Nelson Rockefeller - Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (1940) OCIAA-Nelson-Rockefeller
This imaginative program represented a unique collaboration between government and private industry during the turbulent
World War II era in an effort to foster cultural exchanges and
cultural diplomacy throughout the Americas as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's
Good Neighbor policy.[9][10] It featured live performances of the CBS Pan American Orchestra under the musical direction of the noted conductor
Alfredo Antonini.[11][12] By 1945, performances by the orchestra on the CBS "La Cadena de los Americas" radio network were enjoyed by audiences in twenty Latin American nations and throughout North America.[13] As a result of its cultural authenticity, it emerged over the years as the network's most popular musical program.[14]
Viva América was primarily conceived in an effort to foster benevolent diplomatic relations throughout the
Americas during
World War II by showcasing the talents of a wide variety of respected professional musicians from both North and South America.[15] In this regard, it proved to be highly successful and functioned under the direct supervision of the Department of State as a cultural exchange program (as opposed to a propaganda program).[16] The collaborative performances by musicians who were featured on the program also served to introduce large audiences in the United States to innovative forms of Latin music including the Mexican
Bolero.[17] Included among the renowned soloists were:
Juan Arvizu (the
Mexican "Tenor with the Silken Voice");[18]Nestor Mesta Chayres (
Mexican tenor - aka "El Gitano De México");[19][20][21]Eva Garza (
Mexican songstress);[22][23][24]Terig Tucci, (
Argentine composer/arranger)[25]Miguel Sandoval (Guatemalan composer/conductor),
Elsa Miranda (Puerto Rican Vocalist/Actress),
Los Panchos Trio (Latin vocalists)[26][27]Manuolita Arriola (Mexican vocalist),[28]Kate Smith (American contralto),[29]Pat O'Brien (American actor)[30] and
John Serry, Sr. (an
American concert accordionist and featured soloist).[31][32][33]
External audio
You may listen to the Chilean cueca dance La Palma as sung by
Los Panchos Trio with
Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra in 194?
here
You may listen to Alfredo Antonini's CBS Pan American Orchestra with
John Serry Sr. and the mexican singer Luis G. Roldan performing the boleros Esta Noche Ha Pasado and Tres Palabras in 194?
here on archive.org
Broadcasts of this program were personally supervised by
Edmund A. Chester, Vice President at the
CBS network and Director of Latin-American Relations and Short Wave Broadcasting (1940 - 1948).[34][35][36][37][38][39] Mr. Chester could often be found visiting the control room at the
CBS broadcast studios in
New York City in order to enjoy his series of live concerts and to exchange insights with his staff of musicians and recording artists. At the governmental level, they were closely monitored by the Office of Inter-American Affairs through the Office for Coordination of Commercial and Cultural Relations (OCCCRBAR) under the direction of
Nelson Rockefeller and the
Department of State.[40] In recognition of their efforts to foster greater understanding between the peoples of Cuba and the United States on this program, both Edmund Chester and
William S. Paley were awarded the
Carlos Manuel de Cespedes National Order of Merit by the Cuban government - its highest civilian honor.[41]
The onset of the post World War II era precipitated the onset of the
Cold War and the initiation of new governmental oversight of the broadcast industry. As a consequence of these developments, exclusive control for the La Cadena de las Americas was essentially transferred to the Department of State from Voice of America in 1948.[42] As the focal point for American foreign policy shifted away from
South America toward
Europe broadcasts of this program were terminated (circa 1949) and the broadcasting links provided to South America by the Columbia Broadcast System
CBS were eliminated.[43]
Several historic master disk transcriptions of this program were recorded during live broadcasts and preserved on 78 RPM vinyl disks for
Voice of America. They were archived by the Department of State until the 1970s and have since passed into private collections.
References
External images
Photograph of Nestor Chayres and Manuolita Arriola on "Viva America" for CBS Radio in 1946 Here on Getty images
Photograph of Los Panchos Trio and Manolita Arrioa on "Viva America" for CBS Radio in 1946 Here on Getty Images
Photograph of Alfredo Antonini conducting on "Viva America" in 1946 Here on Getty Images
^Los Panchos Trio; Alfredo Antonini and His Viva America Orchestra,
La Palma; Rosa Negra (in Spanish), Internet Archive, Pilotone, retrieved March 26, 2019
^Anthony, Edwin D. (1973).
"Records of the Radio Division"(PDF). Records of the Office of Inter-American Affairs. Vol. Inventory of Record Group 229. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Record Services - General Services Administration. pp. 25–26.
LCCN73-600146.