June 18, 1943 : De Gaulle Launches the New Radio Brazzaville Transmitter

In June 1943, with the commissioning of a new transmitter in Brazzaville (Congo), the Free French finally had access to a powerful radio station.

The date was symbolic. On June 18, 1943, the Free French inaugurated the new Brazzaville transmitter. It marked a turning point in the war of the airwaves, as General Charles de Gaulle summarized on air:

“Radio Brazzaville was, for three years, the free voice, but alas, the faint voice, of those parts of the Empire which, amid the collapse and disaster, had immediately chosen honor, that is to say, had preserved greatness. Since then, how many French men and women have passionately tried to capture the distant waves that brought them, in fragments, words of freedom and news of truth broadcast by Radio Brazzaville. (…) And now the free voice of Brazzaville suddenly becomes stronger and clearer. In the now legendary capital of our Equatorial Africa, where only one flag has ever flown, fighting France will make itself heard without hindrance, though not without restraint, much better and much farther.”

The French-against-French war of the airwaves

On November 2, 1940, on 11,970 kHz, Radio Brazzaville, the voice of Fighting France, officially began broadcasting. A commentary for listeners in Free France and Free Belgium, followed by communiqués from the governors of French Congo and Belgian Congo, opened the broadcast, followed by a message addressed to the Senegalese. One of the goals was to counter the broadcasts of Radio Dakar (9,390 kHz), which had remained loyal to the Vichy regime. During the first weeks, this program from the Free French radio station was repeated three times a day. But the broadcasts gradually expanded.

The problem was that the Gaullist station had a power of only 5 kW, too weak to be heard properly. As a result, NBC in New York had to install a directional antenna in order to pick up its broadcasts. It was also easy for Vichy to jam the station.

In February 1941, Radio Brazzaville began English-language broadcasts, officially to counter those of Radio Dakar. In June 1941, the schedule expanded further: news in French for Canada, in English for the United States, in French for Africa and Europe, and in English for South Africa.

In November 1941, Radio Brazzaville was broadcasting on four wavelengths (24, 25, 30, and 36 meters). The Free French could also rely on Radio Cameroun (35.50 meters and 2 meters at low power), as well as the French-language program of Radio Accra (49 meters), today the capital of Ghana, to counter Radio Dakar.

Uncle Sam’s gift

The entry of the United States into the war in December 1941 changed the situation. In May 1942, the United States announced that it would help Radio Brazzaville expand. The Office of the Coordinator of Information (which the following month became the Office of War Information) authorized the supply to the Free French of a 50 kW RCA transmitter. This equipment had the particular advantage of being able to change frequency easily, between 6 and 22 MHz.

Engineer Paul C. Brown was assigned by RCA to install the transmitter, under the supervision of Henry O’Neill, who worked for the Office of the Coordinator of Information. Technicians from CBC (Radio Canada) were also on site. The Americans wanted the station to “bombard” Africa, Europe, and India with information about the Allies.