It's always a point of curiosity to read and listen to observations of our Presidential elections as viewed by the rest of the world. Lately, most media commentators from overseas have viewed the goings on during our primaries as downright strange and borderline dangerous.

But I wondered if it was always that way; if we've always been viewed with a degree of skepticism. And the answer is no.

This broadcast, by Erik Reger, the Publisher and Managing Editor of Der Tagesspiegel, lays it out rather pragmatically and in a straightforward manner. Granted, he was the first German newspaper representative to visit the U.S. after World War 2, and there was that matter of the Marshall Plan and tons of American aid going to Europe, and that may have colored his opinion of what became one of the more heated elections in U.S. history. But still, he was viewing what was going on during that election year through a different set of eyes, and that very often makes for intriguing and fresh insights to a ritual we have taken for granted, and lately have come to view as a dismal display of emotional instability.

So here is a radio talk, given by Erik Reger and broadcast over CBS Radio on April 15, 1948.