Wednesday
Two armies meet at a river, and fifty nations meet in San Francisco
American and Soviet troops shook hands at Torgau on the Elbe while the United Nations Conference opened three thousand miles away. Radio carried both, on the same day, and did not entirely know which was the bigger story.
Opening the day…
The night of
Daytime, Europe
Frank Gillard and Freddy Grisewood report from the Elbe; Edward Ward files from the link-up lunch, a short, strange, cheerful recording of an alliance meeting itself in person for the first time. Matthew Halton on the CBC is asking whether Hitler has fled a burning Berlin — he had not, and had five days left.
Afternoon, San Francisco
Delegates from fifty nations opened the United Nations Conference on International Organization at the San Francisco Opera House, Stettinius presiding, with Truman addressing it by wire from Washington thirteen days into his presidency. The charter that came out of it was signed in June.
Evening ET
Eddie Cantor's It's Time To Smile went out with an international peace conference bit in the script. Les Brown on the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands, Mail Call with Sinatra and Betty Hutton for the troops, the Lone Ranger, Boston Blackie. This is what the day sounded like to somebody who was not listening for history.
Where this comes from
