The “Sweetheart of the doughboys”: Episode #69

Highlights

US Telephone in WWI - Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser, AT&T | @02:25

The tide begins to turn - Mike Shuster | @10:10

The “Sweetheart of the doughboys” - Edward Lengel | @14:25

The Women’s Land Army - Elaine Weiss | @22:55

Anzac Day - Group Captain Peter Davis & Commander Peter Kempster | @30:30

100 Cities / 100 Memorials: Granite, OK - Phil Neighbors & Perry Hutchison | @37:40

Speaking WW1: Kiwi & Aussie | @44:25

WW1 War Tech: Geophone | @45:35

Dispatch Newsletter Headlines | @47:20

WWI Centennial in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @50:05----more----

Opening

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #69 - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

This week:

Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser tells us about an iconic American company and its role in the war -- AT&T.

Mike Schuster, from the great war project blog updates us on German morale as Operation Georgette comes to a close.

Dr. Edward Lengel with the story of Elsie Janis, the “sweetheart of the doughboys”

Elaine Weiss introduces us to the Farmerettes, the women’s land army

Group Captain Peter Davis and Commander Peter Kempster on the Australian and New Zealander commemorations for ANZAC day

Phil Neighbors and Perry Hutchison with the 100 Cities / 100 Memorial project from Granite, Oklahoma.

Katherine Akey with the commemoration of world war one in social media

And lots more... on WW1 Centennial News -- a weekly podcast brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Starr foundation.

I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show.

[MUSIC]

Preface

Today we are going to explore the US telephone system during the war -- and unlike most nations where the phone systems are typically government owned --- The US Telephone system has always been privately owned - well, not always - for 1 year during WWI -  the US government took over the nation’s telephone system… but perhaps most amazing of all - a year later, after the war, the US government privatized it again!

With that as a setup, let’s jump into our centennial time machine and look at the America’s telephone story 100 years ago - in the war that changed the world!

[SOUND EFFECT]

[TRANSITION]

World War One THEN

100 Year Ago This Week  

It is the summer of 1918 and the House Committee on Interstate Commerce is holding hearings about a government take over of the nation’s privately held telephone system.

Only three witnesses are called to testify - Albert Berleson - The Postmaster General, Newton Baker, the secretary of war and Josephus Daniels, the secretary of the Navy.

These three men, eventually backup up by President Wilson -  are pushing for the takeover of the phone system - citing among other things - national security concerns including the protections from spies using this incredibly powerful technology that is rapidly spreading across the land.

Most remarkably ---  that representatives of the phone company are NOT asked to participate in the discussion.

Well, to help us tell this amazing story, we invited Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser, the corporate Historian from AT&T to join us on the show.

AT&T During the War

Welcome, Dr. Hochheiser!

[greetings/welcome]

[Dr. Hochheiser - from an AT&T historical perspective - what was the story here?]

[Were the company executives on record about this? What did they say?

How did this nationalization actually work? The government suddenly declared that they owned the phone lines, but operations continued to be run by AT&T? Or were they? ]

[What happened as a result of the postmaster General’s involvement?]

[The most interesting part of all this FOR ME -  is that control was returned to AT&T again as the war ended. How did that happen?]

[During the war, how did telephone facilities rise to meet wartime needs? ]

[Dr, Hochheiser - We just got in a question from o