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Broadcasts from the Blitz
Philip Seib
How Edward R. Murrow Helped Lead America into War
Potomac Books
May 2006
209 pages ISBN: 1597970123 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction | Historical
With the words "This is London," Edward R. Murrow�s
groundbreaking radio broadcasts from 1939 to 1941 brought
the blitz into America�s living rooms. Countering the tide
of U.S. isolationism, Murrow told his huge audience that the
United States could not avoid a confrontation with Hitler
and that the bombs it heard falling during his reports would
eventually be targeted at American cities. But although
often cited as the paragon of journalistic objectivity,
Murrow had a clear agenda--to bring America into the
war--and he slanted his broadcasts accordingly. And behind
the scenes, he helped the British court U.S. public opinion
and secure American funds for a British intelligence
operation. Broadcasts from the Blitz examines
Murrow�s work and life during this crucial time. It also
profiles unsung heroes of those days, such as U.S.
ambassador John Winant and Winston Churchill�s confidant
Brendan Bracken, and villains as well--such defeatists as
Joseph Kennedy and Charles Lindbergh, who believed England
was doomed. Other compelling characters include Eric
Sevareid, Mollie Painter-Downs, and Nancy Astor, whose
"Cliveden set" was accused of being too cozy with the
Germans. They and many others mixed in a London that
remained vibrant even as it was being battered.
Broadcasts from the Blitz is a story of courage--of a
journalist broadcasting live from London rooftops as bombs
fell around him--and of intrigue, as the machinery of two
governments pulled America and Britain together in a common
cause. Finally there is the drama of December 7, 1941, when
Murrow was the sole journalist to meet with Roosevelt.
Broadcasts from the Blitz is for all those interested
in the influential career of an extraordinary man and in the
relationship between journalism and politics.
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