H. V. Kaltenborn; August 27, 1939 - Nevile Henderson To Give Britains Reply To Germany Tomorrow
Hans von Kaltenborn (July 9, 1878 - June 14,
1965), generally known as
H. V. Kaltenborn, was an
American radio commentator. He was heard regularly on the radio for over 30 years, beginning with
CBS in 1928. He was known for his highly precise diction, his ability to ad lib and his depth of knowledge of world affairs. Kaltenborn was born in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in
Merrill, Wisconsin. He began his career as a newspaper reporter, but moved to radio when it began to establish itself as a bona fide source of news. When he was 19, he ran away from home and joined up to fight in the
Spanish-American War. After that he spent some time in
Europe, returning to take a job with the
Brooklyn Daily Eagle. At 24, he went to college, enrolling as a special student at
Harvard University. When he finished, he returned to the
Eagle, traveling during summers to distant locales.
Kaltenborn was one of the first news readers to provide analysis and insight into current news stories. His vast knowledge of foreign affairs and international politics amply equipped him for covering crises in Europe and the
Far East in the
1930s. His vivid reporting of the
Spanish Civil War and the
Czech crisis of
1938 helped established the credibility of radio news in the public mind and helped to overcome the nation's isolationist sensibilities. As authors
Christopher H. Sterling and
John M. Kittross wrote, Kaltenborn reported on the Spanish Civil War "while hiding in a haystack between the two armies. Listeners in
America could hear bullets hitting the hay above him while he spoke."
Radio historian
James F. Widner described Kaltenborn's skill as a news analyst
..... "Kaltenborn was known as a commentator who never read from a script. His "talks" were extemporaneous created from notes he had previously written. His analysis was welcome into homes especially during the war and the time leading up to America's entry into it. He had an international reputation and was able to speak intelligently about events because he had interviewed many of those involved. From the contacts he developed in his travels and his ability to speak fluent
German and
French, Kaltenborn seemed chosen for the role he developed at CBS. One of his most famous periods was during the
Munich crisis in 1938. Much of what listeners heard was Kaltenborn speaking without script even after sometimes having been up for most of a night covering the breaking news. Some claimed that when Kaltenborn was awakened during the
Munich vigil, one merely had to utter Munich and Kaltenborn could talk for hours on the subject"
Kaltenborn joined
NBC in
1940. On election night in 1948, he and
Bob Trout, a former CBS colleague, were at the NBC news desk to broadcast the returns of the
White House race between
President Harry S. Truman and challenger
Thomas E. Dewey. Throughout the evening, the returns were too close to call. As the evening progressed, Kaltenborn could see a swing in
Dewey’s favor. It was enough for him to project Dewey the winner, although the returns were still close. What Kaltenborn didn’t foresee was another swing in the votes going to
Truman. As evening turned to early morning, Kaltenborn retracted his original projection and announced Truman as the winner. On his newscast, Kaltenborn described how Truman did an impersonation of the journalist describing how he (Truman) was losing the election. Kaltenborn took the President’s comments with class as he stated, “
We can all be human with Truman.
Beware of that man in power who has no sense of humor.” Kaltenborn laughed at himself as everyone else laughed with him.
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