Radio Diaries Orson Welles and the Blind Soldier 1: The Bus Ride
Feb 12, 2026
12:19
On February 12, 1946, a Black soldier was heading home from WWII when he was brutally beaten by a white police officer in South Carolina. No one knew the identity of the police officer. No one even knew the town where it happened.
When the famous radio host Orson Welles heard about the crime, he pledged to solve the mystery, week-by-week, on the air.
Today, episode 1 of our new series Orson Welles and the Blind Soldier, about an incident in a small, southern town that led to the desegregation of the U.S. military.
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Thanks to Richard Gergel for his book Unexampled Courage and Indiana University’s Lilly Library for archival audio. Music from Matthias Bossi and Bill Frisell for music.