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Richard C. Hottelet, last of original 'Murrow's Boys,' dies
Source: Yahoo
Richard C. Hottelet, the last of the original "Murrow's Boys," the pioneering group of wartime journalists hired by CBS radio newsman Edward R. Murrow, has died. He was 97.
CBS News spokesman Kevin Tedesco said that Hottelet died early Wednesday morning at his home in Wilton.
Hottelet was a foreign correspondent for the United Press in Berlin at the start of World War II — and even spent several months in a Nazi prison — before joining CBS in London in 1944.
He reported from many battlefronts, and went on to become CBS' correspondent for the United Nations, an assignment he began in 1960. He resigned in 1985 to join the U.S. Mission to the U.N. as its public affairs counselor, leaving that post in 1987 over differences with Ambassador Vernon A. Walters.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/richard-c-hottelet-last-original-murrows-boys-dies-163352908.html
12 replies
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murrow%27s_Boys#The_Original_.22Boys.22
The Original "Boys"[edit]
The journalists most often cited as Murrow’s Boys are those who worked for and with him covering the war for the CBS Radio Network, and who set the highest standards for radio and later TV journalism. Murrow recruited most of them, and mostly from wire services. Their story is the subject of the 1996 book The Murrow Boys, by Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson.
The nickname's origins are unclear. Cloud and Olson interviewed Janet Murrow and set out to determine who exactly fell under the definition of a "Murrow Boy." They primarily included those hired by or associated with Murrow during World War II, with some exceptions.[1]
The original Boys, and some of their notable CBS beats during the war, included:[2]
William L. Shirer, who covered the rise of Nazi Germany for CBS from 1937 until the end of 1940 and later wrote a successful memoir about the years, Berlin Diary. His 1,245 page history, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, is still in print, based largely upon captured documents, the diaries of propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and General Franz Halder. Additional major sources include testimony and evidence from the Nuremberg trials
Eric Sevareid, who covered the fall of France and the Blitz of London, later covering the war's progress in Great Britain, Italy, Germany and Asia
Tom Grandin, a scholar who covered the fall of France before abruptly leaving CBS in 1940
Larry LeSueur, who covered the Blitz, the German battle against the Soviet Union, and key World War II fighting in France
Charles Collingwood, who covered the Blitz and World War II fighting in North Africa and France
Howard K. Smith, who covered Germany before Pearl Harbor and later reported from Switzerland and France
Winston Burdett, who covered Eastern Europe, North Africa and Italy
Bill Downs, who covered Russia, France, the Normandy invasion, the Netherlands and Germany
Mary Marvin Breckinridge, the only woman among the first generation of Boys, who covered Great Britain, Scandinavia and the Low Countries
Cecil Brown, who covered Rome, Eastern Europe, Singapore, North Africa
Richard C. Hottelet, who covered Great Britain, France and Germany
Of the original Boys, Hottelet would end up having the longest career at CBS, joining the network in 1944 and continuing to work at the network until 1985. He was the last surviving member of the original group.
</snip>
The Original "Boys"[edit]
The journalists most often cited as Murrow’s Boys are those who worked for and with him covering the war for the CBS Radio Network, and who set the highest standards for radio and later TV journalism. Murrow recruited most of them, and mostly from wire services. Their story is the subject of the 1996 book The Murrow Boys, by Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson.
The nickname's origins are unclear. Cloud and Olson interviewed Janet Murrow and set out to determine who exactly fell under the definition of a "Murrow Boy." They primarily included those hired by or associated with Murrow during World War II, with some exceptions.[1]
The original Boys, and some of their notable CBS beats during the war, included:[2]
William L. Shirer, who covered the rise of Nazi Germany for CBS from 1937 until the end of 1940 and later wrote a successful memoir about the years, Berlin Diary. His 1,245 page history, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, is still in print, based largely upon captured documents, the diaries of propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and General Franz Halder. Additional major sources include testimony and evidence from the Nuremberg trials
Eric Sevareid, who covered the fall of France and the Blitz of London, later covering the war's progress in Great Britain, Italy, Germany and Asia
Tom Grandin, a scholar who covered the fall of France before abruptly leaving CBS in 1940
Larry LeSueur, who covered the Blitz, the German battle against the Soviet Union, and key World War II fighting in France
Charles Collingwood, who covered the Blitz and World War II fighting in North Africa and France
Howard K. Smith, who covered Germany before Pearl Harbor and later reported from Switzerland and France
Winston Burdett, who covered Eastern Europe, North Africa and Italy
Bill Downs, who covered Russia, France, the Normandy invasion, the Netherlands and Germany
Mary Marvin Breckinridge, the only woman among the first generation of Boys, who covered Great Britain, Scandinavia and the Low Countries
Cecil Brown, who covered Rome, Eastern Europe, Singapore, North Africa
Richard C. Hottelet, who covered Great Britain, France and Germany
Of the original Boys, Hottelet would end up having the longest career at CBS, joining the network in 1944 and continuing to work at the network until 1985. He was the last surviving member of the original group.
</snip>
Mr Hottelet was incarcerated by the Nazis *before* we were even at war with them:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Hottelet#Hottelet_in_prison
On Saturday, March 15, 1941, at 7 a.m., Richard C. Hottelet was confronted in his Berlin apartment by members of the German secret police. He was taken to the old police presidium at the Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Once there, he was informed that he would be held as a "guest" until some certain papers arrived from another department. As a guest Hottelet was finger printed, photographed and placed in a cell in the police prison in the same building.
That first evening, after a dinner of sour cabbage, Hottelet received some preliminary questioning and was denied being told the reason he was being held. The police took his eyeglasses, to prevent suicide, and denied him reading material as well. Hottelet described the first three days of his four month ordeal as "the hardest and longest I ever spent." Hottelet didn't receive a formal questioning session until the following Tuesday.
On Tuesday, March 18, the secret police finally revealed to Hottelet why he was being held, "suspicion of espionage," they told him. The police, he wrote, were very friendly, "we are your friends and we want to help you," they told him.
Hottelet flatly denied any knowledge or dealings in espionage. The police were not pleased, they threatened him, threatened to use "the brutal methods of the American police," with the help of klieg lights.
During the weeks at Alexanderplatz, Hottelet endured assorted mental anguish, threats and fear. After one session of questioning beneath the klieg lights a police officer leaned toward Hottelet and asked him if he had heard of a man named Tourou. Hottelet hadn't.
"He was one of the brutal specialists in third degree in the New York police, and we can use exactly the same methods he used on Johanna Hofmann," the interrogator responded.
The first week in prison brought a visit from a member of the American consulate in Berlin. He was given clothing but the toothbrush, soap and toothpaste sent with the clothing were withheld for reasons unknown to Hottelet.
At Alexanderplatz, Hottelet found himself amongst people of many nations and faiths, represented among the population were: Russians, Czechs, Poles, Japanese, Italians and Catholic priests. The first few weeks as a prisoner didn't yield much exercise for Hottelet or his prison-mates. Exercise consisted of one half-hour weekly session of walking around in a circle in a 15×40 yard courtyard. As the weather improved those sessions increased to bi-weekly.
The last few weeks at Alexanderplatz were significantly less grueling. Sessions with the secret police became less frequent and Hottelet maintains he was never mistreated. On May 31, he was transferred to the investigation prison, Moabit, in another part of Berlin. The building housed about 2,000 prisoners in its four-story frame.
Moabit was a much stricter place than Alexanderplatz, no secret contacts with other prisoners, no smoking, but better food. After four weeks at Moabit, Hottelet was finally allowed to receive a daily newspaper and two books per week from the prison library. The guards at Moabit always brought him the English selections, which were not always pleasing to Hottelet. He once received "The Fuel Problem of Canada," and an 1867 book of verse for young women. Some reading material did please him. Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott and poetry by Robert Burns. The most interesting reading, he found, was Oscar Wilde's "De Profundis," which as written as Wilde served a two-year English prison sentence.
The prisoners at Moabit were given work to complete in their cells. The work consisted of "pasting tissue paper over the windows of doll houses and twirling little throwaways for the Reich lottery." At the end of his nine weeks in Moabit, Hottelet collected his full salary of 4½ marks or about $1.80. The prisoners exercised a half-hour daily, save for Sundays. Moabit exercises consisted of walking around and calisthenics.
The days became depressing and marked by rigid routine. Military discipline was enforced and prisoners made to take regular army marching orders, though most of the prisoners had military training. Twice a day the prisoners would receive half-gallon jugs of water, with which to wash themselves, their dishes and flush their toilets.
While in prison Hottelet and the other prisoners received "German haircuts" at the discretion of the barber. The hairstyles, needless to say, were less than desirable.
On July 8, 1941, Hottelet was witness to a pleasant surprise. A guard came to his cell door, opened it and told him to pack his things. Hottelet asked if he was being released or transferred, and when the guard told him released he was flabbergasted with disbelief.
He collected his belongings and was moved to a transport cell for about an hour. The Germans turned over his money, including his 4½ marks, and valuables and turned him over to the custody of a representative of the American Embassy.
From July 8 to 17 Hottelet left Berlin and lived "incognito" with an American Embassy representative. After his release on July 8 he had no further contact with any secret police or German officials. On July 23, Hottelet crossed the Franco-Spanish border.
</snip>
On Saturday, March 15, 1941, at 7 a.m., Richard C. Hottelet was confronted in his Berlin apartment by members of the German secret police. He was taken to the old police presidium at the Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Once there, he was informed that he would be held as a "guest" until some certain papers arrived from another department. As a guest Hottelet was finger printed, photographed and placed in a cell in the police prison in the same building.
That first evening, after a dinner of sour cabbage, Hottelet received some preliminary questioning and was denied being told the reason he was being held. The police took his eyeglasses, to prevent suicide, and denied him reading material as well. Hottelet described the first three days of his four month ordeal as "the hardest and longest I ever spent." Hottelet didn't receive a formal questioning session until the following Tuesday.
On Tuesday, March 18, the secret police finally revealed to Hottelet why he was being held, "suspicion of espionage," they told him. The police, he wrote, were very friendly, "we are your friends and we want to help you," they told him.
Hottelet flatly denied any knowledge or dealings in espionage. The police were not pleased, they threatened him, threatened to use "the brutal methods of the American police," with the help of klieg lights.
During the weeks at Alexanderplatz, Hottelet endured assorted mental anguish, threats and fear. After one session of questioning beneath the klieg lights a police officer leaned toward Hottelet and asked him if he had heard of a man named Tourou. Hottelet hadn't.
"He was one of the brutal specialists in third degree in the New York police, and we can use exactly the same methods he used on Johanna Hofmann," the interrogator responded.
The first week in prison brought a visit from a member of the American consulate in Berlin. He was given clothing but the toothbrush, soap and toothpaste sent with the clothing were withheld for reasons unknown to Hottelet.
At Alexanderplatz, Hottelet found himself amongst people of many nations and faiths, represented among the population were: Russians, Czechs, Poles, Japanese, Italians and Catholic priests. The first few weeks as a prisoner didn't yield much exercise for Hottelet or his prison-mates. Exercise consisted of one half-hour weekly session of walking around in a circle in a 15×40 yard courtyard. As the weather improved those sessions increased to bi-weekly.
The last few weeks at Alexanderplatz were significantly less grueling. Sessions with the secret police became less frequent and Hottelet maintains he was never mistreated. On May 31, he was transferred to the investigation prison, Moabit, in another part of Berlin. The building housed about 2,000 prisoners in its four-story frame.
Moabit was a much stricter place than Alexanderplatz, no secret contacts with other prisoners, no smoking, but better food. After four weeks at Moabit, Hottelet was finally allowed to receive a daily newspaper and two books per week from the prison library. The guards at Moabit always brought him the English selections, which were not always pleasing to Hottelet. He once received "The Fuel Problem of Canada," and an 1867 book of verse for young women. Some reading material did please him. Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott and poetry by Robert Burns. The most interesting reading, he found, was Oscar Wilde's "De Profundis," which as written as Wilde served a two-year English prison sentence.
The prisoners at Moabit were given work to complete in their cells. The work consisted of "pasting tissue paper over the windows of doll houses and twirling little throwaways for the Reich lottery." At the end of his nine weeks in Moabit, Hottelet collected his full salary of 4½ marks or about $1.80. The prisoners exercised a half-hour daily, save for Sundays. Moabit exercises consisted of walking around and calisthenics.
The days became depressing and marked by rigid routine. Military discipline was enforced and prisoners made to take regular army marching orders, though most of the prisoners had military training. Twice a day the prisoners would receive half-gallon jugs of water, with which to wash themselves, their dishes and flush their toilets.
While in prison Hottelet and the other prisoners received "German haircuts" at the discretion of the barber. The hairstyles, needless to say, were less than desirable.
On July 8, 1941, Hottelet was witness to a pleasant surprise. A guard came to his cell door, opened it and told him to pack his things. Hottelet asked if he was being released or transferred, and when the guard told him released he was flabbergasted with disbelief.
He collected his belongings and was moved to a transport cell for about an hour. The Germans turned over his money, including his 4½ marks, and valuables and turned him over to the custody of a representative of the American Embassy.
From July 8 to 17 Hottelet left Berlin and lived "incognito" with an American Embassy representative. After his release on July 8 he had no further contact with any secret police or German officials. On July 23, Hottelet crossed the Franco-Spanish border.
</snip>
Cross gently, Mr Hottelet.
He did the first anchored newscast in history on D-Day morning on CBS. It began in the very early morning and it went on for about seven hours. He must have been utterly wrung out at the end.
He also reported from London during the war, a la Murrow.
Here is the NPR retrospective: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/001113.trout.html
(Real player required) STOOPID NPR. I remember Trout's reports, but I cannot listen to them now. Stupid Real player is utterly unreal. Proprietary audio formats suck.
All were phenomenal journalists, just some were younger at the time, I guess. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murrow%27s_Boys#The_Second_Generation_.22Boys.22
Just look at the volts and the amps on the label - plug them into Google and you should be able to find a replacement... 
...try "defunct hard drive data extraction". Unfortunately, I'm not sure what's available in that regard, 
