Legislative History

RADIO ADDRESS

America's Town Meeting of the Air

SHOULD WE PLAN FOR
SOCIAL SECURITY?

Radio Broadcast: December 19, 1935

The NBC Radio Network program America's Town Meeting of the Air was an early form of electronic "townhall" democracy--perhaps the very first such electronic forum. In May of 1935 the program began what would become a 21-year run. (In later years the program would be broadcast on the ABC network.) The format of the broadcasts pitted two prominent experts in a debate of some aspect of public policy. The program was unique for its time in that it also featured questions from both the live audience and from the listening audience around the country.

In this broadcast from December 1935, Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins is defending and explaining the recently passed Social Security Act, while journalist George E. Sokolsky is attacking the new legislation.

Prolog (4:59) Windows Media Player Format RealAudio Format Remarks By Frances Perkins (18:53) Windows Media Player Format RealAudio Format Remarks By George Sokolsky (20:44) Windows Media Player Format RealAudio Format Q & A Session (13:48) Windows Media Player Format RealAudio Format Epilog (2:19) Windows Media Player Format RealAudio Format