Edward R. Murrow was a broadcast journalist who joined the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in 1935 and directed its European Bureau through World War II. He became famous for his opening phrase, "This is London," and his crisp, accurate, eyewitness reporting. In 1945 he was made CBS vice president in charge of news, education, and discussion programs. He became a director at CBS in 1949. See It Now, Murrow's most celebrated and memorable work, was inaugurated in November 1951. Based on a similar radio program, Hear It Now, the weekly half -hour television news documentary series, See It Now, brought the American public face-to-face with some of the most critical moments in contemporary American history. President John F. Kennedy appointed Murrow director of the U.S. Information Agency in 1961. Murrow died four years later.