
TIMELINE


Future First Voice of America Director Introduces Americans To Entertainment Fake Radio News in 1938
Cold War Radio Museum One of the main reasons John Houseman was selected to produce the first Voice of..Read More

First Radio Broadcast of Future Voice of America
On February 1, 1942, the first Voice of America (VOA) radio broadcast in German may have gone on the air...First Radio Broadcast of Future Voice of America

FDR Creates Office of War Information
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Office of War Information (OWI) on June 13, 1942 through the Executive Order..FDR Creates Office of War Information

Members of Congress Exposed Domestic Government Propaganda
During World War II, the federal government’s Office of War Information (OWI), which launched Voice of America (VOA) radio..Members of Congress Exposed Domestic U.S. Government Propaganda in 1943

Quote: “Said to have been responsible for placing Communists in key position in foreign radio sections of OWI.” – U.S. State Department About First VOA Director John Houseman
Cold War Radio Museum The State Department informed the White House in a memorandum from Under Secretary of State..Read More

Sumner Welles Warns White House About First Voice Of America Director Hiring Communists
Cold War Radio Museum In 2018, the online Cold War Radio Museum presented for the first time to a broader online audience..Read More

OWI Director Supports Soviet Katyn Propaganda Lie On Voice of America And Domestic Radio
Cold War Radio Museum On May 3, 1943, the Office of War Information (OWI) Director Elmer Davis was heard in..OWI Director Supports Soviet Katyn Propaganda Lie On Voice of America And Domestic Radio

New York Times Exposes Voice of America “Moronic Little King of Italy” Broadcast Condemned By Roosevelt And Eisenhower
Cold War Radio Museum In 1943, in the middle of the war, the U.S. Congress almost completely de-funded domestic propaganda..Read More

American Labor Federations AFL And CIO Break Cooperation With OWI Over Communist Influence At Voice of America
Cold War Radio Museum Julius Epstein[ref]“How a refugee journalist exposed Voice of America censorship of the Katyn Massacre,” Cold War..Read More

Communist Writer And Future Stalin Peace Prize Winner Howard Fast Resigns From Voice of America
Cold War Radio Museum On January 12, 1944, Howard Fast, best-selling author, a Communist Party USA activist, and a future..Read More

Broel Plater Resigns In Protest Against Soviet Propaganda On Voice Of America
By Ted Lipien for Cold War Radio Museum We know of only one Voice of America (VOA) journalist, Konstanty Broel..Broel Plater Resigns In Protest Against Soviet Propaganda On Voice Of America

President Truman and General Eisenhower Shut Down OWI Attempt To Control U.S. Media Access To Occupied Germany
Cold War Radio Museum In the presidential news conference on May 15, 1945, President Truman sided with General Eisenhower and..Read More

President Truman Abolishes Office Of War Information, Moves Voice of America To State Department
Cold War Radio Museum In his Executive Order 9608 issued on August 31, 1945, President Truman abolished the functions of..Read More

Voice Of America Launched Soft Broadcasts to Soviet Russia
The first Voice of America broadcast in Russian aired from New York on February 17, 1947. Before that date, VOA..Voice Of America Launched Soft Broadcasts to Soviet Russia

President Truman Signs Smith-Mundt Act Limiting Domestic Use Of Voice Of America Programs
The U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (Public Law 80-402), known as the Smith–Mundt Act was signed into..Read More

U.S. Senators Criticize VOA-NBC Broadcasts As “Baloney,” “Lies,” “Insults,” “Drivel,” “Nonsense,” “Falsehoods,” “Downright Tragedy.”
— Senator Homer Earl Capehart, (R-Indiana) May 26, 1948. Cold War Radio Museum By 1948, the Voice of America’s failure..U.S. Senators Criticize VOA-NBC Broadcasts As “Baloney,” “Lies,” “Insults,” “Drivel,” “Nonsense,” “Falsehoods,” “Downright Tragedy.”

President Truman Launches The “Campaign of Truth”
Cold War Radio Museum President Harry Truman unveiled the “Campaign of Truth”– a multi-faceted U.S. government’s international information policy –..Read More

Radio Free Europe Launched in 1950
Radio Free Europe started broadcasting on July 4, 1950. The first broadcast was to Czechoslovakia. It originated from New York..Radio Free Europe Launched in 1950

Voice of America Censors Soviet Massacre Survivor Józef Czapski And Lies About Its Actions
Cold War Radio Museum On December 11, 1950, a member of the U.S. Congress revealed the Voice of America censorship..Voice of America Censors Soviet Massacre Survivor Józef Czapski And Lies About Its Actions

Congressman Reveals Voice Of America To Behind Iron Curtain Is “Drab” And “Unconvincing”
Cold War Radio Museum Speaking in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 24, 1951, Congressman Richard B. Wigglesworth (Republican-Massachusetts)..Read More

Quote: “…the time has arrived to investigate Mr. Epstein…he is not…best type of new American citizen” – VOA Director Foy D. Kohler
— U.S. State Department Diplomat and Voice of America Director (Oct. 1949-Sept. 1952) Foy D. Kohler Finally, I cannot forbear..Quote: “…the time has arrived to investigate Mr. Epstein…he is not…best type of new American citizen” – VOA Director Foy D. Kohler

State Department on Voice of America and ‘The Campaign of Truth’
In the early 1950s, the U.S. State Department launched its public diplomacy program called “The Campaign of Truth” designed to..U.S. State Department Describing Voice of America for ‘The Campaign of Truth’ Circa 1952

President Truman Launches Voice Of America Transmitter Ship “Courier”
Cold War Radio Museum President Truman repeated many of his “Campaign of Truth” themes in an internationally broadcast address from..Read More

Bipartisan Madden Committee Condemns Voice of America’s Russia Reporting
Cold War Radio Museum In its final report issued on December 22, 1952, the bipartisan Madden Committee of the U.S...Read More

Senator Hickenlooper Questions Voice of America Audience Claims For VOA English Broadcasts, Notes Improvement Of News To Soviet Block
Cold War Radio Museum At a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on Overseas Information Programs..Read More

Quote: “For ANY Government agency to call itself the Voice of America is an impertinence.” – Walter Lippmann
– Walter Lippmann, “Why the Voice of America Should Be Abolished,” Reader’s Digest, August 1953. Condensed from New York Herald..Read More

United States Information Agency (USIA) Becomes Parent Agency For Voice of America
Cold War Radio Museum The United States Information Agency (USIA) was created on August 1, 1953, by Executive Order..United States Information Agency (USIA) Becomes Parent Agency For Voice of America

Former Voice Of America Chief News Editor Collects His Stalin Peace Prize
The International Stalin Prize for Strengthening Peace Among Peoples was established on December 21, 1949 by a decree of the..Read More

VOA Discontinues Direct Broadcasts to Italy
Cold War Radio Museum Direct Voice of America broadcasts from Washington, DC to Italy ended on July 7, 1957. The..VOA Discontinues Direct Broadcasts to Italy

Edward R. Murrow Becomes USIA Director, Apologizes For Censorship
President John F. Kennedy sworn in Edward R. Murrow as Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) on..Edward R. Murrow Apologizes for Censorship

President Kennedy Comments On Voice of America and RFE
In his February 26, 1962 speech to mark the 20th anniversary of the Voice of America (VOA), President John Kennedy discussed..President Kennedy Comments On Voice Of America and RFE

President Ford Signs The VOA Charter
Cold War Radio Museum Drafted in 1960, the VOA Charter was signed into law on July 12, 1976 by President..Read More

Soviet Union Resumes Jamming of Voice of America Over Solidarity Trade Union Rise in Poland
Cold War Radio Museum On August 20, 1980, the Soviet Union resumed jamming radio broadcasts by the Voice of America..Soviet Union Resumes Jamming of Voice of America Over Solidarity Trade Union Rise in Poland

Special Voice of America 1982 40th Anniversary Broadcast
On February 24, 1982, the Voice of America held a celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of its founding. It..Voice of America 1982 40th Anniversary Broadcast

Solidarity Leader Praises Ronald Reagan, Voice Of America
Right after the declaration of the martial law in Poland in December 1981, U.S.-funded Voice of America and Radio Free..Solidarity Leader Praises Ronald Reagan, Voice Of America

Voice Of America 1990 Polish-English Bilingual News
Cold War Radio Museum 1990 VOA Polish Service Bilingual Polish-English Newscast The Cold War was almost over in 1989-1990. The..Polish-English VOA Newscast 1990

Study For BBG By Independent Russian Journalist Finds “Pro-Putin Bias” At Voice of America
Cold War Radio Museum an independent Russian journalist,Dr. Nikolay Rudenskiy, warned in 2011 about “pro-Putin” bias of the Voice of..Read More

Hillary Clinton Declares U.S. Broadcasting “Practically Defunct”
Cold War Radio Museum During testimony on January 23, 2013 before the House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting chaired by Rep...Hillary Clinton Declares U.S. Broadcasting “Practically Defunct”

Voice of America Posts Its First Ever U.S. Election Campaign Ad
Cold War Radio Museum In an unprecedented break with longtime practice and in violation of the VOA Charter, the Voice..Voice of America Posts Its First Ever U.S. Election Campaign Ad

Washington Think Tank Found Appearance Of Pro-Regime Propaganda In Voice of America And Radio Farda Broadcasts To Iran
Cold War Radio Museum On October 6, 2017, the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) released a highly critical study of..Read More

Voice Of America And Chinese Embassy Met Annually To Discuss VOA China Broadcasts
Cold War Radio Museum A study issued on October 24, 2018 by the Asia Society and the Hoover Institution revealed..Voice Of America And Chinese Embassy Met Annually To Discuss VOA China Broadcasts, Asia Society And Hoover Institution Revealed In 2018

USAGM honors VOA Polish broadcaster Zofia Korbońska in 2020
Cold War Radio Museum During the short tenure of Michael Pack, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) CEO..USAGM honors VOA Polish broadcaster Zofia Korbońska in 2020