I'm An American -- Igor Sikorsky

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0032

Overview

Description: On August 3, 1940 Igor Sikorsky was interviewed by Dr. Henry B. Hazard of the U.S. Department of Justice about his inventions and their use in defending democracy. Sikorsky admits his flying machines have been used to destroy humanity. The industrial designer blames the misuse on the human "ill will." He urges Americans to think of the airplane as a defender of human progress and unity -- not warfare. Sikorsky believes aviation can only reach its full potential in America, where scientists and inventors freely develop ideas without fear or coercion. He adds, “It takes a naturalized citizen from a less happy country to appreciate what freedom means”. The inventor shares his immigration story with Dr. Hazard. Sikorsky shares his vision for aviation.The program ends with the announcement of the Alien Registration Act of 1940.

Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was born on May 25, 1889 in Kiev to physician parents. It is rumored his mother’s love for the work of Leonardo da Vinci sparked his interest in flying machines and industrial design. The aspiring industrial designer entered Kiev Polytechnic Institute, where he conceived his first helicopter, in 1906. Sikorsky continued to work on fixed wing planes in Europe. In 1913, he became internationally known when he designed and operated the first four-engine plane. The passenger plane was later converted to a bomber during WWI. Sikorsky immigrated to America in 1919 after he learned he may be on a “hit list”. The inventor taught Russian immigrants math and other sciences until he could find work. Within a few years he started the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corp on a friend's chicken farm in Long Island, New York. From 1924 to 1930, he launched several successful aircrafts, flyboats and the first international aircraft. In 1939, Sikorsky revisited and perfected his concept of the single-rotor helicopter. His invention was able to fly, hover and tackle all aspects of torque and lift. Sikorsky went on to create aircrafts that were used for leisure, life-saving missions and war.
Date: Broadcast: 1940 August 03
Format: WAV

Physical Details

Language: English
Genre/Form: Radio broadcasts.

Rights & Restrictions

Conditions on Access: This archival media can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations.
Copyright: NBC Universal
Conditions on Use: Contact NBC Universal at www.nbcuniarchives.com for permission to duplicate and use this film or sound recording.

Keywords & Subjects

Topical Term: Airplanes. Democracy--United States. Immigrants--Interviews. Immigrants--Personal narratives. Immigrants--United States. Intellectual freedom--United States. Inventions. Ukrainian Americans.
Geographic Name: United States.
Personal Name: Sikorsky, Igor Ivan, 1889-1972. Hazard, Henry B. (Henry Bernard), 1880-

Administrative Notes

Legal Status: In process
Recorded Sound Provenance: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum purchased digital copies of these sound recordings from the Library of Congress in March 2018.
Recorded Sound Notes: More information about Igor Sikorsky:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Igor-Sikorsky
https://www.biography.com/people/igor-sikorsky-9483585
https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/aerospace-defense/igor-sikorsky-aviation-pioneer
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/27/archives/igor-sikorsky-helicopter-pioneer-dies-igor-sikorsky-aviation.html
http://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/igor-sikorsky

More information about I’M AN AMERICAN:
https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/historians-mailbox/im-american
https://www.npr.org/2017/10/16/557338355/im-an-american-radio-show-promoted-inclusion-before-world-war-ii
Recorded Sound Source: Library of Congress - Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS)

Record last modified:: 2024-02-21 07:27:19
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn620772

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I’M AN AMERICAN premiered in 1940 on the eve of WWII. The NBC radio broadcast was spearheaded by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Labor to foster a “deeper consciousness of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship and more tolerance for fellow american of all birthplaces”. The weekly program featured distinguished foreign-born citizens discussing their naturalization process, the meaning of “democracy” and reminding all Americans of the value/privilege of U.S. citizenship. Sound recordings of I’M AN AMERICAN are available from the NBC Radio Collection in the Library of Congress.

Date: 1940-1944

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I'm An American -- Igor Sikorsky

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