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Harry  BUTCHER

 

 Harry C. Butcher nacque il primo novembre del 1901 a Springfield nello Stato dell'Iowa e fu l'inviato speciale di una emittente radiofonica che durante la seconda guerra Mondiale curò i collegamenti con i media del generale Eisenhower.

 Dopo la laurea presa allo Iowa State College, nel 1929 Butcher iniziò la sua carriera radiofonica aprendo la stazione CBS dello stato di Washington D.C.

 Nel 1939 fu nominato Luogotenente e dal 1942 al 1945 servì come aiutante navale del generale Dwight D. Eisenhower e fu nominato Comandante nel 1943.

 Eisenhower lo incaricò di tener eil suo diario personale che venne poi pubblicato sotto il titolo "I miei tre anni con Eisenhower".

 Appassionato di Bridge, durante la guerra chiuse spesso il tavolo con Eisenhower ed i generali Clark e Gruenther.

 Alla fine della guerra fondò una sua emittente radiofonica a Santa Barbara in California e lavorò come consulente per diverse TV.

 Morì a Santa Barbara il 20 aprile del 1985.

  Harry C. Butcher was a radio broadcaster who served during World War II as the Naval Aide to General Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1942 to 1945.

Butcher was born in Springfield, Iowa on November 1, 1901. Following his graduation from Iowa State College, in 1929 Butcher began a career in radio broadcasting.

He opened the Washington, D.C. office of CBS and served as its director until 1932. Beginning in 1932 he was the manager, and later vice-president, of the CBS Radio Network's station in Washington, D.C. station WJSV. While there, Butcher coined a term for President Franklin Roosevelt's radio speeches to the American public, referring to the May 7, 1933 address in a press release, as a "fireside chat".

During his tenure at WJSV, Butcher was commissioned a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy Reserve (U.S.N.R.) on September 16, 1939. From 1942 to 1945, Butcher served as the Naval Aide to General Dwight D. Eisenhower. On May 1, 1943, Butcher was promoted to the rank of Commander in the U.S.N.R.

On November 1, 1944 he was promoted to the temporary rank of Captain. Following an order given to him by Eisenhower, Butcher kept a diary of his and Eisenhower's wartime activities. The diary would come to be published in 1946 under the title "My Three Years with Eisenhower." It also led to historian Max Hastings referring to him as "the embodiment of all gossip-ridden staff officers".

Passionate about bridge during the war was often seen playing with Eisenhower.

Butcher returned to the broadcasting world following the end of the war. From 1946 to the 1970s, Butcher owned a radio station in Santa Barbara, California.

He also served as president of Santa Barbara's cable TV corporation. He also served as a radio and television consultant.

On April 20, 1985, Butcher died in Santa Barbara, California.