U.S. B-29s of the 314th Bomb Wing parked and taxiing at North Field, Guam, Marianas Islands during World War 2. Among those seen are two displaying tail code, Square M, of the 19th Bomb Group; one without tail code, displaying tail number: 42-93967, of the 19th Bomb Group ("City of Lansford"); and five displaying Square P tail code, of the 39th Bomb Group. One of the parked B-29s displays tail code Square K and, on its forward fuselage, what looks like the logo of the "City of San Francisco" (K-29) of the 330th Bomb Group.
Opening scene shows some German infantry surrendering with hands raised. Next scene shows people thronging Times Square in Manhattan, New York City, celebrating VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, on May 8, 1945, when Germany surrendered to end World War II, in Europe. Image of the first atomic explosion (Trinity) on July 16, 1945, in New Mexico, United States. Scene shifts to deck of the U.S. Battleship, USS Missouri, where Japanese foreign minister, Mamoru Shigemitsu, is seated and signing the instrument of surrender., on September 2, 1945. Closeup profile of General Douglas MacArthur. Another glimpse of Mamoru Shigemitsu signing. Next, MacArthur is seen signing the document. He turns and presents the pen to Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright , who is standing behind him alongside British Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival. Brief glimpse of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center with flag appearing to be at half staff and a long awning extending from its entrance to the sidewalk. View of representatives at the first United Nations meeting there . Views of audience in auditorium shows many notables. Closeups of Soviet Ambassador, Andrey Gromyko and Soviet Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov.. Next, President Harry S. Truman is seen broadcasting a greeting to the delegates, from the Capitol, Washington, DC, on April 25, 1945. The delegates are seen listening to the broadcast and then applauding.
Narrated in German. President Harry S Truman reads Japanese surrender announcement. Woman holds a poster that reads 'Victory Japan Surrenders'. News correspondents run in White House corridors. People celebrate VJ Day or Victory over Japan Day on streets in Chicago, San Francisco, Frisco Chinatown, and in New York City Times Square. Crowd gathers near Hotel Astor. Celebration in London with the King and Queen in horse drawn carriage leaves Buckingham Palace. Opening of British Parliament, shows Lord Edward Halifax, Lord John Allsebrook Simon, U.S. Ambassador John C Winant, Admiral Harold R Stark and a representative from Saudi Arabia arrive in a car. Crowd runs towards Buckingham Palace. The Royal family waves to the crowd from Palace balcony.
Narrator Lee Marvin standing on a seashore. U.S. astronauts heading to their capsule for launch on mission to first man on the moon. Launch service structures falling away, as rocket launch is completing countdown in launch of Saturn V rocket carrying Apollo 11 mission to the moon. View of Mission Control operations center during Apollo 11. Glimpse of the earth from the moon and sound of Neil Armstrong on radio to Houston Control Center, "Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." View shifts to Houston Control Center. View of the Lunar Module, Eagle, descending and landing on the moon surface, July 20, 1969. Next, a view of Neil Armstrong descending ladder from the Lunar lander and taking the first step onto the moon by a human, and then moving about on the lunar surface, on July 21, 1969. View of seashore, again, where birds are walking on the wet sand. Flock of birds flying above breaking surf. Aerial view of Hoover Dam. A road being built in rugged wilderness. View of the Panama Canal. Aerial view from helicopter flying very close to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Scenes of monument, park and heritage sites in America. A family at a campsite cooking food on portable stoves atop picnic table. Woman and young girl looking at carved faces of presidents on Mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty and an African American woman taking a picture on the island. Woman with handheld movie camera filming at an overlook of the Grand Canyon. Old man paints a picturesque view beside a seaside town with small boats nearby. Men fishing from rocks on shore with Golden Gate Bridge in background, in San Francisco.
Ramfis Trujillo, son of the assassinated Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo, seated, and surrounded by dignitaries and the Press in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Among those with him is playboy, Porfirio Rubirosa, whom he assigns as an envoy to seek support from the United States. Reporters take notes and photographers click his pictures. Cathedral in San Cristobal, the scene of Trujillo's funeral. People cry as car with Rafael Trujillo's body passes by on street. Change of scene as next newsreel shows sweeping wide view of buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, and then scenes of a parade in Pretoria during holiday declared to mark its withdrawal from the British Commonwealth of Nations and establishment as an independent Republic. The parade includes Soldiers on horses. The new Coat of Arms of the South African Republic is shown. Former Governor General, now shifting to his role as the first President of South Africa, Charles Swart, addresses the public. Narrator indicates that Swart's comment include support for continued apartheid racial segregation in South Africa.