Edward R. Murrow’s son describes artifacts donated to Club

Gil Klein

September 17, 2021

An ordinary tan briefcase common to mid-20^th century businessmen took on extraordinary meaning as Casey Murrow described how his father, the legendary CBS News correspondent Edward R. Murrow, had used it.

“The briefcase my dad carried for a number of years actually went around the world with us,” Murrow, joined by his daughter, Jenna, told National Press Club members Tuesday as they gathered with Club members in the room named for the globe-trotting newsman.

The Murrow family has donated a number of Edward R. Murrow's personal items now on display at the Club.

Photo of display case in Club's Murrow Room.

Murrow used the atlas that sits beside the briefcase in the new display to follow the battles across North Africa. Pencil marks are still visible on the pages. A set of poker chips and hunting vest and satchel speak to the humanity of a person who reached iconic status.

Marvin Kalb, the last correspondent Murrow hired at CBS News, appeared to the group virtually, saying Murrow was always part of the lives of his family going back to World War II when they would listen to the broadcasts from London. “I was fascinated by the quality of the content that Murrow presented.”

Heading toward an academic career in Russian history, Kalb said he was studying in the Harvard Library when the librarian said a man identifying himself as Edward. R. Murrow was on the phone and wanted to talk with him. He told the librarian that it must be a crank because he couldn’t think of one reason that Murrow would want to talk with him. A few hours later, the librarian came back and said the same man was on the phone.

“The minute I heard his voice, I realized what a total jackass I was,” Kalb recounted. Murrow had read an article he had written on Soviet youth and asked if he could come to New York to talk about it. After Murrow questioned him intensely for three hours, he put his arm around Kalb's shoulders and asked if he would like to join CBS News.

“In a flash, my budding academic career vanished,” he said. “If I could do it in the spirit with the quality of the Murrow tradition, I know I would be doing a good thing.”

New collection of photographs, drawings, quotes

Casey Murrow discussed his father Edward R. Murrow's legendary career at a Sept. 14 Club event. Photo: Dan McCue

“He was either a very good poker player or a terrible poker player,” said his son, who had heard it both ways from his father’s friends. “His interest in hunting dated back to his childhood when they would often hunt for food in the Pacific Northwest.” And the hours he spent hunting and fishing with his father were cherished memories of growing up.

A new collection of photographs, drawings and quotes now line the walls, each one with a special meaning to Murrow. But the one that meant the most to Casey did not depict his father. It was a photo of Carl Sandburg at the Lincoln Memorial. Under it, Sandburg wrote an inscription: “To Ed Murrow: Reporter, historian, inquirer and seeker.”

“I always thought ‘seeker’ was a fascinating term for Ed Murrow,” Casey said, “thinking of the whole image of him being a seeker, following stories very carefully.”

All of the photos and memorabilia are significant to the history of the family, he said, and the family is glad that the Club will display and take care of them.

Murrow Mic on permanent display

Former NPC president Michael Freedman poses with Casey Murrow in front of Edward R. Murrow's iconic microphone. Photo: Bob Ludwig.

Casey Murrow had developed a close relationship with Michael Freedman, the Club’s 2020 president, who had been general manager of CBS Radio Network News. That relationship led to the donation of the artifacts last October, as well as Casey lending the Club the microphone that his father used while broadcasting from London.

Freedman called it “the Holy Grail” of broadcast journalism because Murrow’s reports from London created the concept and the standards for broadcast news. Freedman and Club Executive Director Bill McCarren arranged for it to be displayed in the hallway leading to the Murrow Room. Casey had planned to take it home with him after the evening’s event.

The family had recently decided to part with the microphone and seeing its value to journalism history and future generations, Freedman and his wife, Renee, offered to buy it, saying it was “an extraordinary opportunity as a combination private acquisition and public service.” The Murrow family accepted the Freedman family offer and the microphone will now remain in its hallway case for an indefinite period of time.

“Our hope is that it will continue to inspire journalists for years to come,” Freedman said.