YURI LEVITAN AND HIS ENDURING ROLE IN THE LIFE OF THE SOVIET PEOPLE

Аннотация

Okulicheva K.V., Levshina N.V. YURI LEVITAN AND HIS ENDURING ROLE IN THE LIFE OF THE SOVIET PEOPLE. The report is dedicated to Y. B. Levitan, an outstanding Soviet announcer, whose voice became a symbol of resistance and hope during the Great Patriotic War. His exceptional talent and professionalism made him one of the most respected announcers of his time, and his contribution to the development of radio journalism and culture remains unforgettable.

The voice of this man awakened the soldiers to attack, raised the spirit of victory with shouting "Hurray!" and instilled panic in enemies. However, only a few knew his name and face. The Third Reich leaders despised his voice, and the inhabitants of the USSR were eager to hear it. Yuri Levitan did not fight and did not reveal military secrets, but his value was high: he was protected by the secret services while the Nazis were looking for him everywhere. For decades he was the most famous announcer in the USSR, but few people knew what he looked like. There was talk about the presenter's appearance. There were a lot of rumors: that he had red hair and was short. Later it turned out that Soviet intelligence had fabricated these rumors in order to transmit information to the enemy. In 1942, the Germans discovered a radio operator who personally knew Levitan even before war among prisoners of a concentration camp. Under torture, he described the appearance of the announcer, but the Nazis did not believe him. It seemed impossible to them that a tall, thin man could speak in such a deep voice. But it was a natural talent supported with hard work during the whole life.

Soviet actor Rostislav Plyatt, who was included in the announcer group along with Levitan, wrote in his memoirs: "Young actors, and I am among them, we quickly became acquainted with each other and began to delve into the new profession. Soon a new one appeared among us – very young, but not timid, sociable and cheerful, even mischievous, with some strange, yet in an unsteady voice". However, what amused us most was how he pronounced the letter "O" in his resident on the Volga manner. It was clear that he was taken as material for a thorough processing. After some time, great hard work appeared in him that did not fit with his frivolity and boyish appearance. He bit into his work. After finishing classes with teachers, stayed in the empty studio of the Radio Committee until the evening and did the assigned exercises or, perched in some corner, read voraciously. Sometimes he ran into the announcer's room and eagerly listened to the conversations of the elders, then rushed help the sound workers carry some heavy objects... He was breathing radio air, grew into radio life, and it was unclear whether he had home, his own life... He was not featured in the programs, but he could listen to them from the studio. I won't forget one meeting. The programme was already underway, Mikhail Lebedev, one of our best announcers, was reading on the microphone. All of a sudden, I saw out of the corner of my eye that something was happening to Yura – he stretched out, stared looked at the announcer, his lips moved synchronousky with Lebedev's lips, it seemed as if a sound was about to burst out of them. At that moment I realized: "This young man chose hissy profession not in vain!".

The role of Yuri Borisovich became especially prominent with the beginning of the war. He read out orders of the Supreme Command, texts of historical speeches of the government and party leaders, daily reports of "Sovinformburo", shared the contents of letters to soldiers at the front and newspaper "Pravda" articles. Among other announcers, Levitan stood out not only for the beauty of his full dignity of voice and the persuasiveness of his speech, he possessed amazing ability, reading messages even about tragic events at the front, to find such intonations that all liters believed – our country will still stand and win. Professor Alexander Sherel said: "These words, this faith passed through his heart... In many years I had the opportunity to talk with Konstantin Rokossovsky". When asked him about Yuri Borisovich, the marshal replied: "For front-line soldiers Levitan was like an entire division that arrived at the most important moment fight to the rescue".

Hitler declared Yuri Levitan his "main enemy" and claimed that this man was worth an entire army. The Nazis promised enormous reward equivalent to 300 million roubles for the information about his location. It was interesting that the murder of the radio host was not planned. The practical goal was to capture Levitan, so that it was he who would announce the victory of the Reich over the Soviet Union, while causing even greater psychological damage to our people. However, the Soviet intelligence did not allow this to happen. Levitan was guarded no less carefully than Stalin. The announcer maintained morale both at the front and in the rear. Radio listeners gathered in clubs and on the streets and felt unity thanks to Levitan's voice and pinned hopes for the best in the difficult times. He broadcast reports from the front, major decrees and government messages. After the war a personal order of the propaganda Reich Minister Goebbels to silence Moscow radio at any cost was found in the GDR. In July 1941, the radio committee became one of the primary bomber targets. When a shell hit the courtyard of the building, the Germans came out broadcast with the statement: "The goal has been achieved. Levitan has been killed". However, they were wrong– the announcer had not been in Moscow for a long time. Levitan was safely evacuated at the beginning of the war, when the radio towers were bombed and needed to find a safe place for continuation of broadcasting. The evacuation of the presenter was organized in the strictest secret, even his closest relatives were not aware about his location – and this was not only for protection against the Nazis. The news that Levitan's voice is now heard from the provinces could disappoint the people and military personnel. The place where the announcer was hiding was not mentioned in any known document of the time. The information about him was disclosed only twenty years after the war. He broadcast from the basement of the Radio Committee in Sverdlovsk, located in the former apartment building of the merchant Pervushin. His colleagues were working on the upper floors of the building, but no one guessed that the most famous radio host of the USSR is in the same building. Directly above the ceiling there was the main amplifier of the city network broadcasting. Levitan was very difficult to find, because at that time several stations were broadcasting simultaneously. The former Radio Commission building is today a historical military museum. In one of the corners of the building, a secret studio was recreated, from where Levitan broadcasted. But this is not a real recording: the Sovinformburo of the early 1940s broadcast famous messages live without recording. After the victory, Levitan already read his message into history on tape. Secret evacuation and flawless work of Soviet intelligence allowed us to save the life of the announcer and keep his voice as the main source of information and support for the entire country.

After the war, Yuri Borisovich Levitan covered the most important events in our country for many years, having served on the radio for half a century. At the beginning of August 1983, Yuri Borisovich was invited to Belgorod for a meeting with war veterans. Before leaving Moscow, Raisa, his wife, called him. In a conversation with her, Levitan admitted that he felt not well. When asked to stay at home, he replied: "Impossible. I'm waited". Upon arrival in Belgorod, he became ill in his hotel room. The doctor examined him and recommended complete rest. However, Levitan was impossible to restrain, he soon left for the village of Bessonovka, located thirty kilometers from the city, for a festive rally. The heat that day was forty degrees. Immediately after the performance Yuri Borisovich suffered a heart attack. He had medicines with him, he was quickly taken to the village outpatient clinic... But everything turned out in vain. On the night of August 4, the country lost its main voice. Levitan was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow, thousands of people came to see him and say their last words of farewell

The story of Yuri Levitan's voice art remains an amazing example of how one person and his speech can have such a significant impact on society. His voice became a symbol of hope, courage and unity for millions of Soviet citizens in the most difficult times. Yuri Levitan has become not only an important figure in wartime, but also a symbol of resistance and victory over the enemy. Levitan's merit lies not only in the fact that he talked about victories, but also in hat he maintained the morale of the people and military personnel. His story remains an important reminder that the impact of one voice can have huge influence on historical events. Yuri Levitan became a real hero of his time and a symbol of strength and endurance in difficult times and a symbol of hope for better future in peaceful times.

Список использованной литературы

1.Юрий Левитан [Электронный ресурс] / URL:http://radio_mohovaya9.tilda.ws/levitan
2.Юрий Левитан. Главный личный враг Гитлера [Электронный ресурс] / URL:https://histrf.ru/biblioteka/b/iurii-lievitan-glavnyi-lichnyi-vragh-gitliera
3.Великую Отечественную войну Левитан провел в заточении - KP.RU [Электронный ресурс] / URL:https://www.kp.ru/daily/26245.3/3125647/