NFR Project: Dorothy Thompson: Commentary and
Analysis of the European Situation for NBC Radio
Broadcast August 23 – Sept. 6, 1939
She was hard-working, expert journalist and commentator. She was so good, she was the first American journalist the Nazis kicked out after coming to power.
Dorothy Thompson is hardly remembered today, but her incisive understanding of the complexities of European politics between the world wars was exceptional. Nancy F. Cott's explanatory essay, which you can read here, gives a comprehensive look at the life of this journalist and broadcaster.
Fortunately, NBC decided to avail themselves of her services in the run-up to the beginning of World War II. In a series of broadcasts, she outlined for listeners what was happening in the rapidly developing situation on the other side of the water. These talks, while not celebrated today and difficult to even find, helped people understand the facts amid the pronouncements and posturing of the players involved.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: A complete day of radio broadcasting – Sept. 21, 1939.
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