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Hello, what does it mean to call this century the American century?

Have America's ideals traveled faster than America's mistakes?

Has America driven the century in a direction which could be called benevolent or is the jury still out?

I'm joined by Harold Evans over from New York where he went to live in

1984 having resigned in 1981 as editor of the Sunday Times now an American citizen which surprises me considerably

He's just written a dazzling book 900 pictures almost 700 pages called the American century

Which he is described as a tribute to America's quote triumph of its faith in its founding idea of political and economic freedom

Unquote. I'm also joined by John Lloyd who's been associate editor of the new statements since 1996

He was a Times Correspondent in Moscow for four years before that he was East European editor of the Financial Times

He's won many awards with journalism and he now writes for the Financial Times as well as for the new Statesman

Harry Evans when I was reading this book which is a tremendous read and tremendous look because the photographs are amazing

I thought well, it is the American century in one way, but in another way

It's the English Scots Irish German Polish Jewish Italian African century. It's the transplanted to America century

Yes, and they've been transplanted but absorbed

Some of the ideals and aspirations of America often asked why do people go to the United States a lot of them

Obviously most of them are probably attracted with my material prosperity

But a lot of gone there for some kind of sense of freedom if you go back over the hundred years

It is obviously a country made by immigration

But also a country made by certain ideals

I think back to the Italians arriving in 1889 two-thirds of them

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