in somebody said humphrey is going 1948, to come back like truman did. well, i just don't believe it. matter of fact, a lot of things are different. it's one thing to give them hell. it is something else to give them humphrey. [applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] during the cold war the u.s. information agency produced a number of films promoting american democracy. next, autumn and cardboard narrated by actor lee marvin. this uses the california governor's race between ronald reagan and pat brown to show how every two years autumn is the season of campaigns and elections in the united states. ♪ >> october begins, the color in the competition. leaves compete with leaves,

while men at the beginning of a political season compete with men. ♪

>> of the thousands of men who run for office across the nation, there's always one competition that becomes the star of the season. [applause]

♪ >> thank you. i thank all of you for coming out here today. it is a beautiful california day. this is part of the great american tradition for people to come out and see and hear the governor. [applause] i want to start out these few

brief words by just asking you a few questions. would you please tell me what ronnie reagan has ever done for the state of california? >> [chanting] nothing! [cheering] >> listen, i know you have already met the members of our team and your new senatorial candidate, bob stevens. and i think it is wonderful that chuckconner's would -- conners would come along, because the manner in which the other team has been campaigning, it is time some people were reminded that actors are people. >> 6 million more people have come into this state during the last eight years, i have been governor. we have done that job well. [applause]

i want to make a commitment to you people today. i want to tell you that the first thing i am going to do after i am reelected governor, i will submit a bill that will cut taxes of the average homeowner in this state $150. >> i have been listening to some of the things the governor says he will do now in the next four years that he has not been able to do in the last eight. [indiscernible] >> give me just a minute. i was elected attorney general of california and after i served four years, the republicans and democrats alike reelected me. [cheering] they said the minority leader in

-- they sent the minority leader in the senate out here, and you and i licked him. [applause] >> the speeches are over and the audience is content with the sound of the problems, inside of the candidate of the mind, the touch of a handshake, and the smell of autumn and cardboard. but the candidates move on to other cities to hear the air vibrate with the sound of their names. to convince each voter to put their x by their name. one person changing his mind could change victory. [chanting] ♪

[cheering] ♪ >> across the country, there are other men, 16,000 of them running for city controller, judges, mayor, senator, congressman. and the entire country watches and appraises every word and

motion of the men who choose to lead, from california to new york. ♪ >> for one month, the nation is awash with balloons, pretty girls, and passionate cheers. but this morning, headquarters are ready and tonight the balloons will be broken, all of the pretty young girls will return to their homes, and the cardboard names will be swept away. for on the day of the election, the campaigns are stopped and all the names that were never mentioned on the billboards become the most important names, they are the government, the ones who vote. his name is neither brown nor reagan. he is neither rich nor poor, but he holds the greatest political power in the nation, his choice. and they all hold a power. their names are richardson and

ferraro, wing and rosenberg, the augustino and smith, krishna, kozlowski, jones. they will decide. with the power of the secret ballot, the future lies in everyone's hands. ♪ [applause] >> it seems a long way for many

months to go discarded. the pledge we all made then is still true, and we are going to keep that pledge. and that is to have a government that will be of the people of california. partisanship ends as of today. [applause] >> the colors and the competition belong to october. and october is gone. >> i know that you must have been thrilled as we have been about the returns from throughout the country. [cheers and applause] >> remember, we had many good friends from the other party. [applause] >> it looks now by early daylight, mr. reagan has won this campaign. [booing]

>> i don't like to say it either. but that's the situation. >> remember what we learned, how foolish it has been to have been separated by labels. >> tonight, i have not made a prepared statement of any kind other than the fact that bernice and i are deeply grateful for the people of california to have given us an opportunity to serve. >> this time around, we found out working together, how much we have in common. >> i want to do everything within my power to see that the new governor is able to keep the state moving ahead. >> the big job begins. we can say thanks to you. all i wantat's about to say, other than to thank you all. it has been a great campaign. i have never worked harder in my

life. [cheering] >> governor brown, what are your plans? ♪ >> the leaves have conceded to the wind. october has conceded to november. as in the end, all losers concede to the victor. ♪ >> this weekend on american history tv, today at 6:00 p.m. eastern on "the civil war," historian peter carmichael talks about public reaction of photographs of the dead at the 1862 battle of antietam, and the soldier perspective from the letters of home. bythe soldiers were changed

something that dwells in the eyes of dead men. these photographs in the end, all that they really did was satisfy this morbid satisfaction. >> and that 8:00 p.m. on lectures in history, university of arizona history professor kyle longley on lyndon johnson and the vietnam war in 1968. >> he has transformed the country, for better or for worse, giving up power to search for peace. that's pretty big. a major step. and it all relates to what? ? what is the issue? vietnam. >> sunday at 8:00 p.m., the relationship with pope john paul ii. >> you had two people, both

leaders, one in the secular and one in the religious world, with parallel interest. when those parallel interests were obvious, as what happened in poland, where they were under attack, if you will, it was logical than for ronald reagan, particularly with his ideas about defeating communism, to cooperate. >> and next weekend on american history tv, the world war i centennial. american history tv airs every weekend on c-span3. >> this weekend, american history tv is joining our out these cable partners to showcase the city of lake have a sioux city, arizona. to learn more about the cities on our tour, go to c-span.org/citiestour. we continue noth