“This Is Moscow Calling . . .” – March 7, 1947

The coldest part of the Cold War.

Click on the link here for Audio Player: News from Moscow – March 7, 1947

One of the constants during the Cold War period was the War of Words waged between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This broadcast, from Radio Moscow on March 7, 1947 is no different.

Featuring news of the day, there are no shortage of barbs directed at the Allies in the course of what are typical events during a typical day in the Soviet Union.

So news on this day in 1947 had to do with the arrival of delegates to the Foreign Ministers Conference in Moscow, including Secretary of State George C.Marshall, British Foreign Minister Bevin and French Minister Bidault. Marshall gives a statement to the Soviet Press saying it’s his first trip to Moscow and he was looking forward to a productive meeting.

In other news – The Soviet Trade Union delegation returned to Moscow after attending the Amalgamated Trade Union Conference in The Netherlands, saying the Dutch were disgruntled with Britain and the U.S. and were looking forward to a closer working relationship with The Soviet Union.

Next up was a review of New Inventions And Methods from 1946, highlighting Soviet discoveries in the field of Science and Industry.

Other news – A Budapest court found a group of individuals guilty of plotting an unsuccessful overthrow of the Hungarian Republic. No word on who the individuals were or what the sentence was going to be.

And The Soviet Union was celebrating International Women’s Day with a number of festivities planned all over Russia and the Bloc.

The rest of the newscast was given over to a review of Soviet Newspapers.

Fascinating stuff – and this was early on in the Cold War period.

And so went the news via this news cast from Radio Moscow for March 7, 1947.

 

September 10, 1941 – Curfews, Gas Shortages, Attacks And Counterattacks

Merchant ships bound for the War Zone – attacks were stepped up.

Click on the link here for audio player: News for September 10, 1941

News for this day in September of 1941 surrounded the latest sinking of a U.S. Merchant ship, carrying Lend-Lease supplies for Britain, off the port city of Suez by German bombers. The crew of the USS Steel Seafarer were rescued by British Warships, but the attack was one of several in recent days and it brought a call for re-thinking our policy on neutrality in light of these stepped-up attacks on American ships in the war zone.

From London came word that German claims of intense 72-hour retaliation bombings of British cities were untrue and that no German bombers were sited in Britain in some days.

News from Moscow told of Russian counterattacks, forcing German retreats and the capture of many German troops and equipment.

From Capitol Hill came reports that President Roosevelt was returning to Washington from Hyde Park where he was mourning the recent death of his mother and would be giving a nationwide address regarding the recent attacks on American ships.

Also from Capitol Hill came news that the House would consider investigation of charges that Hollywood was engaged in pro-war propaganda in the latest batch of movies. Blame was leveled on “foreign-born” producers stoking pro-war sentiment.

And with the gas shortage, brought on by the war and loss of crude from the Middle East, there was talk of building a pipeline from Texas to New York in an effort to ease the crisis. The talk was stymied as it was pointed out that much needed steel for defense would be needed for building the pipeline, and that just wasn’t going to happen.

All that, and much more, including an interview with the rescued crew members of the Steel Seafarer on this September 10, 1941, as broadcast by the NBC Blue Network Morning News Roundup.

The Edge Of War – August 29-30, 1939

Within hours – a war.

Click on the link here for Audio player: European News in English – Aug. 29-30, 1939

With a state of war literally hours away, and all diplomatic attempts failed, the world waited for the shooting to start.

Here are three newscasts, in English via shortwave. The first is from Radio Warsaw, the second is from Radio Berlin and the third from EIAR in Rome, all broadcast late on August 29th and early August 30th 1939. The sound on the Polish broadcast is rough and not complete, but its significant and probably hasn’t been heard since it was first broadcast.

History from the perspective of not knowing the outcome.