From general conversations with friends...it seems that the Germans had a very intergral part of the development of tape recording. Evidently, many allied gov'ts were perplexed of the frequency of Hitler's broadcast propaganda; the main reason was no surface noise from transcription discs that was the standard form of media for recording at the time. Eventually, the allies gained alot technology from the spoils of war and tape had been one of them. In fact, Bing Crosby had been one of the main investors in Ampex, and I believe that the rock guitarist Steve Miller's father had been part of the early development of Ampex. This was how Steve Miller met Les Paul, as Paul had been very interested in tape recording, Les Paul had been Steve Miller's guitar instructor for a while.
