CBS Reports

CBS Reports

CBS Reports is a long-form documentary television series launched by CBS News in 1959, designed as a platform for in-depth investigative reporting and international documentary journalism. Distinct from later programs of the same name, the original series presented feature-length nonfiction reports on Cold War geopolitics, science and technology, war, social change, and global political systems, using on-location filming and extended narrative structures rather than studio news formats. It established a model for serious broadcast documentary journalism that influenced subsequent public-affairs and investigative television programming.

Documentary

Seasons

1. Biography of a Missile

Air Date: 1959-10-27

A Cold War–era documentary report on the development and military significance of U.S. missile technology.

2. The Population Explosion

Air Date: 1959-12-11

A documentary analysis of global population growth, exploring its social, economic, and political consequences for nations facing rapid demographic change.

3. Iran: Brittle Ally

Air Date: 1959-12-18

An on-location report on Iran’s political stability and strategic importance, examining internal tensions and the fragility of U.S. alliances in the region during the Cold War.

4. The Space Lag: Can Democracy Compete?

Air Date: 1960-01-06

A Cold War–era investigation into the U.S.–Soviet space race, questioning whether democratic political systems can compete with centralized state models in scientific and technological development.

5. The Population Explosion II

Air Date: 1960-01-14

A continuation of the earlier report, further examining the long-term global implications of rapid population growth, with expanded focus on economic pressure and social infrastructure.

3. The United States and the Two Chinas

Air Date: 1964-11-11

An examination of Communist and Nationalist Chinese relations with the West. Exclusive films, recently taken on the Chinese mainland, focus on advances in farming and industry. In filmed interviews, world leaders comment on the issues of Red China's admission to the UN and her recent detonation of an A bomb. Among those interviewed: Prime Minister Harold Wilson (England), Prime Minister Shastri (India), former premiere Edgar Faure (France), President and Mme. Chiang kai-shek (Nationalist China), Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), and former U.S. representative Walter Judd (R., Minn.)

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Rating

7.0/10

Release Date

1959-10-27

Episodes

5 (8 seasons)

Status

Returning Series

Cast

Production Companies

CBS

CBS