Howard K. Smith

Howard Smith was a news man.

He worked on the radio. He also worked on TV. He traveled to many lands to tell stories. He went to a place called Berlin. He saw a big war there. He wrote a book about it. The book was very popular. He even acted in movies. He told people the truth about the world. He was a famous reporter.

Howard K. Smith was a famous news man.

He worked on the radio and on TV. He was part of a news team called the Murrow Boys. During World War II, he went to Berlin. He interviewed many leaders there. He wrote a book about his time in Germany. It became a best-seller.

Later, Smith worked for CBS and ABC. He reported on many big events. He told stories about civil rights in the 1960s. This work was very important. It even led to him losing his job at CBS. He later became a news anchor for ABC. He stayed there for many years.

Smith was also an actor. He appeared in many films. Sometimes he played himself on screen. He even wrote books for children. He married a reporter named Benedicte. They stayed married until he died in 2002. His son, Jack, was also a news man. Jack won awards for his work too. Howard Smith helped people learn about the world.

Howard Kingsbury Smith was a very important American journalist. He worked on the radio and on television. He was part of a news team called the Murrow Boys.

This team helped make CBS a leading news group. Smith was born in Ferriday, Louisiana, in 1914. He grew up in a place near Natchez, Mississippi. He later became a reporter for several famous newspapers. His work helped people understand big events around the world.

During World War II, Smith lived in Berlin. He was one of the last American reporters to leave before the war started.

He visited the mountain home of Adolf Hitler. Smith interviewed many leaders, including Heinrich Himmler and Joseph Goebbels. He wrote a book called Last Train from Berlin about these times. This book became a best-seller in America. Later, he returned to Berlin in 1945 to report on the German surrender.

Smith had a long and sometimes difficult career. In 1950, he was named in a report called Red Channels. This report led to him being placed on the Hollywood blacklist.

He also worked on a documentary about civil rights in Birmingham. This report showed how police and the KKK worked together. Because of this report, CBS lawyers stepped in. Smith was eventually suspended and then fired from his job at CBS.

In 1962, Smith began working for ABC. He became a co-anchor for the ABC Evening News in 1969.

He was on the air when Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot in 1968. Smith and Bill Lawrence stayed at their desks for hours to report the news. He also led debates between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal. Later, he became the first national commentator to call for President Nixon to resign.

Smith was a man of many talents. He appeared in many movies, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

He even wrote a book for children about Washington, D.C. He married a Danish reporter named Benedicte Traberg in 1941. They stayed married until he died in 2002. His son, Jack Smith, also became a famous newsman. Jack won many awards for his work before he died in 2004.

Howard Kingsbury Smith was a prominent American journalist and media figure. He worked as a radio reporter, television anchorman, and political commentator. He was also a film actor and a writer. Smith was a member of the "Murrow Boys," a team of war correspondents. This group helped make CBS a leading news organization during its era.

Smith was born on May 12, 1914, in Ferriday, Louisiana. He grew up near Natchez, Mississippi, and later attended university.

During World War II, Smith served as a vital eyewitness to history. In January 1940, he moved to Berlin to join the Columbia Broadcasting System. He worked under the leadership of Edward R. Murrow. Smith visited the mountain retreat of Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden. He interviewed several high-ranking Nazi leaders. These included Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the Schutzstaffel, or SS. He also interviewed Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. Smith was among the last American reporters to depart Berlin before the United States entered the war. In 1942, he published a best-selling book titled *Last Train from Berlin*. This book provided an eyewitness account of Germany during the war. He returned to Berlin in May 1945 to report on the German surrender.

After the war, Smith continued his international reporting for CBS. In 1946, he became the chief European correspondent in London. He traveled throughout Europe in 1947, even traveling behind the Iron Curtain. In 1949, he published a 408-page survey of the continent titled *The State of Europe*. In this book, he argued that both American and Russian policies were mistaken. He suggested Western Europe needed more social reform. He also argued that Eastern Europe required more political liberty. However, his views led to professional difficulties. In June 1950, the Red Channels report named him as one of 151 alleged Communist sympathizers. This event placed him on the Hollywood blacklist.

Smith's career at CBS ended due to his reporting on civil rights. In 1961, he produced a documentary titled "Who Speaks for Birmingham?" The report revealed a conspiracy between police commissioner Bull Connor and the KKK. This group used violence against Black people and Freedom Riders. Smith intended to end his report with a quote from Edmund Burke. The quote stated that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. However, CBS lawyers intervened to stop the quote. The documentary caused a major controversy. CBS was sued, and its Birmingham television station lost its affiliation. Because his contract forbade editorializing, Smith was suspended and then fired by CBS President William S. Paley.

In 1962, Smith joined ABC, where he would work for many years. On June 5, 1968, he and Bill Lawrence were anchoring a California presidential primary broadcast. While they were on air, news arrived that Senator Robert F. Kennedy had been shot in Los Angeles. The network showed a wide shot of the newsroom for several minutes. Smith eventually confirmed the story and returned to the air. He and Lawrence remained at their desks for hours to provide updates. In 1969, Smith became a co-anchor for the *ABC Evening News*. He worked with Frank Reynolds and later with Harry Reasoner. During this time, he became a more conservative commentator. He supported the Vietnam War and compared President Lyndon B. Johnson's actions to the failure to stop Hitler.

Smith's relationship with political leaders was complex. His conservative views earned him a rare, hour-long interview with President Richard Nixon in 1971. This happened even though Smith had broadcast a "political obituary" for Nixon nine years earlier. During the 1972 presidential campaign, a letter surfaced that showed Smith supported Senator Edmund S. Muskie. The letter was written on ABC stationery, but the controversy did not cost him his job. Despite his past interactions with Nixon, Smith became the first national commentator to call for Nixon's resignation during the Watergate scandal. He remained at ABC until 1975 as a co-anchor. He continued as an analyst until 1979. He eventually resigned because he disliked the new format of *World News Tonight$.

Beyond news, Smith was a man of many interests. He appeared in several films, often playing himself. These included *The Best Man*, *The Candidate*, and *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*. He also wrote books for different audiences. These included *The Population Explosion* and a children's book about Washington, D.C. Smith married Benedicte Traberg, a Danish reporter, in 1941. They remained married until his death in 2002. His son, Jack Smith, also became a famous newsman. Jack won Peabody and Emmy awards before he died in 2004.