Listening copies of spoken word and musical recordings from World War II and the postwar years are now available in the Hoover Archives reading room. The recordings were digitized to archival specifications by Hoover Archives audio preservation staff who then made use copies. Much of the material was originally recorded on lacquer discs and other old formats that are increasingly difficult to play because the equipment is becoming obsolete.
Among the newly available recordings are
- Horst Wessel Lied, undated. This is the anthem of Germany's National Socialist party. (Collection title: Horst Wessel Lied : sound recording, n.d.)
- Let's Send a Buck to Finland, circa 1939–40. This song appeals for America to aid Finland during the Russo-Finnish War. The words were written by Cliff Dixon, with music by Bob Carleton. (Collection title: Let's send a buck to Finland : sound recording, ca. 1939–1940)
- Then Came War, 1939. To document the outbreak of World War II, American journalist and author Elmer Holmes Davis edited and introduced this selection of addresses and dramatizations. (Collection title: Then came war : 1939 : sound recording, 1939)
- Radio broadcasts by Polish political leaders, September 1939. Joseph Beck, J. Bryan, M. Niedzialkowski, W. Sierpinski, and S. Starzynski respond to Germany's invasion of Poland in these recordings. (Collection title: Marian Marek Drozdowski collection, 1930–1978)
- A Reporter Remembers: The War Years, February 1, 1946. This is Edward R. Murrow's last broadcast to the British people via BBC radio. (Collection title: A reporter remembers : vol. I, the war years : sound recording, n.d.)
- Herbert Vere Evatt radio interview, 1949. This interview of Evatt, an Austrian politician and president of the United Nations General Assembly from 1948 to 1949, relates to activities of the United Nations. Clark M. Eichelberger, the director of the American Association for the United Nations, is the interviewer. (Collection title: Herbert Vere Evatt interview, 1949)
- Jawaharlal Nehru speech, 1949. The prime minister of India talks about Indian-American relations in this speech delivered in San Francisco. (Collection title: Jawaharlal Nehru speech, 1949)
To set up an appointment to listen to the recordings at the archives or purchase copies if you cannot visit, please see Audiovisual Services.
