Robert H. Lochner papers, 1933-2003

Summary

Creators:

Lochner, Robert Hoyer, 1918-2003

Abstract:

Printed matter and photographs, relating to American radio broadcasting to Germany. Digital copies of select records also available at https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.

Extent:

5 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 36 digital files (0.08 GB) (2.2 Linear Feet)

Language:

In English and German

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Robert H. Lochner Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Robert H. Lochner papers consist largely of photographs that Lochner saved over the years, documenting his many activities as part of the U.S. occupation forces in Germany following World War II, as translator to several high-ranking U.S. officials and dignitaries who visited Germany during the 1940s through the 1960s, and as head of the RIAS broadcast service, based in West Berlin, during the 1960s. Lochner was credited with preparing John F. Kennedy for his June 1963 trip to Germany, and at the president's request, coached him in several German phrases, including "Ich bin ein Berliner." Photos of this trip are included in this collection. Many of these photos were also used in his 2003 memoir, Ein Berliner unter dem Sternenbanner [A Berliner under the Stars and Stripes].

Biographical / historical:

Date	Event
1918	Born Robert Hoyer Lochner, New York
1923	Family moves to Berlin when father, Louis P. Lochner, is appointed bureau chief of Associated Press
1936	Assists father in coverage of Olympic games, then leaves Berlin to begin studies at University of Chicago
1940	Bachelor's degree, political science, University of Chicago
1941	Master's degree, economics, University of Chicago
1941-1945	Worked on German broadcasts over short-wave service, NBC radio, New York
1945 Summer	Conducted studies for U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Germany, on effects of bombing on civilian morale
1945-1947	Director of news broadcasting for radio in the U.S. occupied zone of Germany, based in Bad Nauheim
1945-1955	Translator and interpreter for Military Governor Lucius D. Clay and High Commissioner John J. McCloy
1947-1949	Chief control officer for Radio Frankfurt
1949-1952	Editor in chief, Neue Zeitung, Frankfurt
1952-1955	Head of the press office of the American High Commission, Bonn
1954	Translator for former President Herbert Hoover on his visit to Germany
1955-1957	Head of the Information Division, U.S. Embassy, Saigon
1958-1961	Head of the European Division, Voice of America, Washington
1961	Translator for Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson during his visit to Berlin, after construction of the Berlin Wall
1961-1968	Director, RIAS (Radio in the American Sector), Berlin
1963	Translator for President John F. Kennedy during his visit to Berlin
1968-1971	Press and cultural attaché, American Embassy, Berne
1971-1996	Director, International Institute of Journalism, Berlin
1972-1989	Correspondent in Berlin for American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and Swiss News Agency
1972-1991	Berlin representative, American Chamber of Commerce in Germany
2003	Died, Berlin

Acquisition information:

Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2007.

Arrangement:

Organized into two series, Biographical File and Photographs.

Physical location:

Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Related material:

Related collections include the papers of Robert Hoyer Lochner's father, Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent Louis Paul Lochner, which are located in several collections at the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives in Madison, the Milwaukee Public Library, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. A further collection, the Louis P. Lochner family papers, is housed at the Concordia Historical Institute (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) in St. Louis. At the Hoover Institution Library & Archives, a further group of documents collected by Louis P. Lochner in Germany during and following World War II is available as the Louis Paul Lochner collection.

Alternative form available:

Digital copies of select records also available at https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Propaganda
Radio broadcasting -- Germany
Propaganda, American -- Germany
Journalists

Names:

Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor (Berlin, Germany)

Restrictions:

Box FH25 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Robert H. Lochner Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:

Hoover Institution

Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University

Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US

Contact:

(650) 723-3563

hooverarchives@stanford.edu

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