We dug into our black & white archives and compiled some photos of memorable personalities RFE interviewed in Cold War times.
Personalities At RFE - From Our Black & White Archives
1
Former U.S. First Lady and Human Rights Champion Eleanor Roosevelt sits down for an interview in the late 1950s - Former U.S. First Lady and Human Rights Champion Eleanor Roosevelt sits down for an interview in the late 1950s with Radio Liberty.
2
Jazz musician and bandleader William "Count" Basie (left) visits the RFE studios during his 1956 European tour. - Jazz musician and bandleader William "Count" Basie (left) visits the RFE studios during a break in his 1956 European tour. Jazz, which the Soviets dismissed as capitalistic, was an important component of the Radios' programming. throughout the years. At one time labeled "the music of putrescent capitalism" by the Soviets, jazz was suppressed to varying degrees in the USSR and its satellites. Despite official condemnation, jazz remained popular in the region, and RFE/RL took advantage of this, using music to build a base of devoted listeners. The Radios recorded performances by American jazz artists in New York and Munich for broadcast to their listeners; one of the Radios' biggest jazz coups was the recording and distribution of an album of Soviet jazz compositions smuggled out of the USSR by members of Benny Goodman's orchestra.
3
U.S. President John F. Kennedy speaks into an RFE microphone in the early 1960s. - U.S. President John F. Kennedy speaks into an RFE microphone in the early 1960s.
4
Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower talks with RFE director C. Rodney Smith in front of a RFE map. - Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower talks with RFE director C. Rodney Smith in front of a map showing RFE's broadcasting area in the early 1960s.