United States. Armed Forces Radio Service

The Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) was an agency created in 1942 by the United States government to produce radio shows for broadcast to troops fighting overseas in World War II. Created mainly by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee, the AFRS produced and aired a wide variety of programs - comedy, informational, and dramatic programs, among others. The AFRS also aired edited versions of popular commercial radio programs.

The service was first centered in New York, but soon moved to Los Angeles, where many of its most famous programs were produced. Some of these were: Yarns for Yanks, Command performance, Mail call, and weekly broadcasts of concerts of many major American symphony orchestras. Many of the shows, such as Command performance and Mail call, relied on the donation of time and effort by major talent in show business, who thought of appearances on the programs as a way to contribute to the war effort.

The Armed Forces Radio Service continued producing shows after the end of World War II, and was restructured under the broader title of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in the late 1940's.

From the guide to the Armed Forces Radio Service collection of broadcast recordings, 1942-1949, (The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.)