NPR

'I'm An American' Radio Show Promoted Inclusion Before World War II

Before the U.S. entered World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to promote tolerance toward immigrants. So, the government started a radio program featuring celebrity immigrants' stories.
Albert Einstein receives his certificate of American citizenship from Judge Phillip Forman. A German-American, Einstein came to the United States in 1932.

In 1940, on the eve of the United States' entrance into World War II, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Immigration and Naturalization Service wanted to promote tolerance toward immigrants.

At that time, radio was the most important medium in the U.S. More than 80 percent of American households had a radio, and people listened for three or four hours every day. So, to reach the American people, the agency made a radio show.

Aptly named , the program featured "distinguished naturalized

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