Transistor Radios Around the World

1964 Westinghouse H-903P8GP

Eight transistors, thermoplastic cabinet
4 1/4 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches / 114 x 63 x 38mm
Two AA cells
Manufactured in Japan for Westinghouse

1964 Westinghouse H-903P8GP

Can anyone who cares about such things really be sure which radio is buried in the 1964 Westinghouse time capsule? The accepted Westinghouse time capsule history is that the 7-transistor Westinghouse H-901P7GP (radio on the right in the photo below) is the radio that was placed inside the 1964/65 New York World's Fair time capsule. I think that there's reason for doubt: here are five reasons why:

1964 Westinghouse H-903P8GP, 1963/64 Westinghouse H-901P7GP

1) Look at the photo below and its cropped closeup, a 1964 Westinghouse PR photo:

1964 Westinghouse time capsule PR photo

1964 Westinghouse time capsule PR photo closeup

This photo clearly shows the H-903P8GP as the transistor radio on the table waiting to be loaded into the capsule. The capsule in the photo is the original capsule, not the "duplicate" capsule with a cutaway viewing.


2) And this second Westinghouse PR photo and its cropped closeup, also from 1964:

1964 Westinghouse time capsule PR photo

1964 Westinghouse time capsule PR photo closeup

The radio here is in its carrying case, but the tuning dial is exposed: it's the H-903P8GP dial, with the words, "EIGHT TRANSISTOR WESTINGHOUSE" beneath the dial center, rather than simply, "WESTINGHOUSE", as is written beneath the dial center on the H-901P7GP. Also, the Westinghouse logo appears at the top corner, rather than at the bottom corner as on the H-901.

But then, these are PR photos, after all, and it's hard to know just from looking at them what they truly show in terms of historical accuracy....

3) I had extensive correspondence with author Roger MacBride Allen several years ago while he was working on a book about the 1939 and 1964 NYWF Westinghouse time capsules, mostly about this question of which radio model ended up in the '64 time capsule. His research on this was truly exhaustive, and one thing that still stands out for me was his statement in a 2014 email:

"I have yet to find any photo or other evidence of a cut-away model of the 1965 Time Capsule appearing at the Fair. I have not found any shot of the 1965 replica from earlier than about 1985."

It's possible that the "duplicate capsule" photos do not show a capsule made in 1964 but rather one that was made several decades later, and likely made for the 1989 25th Anniversary exhibition of the '64 World's Fair:

1989 Queens Museum WF Bulletin

4) In 2001, World's Fair collector John McSweeny concluded in an email to me concerning the question of which radio actually ended up in the capsule: "Similarly, most likely two different Bulova watch models shared the same fate. Apparently the Westinghouse folks thought it was enough that they had the same class of items in each of the capsules."


5) Finally, from a letter written to me in 1991 by Westinghouse historian Charles Ruch concerning this possible mix-up of radios: "My guess is that someone grabbed the nearest transistor radio, both for the original and duplicate."

There's no Q.E.D. here -- all the above is little more than circumstantial evidence casting doubt on the surety that the 7-transistor Westinghouse H-901P7GP is the radio in the '64 time capsule and begging the question of whether Westinghouse was all that sure of its time capsule inventory: To what degree were the '39 and '64 Westinghouse time capsules true historical endeavors and not simply PR events?

If I were a betting kind of guy, I'd bet on the H-903.

1964 Westinghouse H-903P8GP inside back

1964 Westinghouse H-903P8GP chassis

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