YESTERDAY'S NEWSREEL - INTERNATIONAL RADIO BROADCASTING 1920-1950 RUFUS B. VON KLEINSMID

it's 1920 and at Fort Jefferson Long Island wondrous thing called Wireless is heading for New Horizons from this 410 foot tower American thought will zoom westward across the Pacific to Japan and eastward over Atlantic waters into middle Europe some months later in Madrid King Alfonso of Spain attends his nations war exhibit and is frankly and openly impressed by the now grotesquely complicated machinery of this newest marvel of communications but Alfonso sees this giant in its infancy at Bordeaux Wireless station built by US Navy becomes nerve center of radio France as US government turns this gigantic transmitter over to French now France will have sending and receiving station in new world of sound officials of both United States and France listen as Admiral McGruder makes formal presentation and Monsieur Deschamps accepts the gracious gift then in 1923 England joins network of Nations to be linked by the magic and marvel of wireless at Rugby then world's largest antenna arises high over countryside and here's england's famed Biggin Hill construction first British wireless station to receive American voice from over 3,000 miles of land and ocean words spoken in America are heard by captain west of the British Broadcasting Corporation and then message is relayed to all receiving sets in England the big voice booms over wider horizon still its 12th of February 1931 and priests of every nation go to local shrines to hear Pope Pius speak by radio from Vatican City here are apostolic delegate most reverend phione center and Monsignors mccormick and McKenna listening to what was then most breathtaking broadcast in already fabulous history of radio Pope Pius prayed for peace but there was war and from Tokyo came not only bullets but words as well the sleek sly voice of Tokyo Rose could slither through tight blockades and well armored battle lines as she spoke not to the Nipponese but to American soldiers they heard her tell of Japanese victories and American defeats and would have believed what she told them that the air not been filled with voices from America describing American victories and Japanese defeats [Music] and out of warring Germany Poor's voice of Radio Leipzig filling air over allied lines with defeatist lullaby of lies wireless is strange new weapon of war weird machine designed to turn the minds of men here at airport and nation's capital is Mildred Geller's axis Sally who like Tokyo Rose bombarded our troops with traitorous words its 24th of August 1948 and Miss Geller's is on her way to prison peace comes but the war of words goes on and on here's Russia's representative mullick preaching the gospel according to Stalin in this 1950 session of the United Nations and his voice is heard afar in Czechoslovakia for instance Russian radios are made available to everyone they aren't real radios however but speakers hooked by wire to central receiving station so the gradience is in czechoslovakia here only what Moscow wants them to hear it's same sad story in every nation under stern rule of Soviet Union but free men too can fight here's colossal nerve center of freedoms greatest weapon in worldwide war of words it's gigantic sounding board of many tongues voice of America riding powerful airwaves out of the land of the free truth fills the skies of Hungary Romania Bulgaria and Russia and all lands around the earth where lies are lighting the way to world dictatorship truth on the wings of wireless here circles the globe as the big voice of freedom boos out for all the world to hear [Music] it's 1st of November 1930 and here in El Paso Texas late rising businessmen don't bother with breakfast at home on streetcar taking them from suburbs into city offices there's interesting and filling bill affair on electric stoves operated by current from trolley wires cook feeds commuters on their way to work it's same as having dinner or a diner of a speeding Super Chief only here it's breakfast of sizzling bacon and eggs on El Paso's super trolley [Music] if this police dogs fond companion looks something like famed comedian Charles Spencer Chaplin he should for dogs friend is none other than Syd Chaplin Charlie's less famous brother it's 1919 and Syd is happy about his sad-faced brothers success in Hollywood here with president von Kleinschmidt of USC is Madame Ernestine Shubin hi it's 1919 and Fame contralto is visiting friend at admirer once an obscure German housewife Madame Schumann Hank gained famous star of Metropolitan Opera and thrilled millions with her songs on the concert stage this Chicago father of three is none other than Ringgold Wilmer Lardner better known as Ring Lardner it's again 1919 and here's Reiter ring doing what comes naturally to leading sports reporter and humorist of the day rings best books were about ballplayers and Broadway's cockeyed characters [Music] it's January 1926 and they're suffering in Europe once again the whole continent now falls victim to onslaught of driving winds heavy rains and swollen rivers sign says bicycling forbidden on this flooded German Street and what rail travel de Rais moves dangerously through countless miles of inland circle at Liege in Belgium basements and lower floors of 9,000 homes are flooded disaster crews rescue many thousands food and clothing has brought the thousands more still living in floors above flood level with millions homeless scores of blood struck people died even England feels fury of raging winds and roaring rivers as swollen Thames leaps its banks and buries countryside under seemingly endless sea of murky and muddy english water flashing gales make gigantic wind tunnel of British waterways it's rough going on sea lanes but rougher still for this liner - the ground below quite cliffs of Dover in Europe East Europe wages losing battle with the elements in Rockport Massachusetts its 1931 as Ellis Steadman completes this house built entirely of ordinary everyday newspaper you don't look at mr. Stemmons unique residence you read it walls are rolled and pressed newspaper and even furniture is made of paper treated by a formula that mr. Steadman says is secret piers piano that really plays made no doubt of music sections only bass in walls of fireplace are brick ears famous Lindy desk made up newspaper devoted to stories of Lindbergh Stebbins spent only ten years building house it's 1931 and at airfield in Washington DC good years baby blimp puritan is attached to mooring mast to top bus in try out for new type takeoff with blimp in tow bus moves downfield gathering speed at every foot this is first attempt to launch lighter than air craft without aid of ground crew of men release lever is in blimp and pilot will pull away from bus when blimp has sufficient speed for flight and there it goes blimp is suddenly free from towing bus and this bus slows down blimp Rises gracefully into air test is successful as first portable mooring mast in history of aviation passes its examination with flying colors and the floating blimp Balboa beauty vesko Balboa discovered the Pacific in 1513 and in 1921 Balboa California discovers these specific beauties and here they are and their beach where best no these aren't figures in Coney Island house separa these are well-dressed bathers of 1921 and here's the most fashionable of them all Virginia Dobson Balboa Beach's best-dressed bathing one good laughs deserves another so here's a second look at the best in beach we're in 1921 [Music] the sterling miss sterling it's 1920 and here's Alexia sterling of Atlanta a winning Canadian golf championship runner-up is Miss Kate Robertson big crowd sees golf as good as 14-karat gold as Miss sterling wins match and silver plaque in 1920 and again in 1934 the ruddy master ruddy its 31st of August 1929 as 49 swimmers hit chilly waters of Lake Michigan off shores of Chicago at annual two-mile marathon and of the 49 all but hardy few fall back even in earliest stages of the speedy race taking commanding lead over his most expert competitors is 17 year old New York lad ray ruddy as ruddy strokes his way toward finish line he looks like sure winner and he's a lonely winner too because nobody's near him ray Ronnie winning handily happily handles his winners cup [Music]