NPR's Book of the Day: Two New Books Illuminate Overlooked Black Figures in WWII and Cold War America

Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Andrew Limbong
Featured Guests: Howard Bryant, Cheryl W. Thompson
Episode Theme: During Black History Month, this episode highlights two powerful books that use deep reporting and personal archives to uncover lesser-known stories of African American struggle and resilience during WWII and the early Cold War era.

Overview

The episode focuses on:

• Kings and Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America by Howard Bryant: A historical exploration of how two prominent Black icons, Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson, were pitted against each other during America’s Red Scare, and how their legacies are shaped by advocacy, disillusionment, and the crucial role of Rachel Robinson.
• Forgotten: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen by Cheryl W. Thompson: An investigative journey into the fates of 27 Black pilots who went missing during WWII, and the generational impact of their unresolved disappearances.

Both books draw clear lines from the past to the present, underscoring how historical injustices resonate today.

Segment 1: Howard Bryant on Robinson, Robeson, and the Cold War ([01:44]–[09:45])

Setting the Historical Stage

• Late 1940s–1950s Red Scare:
  The U.S. was “ramping up” Cold War hostilities, creating an environment where dissent and leftist politics, particularly among Black leaders, were under intense scrutiny.
  “It was a time when the Cold War was beginning to ramp up... the United States and the Soviet Union were mortal enemies.” —Howard Bryant [03:02]

• Paul Robeson:
  A world-famous baritone, former football star, and leading Black public intellectual.
  Articulated internationalist and progressive views, stating (misquoted by the press) that Black Americans would not fight against the USSR, fueling his public vilification.

• Jackie Robinson:
  Celebrated for breaking baseball’s color line; called by Congress to counter Robeson’s views despite their never having met.

Congressional Testimony & Fallout ([03:02]–[04:31])

• Robinson’s testimony was used to publicly rebuke Robeson:

  “If Mr. Robeson actually made [those] sounds, very silly to me, but he has a right to his personal views, and if he wants to sound silly when he expresses them in public, that’s his business and not mine.”
  —Jackie Robinson, quoted by Howard Bryant [03:47]

• Bryant describes this as a “damaging” moment that hastened Robeson’s fall from favor.

Complexities of Black Leadership ([05:04]–[05:36])

• Both men, despite immense achievements and advocacy, felt “disillusioned” by the end of their lives, unable to reach the change they sought.

  “The most compelling thing I found here was the lengths that both of them felt like they had to go, only to end up really disillusioned ... neither one sort of felt as though they accomplished that goal.”
  —Howard Bryant [05:11]

Robeson’s Refusal to Denounce Stalin ([05:36]–[06:50])

• Explores Robeson’s pride and pain:

  “Robeson believed that the United States had blood on its hands as well... he felt like the motivation of the committee was simply to get him to admit he was wrong about Russia, when what he wanted was for the United States to admit that it had been wrong in what it had done to African Americans.”
  —Howard Bryant [05:53]

• Robeson’s hope in both American and Soviet “experiments” turned to heartbreak as both seemed to betray him.

Parallels with the Present ([07:00]–[07:32])

• Bryant points to contemporary echoes of Red Scare tactics:

  “So much of the playbook today feels like the second Red Scare … the language that we hear today is very similar to the language that we were hearing then … what is past is prologue.”
  —Howard Bryant [07:08]

The Legacies and Rachel Robinson ([07:37]–[09:36])

• Both Robinson and Robeson struggled in later years; their legacies are complicated and, especially in Robeson’s case, often forgotten.

• The vital role of Rachel Robinson:

  “If it’s not for Rachel Robinson … her charm and her intelligence and her determination to restore Jackie's reputation and her grit, she's the one who brought Jackie back ... There’s no telling this story of Jackie Robinson and his place in American history right now without Rachel.”
  —Howard Bryant [08:38]

Segment 2: Cheryl W. Thompson on the Missing Tuskegee Airmen ([10:20]–[17:15])

Humanizing the Airmen

• Thompson’s book draws from interviews and letters to reconstruct the lives and disappearances of 27 Tuskegee Airmen who went missing overseas during WWII.

• Surprising youthfulness:

  “The one thing that surprised me most was really how young they were... most of them were fresh out of college. The oldest one was 28. The youngest I believe was 20.”
  —Cheryl W. Thompson [11:46]

• Driven by idealism, not privilege:

  “They came from all over the country... starry-eyed men who just wanted to serve this country and do something good.”
  —Cheryl W. Thompson [12:12]

Emotional Power of Letters ([12:25]–[13:10])

• Thompson reads a heartfelt letter:

  “Look at the nice letter I got from her mother. The next time you talk to Cookie, be sure to welcome her to the Chavis family... I’m sure you’re happy over my having such a perfect girlfriend.” —John Henry Chavis, letter read by Cheryl W. Thompson [12:45]

• Letters were preserved by families—luck, but also evidence of generational tenacity.

Lack of Clarity, Systemic Neglect ([13:32]–[14:31])

• Official explanations (e.g., engine trouble) rarely brought closure; efforts to find Black pilots were often minimal.

  “I think that the Black pilots were ignored more than others … after the war.”
  —Cheryl W. Thompson [14:08]

Enduring Family Trauma ([14:31]–[15:56])

• Many families never recovered:

  “They never got over it, because some of them still have siblings and they're in their 90s now. And it destroyed their parents … who just didn’t want their sons to go off to war.”
  —Cheryl W. Thompson [14:45], [15:13]

• Lifelong, generational “not knowing”:

  “[One daughter] has said to me ... ‘I'm still waiting. I'm hoping that one day ... somebody will knock on my door and say, we found your dad.’”
  —Cheryl W. Thompson [15:36]

Why These Stories Remain Untold ([15:56]–[17:02])

• The lack of attention is a longstanding wound:

  “That's a question you should pose to the government ... why hasn't this come up? ... the families I got to know, I think would be happy with someone knocking on their door ... But to have crickets is probably the most hurtful thing for them.”
  —Cheryl W. Thompson [16:17]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “How’s that for the past not being all that past?”
  —Andrew Limbong, introducing the lasting relevance of these histories [00:59]

• “He is—when I talk to young Black kids about Paul Robeson ... they don’t know who he is. And when I think about Jackie ... the disillusionment that he felt ... these two people who did everything that the United States had asked of them, and yet both wound up ... in a very disillusioned place.”
  —Howard Bryant [07:45–08:26]

• On the Tuskegee Airmen:

  “But to have crickets is probably the most hurtful thing for them.”
  —Cheryl W. Thompson [16:59]

Key Timestamps

• [01:44] – Howard Bryant interview begins
• [03:02] – Political climate, Robeson’s speech, and Robinson’s testimony
• [04:33] – The fallout for Robeson
• [05:36] – Robeson's position on Stalin
• [07:00] – Red Scare parallels in today's society
• [08:34] – Rachel Robinson’s impact and legacy
• [10:20] – Cheryl W. Thompson segment and Tuskegee Airmen overview
• [11:46] – Discovering the airmen’s youth and motivation
• [12:44] – Reading letter from John Henry Chavis
• [13:32] – Families coping with loss
• [15:56] – Why these Airmen’s stories remain overlooked

Tone & Style

The episode is thoughtful, reflective, and deeply respectful of its subjects. Both interviews invite empathy for figures wrestling with immense social and personal pressures, and underline the urgency of remembering forgotten stories for present and future generations.

In sum: This episode offers a compelling pairing of historical nonfiction, examining not only hidden chapters of Black American experience in WWII and the mid-century U.S., but the ongoing necessity of family memory, advocacy, and reckoning with what we choose to remember. Both Kings and Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America and Forgotten are presented as essential contributions to the story of America, Black history, and the contemporary struggle for justice and recognition.