General Douglas MacArthur - Address to Congress (“Old Soldiers Never Die”)
CBS Public Affairs | April 19 1951
Complete and uninterrupted CBS Public Affairs radio coverage of General Douglas MacArthur’s address to a Joint Session of Congress following his relief from command during the Korean War. Preserved with original introduction, chamber response, and network sign-off, documenting the speech as heard by national audiences. A primary-source broadcast artifact central to the study of Cold War civil–military relations.

Dwight D. Eisenhower - Presidential Broadcast Holdings Multiple National Network Broadcasts | 1956–1961

This collection preserves a curated group of original radio and television broadcasts documenting President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s executive leadership during the height of the Cold War. Holdings include his April 16, 1956 national address on the Agricultural Act veto and Soil Bank program (complete with network announcer identification and National Anthem close), original ABC Radio Network audio from a March 13, 1958 White House press conference addressing nuclear policy and U.S.–Soviet relations, and the full CBS Radio broadcast of his Farewell Address on January 17, 1961. Also preserved are his final presidential press conference (January 18, 1961) and a three-part United Nations audio document (September–December 1960) centered on his address concerning Africa, disarmament, and Cold War diplomacy.

Recorded in original broadcast form with intact network framing, announcer transitions, and ambient characteristics, these materials document executive rhetoric, policy articulation, and presidential cadence as heard by the American public in real time. Together, they form a primary-source broadcast record of Eisenhower’s second term, reflecting themes of agricultural reform, atomic restraint, alliance diplomacy, and the constitutional balance of power in the modern security state.

Selected Broadcasts Included:
– Agricultural Act Veto Address (April 16, 1956)
– White House Press Conference (ABC Radio, March 13, 1958)
– United Nations Address & Coverage (September 22, 1960)
– Farewell Address (CBS Radio, January 17, 1961)
– Final Presidential Press Conference (January 18, 1961)

Martin Luther King Jr. — “The American Dream” (Field-Recorded Variant, Early–Mid 1960s)

This reel contains a field-recorded address by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commonly associated with the sermon “The American Dream.” Preliminary institutional comparison indicates that the recording does not match known versions delivered at Lincoln University (June 6, 1961) or Ebenezer Baptist Church (July 4, 1965), with noted differences in wording, tone, and audience response.

The recording is currently under independent institutional review to determine whether it represents a misattributed broadcast or a distinct, previously undocumented delivery of the address. Until identification is confirmed, it remains cataloged as a field-recorded variant.

John F. Kennedy — Memorial Broadcast Compilation (1963)

Broadcast-era memorial compilation produced in the immediate aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The recording includes complete addresses drawn from his presidency, including the 1961 Inaugural Address, the June 11, 1963 Civil Rights Address, and his remarks on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, presented with period narration and structured program continuity.

Concluding with a formal memorial statement and instrumental music consistent with national mourning broadcasts of the era, the compilation preserves the tone, pacing, and editorial framing through which Kennedy’s presidency was presented to radio audiences at the time. A primary-source artifact reflecting broadcast media’s role in shaping public remembrance.

Richard Nixon — Vietnam Peace Announcement (Paris Accords) ABC Radio News | January 23, 1973

Complete live network radio coverage of President Richard Nixon’s White House address announcing the signing of the Paris Peace Accords and the formal end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War. The broadcast includes the President’s full remarks outlining ceasefire terms, prisoner-of-war release, and troop withdrawal provisions, followed by original network continuity and sign-off.

Preserved in real-time broadcast form, the recording documents executive messaging at the close of a major Cold War conflict and reflects how the conclusion of the war was presented to national radio audiences.

ABC Radio News — D-Day: The First 24 Hours (25th Anniversary Broadcast) ABC Radio News | June 6, 1969

National anniversary documentary broadcast marking twenty-five years since the Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944. Hosted by Ted Koppel, the program incorporates archival recordings and firsthand testimony from Allied commanders and ABC correspondents, reconstructing airborne operations, amphibious landings, and naval support during Operation Overlord.

Preserved as complete network coverage, the recording reflects how broadcast journalism framed the historical significance of D-Day for a postwar audience a generation removed from the event.

CBS News — Blitzkrieg (Twentieth Anniversary Documentary) CBS Radio | 1959

Radio documentary produced to mark the twentieth anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. Narrated by Walter Cronkite and produced by Dan Bloom, the program examines the failure of appeasement and the German invasion of Poland through the use of contemporaneous broadcasts and speeches by major political leaders.

The recording preserves mid-century journalistic interpretation of the war’s origins, documenting how Cold War–era broadcast media contextualized the collapse of European democracy and the rise of global conflict.

The March of Time — A Year of the News: 1941 NBC Blue Network | January 1, 1942

Annual retrospective broadcast reviewing the events of 1941 through The March of Time’s dramatized documentary format. Combining narration, reenactment, quotation, and editorial framing, the program interprets global developments including Axis expansion, the Atlantic Charter, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, American preparedness, and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Produced and aired in the opening days of 1942, the recording documents how broadcast media contextualized the first year of global war for American audiences, preserving both journalistic interpretation and period tone.

Broadcast News Continuity Reel — 1937 Year in Review Mutual Broadcasting System / WOR | January 1, 1938

Composite broadcast sequence capturing radio’s coverage of major events during 1937. The recording includes post-Hindenburg aviation reporting, overnight Mutual/WOR coverage of the Merrill–Lambie transatlantic flight, and international transmission of King George VI’s coronation oath.

Concluding with prewar editorial commentary featuring President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s peace warnings and a coast-to-coast correspondent roll call, the reel documents network radio’s role as a primary national witness on the eve of global conflict.