Columbia Wartime Bureau 1942-07-24 They Burned The Books

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Columbia Wartime Bureau 1942-07-24 They Burned The Books"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Harold's Old Time Radio
• Host/Author: Harold's Old Time Radio
• Episode: Columbia Wartime Bureau 1942-07-24 They Burned The Books
• Release Date: March 20, 2025
• Description: This episode delves into the harrowing events of the Golden Age of Radio, focusing on a dramatized account of book burnings orchestrated by authoritarian regimes during wartime.

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Introduction

The episode begins with a poignant quote from Friedrich Schiller, setting a somber tone that reflects the impending turmoil:

Friedrich Schiller [00:00]: "Justify the enemy, appease him, excuse him, pardon, condone or accept him. And by any intelligent process of thought."

This opening establishes the central theme of suppression and the manipulation of intellect by authoritarian forces.

Historical Context and Plot Overview

The narrative unfolds in 1942, amidst World War II, spotlighting the Nazi regime's aggressive tactics to control information and eradicate dissenting ideas. The story revolves around the systematic burning of books deemed undesirable by the state, highlighting the broader implications of such actions on culture and freedom.

Narrator [00:31]: "Nine iron years of terror and evil. Nine years. And a fire was lighted in a public square in Berlin... May 10, 1933."

This reference anchors the story in historical events, specifically the infamous book burnings initiated by the Nazis as a means to consolidate power and eliminate intellectual opposition.

Key Characters and Their Roles

• Friedrich Schiller: Represents the voice of intellectual resistance. He condemns the Nazis' actions and underscores the profound impact of burning books.

  Friedrich Schiller [03:39]: "It does to me. Excuse me, sir. My name is Friedrich Schieler... I spoke for every man who lifts his head and will not bow to tyrants until I died."

• Heinrich Heine: Embodies the spirit of artistic and philosophical defiance against oppression. His character emphasizes the enduring power of literature and thought.

  Heinrich Heine [05:31]: "A soldier of humanity."

• Nazi Officials & Adolf Hitler: Serve as antagonists, pushing the agenda of censorship and the eradication of free thought.

  Nazi Official [04:10]: "Born, the Slavery Impaired shall no longer be performed on the stage."

  Adolf Hitler [08:34]: "One bears inexorable stupidity."

• Ms. Winslow: A dedicated teacher striving to impart fundamental American values amidst oppressive propaganda.

  Ms. Winslow [13:32]: "The class will come to order this morning..."

• Joe Barnes: A student influenced by the regime's distorted education, symbolizing the manipulation of youth.

  Joe Barnes [13:53]: "Why? Well, I guess so. Ms. Winslow studied it last night."

Major Themes

1. Suppression of Free Thought: The episode vividly portrays how authoritarian regimes, like the Nazis, systematically eliminate dissent by destroying books and rewriting history.

   Friedrich Schiller [03:39]: "If you burn it, it won't scream."

2. The Power of Literature: Literature is depicted as a powerful tool for preserving freedom and resisting oppression. Characters like Heine and Schiller symbolize the enduring spirit of intellectual resilience.

   Heinrich Heine [05:39]: "Well, there was one about a Lorelei... They sing it still?"

3. Manipulation of Education: The narrative highlights how education systems can be corrupted to indoctrinate and control the younger generation.

   Friedrich Schiller [14:24]: "Ms. Winslow is no longer your teacher. I am your teacher."

4. Resistance and Hope: Despite the grim setting, the episode conveys a message of hope through the collective memory and resistance of intellectuals and ordinary individuals.

   Narrator [24:19]: "Who marches with us?"

Notable Quotes with Attribution and Timestamps

• Friedrich Schiller [00:00]: "Justify the enemy, appease him, excuse him, pardon, condone or accept him."

• Narrator [00:31]: "Nine years since the burning of the books... May 10, 1933."

• Friedrich Schiller [03:39]: "If you burn it, it won't scream."

• Heinrich Heine [05:31]: "A soldier of humanity."

• Adolf Hitler [08:34]: "One bears inexorable stupidity."

• Heinrich Heine [09:30]: "And yet there shall be weeping for this burning."

• Friedrich Schiller [10:23]: "You are just a singer. A worthless singer."

• Heinrich Heine [10:27]: "True. And that is why I speak."

• Narrator [13:32]: "That's how they work to kids... the way they like to work here."

• Friedrich Schiller [14:16]: "Rise to bring your textbooks to my desk."

• Narrator [16:23]: "They know if you take the children of a country and teach them nothing but lies..."

• Joe Barnes [17:44]: "Nothing before that? Nothing important."

• Friedrich Schiller [20:18]: "They can destroy the spirit of a nation with poisoned doubts and fears."

• Heinrich Heine [24:23]: "I am a soldier of humanity."

• Adolf Hitler [26:55]: "Hitler. The Lord God of hosts is waiting. Adolf Hitler."

Plot Progression and Key Events

1. Book Burning Initiatives: The episode showcases the organized book burnings in Berlin, emphasizing the regime's intent to erase intellectual and cultural diversity.

2. Suppression of Artists and Thinkers: Characters like Schiller and Heine are persecuted, highlighting the targeting of influential figures to quash resistance.

3. Corruption of Education: Ms. Winslow's attempt to teach American values is thwarted by Friedrich Schiller, representing the imposition of oppressive ideologies in educational institutions.

4. Distorted Historical Narratives: Through Joe Barnes' altered recitation of the Gettysburg Address, the episode illustrates how history is rewritten to align with the regime's propaganda.

5. Climactic Call for Resistance: The narrative culminates in a rallying cry for freedom and the preservation of human thought, urging listeners to resist oppressive forces.

   Narrator [24:51]: "We too shall build a fire... Freedom of thought, Freedom of man's bold mind."

Conclusion and Takeaways

"They Burned The Books" serves as a powerful reminder of the fragility of free thought and the lengths to which authoritarian regimes will go to maintain control. Through its dramatic portrayal, the episode underscores the vital importance of preserving literature, history, and education as bulwarks against oppression. It also highlights the enduring spirit of resistance embodied by intellectuals and ordinary individuals who fight to keep the flame of freedom alive.

The podcast effectively uses dramatization to engage listeners, weaving historical facts with fictional elements to convey its message. Notable quotes and character interactions enhance the narrative, providing depth and emotional resonance. For those unfamiliar with the episode, this summary offers a comprehensive overview of its themes, characters, and essential messages, emphasizing the timeless relevance of safeguarding intellectual freedom.

Transcript

[Friedrich Schiller]

Justify the enemy, appease him, excuse him, pardon, condone or accept him. And by any intelligent process of thought.

[Narrator]

You will arrive at the diabolical, tortured.

[Friedrich Schiller]

Debased world of Germany and her Axis partners.

[Ralph Bellamy]

Colombia's wartime Bureau of Information presents Ralph Bellamy in they Burn the Books. Written by Stephen Vincent Bonet.

[Narrator]

SA9. Nine iron years of terror and evil. Nine years. And a fire was lighted in a public square in Berlin. Nine years since the burning of the books. You remember. Write it down in your calendars. May 10, 1933. And write it down in red for the light of fire. These are people who worked by fire. The Reichstag went up in flames that February, and in March they got their majority and moved in. The storm troopers, the heroes of the beer Hall Putsch. The boys with a taste for beatings and executions. The leaping Doctor, the swollen ex army pilot, gangster and Bravo, hoodlum and trigger man, led by the screaming voice that is war and hate, moved in on Germany like a cloud of locusts. Having planned and plotted for long, they stood strangled the German Republic and moved in. And people said, well, that's interesting, isn't it?

[Ms. Winslow]

And tell her so on his thought.

[Narrator]

My dear fellows, Fellow Hitler. Quite extraordinary. Wonderful. The beggars up to or people said.

[Friedrich Schiller]

Yeah, I see by the papers they had an election in Germany. They seem to have lots of elections over there.

[Narrator]

Hey, what do you know about this bank holiday?

[Friedrich Schiller]

Joe, if you need some cash, I.

[Narrator]

Got a couple of bucks. But the banks are bound to reopen. That was March 5th. They burned the books. May 10th. Why bother about books? Why bother to go back to that fateful year, Year that prepared the blood purge and the wars, the death of Austria, the trick of Munich, the bombers over the defenseless towns. And all we know and all that must be fought here now and always till the score is paid. From its grim recital, pick one instance of calculated wrong. A book's a book. It's paper, ink and print. If you stab it, it won't bleed. If you beat it, it won't bruise. If you burn it, it won't scream. Burn a few books, burn hundreds, burn a million. What difference does that make?

[Friedrich Schiller]

It does to me. Excuse me, sir. My name is Friedrich Schieler, a name once not unknown in Germany. One of the glories, do they say, of Germany. A Germany these robbers never knew. Over a century and a half ago, I spoke and wrote of freedom. I spoke against oppressors and dictators. I spoke for every man who lifts his head and will not bow to tyrants until I died my poems and plays spoke on in every tongue and every land for freedom. For that's what books can do now. Today, in the land where I was.

[Nazi Official]

Born, the Slavery Impaired shall no longer be performed on the stage. It glorifies the dangerous and unseemly spirit of revolt against conquerors. It shall no longer be performed on the Truman stage. This is another.

[Narrator]

That's what they do. That's what they do to the mind. That's what they do to the books of their own greatness. Dead. That's how they foul the present and the past. Shut the mouth so that it cannot speak because it spoke for freedom. Now here's another ghost. Pale, frail, satirical. A mocking spirit, but with the light of freedom in his eyes. Your name, brave ghost?

[Heinrich Heine]

My name is Heinz. Born to much sorrow, born to be a man. Out of my laughter and my heart's despair I made my little songs. Such simple songs. A child could understand them. And grown men remembered them and loved them all their lives. Some were so funny, some were pitiful and some were trumpet calls for liberty. For though I couldn't hide, I was a fighter. And then my time had come to die, I said, after long tormentin my mattress faith, bury me with a sword upon my coffin. For I have been a soldier of humanity.

[Narrator]

A soldier of humanity. And you deserve that name. But now, today. What happens to your song?

[Heinrich Heine]

Well, there was one about a Lorelei. Just a small song. It meant. Let's see. Like this. It bices my soul as bad Royton does. It's so softly spin. You've heard it? Maybe. Many people sing it. They sang it many years along the Rhine. They sing it still?

[Narrator]

Still?

[Heinrich Heine]

Oh yes. That one of mine. They haven't burned. That would be just a little difficult. Too many Germans know the words by heart. So was the totalitarian courtesy. It came skip the song. And blotted out my name. You see, I was a Jew.

[Nazi Official]

New addition to the works of the Jew Heinrich Heine are not desirable in all textbooks and anthologies where the words of the song the Lorelei appear, the name of the Jew Heine shall be omitted and the author given as author unknown.

[Heinrich Heine]

Author well known since 1842. Author unknown since 1933.

[Narrator]

That's what they do to soldiers of humanity. That's how they rob the soldier of his sword. The dead man of the one thing he may keep his name, his very name. Don't think that's all. Don't think it's just the singers and the poets. Light the flames. Light the flames and hear them Roar. See what the flames consume. They're coming now. The men with the tramping feet. The hard faced boys with the truncheons. The new order. The flames they've lighted howl and leap in the square. You can't set fire to a Reichstag every day. But the pyre that they light today shall fling its shadows in flame and shadow all over the world. Hear them tramp. They're coming. They bring the books to the fire.

[Nazi Official]

The books of the Jew, Albert Einstein. To the flame.

[Narrator]

Einstein, the scientist who thought in universes. Einstein, the man we honor in our land.

[Nazi Official]

To the flames with him. To the flames. The books of Sigmund Freud. To the flames.

[Narrator]

Freud, prober of the riddles of man's mind. World known, world famous.

[Nazi Official]

To the flames. The flames burn them. We don't want thought, we don't want mind. We want one will. One leader and one folk.

[Adolf Hitler]

One bears inexorable stupidity.

[Nazi Official]

Who said that? Gag him. Burn him to the flames. To the flames with Einrich man and Thomas Man. Fory the Russians. Nitzler the Austrian, Hemingway Bryer the American. And now to the plains with this.

[Narrator]

That is the Bible. Would you burn God's word?

[Nazi Official]

We need no Bible but the words of the leader. We have no God except the German gods. We have the tanks, the guns, the bombs, the planes, and that shall be enough.

[Heinrich Heine]

And yet there shall be weeping for this burning. Weeping throughout your land. The weeping of poor women and old men who loved and trusted in the word of God and now are worse than homeless in your world. For you have taken their last failing hope. The promise of their father and their Lord.

[Friedrich Schiller]

How dare you speak, exile and Jew?

[Adolf Hitler]

How dare you speak to us?

[Heinrich Heine]

I speak for all humanity and change. Exiles you Christians, for all the prison camps. For those who dwell in them and bide their time. For the dishonored, for the dispossessed, for those you have ground like wheat. I speak for every honest man of God driven from his own pulpit by your might. And for those who saw that happened and remember it. I speak for the dark earth and the mute voices. And yet I speak humanity unbound.

[Narrator]

You. You are just a singer. A worthless singer.

[Heinrich Heine]

True. And that is why I speak. Because I know, being a singer, what moves every heart. I speak with little parts. Little songs so simple any child can understand just what they say. And yet so memorable. Once you have heard them, you will not forget them. For they will stay within your memory. Sweet as first love. Salt as the tears of man. Free as the wind of heaven in the sky. And you do well to try to shut my mouth. For while one little song of mine remains. All that you hate and would destroy remains human and grace and human tenderness, lest there any must. And the bare sword, the sword I mounted on my lonely cordon, the sword of liberty.

[Nazi Official]

He'll shut your mouth. He'll find you in the graveyard where you lie. Dig up your rotten bones and scatter them. Scatter them till there's nobody in all the world who has heard of Heinrich Heiner.

[Narrator]

Dig deep.

[Adolf Hitler]

Dig well.

[Narrator]

Scatter my bones.

[Adolf Hitler]

Break up my burial stone. Erase my name with all your thoroughness. Your lumbering, fat headed thoroughness, smelling of beer and bombs.

[Narrator]

And yet while there's a book, there.

[Adolf Hitler]

Will be a Heine.

[Heinrich Heine]

There will be Heinrich Heine laughing at you, still laughing with all the fruit.

[Narrator]

Yes, there will be Heine. There will be all those whose words lift up man's heart. Heart. But only if we choose. This battle is not just a battle of lands, a war of conquest, a balance of power. War is a battle for the mind of man, not only for his body. It will decide what you and you and you can think and say, plan, dream and hope for in your inmost minds for the next thousand years. Decide whether man goes forward toward the light, stumbling and striving, clumsy but a man, or back to the Dark Ages, the dark gods, the old barbaric forest that is fear. Books are not men, and yet they are lies. They are man's memory and his aspirations, the link between his present and his past. The tools he builds with all the hoarded thoughts winnowed and sifted from a million minds, living and dead, to guide him on his way. Suppose it happened here. Suppose the books were burned here. This is a school somewhere in America. This is the kind of school we've always had argued about. Paid taxes for, kept on with because we want our kids to know something. Suppose it happened here.

[Ms. Winslow]

The class will come to order this morning. This morning we are going to discuss some of the basic American ideas on which our nation was founded. Freedom, tolerance, liberty under law. To start the discussion, I'm going to ask Joe Barnes to recite the Gettysburg Address to us. Do you think you can do that without looking at your book too much, Jo?

[Joe Barnes]

Why? Well, I guess so. Ms. Winslow studied it last night.

[Ms. Winslow]

Very well, Joe. You may begin.

[Joe Barnes]

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln. Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

[Narrator]

Stop.

[Joe Barnes]

And now. Now we are engaged. We are Engaged.

[Narrator]

Stop.

[Friedrich Schiller]

The words of the Gettysburg Address can no longer be studied in any school of our glorious new order.

[Ms. Winslow]

But those are the words of Lincoln.

[Joe Barnes]

But Ms. Winslow told me.

[Friedrich Schiller]

Ms. Winslow is no longer your teacher. I am your teacher.

[Adolf Hitler]

Attention.

[Narrator]

When I give the command, you will.

[Friedrich Schiller]

Rise to bring your textbooks to my des. All this nonsense of freedom and tolerance, that is finished. All this nonsense of being men, being equal.

[Narrator]

That is finished.

[Friedrich Schiller]

We shall give you new textbooks. The old ones will be burned in the schoolyard. Are there any questions?

[Heinrich Heine]

Good.

[Friedrich Schiller]

The new order does not like questions.

[Ms. Winslow]

I protest. This is infamous. You can't know what you're doing. I've taught here for 20 years.

[Narrator]

So I understand.

[Friedrich Schiller]

You know, that is a long time, Ms. Winslow. Too long. You deserve a long rest.

[Narrator]

We'll see that you get it. No, no, no.

[Friedrich Schiller]

You needn't bother to say goodbye to your students.

[Narrator]

Guards, take the woman away. Impossible. Fantastic. Fantastic. Sounds that way. Ask the teachers. And books of occupied France. France that loved letters. France, once the light of Europe. Read the list of the books the French can't read anymore. What sort of books? Well, there are all kinds, of course, from detective stories to the life of a great French queen. But here, for instance, is a history of Poland. The Brett. Why? Well, according to the new order, Poland has no history. Poland has no history. And here, French history for secondary schools. History of France, History of France and Europe, Contemporary Europe. Legend and fables of France for children.

[Friedrich Schiller]

Suppressed, withdrawn on the blacklist.

[Narrator]

But these are not guns or daggers stored up against revolt. They're the commonplace textbooks thumbed by a thousand schoolboy fingers, ink spotted, dog eared, drowsed over in classrooms, familiar and dull and mild. They must be harmless enough.

[Friedrich Schiller]

They are not harmless. We know what we are doing.

[Narrator]

Yes, they know what they are doing. They know if you take the children of a country and teach them nothing but lies about the world, give them no chance for argument or questions. Give them no books that show another side. No word of all the words that spoke. The man who grows from the child will believe the lies and never hear of the truth. It's a simple plan, as simple and efficient as arsenic. Just rewrite all the books to suit yourself and the rest will follow in time. The beatings and burnings, the massed mechanical might, the metal men. Would you like a sample of American history Nazi style? Can you stand it? You'd better know what it would be like for your children and their children. You heard Joe Barnes give the Gettysburg Address. This is what he'd be like if he'd Never heard it or anything like it ever. If all his books were the textbooks of the New Order. If our schoolbooks wore swastikas. Come in, Joe, will you? Looks different in his brown shirt, doesn't he? Can you tell us about American history, Joe? Some names and dates and people.

[Joe Barnes]

American history dates from the foundation of the New Order.

[Narrator]

Nothing before that?

[Joe Barnes]

Nothing important.

[Narrator]

Well, come, Joe. There must have been one or two things before that.

[Joe Barnes]

Nothing important after all.

[Narrator]

For instance, the discovery of America. That was fairly important. Do you know anything about that?

[Joe Barnes]

Yes, that is in my book. America was discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus. An honorary Arian.

[Narrator]

An honorary Arian? I always thought he was an Italian.

[Joe Barnes]

That was before the New Order. He is now an honorary Aryan of the second class. Like Mussolini and Hirohito.

[Narrator]

I wonder how he likes that. However, after Columbus there came the New Order. But weren't there just a few things in between? Wasn't there something called the Declaration of Independence?

[Joe Barnes]

Oh, that. Yes, there was that. But it was all wrong. They said everyone was entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That was all wrong.

[Narrator]

Who wrote it?

[Joe Barnes]

It is unimportant. Who wrote it? It is not in my book.

[Narrator]

Didn't you ever hear of a man named Thomas Jefferson?

[Joe Barnes]

Thomas Jefferson? No, there is no such man in my book.

[Narrator]

Or George Washington?

[Joe Barnes]

Yes, he was a general, but not a very good one. He was defeated by German might at the Battle of Trenton. Afterwards he foolishly became President of the United States instead of ruling his country with a.

[Narrator]

But maybe he didn't believe in ruling people with a strong mailed fist.

[Joe Barnes]

He may have had some such old fashioned sentimental ideas. That is why he's unimportant historically.

[Narrator]

And is he an honorary Arian too?

[Joe Barnes]

The state has not yet decided. But the man to study in his period is Benedict Arnold. A man much ahead of his time.

[Narrator]

I always thought Benedict Arnold was a traitor to his country.

[Joe Barnes]

Traitor? What nonsense. He sensibly tried to collaborate with a stronger power in order to save his countrymen from the horrors of democracy and revolution. He is a very honorary Aryan of the first class. With star. We have many honorary Aryans. Just like Benedict Arnold.

[Narrator]

I wouldn't be a bit surprised. And just one last question, Joe.

[Joe Barnes]

Yes, but hurry, please. I must attend a Strength through Joy meeting. And it is necessary for me to clean my pistol first.

[Narrator]

Did you ever hear of a man who said. Said government of the people, by the people, for the people?

[Joe Barnes]

Certainly not. Of course not. It's a lie. You've been spying on me. My Father did have the book, but I never saw it.

[Ms. Winslow]

It's a long while ago, and the.

[Joe Barnes]

Teacher'S been sent away. I know nothing about Abraham.

[Narrator]

That's it. That's how they work. That's what they do to kids. That's the way they like to work here.

[Adolf Hitler]

That's it, my friend. You see, we can destroy houses with bombs and people with starvation, outflank defensive lines and tramp ahead. We can destroy the spirit of a nation with poisoned doubts and fears, erasure system, blot out its past, sully its famous names and substitute our worlds for.

[Friedrich Schiller]

All the worlds of liberty.

[Adolf Hitler]

But while there is a single man, alive, hidden or starving, who somehow remembers the vows of freedom, the undying words that spoke for man's free mind, though they were said a thousand years ago. Our conquest quest is not perfect. They are terrible, these immaterial and airy words. Sharp as edged swords, infectious as the plague. They travel silently from mind to mind, leaving no trace. They live in quiet books you hardly would suspect Unless our leader has wisely warned us of them. They hide and creep in chokes and catchwords under our own noses, in dots and dashes, in a bar of music. Within the silent eyes of hungry men rating their time. Rating their hungry time. That's why they must be killed. That's why we burn the books. That's why we burn all knowledge, all the recollected thoughts gathered in patience through 3,000 heroes of civilization. That knowledge is man's brain. Until we've taken an electric wire and burned the brain cells from his very brain so he will be a dumb and gaping slave, we cannot win. And still we mean to win. Get the fire ready.

[Narrator]

Bring the books to the Nine years ago. Nine years ago in Berlin. Nine years ago in a public square in Berlin, they burned the books. And that was the beginning. We didn't know it then, we know it now. Here the books burn. This is in memory. This is in remembrance. This is for all the lies that have been told. The innocent blood, the blood that cries from the ground. Rise up and speak, you voices. Voices of dead and living, past and present. Voices of gagged men whispering through sore lips. Voices of children robbed of their small songs. Strong voices chanting of the rights of man. Rebel and fighter Men of the free heart. We too shall build a fire. Though not in fear, revenge or barren hate, but such a great and cleansing fire to leap through the world like leaping flames. Freedom to speak and pray. Freedom from want, fear. Freedom for all, Freedom of thought, Freedom of man's bold mind. Who marches with us?

[Friedrich Schiller]

I am Friedrich Schiele. Won't I march with you in the course of man?

[Heinrich Heine]

I am the soldier of humanity. The markings smile upon the face of time that men call high enough. And I march with you I am old and blind.

[Narrator]

I knew oppression and defeat and scorn and the high justice of eternal God. Paradise lost and paradise regained and I march with you Though bitter indignation tore at my heart and cracked it till it broke I never had a patient mind for tyrant and I march with.

[Adolf Hitler]

You I hailed my sunburnt children in their youth. Pioneers, pioneers. I said they should be free I sang democracy, the new word, the new meaning, the new day. And I march with you shall be.

[Ms. Winslow]

Lifted up Retirements all cast down.

[Narrator]

The parliament of men, the federation of the world.

[Friedrich Schiller]

Well, maybe they'll take a while to.

[Narrator]

Grow, but Pudd'nhead Wilson says cauliflower is.

[Friedrich Schiller]

Just a cabbage with a college education. So we might start in about this business. Now, I may have made a living.

[Narrator]

Cracking jokes, but one thing I did hate was cruelty.

[Friedrich Schiller]

One thing I did dislike was pompous fools treading on decent people. Count me in.

[Narrator]

Milton and Whitman, Tennyson and Swift, Mark Twain and Hugo. Everyone who wrote with a free pen and words of living fire, From Plato dreaming of his bright republic, to every exile walking in our streets, exiled for truth and faith and all of ours, all of our own today, all those who speak for freedom. These are our voices. These shall light our fire. Light the bright candle that shall not be quenched, that never has been quenched in all man's years. Follow his darkness. All tyranny have tried to quench it. Call the roll of those who tried to quench it.

[Adolf Hitler]

Darius the Persian. Darius the Great king.

[Narrator]

Where is Darius?

[Adolf Hitler]

Dead, forgotten and dead.

[Friedrich Schiller]

Attila the Hut. Attila, devourer of people.

[Narrator]

Where is Attila?

[Friedrich Schiller]

Bones. Forgotten bones. Alaric the Goth. Alaric, destroyer of Rome.

[Narrator]

Where is Alaric?

[Friedrich Schiller]

Dust or gotten dust.

[Narrator]

Adolf Hitler, born April 20, 1889. Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler, burner of books.

[Adolf Hitler]

Adolf Hitler.

[Narrator]

Adolf Hitler, destroyer of thought. Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler, born 1889. We are waiting, Adolf Hitler. The books are waiting. Adolf Hitler. The fire is waiting. Adolf Hitler. Hitler. The Lord God of hosts is waiting. Adolf Hitler.

[Ralph Bellamy]

You have heard Ralph Bellamy in they Burn the Books, a drama written for radio by Stephen Vincent Bonet. Tonight's performance was broadcast by permission of the writers War Board. The script of this broadcast is available in pamphlet form through your bookshop or from the publishers Farrar and Reinhardt. We wish to thank the Hollywood Victory Committee for the appearance on this program of Mr. Ralph Bellamy. Music by Wilbur Hatch. Program produced by Chet Huntley. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.