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Max Jordan (later Father Placid Jordan - April 21, 1895 in
- November 1977) was a pioneering radio journalist for the
Max Jordan -- NBC's Forgotten Pioneer
by Elizabeth McLeod
Photos of Dr Jordan from Rex Features
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Max 1895 births 1977 deaths American male journalists American radio reporters and correspondents Benedictine monks University of Jena alumni Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Max Jordan (later Father Placid Jordan - April 21, 1895 in Sanremo
Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...
, Italy Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt Staatsarchiv may refer to the archives of one of several national or sub-national governments:
* Hessisches Staatsarchiv Marburg, the archives of the state of Hesse, situated in Marburg, Germany
* Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, the national arch ...
Signatur: PD-REG 3a 18095- November 1977) was a pioneering radio journalist for the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
network in Europe in the 1930s. Later, he became a Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
.
Finding aid, ZHN 131
Finding aid, ZHN 028
Early life and career
He received a PhD in Religious Philosophy from theUniversity of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The un ...
. He worked for William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
's newspapers in the 1920s.
He covered many important stories (and had many scoops) in the 1930s, when the medium of radio was still relatively new. His first report for NBC was on a 1931 speech by German President Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany fro ...
. Jordan also reported on the first Atlantic flight of the Hindenburg in 1936, the Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
of Austria in 1938, the text of that year's Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, Germany, the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Fa ...
(giving Germany the ethnically-German regions of Czechoslovakia), the 1940 invasion of France
France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans.
* the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...
, and the 1945 surrender of Japan.
In 1931, he became domiciled in Arlesheim
Arlesheim is a town and a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. Its cathedral chapter seat, bishop's residence and cathedral (1681 / 1761) are listed as a heritage site of national significance ...
, Canton of Basel-Landschaft
Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; german: Kanton Basel-Landschaft ; rm, Chantun Basilea-Champagna; french: Canton de Bâle-Campagne; it, Canton Basilea Campagna), is one of the 26 cantons forming ...
. In 1939 he became a US citizen
He also hired Martin Agronsky
Martin Zama Agronsky ( ; January 12, 1915 – July 25, 1999), also known as Martin Agronski, was an American journalist, political analyst, and television host. He began his career in 1936 working under his uncle, Gershon Agron, at the ''Palest ...
in 1940 to cover the war.
Horten stated that part of Jordan's success was his networking with the governments of Germany, Austria, and Hungary, which provided NBC "privileged use" of their broadcasting facilities.
During the war, he worked on NBC's religious shows, which included prayers, bible stories, and a series about military Chaplain
A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations.
Although the term ''cha ...
ship, Chaplain Jim.
Monk
Around 1954, he joined theBeuron Abbey
Beuron Archabbey (in German Erzabtei Beuron, otherwise Erzabtei St. Martin; in Latin ''Archiabbatia Sancti Martini Beuronensis''; Swabian: ''Erzabtei Beira'') is a major house of the Benedictine Order located at Beuron in the upper Danube vall ...
, in Germany. He became a monk and took the name of Placid Jordan. He would later argue (in print) against Gordon Zahn
Gordon Zahn (born Gordon Charles Paul Roach; August 7, 1918, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – December 9, 2007, in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) was an American sociology, sociologist, pacifist, professor, and author.
Early life
Born out of wedlock, Zahn ...
's assertions that the Catholic Church had not properly resisted Nazism. Specifically, Jordan wrote responses to Zahn's papers regarding the Catholic Church and Nazi Germany
Popes Pius XI (1922–1939) and Pius XII (1939–1958) led the Catholic Church during the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. Around a third of Germans were Catholic in the 1930s, most of them lived in Southern Germany; Protestants dominated the no ...
. He also wrote a letter to William F. Buckley Jr.
William Frank Buckley Jr. (born William Francis Buckley; November 24, 1925 – February 27, 2008) was an American public intellectual, conservative author and political commentator. In 1955, he founded ''National Review'', the magazine that stim ...
's magazine ''National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...
'' that was critical of Zahn's book ''German Catholics and Hitler's Wars
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
''.
Jordan died in 1977.
See also
*Fred Bate
Frederick Blantford Bate was an American broadcaster of the early 20th century, and was a representative for NBC in Britain during World War II. He was the husband of Vera Bate Lombardi, the British socialite, and the father of Bridget Bate Tich ...
*Edward R Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe fo ...
*William Shirer
William Lawrence Shirer (; February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993) was an American journalist and war correspondent. He wrote ''The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'', a history of Nazi Germany that has been read by many and cited in scholarly w ...
Notes
External links
Max Jordan -- NBC's Forgotten Pioneer
by Elizabeth McLeod
Photos of Dr Jordan from Rex Features
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Max 1895 births 1977 deaths American male journalists American radio reporters and correspondents Benedictine monks University of Jena alumni Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany