Although he tried to do so , he was unable to enlist in the military at the outbreak of World War II because of his age ; instead , the Office of War Information appointed him as a Special Representative based in London . From there , taking advantage of his multilingual skills , he delivered radio addresses in over six languages to countries in Europe which had fallen under Nazi domination . His talent as a radio speaker in the U.S. had previously been recognized by the American Legion , which had given him an award for his " outstanding contribution to Americanism through his stirring patriotic appeals . " Robinson was also active with the Hollywood Democratic Committee , serving on its executive board in 1944 , during which time he became an " enthusiastic " campaigner for Roosevelt 's reelection that year . During the 1940s Robinson also contributed to the cultural diplomacy initiatives of Roosevelt 's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs in support of Pan-Americanism through his broadcasts to South America on the CBS " Cadena da las Américas " radio network
reelection
1944 Democratic National Convention
Edward G. Robinson