“My Rhodes Scholarship”

Abstract

Fred Friendly's experience as a master sergeant in the Information and Education Section of the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater during World War II served as a laboratory for his post-war career in broadcast journalism at CBS, the Ford Foundation, and Columbia University. At CBI, he engaged in troop education and made wire recordings of air and ground combat for the Armed Forces Radio Network, and he also reported from the eastern and western fronts for the army newspaper CBI Roundup. During this period, he developed skills and qualities that showed up in his subsequent career as a pioneer of television journalism. This article draws upon the author's interviews with wartime associates as well as Friendly's private papers, which were recently transferred to the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University.