Podcast Summary

Overview

Episode Title:
Richard Fine, "The Price of Truth: The Journalist Who Defied Military Censors to Report the Fall of Nazi Germany" (Cornell, 2023)
Podcast: New Books Network – New Books in Diplomatic History
Host: Dr. Andrew Pace
Guest: Richard Fein, Professor Emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University
Date: January 13, 2026

In this episode, Dr. Andrew Pace interviews scholar Richard Fein about his book The Price of Truth. The book explores the largely forgotten “Ed Kennedy affair” – the story of AP journalist Ed Kennedy, who broke military censorship to report the German surrender in May 1945. Their conversation delves into the details of the surrender, the context of military and media relations during World War II, Kennedy’s fateful decision, and the broader tensions between governmental control and the public right to know.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Background: Richard Fein’s Journey to the Topic

• Fein’s academic background is in American Civilization, later focusing on media, authorship, and intellectual property.
• His curiosity about the press-military relationship sparked during a Fulbright in Normandy and grew through research at the Associated Press archives.
• The 2012 publication of Kennedy’s memoir and AP's public apology brought the Ed Kennedy episode to Fein's attention, compelling him to undertake a book-length study.
  (02:49–07:56)

2. World War II Surrender: The Complex Process

• The end of WWII in Europe was not a single event but a process involving negotiations and multiple surrenders.
  • Allies demanded unconditional German surrender to all of them, resisting German attempts for a separate peace.
  • The first major surrender occurred with Montgomery (British) on May 4th, 1945; the main act in Reims followed on May 7th.
  • The Soviets insisted on a second, formal surrender in Berlin, drawing out the process for political reasons.
    (07:56–13:45; 19:07–19:55)
  • Quote: “It’s a process, not an event.” – Richard Fein (09:09)

3. Press Coverage and Military Censorship

• Press access to the surrender was tightly controlled.
  • Only “The Lucky 17” journalists (primarily from global news agencies) were allowed in Reims, strictly sworn to secrecy.
  • The embargo was set for at least 36 hours until Allied leaders could make formal announcements and the Soviets held their ceremony.
  • Frustration grew among journalists as news began leaking via French officials and German broadcasts.
    (13:47–19:37; 26:07–26:32; 32:19–34:45)
  • Quote: “General Allen pledged them to not divulge anything that they would see or hear... until the army gave the okay.” – Richard Fein (16:25)

4. Ed Kennedy: The Man and His Motives

• Kennedy was a seasoned AP correspondent, fiercely competitive, respected but not beloved by peers.
• He’d witnessed years of political censorship and believed the embargo on the surrender was for political, not security, reasons.
• When Kennedy learned that the surrender was public knowledge via a German broadcast, he concluded the embargo no longer applied.
• Using a secret phone circuit, Kennedy bypassed censors, sending out the surrender scoop before anyone else.
  (21:42–26:32; 32:19–34:45; 26:07–31:02)
  • Quote: “At that point Kennedy says Shaef must have authorized this broadcast. ...so that... released us from this confidence.” – Richard Fein (26:32)
  • Memorable Moment: Kennedy dictating the flash bulletin via the unmonitored London circuit (27:56–29:30)

5. Fallout and Controversy

• AP was initially triumphant, but military (SHAEF) and rival journalists were furious.
• Kennedy was suspended and, after internal investigation, quietly dismissed from the AP without public notice.
• The press and public debated whether Kennedy had “substituted his judgment for Eisenhower’s” with some seeing him as betrayer and others as a hero for upholding the public’s right to know.
• The embargo was widely seen as unenforceable, with Allied cities already celebrating and multiple sources leaking the news.
  (33:50–39:21; 39:11–46:44)
  • Quote: “It was done so quietly that they never actually informed Kennedy. ...One day, he received a check from the AP.” – Richard Fein (43:55)

6. Broader Questions: Censorship, Responsibility, and Legacy

• The episode challenges the myth of a harmonious media-military relationship during the “Good War.”

• Fein finds the WWII relationship was more fraught and adversarial than popular nostalgia suggests, marked by press frustration with politically motivated censorship.

• The Ed Kennedy case illustrates not just a pivotal moment but broader perennial tensions between government control and journalistic responsibility.

• The episode’s legacy extends: Some argue the fallout marked the beginning of official military mistrust of the media, echoed in subsequent conflicts.

  • Quote: “When you wash away that good war nostalgia, [media-military] relations in World War II look more like the Vietnam War than most accounts would suggest.” – Richard Fein (51:47)
  • Quote: “No, there was a lot more friction in media, military relations, just as there was a lot more friction in American society.” – Richard Fein (54:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the surrender as a process:
  “Surrender isn’t something that just happens. It’s something that has to be worked out. There’s an entire process involved.” – Dr. Andrew Pace (08:33)
• Kennedy’s logic:
  “He could successfully beat the competition, he could beat the competition while still upholding what he thought was his journalistic duty.” – Richard Fein (33:27)
• On the embargo:
  “There's no way we can hold this for 36 hours.” – Richard Fein, reflecting military press officers' view (46:15)
• Public’s right to know:
  “The American people had the right to know. The Allied public had the right to know that after X number of years of war… that there was no militarily justifiable reason for withholding this news.” – Richard Fein (46:44)
• On the media-military relationship myth:
  “We so romanticize World War II and forget that... there was a lot more friction in media, military relations, just as there was a lot more friction in American society.” – Richard Fein (54:30)

Key Segment Timestamps

• 01:37 — Episode core topic introduction (The Ed Kennedy Affair)
• 02:49–07:56 — Fein’s personal and academic journey to the story
• 09:27–21:42 — Context: WWII surrender process, logistics, negotiations
• 21:52–26:07 — Ed Kennedy’s background and reporting trajectory
• 26:07–31:02 — The surrender scoop, Kennedy’s ethics and actions
• 33:50–39:21 — Fallout for Kennedy; AP’s reaction and consequences
• 46:44–51:47 — Broader implications for censorship, media ethics, and legacy

Takeaways

• The Ed Kennedy affair is a window into the complex, not always celebratory, relationship between journalists and the military.
• Censorship and control were sources of serious friction even in the “good war”–raising questions about when the public’s right to know should override official secrecy.
• Kennedy’s case invites discussion on the ethics of reporting, press freedom, and whether “ends justify means” in moments of historic significance.
• The story is relevant for anyone interested in media ethics, military history, and the ongoing negotiation between information control and public transparency.