– NBC Radio – Voices And Events – November 19, 1950 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
The endless debate on Foreign Policy – where America stood in the world. The World in conflict once again – the Cold War getting colder.
That was much of what dominated the news for this week, the one ending on November 19, 1950.
Starting with the mundane – Thanksgiving was coming up and the confusion over just which Thanksgiving this was supposed to be surfaced again. Originally, it was the 4th Thursday of November, beginning in 1863. But in 1939 it was pushed up to the third Thursday in November as a way of stimulating Christmas sales and boosting the economy. However, it touched off a state of confusion and public outrage. So in 1941 it was put back to the 4th Thursday of November. Still, it was enough to create confusion on the parts of some people, particularly stores, who favored the 3rd Thursday as opposed to the 4th Thursday.
And there was the ongoing Kefauver Crime Commission hearings, this time in Los Angeles and the appearance of Organized Crime figure Mickey Cohen to testify. The exchange was belligerent and colorful – and for a while, distracting.
But the rest of the news was about the Cold War and of Post War Europe – the slow reconstruction and the conditions, still grim for most, improving for many – but slow in coming. All the time, the threat of nuclear war was spoken about.
And with Korea and with the Cold War and the debates going on over our Foreign Policy, it was a busy and tangled week. Capitol Hill was working overtime, and we were entering the holiday season loaded with doubts and plans.
And that’s just a little of what went on, this event-filled week, ending on November 19, 1950 as presented by NBC Radio’s Voices And Events.
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