I'm An American -- Konrad Bercovici

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0035

Overview

Description: On November 24, 1940 Konrad Bercovici spoke with Bern Berard, Executive Assistant of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, about the necessity of Americanization for all Americans. Ms. Berard suggests all native Americans should take the naturalization test. Bercovici agrees. He recalls a time during WWI where Americanization was taught in Romania. He speculates if it had continued there may not be as many troubles plaguing Europe today. The author claims immigrants resist the melting pot because they cling to their backgrounds, until they find a place in America like their native lands. Bercovici encourages Americans to help new citizens find opportunities for work. He believes machines are helping to free humanity. The episode closes with Bercovici telling the story of his conversation with a Romanian immigrant living in America.

Konrad Bercovici was born in Romania in 1882 to a Jewish family. His family lived in Galaţi among Greeks, Romanians, Russians, Turks, Jews, and Roma. According to his autobiography, Bercovici developed a deep connection with the Roma culture because of his nursemaid and his father’s business dealings. The family emigrated to Paris after the patriarch died from injuries sustained during antisemitic riots in 1893. Influenced by the 1900 World’s Fair, Bercovici attended the Université Populaire to become an organist. He met his wife, sculptor Naomi Librescu, while living in Paris. The couple emigrated to Montreal and later settled in Manhattan. Bercovici worked in sweatshops, gave piano lessons and began writing. He went on to write for Harper’s Bazaar and literary fiction that explored Roma themes.
Date: Broadcast: 1940 November 24
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: Americanization. Cultural pluralism. Education--Romania. Ethnicity--United States. Immigrants--Cultural assimilation--United States. Immigrants--Interviews. Immigrants--United States. National characteristics, American. Naturalization--United States. Romanian Americans.
Geographic Name: United States.
Personal Name: Bercovici, Konrad, 1882-1961. Berard, Bern.

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 Konrad Bercovici:
https://harpers.org/author/konradbercovici/
https://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/b/bercovici_k.htm
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7-ROAAAAIBAJ&sjid=10sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2801%2C77991
https://archive.org/details/itsthegypsyinmet010056mbp
http://www.romanianculture.org/personalities/Konrad_Bercovici.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Bercovici
http://www.jewage.org/wiki/he/Article:Konrad_Bercovici_-_Biography

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)
File Number: Source Archive Number: RGB 1260

Record last modified:: 2024-02-21 07:27:19
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn620789

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Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

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 -- Konrad Bercovici

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