On the evening of December 7th, 1941, with the United States reeling from the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Manilla, Orson Welles took to the air on CBS in collaboration with Norman Corwin.

Corwin was hired by CBS in April of 1938. For the next three years he honed his craft on shows like Words Without Music, Forecast, and The Pursuit of Happiness.

In 1941 Corwin was given the task of taking over the famed Columbia Workshop . He wrote and directed twenty-six plays—today considered great work. The final one was “Between Americans.”

On an evening unlike any prior in American radio history, Corwin tabbed Orson Welles to talk directly to the country. It was the first time they’d worked together.