Starting sporadically in the late 1970's and turning into a weekly series by the 1980's, CBS Radio's Newsmark was something of a last-gasp at serious radio documentaries produced by mainstream media. With a rotation of weekly hosts and a wide range of subject matter, Newsmark tried to revive what had already become a largely ignored radio genre and inject some new life into it.

One such episode first aired in January of 1988 and the subject was Immigration and the battle over Immigration Reform (sound familiar?). Realizing this is from 23 years ago, the controversy and the attempts at reform are still very much front-and-center in our collective consciousness. And, it would appear, we're as far away from a solution now as we were then.

At times it's gratifying to know some things never change. In this instance, it's rather sad.

A half hour rundown on current life via CBS Radio from a series no longer produced - Newsmark for January 17, 1988.

As was pointed out to me, the current problems we have with Immigration go back roughly to the post-World War 1 period of around 1919. Prior to that, it was pretty much an open door as Immigrants were encouraged to come to the U.S. in order to build up the labor force, join in the tidal wave of Western Expansion and generally bolster the population. But after World War 1 all that changed changed and suddenly the doors which were flung open were now suspiciously closed, and landing in this country as an immigrant became harder and harder. In 1924 the first Border Patrol was created in an effort to stem what had by then become a flood of Illegal Immigrants.

During World War 2 however, there was a flurry of activity with the Bracero Program (for Agricultural workers) along with the Railroad Bracero Program (for Railroad workers) which was passed in 1942 and implemented in 1943 and directed towards Mexico and Latin-America, but also as a way of shoring up the lagging workforce that had been drafted into military service. It didn't promise instant citizenship, but it offered a "fast track". And with our fears that Latin-American countries would go the way of the Axis, and since Mexico had also declared War on Germany, it was a good political move.

But when the War was over, so was the welcome mat and Immigration rules became tighter and more restricted. The Railroad Program was dropped in 1945 and the Bracero Program came under fire until it initially expired in 1947, but was renewed again in 1951 on a modified basis before it's complete demise in 1964. The Fear-On-Paper was the possibility of Communist infiltration. That spies and agitators would flow into the U.S. but the real fear was that, now the war was over, the workforce would return to its Pre-War level and there was very little need or desire for unskilled labor.

But outside the border America was still considered the Land of Opportunity and better wages were still to be had. So rather than make it easier to achieve legal Immigrant status, most chose the Illegal route.

Then as now, the logic has always been "go where the work is and the opportunities are". And employers on the other side of the border, in Manufacturing as well as Agriculture were more than willing to offer employment since it usually meant "off the books" and "negotiated wages" (i.e: well below market). Skilled labor, it should be noted and with personal experience, has always been given higher regard than unskilled labor. In short, it is easier to land Immigrant Status with a college degree, an in-demand skill or a good lawyer. The vast majority of people scrambling across the border are not skilled, do not have college degrees and certainly don't have lawyers. They are what have been called "country folk" (think Appalachia in Spanish), and they are degraded, chastised, vilified and discriminated against. But strangely, they are welcome with open, if not clandestine arms when it comes to building roads, picking oranges, cleaning toilets, straightening Hotel Rooms and dumping body fluids.

So in 1954 the problem was the same as it is now even though The Bracero Program was creaking along and offering legal employment to Mexican nationals with cooperation from conscientious American employers.

This documentary, produced by CBS Radio and KNX in Los Angeles, followed the path of the illegals, the Wetbacks as they were called, on a journey from Mexicali to Los Angeles. It was recorded on scene and, not only does it make for fascinating broadcast journalism, it also spells out exactly what was entailed at the time to get across the border and not get caught.

Bear in mind this is 1950's radio. It's a one hour Documentary that covers a lot of bases. Then as now, it's all mired in controversy and knee-jerk responses. The stereotype portrayals are just as prevalent then as they are now and the problem hasn't changed with one exception - in 1954 there was The Bracero Program and today there isn't. In 1954 there was at least an attempt at offering a solution, no matter how much of a band aid on a bleed-out it was. Today the conversation is back to Square One.

But there is a history.

Maybe as something of an antidote to the sensationalism of the Beat Generation (in my post yesterday) is the social consciousness and backlash to the McCarthy Red Scare era that also enveloped America in the 1950's. Championed by the likes of Playwright Arthur Miller, (who himself was lambasted in the mainstream media as a Pinko and, for a while, Mr. Marilyn Monroe) Clifford Odets and many others of the neo-realist school, who helped take the Theater from a place of breezy entertainment to a forum on the human condition.

A View From The Bridge began life as a one-act verse drama in 1955 and was later reworked into a two-act play in 1956. It's a compelling mixture of fear, false pride and revenge taking it's nod from the Italian neo-realist Opera that gave the landmark Cavalleria Rusticana while mixing with the Immigration issues (and Red Scare) prevalent during the McCarthy era, and ironically prevalent today.

For a complete breakdown of the Play check out some of the sites associated with it. It's seen numerous revivals over the years, primarily because the message hasn't aged and with most social consciousness issues, hasn't changed all that much over the years.

This recording, sadly deleted from Mercury Records' catalog way too long ago, features the original revival cast as it was presented off-Broadway at the Sheridan Square Playhouse in 1964-1965. That revival garnered Obie Awards for it's star Robert Duvall and its director Ulu Grossbard.

The cast goes as follows (in order of appearance):

Louis - Richard Castellano
Mike - Carmine Cardi
Alfieri - Mitchell Jason
Eddie - Robert Duvall
Catherine - Linda Eskenas
Beatrice - Jeanne Kaplan
Marco - Ramon Bieri
Tony - Gino Morra
Rodolpho - Jon Voight
First Immigration Officer - Dan Priest
Second Immigration Officer - Curt Dempster

Directed by: Ulu Grossbard
Assistant Director : Dustin Hoffman

Act I - top player
Act II - bottom player

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

The age old debate on Immigration and what, if any, should that policy be. It has plagued administrations probably since Jefferson. In 1953 it was aggravated by the Cold War and the threat of espionage and subversive activities from the flood of Displaced Persons at the end of World War 2. Today it's a bit different, although by 1953's standards probably not all that much. In 1953 there was the creeping onslaught of people not from the traditional European locales, but rather from Asia, due in no small part to the Korean War.

So beyond the fear of espionage and subversion also came the fear of job loss. Those non-European Immigrants, it was thought, didn't have the same work ethic or understanding of the rules and would therefore flood the workforce with cheap labor and destroy the minimum wage and the unions.

To some people, that wasn't such a bad idea. But the bottom line was, Immigration was becoming a problem and some solution had to be arrived at before things got out of hand.

And so, as part of its series American Forum Of The Air from May 17, 1953, the subject "What Should Americas Immigration Policy Be?" was asked of Senator Herbert Lehman of New York and Representative J. Frank Wilson of Texas (both democrats).

Sen. Herbert Lehman: “What we now have on our statute books is not an immigration law but an anti-immigration law. The law as presently written is not a law to authorize immigration or to control immigration. But rather to prevent immigration, to discourage it, to make it difficult as possible for an alien to be admitted to this country, either as a visitor or a student or as a permanent resident. Under our present law every alien is assumed to be a potential spy a saboteur, a criminal or a subversive unless and until he can prove otherwise. Even naturalized American citizens are placed under this bar sinister and can be de-naturalized for any one of a number of acts which native born American citizens can’t perform without penalty. The heart of the law is the national origins quota system, a discriminatory plan based on repugnant theories of the racial superiority of the so-called Nordic Races. The law is further characterized by drastic penalties including deportation for aliens. Against aliens for such innocent acts as failure to carry registration cards, or failure to notify the Attorney General of a change in address. And the widest discretion is given to councils and immigration inspectors and other officials to bar, to exclude, to deport and detain aliens.”

So, the problem has never really been solved - on the one hand you have "No borders - no restrictions" and on the other you have "fuck 'em, kill 'em all" - neither of which is much of a solution.

At least in 2011 there isn't the fear of being overrun by Communist agents posing as students. But there are those gun-toting militias . . .

With the ceasefire in Bosnia slated to end within days and the deadline for handing in weapons quickly approaching, NATO forces were weighing the next turn of events and options for the region, this particular day in 1994.

But that was one element in the makeup of the day. The rest of it was a little like this:

Alan Greenspan got it wrong again as economic news took a surprising upturn with release of the first flat inflation reading since 1989. The Trade deficit was another matter, but it was looking like the economy was finally stabilizing.

In other news - the Clinton Administration pledged to spend more on Housing, Mental Health and Tax programs aimed at aiding the homeless in the U.S. since figures showed the number was hovering around 7 million, considerably more than was announced by either the Reagan or Bush Administrations previously. Surprise? The Clinton Administration also proposed a $130.00 entry fee for political Asylum seekers looking to emigrate to the U.S.

In Winter Olympics news - Skier Tommy Moe won a silver medal this day, icing on the cake for his 24th birthday. The Harding/Kerrigan kerfuffle had a media frenzy over their first practice session which yielded no fireworks and a collective yawn.

Shannon Faulkner, whose on-going legal battle to get into the all-male Citadel Military Academy, wound up back in court this day saying it wasn't enough she was enrolled in classes, she also meant the physical part too.

The ACLU got involved in the recent curfew controversy in Dade County Florida, saying it violated civil rights and was something of a pain in the ass for parents too, making sure the 11:00 pm curfew for kids was enforced. The NAACP and B'nai B'rith got together in New York to discuss recent racial tensions between the Black and Jewish communities. And the Whitewater Investigation was continuing with allegations documents were shredded pertaining to the case.

And the Kremlin was voting today and whether or not to grant amnesty to individuals involved in the coup attempts in Russia in 1991 and 1993.

A busy and wildly fluctuating day, this February 17th in 1994 as reported on the CBS World News Roundup.

A significant day in history, but somewhat overshadowed by other events on December 1, 1981. First was news of a Yugoslavian airliner, crashing on landing approach in Corsica, killing all on board. At the time of the first broadcast (CBS Hourly News from 5:00 am EST) there were no confirmed reports, only the jet had gone missing. By the second broadcast, the details were becoming clearer.

In other news, the report of arms talks between the U.S. and the Soviet Union were beginning in Geneva. Just getting rolling with no significant developments. On the domestic front - the Economy was still front-and-center, with Pres. Reagan assuring an audience that there would be no cut in Veterans benefits. There was the upcoming vote on a huge new Defense Spending bill in Congress, which was expected to pass easily. J. Paul Getty was at the center of a controversy over taking care of a stroke-bound son, which he was refusing to do. And an Immigration bill in Texas preventing educational access to children of illegal aliens was being reviewed by the Supreme Court after being struck down in Texas State Legislature.

The significant, and probably most obscured news was a report from Warsaw of students at a Firefighting Academy going on strike and the initial pacification of the protesters by Military police.

Dress rehearsal for fast moving events in the coming days.

But for now that was the day unfolding, the morning of December 1, 1981 as viewed by CBS Radio's Hourly News for 5:00 am and 6:00 am.

So even though you may think nothing goes on during some days, there are those little buried seemingly insignificant events that suddenly blow up days later - and they all get started somewhere.