August 1, 1918 - Government takeover of telephone system

Mary mentions going to the movies (again) today, seeing a movie starring Earle Williams.  I could not find any local movie theater playing an Earle Williams films.

A front page article in today's The Philadelphia Inquirer outlines the U.S. government's takeover of the telephone industry:

This controversial nationalization of the telephone industry was considered necessary for national security because of the U.S. involvement in the war in Europe.  The railroads had already been nationalized.  After unpopular rate hikes and disputes with labor, control of the telephone system was returned to the private sector one year later, probably facilitating AT&T's increasing monopoly over telephone communication that was not broken until 1984.

A very detailed accounting and analysis of the nationalization of the telephone industry in 1918 and its ramifications can be found in the Texas Law Review.