He worked abroad and in the United States as a member of the war time news team known as Murrow's Boys.
Other notable members include Charles Collingwood, William L. Shirer, Richard C. Hottelet and Larry LeSueur.
It was originally hosted by veteran newsman Robert Trout and included short wave reports from London, Paris, Vienna, Rome and Berlin.
In addition to Trout and Calmer several other notable Murrow's Boys and journalists hosted and rose to prominence through CBS World News Roundup.
Calmer authored more than a dozen other books during his lifetime, including The Strange Land (1950), about combat in Europe, The Anchorman (1970), on the influence of television, and The Winds of Montauk (1980), a family story.