NYC Undercover: Post-War Sound and Vision from NYPD Surveillance and WNYC Radio

The NYC Municipal Archives’ “Sound and Vision” project combines NYPD surveillance films from the 1960s and 70s with vintage WNYC radio broadcasts to create a multifaceted lens on the competing aspirations and challenges of civic life in New York City during the 20th century.

View the NYPD surveillance of NAACP and CORE activists while listening to Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech to the City Council after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Watch as police try to contain the counter-culture of anti-Vietnam War demonstrations in Central Park while hearing Mayor John Lindsay decry the “whole Vietnam situation” as a mess. Wonder at the significance of surveillance conducted on returning NASA astronauts while Jackie Robinson and his son talk excitedly about the moon landing. Discover often unknown facets of the City’s history through the collections of the New York City Municipal Archives Department of Records and Information Services.

Organizations

NYC Department of Records & Information Services

Established in 1977, the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) preserves and provides public access to historical and contemporary records and information about New York City government. They operate the Municipal Archives, the Municipal Library, and the Records Center.