Willis Conover Archives - Cold War Radio Museum

Communist secret police in Poland spied on Voice of America’s Willis Conover to shut down Radio Free Europe

Curator — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 23:24:31 +0000

One of the secret police informants spying on the Voice of America’s (VOA’s) famous jazz DJ Willis Conover during his visit to communist-ruled Poland in 1959 was the mother of Rafał Trzaskowski, the unsuccessful candidate for Poland’s presidency in 2020 and 2025. Trzaskowski’s late mother’s cooperation with the communist secret police, which also involved spying […]

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‘Tu Mówi Warszawa’ – Polish Radio Propaganda Abroad Before 1981 Martial Law

Curator — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 07:41:52 +0000

By Ted Lipien for Cold War Radio Museum On December 13, 1981, the communist government of the Polish People’s Republic subservient to Moscow introduced martial law and formed a military junta in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to crush the Solidarity (Solidarność) independent trade union movement. December 13, 2023 marks the 42nd anniversary of the mass arrests and further […]

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Voice of America 1980-1981 Program Schedule with Pat Gates and Breakfast Show

Curator — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 19:43:14 +0000

Cold War Radio Museum Patricia Gates Lynch Ewell — known to international listeners as Pat Gates — was one of the most recognizable English-language broadcasters of the Voice of America (VOA), the U.S. government-funded international broadcaster. A gifted interviewer and warm on-air presence, she became closely identified with The Breakfast Show, VOA’s flagship English-language morning program […]

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Willis Conover Interviewing Louis Armstrong for VOA Program Music, U.S.A.

Curator — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 06:02:22 +0000

Cold War Radio Museum Thanks to generous donations from Voice of America employees, the online Cold War Radio Museum acquired an original photograph of VOA broadcaster Willis Conover interviewing jazz musician Louis Armstrong autographed by both for Croatian musician Miljenko Prohaska. The back of the photograph has the following text: AMERICAN JAZZ STARS INTERVIEWED […]

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Voice of America 1951 – Presidents’ Day and Debates on VOA’s Future

Curator — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 02:07:34 +0000

Cold War Radio Museum In 1951, the Voice of America (VOA), which was at that time located primarily in New York but managed from Washington by the State Department, was under heavy criticism, particularly from Republicans in the U.S. Congress, for failing to counter Soviet propaganda. There was a spirited debate as to whether VOA […]

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