The United Fruit Company and Early Radio Development

When General Electric formed the Radio Corporation of America with Marconi assets in 1919, conflicts over patents prompted a push for cross-licensing agreements with the other large electrical and telephone interests. In addition to RCA, General Electric, AT&T and Westinghouse, a fifth partner in the patents pool was the United Fruit Company whose primary business was banana production. How the fruit company became a player in the American radio cartel and the impact of its radio activities in the tropics are the focus of this article. The evolution of its subsidiary the Tropical Radio and Telegraph Company is also delineated.