CONFERENCE ON HISTORY SET FOR APRIL 5-6

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Three noted history professors will speak at the 33rd annual Missouri Conference on History to he held at the Cape Girardeau Holiday Inn April 5-6.

The conference hasn't been held in Cape Girardeau since 1980, said Dr. J. Christopher Schnell, professor of history at Southeast Missouri State University and conference coordinator.

The theme is "Politics and Personality: Future of Democracy."

Speakers will analyze and assess current political leadership, including the Bush administration as well as historical leadership such as the reign of Adolph Hitler, Schnell said. The Persian Gulf War and its political overtones will be discussed, he said.

"If you're a political junkie, you're going to have a great time at this conference," Schnell said.

Sessions on historical and political topics will be open to the public.

Keynote speaker will be Dr. James Barber, professor of political science at Duke University in North Carolina. Barber, an authority on the presidency, will deliver the Friday banquet address, "The Perversion of Politics: Historical and Current Case Studies Depicting the Movement from Rationalism to Emotionalism."

He is the author of several books on the presidency, including "Race for the Presidency: The Media and the Nominating Process" and "Politics by Humans: Research on American Leadership."

Dr. Paul S. Boyer, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin, will speak on religion and politics. Author of "The Enduring Vision," Boyer also has written about book censorship in the United States and the Atomic Age.

Dr. Robert Waite of the Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at Williams College in Massachusetts is an expert on dictatorships and the totalitarian mind, said Schnell.

In addition to his presentation of "Personality and Politics: A Comparison of the Kaiser and the Fuhrer," Waite will analyze Iraq's Saddam Hussein and what his role in world politics will be as a result of the recent war, Schnell said.

Waite, an expert on socialism and Adolph Hitler, is the author of several books.

For the first time, sessions will be sponsored by the Missouri Bar Association on the Bill of Rights.

There is a pre-registration fee of $20. For reservations, call the department of history at 651-2000.

The conference is sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University and the Missouri Geographical Alliance.