Papers of Howard K. Smith (1914-2002), an award-winning news analyst and foreign correspondent, consisting of material on his career with both the ABC and CBS networks. CBS radio scripts pertain to his work as a World War II correspondent and to his post-war commentaries. The former are made up of stories written in Switzerland (1941-1944), and while covering the Allied advance with the Ninth Army (1944-1945). Also dating from this period are cables and dispatches to the London "Daily Herald," "Time," and "Life." CBS television scripts consist of Smith's brief analysis of news events for "Douglas Edwards and the News" (1957-1961). Fan mail relates chiefly to this program (1944-1961).
After switching to ABC, Smith had his own television program, "Howard K. Smith--News and Comment." For this show the collection includes viewer mail, fan mail evaluations, clippings, and New York office files, plus tape recordings and films. There are film interview transcripts for Paul H. Douglas, Samuel J. Ervin Jr., James A. Farley, Gerald R. Ford, Orville E. Freeman, Lillian Gish, Harry Golden, Albert A. Gore Sr., Sheilah Graham, Ernest Gruening, Leonard W. Hall, Philip A. Hart, James R. Hoffa, Hubert H. Humphrey, Jacob K. Javits, C. Estes Kefauver, Joseph E. Levine, John V. Lindsay, Eugene J. McCarthy, Robert S. McNamara, Malcolm X, Mike Mansfield, Clark R. Mollenhoff, Wayne L. Morse, Hans Morgenthau, Edward R. Murrow, Adam Clayton Powell, Walter W. Rostow, Dean Rusk, Hugh D. Scott Jr., Merriman Smith, Theodore C. Sorenson, Cyrus L. Sulzberger, Gloria Swanson, J. Strom Thurmond, and Rexford G. Tugwell, among others.
The office files contain transcripts of these interviews as aired, together with research material, notes, and memoranda. Of particular interest are interviews, scripts, clippings, and fan mail related to the controversial program, "The Political Obituary of Richard Nixon."
