Location is the Ellipse, south of the White House, in Washington, DC. The occasion is the dedication of a temporary Zero milestone in ceremonies at the start of the U.S. Army Motor Transport Corps'so-called "Truck Train," a convoy of military vehicles that is to travel the "Lincoln Highway" across the United States, to San Francisco, California. The ceremony begins with a flag raising, where all stand and uniformed Army officers salute. Congressman Julius Kahn, of California, salutes with his hat over his heart. The temporary marker is covered with white cloth and two wreaths, which officials remove and Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, begins his speech accepting the temporary marker. (A permanent marker needed an act of Congress for approval. So a temporary one was approved to allow the launch of the Army cross-country convoy.) The Washington Monument is visible in the background, as Mr. Baker delivers his remarks.
U.S. Army soldiers are seen in their trucks, leaving the front Gate of Camp Meigs, Washington, DC. The trucks are canvas covered and carry posters on their sides about U.S. Army motor convoy trip from Washington, DC, via the Lincoln Highway to San Francisco, California. A car follows the trucks.
A crowd arrives at the Capitol building in Washington DC, on the occasion of President Wilson's address to the Senate regarding the Treaty of Versailles. Exterior of the building. Cars arrive towards the building. People gather in a large number outside the building. Cars parked along a side of the street. The President's 1919 Pierce-Arrrow limousine is seen leaving the area at the conclusion of his address.
U.S. Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels stands in the center of a grassy field surrounded by contingents of women Navy Yeomen and Marine "Marinettes." He bids them farewell, as they are being officially released from active duty in accordance with the Naval Appropriations Act of 1919. Next, he dons his hat and steps forward to commence a final review of the women in formation. Among those accompanying him are: Assistant Navy Secretary, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Admiral William Sims (now President of the Naval War College), and Major General George Barnett, Commandant of the Marine Corps. They walk past a formation of Yeomen(F) commanded by a male Petty Officer sailor, and continue toward a contingent of women marines. Camera focuses,next, on Yeomen(F) marching in review. During the review, Assistant Secretary Roosevelt is seen speaking to Admiral Sims. Civilian spectators stand in the background. Next, the women marines march in review. The final scene shows Daniels and Roosevelt conversing as they pose with women Marinettes, a young Navy Admiral, and and a Yeomen(F) color guard. All relax and disburse as the ceremony ends.
Glimpse of the U.S. Capitol dome. Members of Congress and associated staff and other persons are seen gathering in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC , on April 2, 1917, for the first session of the 65th U.S. Congress of the United States (following a special session in March). Many people sit on the steps and others gather in clusters. Scene shifts to Jeannette Rankin, Republican representative from Montana, and the first woman elected to Congress. She and a man are trying to unfold a large American flag before the camera. Soon two more men help and they hold the flag spread out as Representative Rankin poses in front of it. Next, James Beauchamp "Champ" Clark, Democratic representative from Missouri (who would be elected Speaker of the House) shakes hands with James Robert Mann, Republican representative from Illinois, who served as House Minority Leader from 1911-1919. Elsewhere in Washington, Jeannette Rankin stands with suffragist Carrie Catt (sometimes also called a suffragette), in the back of an open car in front of the Washington D.C. headquarters of the National Woman's Suffrage Association. Rankin holds a bouquet of flowers. An American flag is displayed nearby. Next the car is seen pulling away, causing Rankin to fall back and sit, from where she was standing, in the back seat. Two more cars full of women follow. A cordon of police officers begins to move a crowd back, and two mounted policemen direct people away from the Capitol buildings. (Note: In this first session of the 65th Congress, on April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany.)
Capitol Building and Lincoln Memorial (2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20002) at Washington D.C. U.S. Military Academy cadets marching at West Point. Scene then blends to close up view of U.S. Army troops marching, wearing helmets and shouldering rifles with fixed bayonets, in World War I. Scene then blends again to U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen marching at Annapolis. Visitors walking the grounds of Mount Vernon. Statue of George Washington at 1939 New York World’s Fair. Re-enactment of the Crossing of the Delaware. Lincoln's Statue at the Lincoln Memorial. An actor portrays Abraham Lincoln in a theatrical film. A view of a New York City victory parade for American soldiers returning World War I in February 1919.