View of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. A motorcade arrives at the monument. A large crowd gathers for a ceremony. Officials and dignitaries including French Prime Minister Joseph Laniel and French Defense Minister René Pleven stand by during the ceremony commemorating the sacrifices of French soldiers killed in the war in Indochina. View of wreaths at the site. Following the ceremony, Laniel and Pleven are escorted to separate waiting cars through a hostile crowd of angry French citizens and war veterans, upset by the recent removal of Marshal Juin from the Council of War, and opposed to the Pleven Plan for the European Defense Community or EDC. The officials finally reach their cars through the angry crowd and are driven away.
Military leaders and officials attend ceremony officially opening the new Headquarters of the Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH), in Naples, Italy. U.S. Admiral William M. Fechteler, Commander, AFSOUTH, gives dedication speech. Other Allied military leaders and officials seated in chairs listen. Allied army, marines and navy troops stand at attention. Guests are seated in chairs attending the ceremony. The flags of the NATO nations are raised. Officers salute. A sign: 'Quartiere Generale Forze Alleate, Sud Europa'. The flag of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is raised.
C-119 Flying Boxcars and Douglas B-26 Invader aircraft, all bearing French markings, take off from a runway in Indochina. Copilot is seen in cockpit of one C-119, with map on a clipboard. (Note, unconfirmed: Copilot appears to be a U.S. military pilot) French paratroops drop from a C-119 over Dien Bien Phu. View from inside a C-119 as pallets of supplies are dropped from the open rear cargo door. Views from inside a B-26 in formation with others. Pilot adjusts throttles. A bomb is dropped. In cabin of a C-119, crew launches a pallet through open rear cargo door. The pallet appears to containin a set of three large bombs. Views of bombs exploding on the ground.
French troops attack the Reds in Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam during First Indochina War. Soldiers on tanks fire in the field. They hide behind barricades and fire. French soldiers with Communist prisoners.
First public films showing the U.S. Navy Lockheed XFV experimental vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. It is seen sitting sideways, on wheels, although it is intended to take off and land vertically, from a tail down position. Next the Convair XFY "Pogo" VTOL aircraft is shown. Convair techinician makes some adjustments to it. The XFY is slowly tilted to a tail down position. Its cockpit canopy is slowly opened and a pilot climbs aboard. Animated film shows image of a VTOL aircraft taking off and landing,vertically, from the deck of a freighter ship. Another view of the Convair XFY standing on its tail.
Scientists at the University of California in United States. They discuss a document. 'Bevatron', the atom smasher aids scientists in probing the fundamental mysteries of the universe.