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I'm An American -- Franz Werfel

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0047

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    Overview

    Description
    On March 16, 1941 Franz Werfel spoke with William H. Carmichael, District Director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, about life in Europe without democracy and liberty. Mr. Carmichael asks the Austrian novelist about his escape from Europe the previous year. Werfel details his escape and relief at the first sight of America. The novelist reflects on life before the Nazis. Werfel tells Mr. Carmichael why he left Austria and chose to become an American citizen. He also reveals what could happen if American ideals are destroyed. Werfel closes the episode by claiming Europe’s disease of hate threatens America and it is the nation’s responsibility to protect democracy around the World.

    Franz Werfel (b. Franz Viktor Werfel) was born on September 10, 1890 in Prague. During WWI, Werfel served for several years on the Russian front as a soldier in the Austrian army. He was later forced to leave the Prussian Academy of the Arts. His 1933 novel, "Die vierzig Tage des Musa Dagh" detailed the mass murder and expulsion of Armenians from eastern Anatolia in 1915 and received much attention in the United States. Werfel's books were burned by the Nazis. He fled Austria after the annexation with Germany. He escaped from France by hiding in the Catholic sanctuary of Lourdes, crossing the Pyrenees mountains on foot to safety in Spain and leaving from there for the United States. With gratitude for his sanctuary at Lourdes in mind, he wrote the best-selling novel, "The Song of Bernadette."
    Date
    Broadcast:  1941 March 16
    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.

    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 Franz Werfel:
    https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007049

    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: RGA 9794
    Record last modified:
    2024-02-21 07:27:09
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn620824

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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 Day 1943 part 3

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