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ROME - THE VATICAN

Among those seeking an audience with Pope Pius was Irving Berlin seen here outside the Vatican in June 1944. His Broadway musical turned into a 1943 film "This is the Army" with Ronald Reagan, and Kate Smith singing Berlin's "God Bless America" was popular among troops. Berlin and the US Army Special Service Division staged an "all soldier musical show" at Rome's Royal Opera House in June of 1944. On Berlin's 100th birthday, Walter Cronkite noted he "helped write the story of this country, capturing the best of who we are and the dreams that shape our lives." Berlin died at 101 years in 1989.