The attack on Pearl Harbor sent America reeling into the second world war. But did Franklin Roosevelt know the bombs were coming before they dropped? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll relive the day of infamy. Also, a war widow goes to Vietnam to meet the people who may have killed her husband.

Retired journalist and Navy veteran Robert Stinnett tells Judith Strasser that he has documents proving that FDR baited the Japanese into attacking Pearl Harbor. His book on the subject is "Day of Deceit." Also, David Reynolds, a historian at Cambridge University, tells Steve Paulson that nuclear power and the Cold War really weren't all that important when you take a global perspective. Electricity and clean drinking water have had a much greater impact. Reynolds' book is "One World Divisible: A Global History since 1945.

Richard Slotkin is a historian at Wesleyan. But he's written a novel, "Abe", about the young Abraham Lincoln. Slotkin tells Jim Fleming that Lincoln's empathy with the enslaved may relate to the ill treatment he suffered at the hands of his father, and that his attitude is remarkable given the segregationist society in which he lived.

Julius Lester is an acclaimed author of children's books and has done more than anyone to bring black history to children's literature. He tells Steve Pauson why the Brer Rabbit stories and Little Black Sambo are worth retelling in contemporary language. And he tells a couple of stories. Lester's books include "To Be A Slave," "Sam and the Tigers," and "The Tales of Uncle Remus.

Distribution dates:

• week of 02/27/2000 - hour 1