What happens
The Pacific Story presents a dramatized history of Ceylon, the island off the coast of India, from its early settlement through its conquest by the British and its path toward self-government. The program follows the island's rival peoples, including the Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Moors and the Burghers, as they fight for their rights and clash over communal differences. It then shows how the Second World War brings Japanese attacks on Colombo and Trincomalee and turns the island into a major Allied base. Dr. Lennox Mills, professor of history at the University of Minnesota, comments on the island's future. The broadcast aired on May 5, 1946 and was written and directed by Arnold Marquis.
Ceylon, from ancient times through the Second World War to 1946, including Colombo, Trincomalee and Kandy
Characters: Dr. Lennox Mills, Admiral Suffren, Sinhalese, Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Mountbatten
Listen for: The Japanese air raids on Colombo and Trincomalee, and Dr. Mills's closing commentary on communal hostility in Ceylon
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.