Mix of actual World War 2 footage scenes outside the United States, and dramatized war scenes inside the U.S. Narrator speaks as a U.S. soldier writes a letter to his mother at home, in which he contrasts the hardships of war torn countries and peoples with the relative safety and lack of suffering of the U.S. population during World War 2. Opening scene shows typical American women riding in a bus. One woman, ostensibly the soldier's mother, climbs aboard a bus as another woman steps out of it. A woman visits a friend who says she had to give up her Red Cross work because it didn't leave her time to get her hair done each week. A group of women at a garden party bridge club. Narrator says one of them could not work at a USO canteen because it conflicted with her bridge party. A woman lounging in a garden chair, is claimed to avoid a war job because they are all boring and dirty. A maid serves some hard to obtain foods to two woman at lunch. The hostess accused of obtaining them on the black market. The scene shifts to the letter writing son serving with the army in Europe. He relates taking a village recently, and the film shows residents cheering as the American soldiers occupy it. Fire fighters direct streams of water on burning wrecked buildings. Refugees fleeing their homes. Several nuns helping some as they evacuate. shells striking as refugees travel. Populations fleeing and refugee citizens leaving as invading forces come, in Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France and France. View of people running for shelter in China. At this point, the film shows the chaos in those countries superimposed on America, where fires are being fought, and ambulances respond to help injured. A woman picks up her child as she and others run, looking skyward with dread. Air raid sirens sound in the background. A British soldier looks over a scene where Asian people are evacuating from war torn homes. A group of despairing European people. The film creates an imaginary image of and ordinary American woman digging through the rubble of her destroyed home. American women lined up, in front of bomb damaged buildings, to receive one egg a month. Other American civilians lined up to receive a ration of potatoes. Women in England are seen shoveling rubble from the remains of their homes after a blitz bombing by the German Luftwaffe. In Russia many women are seen digging and performing manual labor which the narrator says is labor forced by invading forces (possible slave labor forced by Nazi German forces). Women in Greece clearing rubble. Again, film creates imaginary view of Americans clearing rubble from their destroyed houses and evacuating en masse. Two American women comforting another in front of her burning home. More views of Americans in mass evacuation, carrying their belonging with them. Narrator states children are evacuated first and them film shows scenes of English children being sent to safety on buses. View of Russians evacuating in horse-drawn carts. Imaginary transition to Americans evacuating known local places. Chinese evacuating across a bridge, assisted by British soldiers. More imaginary scenes of Americans evacuating. A soldier writing a letter and then packing up his gear to move on with members of his army unit. They line up in formation and then march. Imaginary view of American women marching side by side with them. Glimpse of large formation of uniformed nurses marching. Last scene is of American flag superimposed on marchers.
Segment from the United Nations Security Council meeting at Hunter College, New York City, United States, on March 27, 1946. At the time, the Soviet Union, with its troops in Iran, and with interest in the governance and autonomy of Azerbaijan, was pushing to postpone discussion of the appeal by Iran that the action of the Soviet Army in Iran was a threat to international peace and security. American statesman James F. Byrnes, Edward R. Stettinius, Soviet diplomat Andrei Gromyko and representatives of the UN Security Council member countries are seen entering the conference room at Hunter College, New York City. The dignitaries seated at a table. Delegates and spectators present. Gromyko, the Soviet representative to the United Nations, speaks in Russian. Other delegates listen, seated behind. A delegate from China speaks. Several delegates raise their hands with questions. U.S. representative James Byrnes demands that the Iranians be given a chance to be heard. The Soviet delegation stands and exits the talks abruptly. Iranian delegate Hossein Ala', Iran's Ambassador to the United States approaches the table and is seated. The delegates listen as Mr. Hossein Ala addresses the council. Mr. Ala urges the council to take action, saying, "Iran views with grave concern any delay in the consideration by the council of the merits of these disputes. For these reasons, on behalf of my government, I request the council to take up these matters at once and reach, without reference to further negotiations, a solution consistent with the principles of the charter."
The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, during World War 2. A railroad train pulls into a train station. Delegates of the member nations at the station. A van brings the delegates to the venue. Representatives from China. The representatives from the U.S. are headed by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr. He opens the conference. The conference in progress. All the delegates pose together after the conference. (Led to establishment of International Monetary Fund. Bretton Woods System was precursor to World Bank.)
Sensō-ji (also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple) in Tokyo, Japan. People in front of the Sensō-ji temple (2 Chome-3-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan). Women sew Senninbari belts which are to be sent to soldiers in China. A woman with a child on her back also sews in the Buddhist temple. In Senko Booth, women burn incense to god Rokujizo who symbolizes pity. A woman prays. Japanese soldiers of the Young Men Youth Movement parade through the streets coming from the temple.
United Nation troops retreat during the Korean War. UN forces comprising of the British and American soldiers retreat south wards in Korea as a result of Chinese aggression, Soldiers loaded in military trucks as they cross a bridge. Displaced Korean civilians in a barge, on rail road tracks and along the roads. In Washington D.C., United States British Prime Minister Clement Attlee meets United States President Harry S. Truman. United States Secretary of State Dean Acheson also attends the meeting. Prime Minister Attlee during his address before the National Press Club emphasizes on resisting the aggression by the Red China. He also affirms the firm faith of the two countries in the principle of Rule of Law.
United States Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress bombers in action in Thailand during World War II. Men work in a plant in the United States as they manufacture B-29 bombers. Men work on the body of the aircraft. In China, fuel barrels being loaded onto an aircraft for transporting. Chinese troops roll the barrels and pile them up at an air base for refueling B-29 aircraft. Fuel being unloaded from the barrels into a huge storage tank. Piled up barrels. A B-29 aircraft takes off and in flight. The Rama VIII Bridge in Bangkok, Thailand being bombarded by the B-29s. Bombs impact and billows of smoke rise up.
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