Radio Berlin International had a huge impact on my teenage years, as it did for many people around the world. It is a history the German authorities would like everyone to forget, but it deserves to be written.
The CIA were particularly interested in Americans at RBI, particularly those involved with the Ops Outpost Station programmes.
They made lots of recordings held in the US National Archives. The names mentioned that I could find - George Lohr, Jerry Randall, Linda Cooper, Barbara Moreley, Bob Reid, Allan Ladd, George Fox, Bob Ross, Bob Amsterdam, Red Pierce, Jonaton Curtis, Kerru Randall, Bert Pierce, Willi Hermann, Bill Cassidy, Bert Grimms, Dick Larson, and Bob Rees.
It looks like the CIA recorded just aout everything it could in the early 60s.
The "Concordia" trading company in Würzburg is a secret headquarters of the MID, a secret service agency of the US Army. For years, espionage, sabotage, and diversion operations originated from here in order to undermine the German Democratic Republic. A favorable moment for a military attack approaches and plans are developed. These plans are placed in the hands of Major Collins, who keeps them in a safe. Hansen has worked for him for many years, but also for the Stasi as a double agent. Security Chief Colonel Rock knows there is a leak, but Hansen has passed every test thrown at him. He is trying to deal with his current assignment: acquiring the plans ('The Grey Book') so they can be made public. His mission is to get them out of the safe and into the GDR without getting caught..."
1963, b/w, 103 min. Feature
Dir.: Janos Veiczi
Script: Harry Thürk
Camera: Karl Plintzner
Music: Günter Hauk
Cast: Alfred Müller, Helmut Schreiber. Ivan Palec, Hans Lucke, Werner Lierck, Martin Flörchinger, Peter Marx.
This clip:
Billy Mullis, Victor Grossman, Perry Friedman, Hans Luecke, and Helmut Schreiber are in this clip.
It seems quite a few RBI staff had sidelines as movie stars!
Billy Mullis - Coyote - worked for the North America section of RBI from 1961-77. During that time he extentivally interviewed WaBun Inini of the American Indian movement (AIM) for RBI. He has the recordings on his Coyote Speaks website.
Coyote has kindly offered to help with some of the history of RBI.
Many thanks to our friend Radio Fan for having his tapes of RBI flown around the world, and getting them online.
Listening to the broadcast has answered a few questions. Firstly .... I got the date wrong. The last broadcast was on the 2nd Oct 1990 not the 3rd. Secondly ... The last words of Robin Mitchell did not say "This is Ginger ..." before playing The End by The Doors. He said "... take care and good luck". Interestingly he also played "The party's over. Time to call it a day." during the programme.
It was an emotional experience listening to this broadcast for the first time after 18 years, as it was on the day. The station was a voice of hope and inspiration for many around the world. That spirit will carry on through generations, and was not in vain.
To help with some background to why Radio Berlin International came into being I have scanned and made a website from a book written in 1978 by an old friend of mine, Ernie Trory.
Please have a look, and let me know what you think.
