Reagan, The Americans, and the Cold War
The Weisberg brothers—showrunner and Slate chief—in conversation.
Joining the CIA wasn’t “exactly the done thing in our liberal family,” says Jacob Weisberg, chairman and editor-in-chief of The Slate Group.
At a May 23 live event in Washington, D.C., Jacob spoke with his brother, Joe Weisberg, a former CIA officer now known as creator of The Americans, the hit FX series. Though the brothers both came of age during the Ronald Reagan era, their careers and politics took them in opposite directions. In their discussion, Jacob asks Joe about his travels in the former Soviet Union, his decision to leave the CIA, and his work in television. And Joe asks Jacob how the experience of writing a Reagan biography changed his view of the president’s legacy.