Audio, 1953-1959

The Audio series houses approximately 200 recordings of "The Week In Congress," Senator Frear's weekly radio address to the people of Delaware. Also contained in the Audio series are recordings of speeches, press conferences, and interviews given by Senator Frear and others.

Throughout his senate career, J. Allen Frear, Jr. addressed the people of Delaware on a weekly basis regarding issues of congressional, domestic, and international importance. WDOV, a radio station in Dover, contracted Senator Frear to present "The Week In Congress" during his two terms in office. Although Senator Frear began recording his weekly radio broadcasts in 1949, this subseries contains only recordings from 1953 to 1959.

The issues reported on by Frear for "The Week In Congress" reflect the concerns and changes affecting the nation throughout the 1950s. In 1953, Frear spoke frequently on the Korean War and the negotiations occurring towards an armistice settlement. In 1954, the radio broadcasts were consumed, more often than not, by the topic of the war in Indochina, a region of the peninsula south of the Chinese mainland comprised of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Although the war in Indochina involved the French and Chinese communists, Congress consistently debated methods of aiding the French in their struggle against what was perceived as a World Communist threat. In the radio broadcast recorded on February 15, 1954, Frear discussed providing the French with U.S. intelligence, but no American troops participated in the conflict.

Senator Frear spoke passionately about his personal disdain for communist ideology and was an active participant in attempting to halt the spread of world communism. In "The Week In Congress" broadcast of May 26, 1954, Frear discussed his business trip to Latin America, where he assessed the conditions of international trade and domestic economy in several Latin American countries. Frear mentioned that his study uncovered various points of communist penetration in Latin America, including Guatemala's receiving a shipment of arms from "...behind the iron curtain."

Senator Frear often commented on the severity of the Soviet threat and his desire to treat all efforts towards peace with the U.S.S.R. with reserve and caution. Senator Frear voiced extreme concern over three Cold War events in particular: the United Nation's acceptance of China as a voting member, the shooting down of an American Naval aircraft in Soviet air space, and the crisis in Germany which resulted from the division of Berlin. In "The Week In Congress" of July 14, 1954, Frear expressed his disaccord with the condition of the Indochina peace agreement requiring France to vote in favor of China's admittance to the United Nations. Frear described the mounting tension in Congress over the shooting down of an American navy plane in Soviet air space, which, according to Frear, had drifted off course due to bad weather. Frear also commented frequently on the crisis in Berlin as it related to the hemispheric balance of power.

Frear reported on the state of domestic affairs, including Hawaiian and Alaskan statehood, domestic economy and unemployment, the space program, and the status of farming in the United States. In 1958, the United States economy plummeted to its lowest point since the Great Depression of 1929. Frear's radio address of May 5, 1958 contended with this issue, and with Congress' struggle to control federal expenditures and reduce taxes during this time of national hardship.

Senator Frear also used his weekly radio addresses to provide for the citizens of Delaware the details of certain bills and amendments being debated before Congress, and their progress or defeat. Frear often discussed the status of tax amendments, particularly his own bill, S. 200, which was designed to protect common stockholders who suffered from the DuPont-General Motors forced divestiture, as is thoroughly documented in "Legislative Files, Series 61." Frear also discussed his committee involvement and provided reviews of legislation to be heard before his committees.

The Speeches section of the Audio subseries contains five tapes in total. The first two cassettes record a toast, referred to as "The Dinner Bell," in honor of Senator Frear at the Dover Rotary Club on June 16, 1953. Among the speakers honoring Senator Frear were his college friends, Theodore W. Collins and Dr. Carl Reiss, Colonel Paul Zartman, the Commanding Officer of the Dover Air Force Base, Wallace Woodford, former Mayor of Centerville, Delaware, and the senior Senator from Delaware, John J. Williams. Senator Frear's athletic endeavors at the University of Delaware, collegiate academic record, military service, religious and fraternal affiliations, and political and public life were subjects reflected upon by the appropriate speakers. "The Dinner Bell" is divided into two parts and provides a well-rounded overview of Senator Frear's life up to 1953.

The remaining audio cassettes in the Speeches section chronicle aspects of Senator Frear's visit to Indonesia in November 1959. The first tape, dated November 11, 1959, documents the welcoming ceremonies performed by the Indonesian people following the Senator's arrival in Djakarta. On this tape, Senators Frear and Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania deliver brief statements of thanks.

The recording dated November 14, 1959 is of a press conference hosted by Senators Frear and Bourke Hickenlooper at the Indonesian Parliament. Among the issues they field are the race question in the United States, atomic weapon testing, and the status of U.S./Soviet relations.

The final recording in the Speeches section are the interviews with Senators Frear and Hickenlooper, and their farewell addresses to the people of Indonesia. This recording was made on November 24, 1959.

The majority of the sound recordings have been transferred from a 7.5 speed reel-to-reel tape to cassette tapes for preservation purposes. Although all of the audio material had been retained, certain radio addresses are barely audible.

The audio tapes are arranged alphabetically in two subject categories, Radio Addresses and Speeches, and are in chronological order within each category. The date for each recording is the date broadcast, if known, and the date recorded, if not known.