made profit, the whole american economy grew in order to meet the demand. can say world war ii is won on the back of the technological expertise and productivity. eleanor roosevelt once said the of the new deal was to save capitalism. he charge he somehow allowed the russians to take over eastern europe is based really on a misunderstand ugh. yalta happened, the onference in which things were divided, the russians already occupied most of eastern europe. and we had been fighting war for long time. and we were certainly not going attack our nd and

allies. >> the greatest -- earth, biggest army on the russian army. >> exactly. so the roosevelt knew that he done -- he said he'd done the best he could and was that he could work after the war. and then he died. he may have been naive about that hope. -- it was -- eastern european did not fall because of roosevelthat franklin did? you bring up eleanor. ou were asked on twitter did eleanor enjoy being the first lady. one.t: a big she enjoyed -- when she got to the white house, she was not happy. she would be afraid she would be imprisoned there and be a sort of an endlessly serving tease. she served a lot of teas, over years. but she soon realized that there power in that unofficial

use.tion that she could she was a relentless advocate of all kinds auses of from civil war -- a civil rights women's rights, economic help for the poor. refugee, so on. her husband's liberal conscious of that job something that was altogether new. just as every new president is measured against franklin roosevelt, that happen.es to everybody's first 100 days are his.ured against every first lady finds herself confronted with the memory of ranklin roosevelt host: peter, you're on with ken burns and jeffrey ward. caller: yes, mr. burns, can you influencew much of an

george frederick hagel had on teddy and also on roosevelt and fdr? thank you. i know a little bit about hagel only in that his purportedlydent was a man named john augustus robling who would build, design, and not live to see his son omplete the building of the greatest engineering feat of the 9th century, the brooklyn bridge. uh'

caller: i want to thank you and give you kudos for the film. civil ughly enjoyed the war. but your depiction of the dust bowl in that time, it just me to my knees because the war showed what is. thank you for the live in media age in which we're drowning in information. it, but little

understanding. it's great to have c-span, and that takes the time to dive deep, to listen to all of the voices and to represent all of voices. do.t is what we're trying to we had superficial ideas about the dust bowl and the roosevelts. they're very -- must have conventional wisdom. one bad storm. 100 storms didn't just kill crops and your children. these are important things that tease out in the films that we've done. in the case of the roosevelts, beginning of he the program, we tend to segregate them because theodore republican, a progressive republican, and franklin was a democrat. progressive democrat. they are much more alike than different. intricate why the family drama that we told is so important. and lps you understand stitch together important parts of american history that allows you to escape the conventional

that i think we're all burdened with today. we think we know everything, but very, very little. just buried in stuff. our jobs as historian and story to tell you what the facts are, we employ the left, center, to help us tell stuff and most of all, people who knew the story. very confident that we've told a balanced and accurate portrait of the people. ed >> of all of the stories, do you have a favorite? guest: they're like your children. we're proud of anything we've done. intertwined do an narrative of three people. a lot of reviewers have likened it to a russian novel. that's what it is. there are three people. that may seem easy to do,

secondary and tertiary characters and you have to have the united states in it covering 100 years, 104 years from 1858 when theodore 1962 when eleanor died. you've got the greatest economic in human history, that's the depression. you have world war i and you guilded age and the cold and the he roaring 20s age of the great trusts and monopolies. this is hold on, fasten your seat belt. is a pretty bumpy ride. uest: if you understand the motivations, you understand the events deeper to you in a much richer way.

virginia on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. as i do ing c-span every day. i would like to congratulate you uys for the great job that you did. my father name was theodore roosevelt. now.urse, he's passed even before i started to school, he tells me about the me evelts, he talked to about theodore and of franklin and how progressive they were. i would he relateivity like for you to expound on if on would shed some light this. president obama is a progressive. always trying to bring the class and poor class up. why is it that during this age receiving the t our country thrives on the middle class people. you're right. we've been locked in several years for k