The Murrow Boys: Pioneers in the Front Lines of Broadcast Journalism, Cloud and Olson - B+

              Because of the pioneering and pivotal role played by Edward R. Murrow and those who worked with him, the starting question for any group biography is who qualifies as one of the Boys. The authors decided on Mary Breckinridge, Cecil Brown, Winston Burdett, Charles Collingwood, William Downs, Thomas Grandin, Richard Hottelet, Larry LeSeur, Eric Sevareid, William L. Shirer, and Howard K. Smith. All but two were hired by Murrow and all worked with him during the war, or as part of the CBS team. "The Boys story of triumph and disappointment has all the sweep and drama of epic fiction." This "is a wholly factual account of how legends are born and dreams die."

            At CBS radio, its fledgling news department hired a director of talks for Europe in 1937, Ed Murrow, who in turn hired Shirer. They were CBS' only overseas reporters. They created overseas radio reporting as equals, but had a massive falling out a decade later. Murrow was refused acceptance in London's Foreign Correspondents Association, while Shirer was a well known reporter who was in Berlin when he was hired. New York asked for a roundup of Europe's reaction to the Anschluss, and Shirer delivered CBS' first radio news broadcast from London. "They set in motion a chain of events that would lead, in only one year, to radio's emergence as America's chief news medium and to the beginning of CBS' decades-long dominance of broadcast journalism." With Murrow in London and Shirer in Berlin, they reported Europe's slide to war. After the invasion of Poland, Murrow hired Grandin and Sevareid in Paris, LeSeur in London, and Breckinridge in Amsterdam. They reported on the phony war and Shirer continued to provide information from Berlin. Sevareid was the first to report that the Germans had broken through the Maginot Line, and later the first to announce France's capitulation. Shirer was in Compiegne to cover and broadcast the surrender of France. 

           "The Battle of Britain was about to begin. In a sense the Blitz was what Edward R. Murrow had been preparing for since he arrived in Europe in 1937." He and his Boys were now participants as they reported with the noise of bombs falling, and sirens wailing in the background. Beginning on Sept. 7th, London was bombed fifty seven nights in a row. Murrow's opening statement, "This -  is London" is likely the most famous opening introduction of any news report in history. Nightly, Murrow, Sevareid and LeSeur brought London's travails into American homes. Before the Blitz, 16% of Americans believed we should help the British. After one month of Murrow's reporting, the number moved up to 52%.  Edward R. Murrow, a poor boy from NC, was the toast of the town. However, for his great friend in Berlin, Bill Shirer, broadcasting from the German capital was wearing him out. He took leave to write a book and never returned. Murrow was crushed.

           When Sevareid was back in NY for a break, he realized something that he was sure the Boys didn't appreciate. They were stars, thanks to CBS' vast publicity operation and the fact that millions listened to them every day. Shirer's return to NY was front page news in the Times. He published 'Berlin Diary' which was a huge bestseller and CBS offered him his own show. Murrow hired Collingwood in London in the winter of 1941. Like almost everyone Murrow hired, Collingwood  had a strained  relationship with his dad, was filled with insecurities, and eventually, like all of them, wound up adoring Murrow. As the war spread,  Murrow brought on Brown in Italy and Burdett in Turkey. Smith joined the team in Berlin.  By that time, it was impossible to report from Germany and Smith received his exit visa on Dec. 5th and actually left on the 7th. America was now in the war.

        Brown was in Singapore when the Pacific war started and went to sea on the HMS Repulse. He was one of those rescued when it and the HMS Prince of Wales were sunk. Brown was so difficult that the British expelled him days before Singapore fell.  Brown went back to NY to receive awards and was promoted to a coveted sponsored spot, joining Shirer as true blue bloods in the business. Sponsored time on the radio could be worth a thousand dollars per week, but Brown ran afoul of his sponsors with his highly opinionated left wing observations. It was a point in time when those sponsors exerted influence on CBS and Brown left in a huff. 

      Sevareid was preparing to be the head of the DC bureau, but was bored and wanted to get back in the field. The administration suggested he go to China and off he went. On the way, he had to bail out of a plane over northern Burma and hike 120 miles through a jungle to get back to India. After a brief tour in Chunking he returned to Europe. "During the exhilarating few months before the invasion of France, Murrow and the Boys strode through London and Europe like lords of the realm, admired and respected by peers and heads of state... Time and again they scooped their print competitors...Newspapers and magazines printed articles about them." Of the few dozen embedded journalists approved for D-Day, five were from CBS. Le Seur landed on Utah beach in the early morning and provided the best coverage. The Boys marched across France and into Germany with the troops. Hottelet was the first into Germany,  the first to report the Battle of the Bulge, and in the spring, parachuted out of a burning B-17. He was with the Yanks who met the Soviets on the Elbe and the first into Berlin. Collingwood was there when Jodl surrendered. Murrow reported V-E Day from London. As they headed into the post-war world, Murrow wrote "I cannot believe that I shall again have the high privilege of working intimately and harmoniously with a crew such as the one we gathered in Europe."

    This is a truly great book about very famous pioneering Americans. I remember many of them who eventually transitioned to tv. I've read biographies of Murrow and  Cronkite (UPI) and have as much respect for these men as I do for the boys who fought the war. Thanks to my brother for the recommendation. Note that I chose to not read the last third of the book, where the topics are infighting, the struggles with management, moving to tv, and the eventual gutting of the CBS' news division.