Senator George McGovern - Oral History about Bob Dole - July 13, 2007

In this 2007 oral history interview with Richard Norton Smith, George McGovern talks about obstructionism in the Senate, his interactions with Bob Dole, and nutrition programs. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 appointed McGovern as the first director of the Food for Peace program, marking the start of McGovern's work to help people suffering from malnourishment across the world. McGovern reached across the aisle in Washington to gain bipartisan support for several pieces of legislation to fund programs still prominent today. Dole was involved with many of the programs initiated by McGovern, including the restructuring of the Food Stamp program, the World Food Programme, and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. McGovern served as a U.S Representative (1957-1961) and U.S. Senator (1963-1981) from South Dakota. He was also the Democratic nominee for President in 1972. This interview is part of the Dole Institute Oral History Project. Visit the Dole Archives to see other interviews from this series: http://dolearchives.ku.edu/oralhistory