Collisional absorption and emission of longitudinal waves in a one‐species, one‐dimensional plasma are investigated by numerical experiments. The theory of Birmingham, Dawson, and Kulsrud for longitudinal bremsstrahlung is extended to the one‐dimensional case. The results of the numerical experiments are found to be in agreement with the theory. Low‐frequency electric field fluctuations for long‐wavelength modes are also found and are associated with the random motion of the particles.