U.S. Senate Oral HIstory ProjectSince 1976 the Senate Historical Office has conducted interviews with senators and staff. The mission of this project is to document and preserve the individual histories of a diverse group of personalities who witnessed events firsthand and offer a unique perspective on Senate history, many of whom may otherwise be missed by biographers, historians, and other scholars. These interviews cover the breadth of the 20th century and now the 21st century. The recording and preservation of these individual oral histories will lead to a fuller and richer understanding of the history of the Senate and of its role in governing the nation.
Transcripts of open interviews are available at the Senate Historical Office, and copies are deposited in the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the senatorial manuscript collections and appropriate presidential libraries.