Williams Soap & William L. Shirer
Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2026 5:51 am
Here's a bit of trivia unknown to me until now. The radio correspondent (this was before he was sacked by CBS and became even better known as an author) William L. Shirer was sponsored after the war by J B Williams Soap Co, and announced the first brushless shaving cream ("Glider") in an on-air advert. However, he tended to let his opinions out in his broadcasts, and he decried Truman’s Executive Order 9835, which mandated anti-communist loyalty oaths for federal employees, a practice that soon spread to civilian employers, including the broadcasters at CBS. J B Williams pulled their sponsorship and CBS demoted him. He complained the freedom of the press was at stake and criticised his employer, who then sacked him.
He went on to become known for writing The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, based on his first-hand experience as a correspondent in Germany 1934-1940. And when it was made into a three part television series in 1968, it was broadcast by ABC.
He went on to become known for writing The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, based on his first-hand experience as a correspondent in Germany 1934-1940. And when it was made into a three part television series in 1968, it was broadcast by ABC.