This recording is a part of the radio series “Toscanini: The Man Behind the Legend,” which was a tribute to conductor Arturo Toscanini. The broadcasts consist of music performed by the NBC Orchestra as well as interviews with composers, conductors, orchestra members, and other people associated with Toscanini. This segment features rehearsal and performance of Respighi's The Fountains of Rome.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bob Layher. Layher was a member of the first squadron of the American Volunteer Group (AVG), nicknamed the Flying Tigers. While stationed in Rangoon in January 1942, the group sent Pete Wright into the air to scare off an enemy bomber. Wright's plane malfunctioned on the approach, and he veered off the runway, killing a captain. On 5 March 1942, Layher nearly lost control of his own plane during a close formation drill. The group had been asked to escort Chiang Kai-shek and to perform a slow roll. Being at the tail end of the formation, Layher was unable to fly fast enough to perform the maneuver safely. By the time he recovered and rejoined the formation, their leader had dropped out due to an equipment malfunction. So, Pappy Boyington led the group, taking them off course and expending more fuel than anticipated. Layher crash-landed on a remote trail and was discovered by unfriendly natives. Not having worn his blood chit that day, he narrowly escaped execution and was eventually reunited with his group.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Bell. Bell graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1937. He completed Submarine School in 1940 and worked aboard USS Cuttlefish (SS-171). They were located at Mare Island when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and they were released to make unrestricted warfare on the enemy. He served as Commanding Officer of USS Pargo (SS-264) during the 7th war patrol of that vessel from 15 January through 24 March of 1945. He was awarded the Navy Cross. Bell continued his service in the Navy and retired as a rear admiral in 1970.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with O.H. Karl King. King joined the Texas National Guard when he was 14 - an amiable captain fixed his age on paper. He enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 15 during the Great Depression and was assigned to boot camp at San Diego, California. Upon completion, he shipped out for the Philippines and was at Cavite Naval Yard when the Japanese attacked. He saw General King on his way to surrender at Bataan and swam to Corregidor. After General Wainwright surrendered Corregidor, King went to Bilibid Prison in Manila. From there, he went to Cabanatuan, then Formosa and eventually wound up a prisoner in the electric shop at the naval yard at Yokohama, Japan. While there, he engaged in what sabotage operations he could against the Japanese. When the shipyard was destroyed by aerial bombardment, King was transferred to Omori Prison in Tokyo, from which he was liberated after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernice Shafer. Shafer was born in Ackley, Iowa 26 December 1926. She began nurse training at Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Des Moines in 1941. Upon graduating in 1944, she entered the US Army Nurse Corps and began basic training at Camp Carson, Colorado. When she completed basic, she was assigned to Leonard General Hospital, Topeka, Kansas. After a period of time, she was shipped to Camp Pendleton, California in preparation for an overseas assignment. Shafer was assigned to the 311th Hospital Unit and boarded the USS Monterey (CVL-26), bound for Manila. She tells of the primitive conditions encountered in setting up the hospital. Designated as an operating room nurse, she describes working up to forty hours straight and the various types of battle casualties that were treated. She recalls that patients were transported to the hospital by ambulance, jeep and helicopter. In February 1946, Shafer returned to the United States aboard the USS West Point (AP-23), arriving at New York City after passage through the Panama Canal.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wayne Brooks. Brooks joined the Army Air Corps in 1941. He completed flight school and additional training at Fort Sumner and served as a second lieutenant flight instructor in Roswell, New Mexico. He flew Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wilton Neumann. Neumann joined the Navy in 1943. He served as a radioman aboard the USS Griswold (DE-7) beginning June of 1944. They traveled to Pearl Harbor for additional training. In March of 1945 they were stationed at Eniwetok. In late May they participated in the Battle of Okinawa, where they conducted anti-submarine warfare and were credited for two kamikaze kills. In June they traveled to Leyte Gulf, and to Japan by September. Neumann returned to the US in October. He was discharged in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles White. White joined the Navy in June, 1945 and went to Great Lakes for basic training. He caught his ship, the USS Pawnee (ATF-74) at Okinawa in August, 1945 and began pulling ships off the beach after a typhoon. They also tugged barges around Japan for a few weeks after the surrender, the Philippines, too. White returned to the US and was discharged in August, 1946.

Audio interview from the Wes Phelps Podcast Interviews Collection recorded on September 8th, 2022 in Denton, TX. Phelps interviews Dick Peeples on his involvement with gay activism in Dallas in the 1970s and 1980s. Peeples speaks his involvement with the Dallas Gay Political Caucus alongside Steve Wilkins, Louise Young, and Don Baker. He then covers the trial of Baker v. Wade, explaining his efforts to challenge penal code 21.06, a discriminatory code which criminalized homosexual acts, alongside Don Baker and attorney Jim Barber.