Background
Brown, Cecil was born on September 14, 1907 in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, United States.
(Grim warfare in the Desert and Malayan Jungle The sinking...)
Grim warfare in the Desert and Malayan Jungle The sinking of the Repulse and the Prince of wales By the man whose on the spot coverage from these vital fronts during WWII
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H1FX5A/?tag=2022091-20
(KIRKUS REVIEW As memorable as Berlin Diary -- and the bes...)
KIRKUS REVIEW As memorable as Berlin Diary -- and the best journalist's story since that, which is high praise in view of the calibre of the competitors. In some ways more exciting reading, with its spirit of adventure; more challenging, with its realism and fearlessness (it is easy to see why he proved persona non grata to British brass hats); and -- on the whole -- better written. His was a perpetual Jeremiah role; he sought out the facts and battled for the truth -- in time. This is his story in detail -- again proving the old adage, that truth is stranger than fiction. From the struggle of the British in the Near East early in 1941, through the doom of the British in the Pacific:- he saw brave men at their best, and tells their stories superbly; he was on the Repulse when she sank; he told Lieutenant Chapple's undersea thriller to the world; his story of Captain Wheless' great air battle is a hair raiser. He does not hesitate to name names and air facts; he wants to show the reasons behind the events. Essentially a hard- boiled realist, he reveals a softer, human, almost sentimental side. Grand reading -- and with the promised big all-out backing of promotion and advertising, it should go places. Pub Date: Oct. 22nd, 1942
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007E4FWI/?tag=2022091-20
Brown, Cecil was born on September 14, 1907 in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, United States.
Student, Western Reserve University, 1927. Bachelor of Science, Ohio State University, 1929. Doctor of Letters (honorary), Union College.
He was the author of the book Suez to Singapore, which describes the sinking of HMS Repulse in December 1941. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to radio. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1929, Brown left the United States for the Mediterranean and Black Seas where he worked as a seaman.
He eventually returned to the United States where he worked as a journalist at several small newspapers.
By 1937 he was back in Europe working as a freelancer. Columbia Broadcasting System hired Brown in 1940 as their correspondent in Rome, where he openly criticized the regime of Benito Mussolini.
In 1941 the Italian government cited Brown"s "continued hostile attitude" and expelled him from the country. After his expulsion from Italy, Columbia Broadcasting System sent Brown to Singapore.
In December 1941, while Brown was in Singapore, he was invited to go out on a mission on the British cruiser HMS Repulse.
The Repulse and the "Prince of Wales" were attacked by land based Japanese bomber aircraft and sunk. Brown narrowly escaped with his life. His experiences in his long journey and dealings with Italian, British, and other censorship authorities led him to write Suez to Singapore which was published in 1942.
His criticism of the British in Singapore caused him to have his "war corresponent" credentials revoked and made him a persona non-grata.
He narrowly escaped from Singapore before its fall to the Japanese. He was part of a larger group of reporters known as Murrow"s Boys.
In September 1943, Brown resigned from Columbia Broadcasting System after being rebuked by Columbia Broadcasting System news director Paul White for expressing an editorial opinion during an August 25 news broadcast. Brown had stated that "a good deal of the enthusiasm for this war is evaporating into thin air." Announcing his resignation Brown said that he could not subscribe to what he characterized as Columbia Broadcasting System" policy of "non-opinionated" news.
After leaving Columbia Broadcasting System Brown covered the rest of the war at home, in the United States, for the Mutual Network.
When World World War II ended Brown continued to work in broadcast journalism as a correspondent for Mutual, National Broadcasting Company and American Broadcasting Company. He retired from broadcasting in 1967 and went to work as a professor of communication arts at Cal Poly Pomona where he worked until he died in 1987.
(Grim warfare in the Desert and Malayan Jungle The sinking...)
(KIRKUS REVIEW As memorable as Berlin Diary -- and the bes...)
Member Overseas Press Club (past president), Society Professional Journalists.
Married Martha Brown, July 20, 1938.