A United States WWII era training film about cryptographic messaging. Many tanks seen driving on a field as a fighter plane drops a smoke screen in front of them. Radio towers. Teletype operator typing. The words "Message Center" overlaid on view of War Department building. Speeding motorcycle on road at night. Major Doyle hands paper to soldier at his desk and says, "rush these priority messages by radio." Doyle instructs officers as he leads them into a secure gated officer and points to safes on wall next to men working together as a cryptographic team. He notes that, "we must assume that every message we send out...may be intercepted by a potential enemy." View of a spy listening on a radio at night. Doyle continues, saying, "the enemy is quick to take advantage of our mistakes...." Doyle describes the difference between secret, confidential, and restricted government information.
United States army officer explains the method of drafting a cryptographic message to officers at a message center in United States. He provides guidelines for preparing a concise message as a man paraphrases a cryptographic message.
United States training film about handling of cryptographic messages during WWII. Colonel receives secret documents in his office. Hand stamping of documents with word, "SECRET" View of warning page reads in part, "THE MAKING OF AN EXACT COPY OF THIS MESSAGE IS FORBIDDEN" A message center envelope is opened and then given to several different officers. Colonel sitting at his desk tears and burns a paper message and throws it into an ash can. Major Doyle reads sample secret message saying, "D-Day is 30th of October...." A soldier burns a paper message and stirs the ashes in his ash can. Colonel opens a secret message and then looks in a file cabinet. He burns a paper message. Major Doyle warns that "cryptographic and clear text versions are never pursed together in the same file" as he leads officer into a secure office and locks a steel gate behind them.
A United States military convoy on a road during WWII. Some footage dramatized. Aerial view of convoy from fighter plane. Smoke screen dispersed by plane next to military convoy. Fast moving tanks drive through smoke screen. A very fast tank takes air as it jumps over large mound and comes crashing to the ground. A tank blasted by howitzers loses its tread in explosion. Major Stewart Doyle talks to officers and notes that "it is the duty of every officer when capture is imminent to destroy all codes, documents, and cypher device settings...." In dramatization, a United States army officer transcribes a radio message onto a piece of paper and hands it to a soldier. The soldier, wearing goggles, gets onto a motorcycle and speeds away. View of German sniper shooting motorcycle messenger speeding down road. German soldier steals message bag. German cryptographic decipher team working. Close up of clock as time changes in montage. German radio officer receives message. Convoy on road. German pilots receive command in office. Allied convoy being attacked by fighter planes. Major Doyle reminds viewers to "know your rules on cryptographic security measures...."
U.S. Army Air Corps XR-1 helicopter undergoing preliminary tests in a field at the Platt-LePage Aircraft company's plant in Eddystone Pennsylvania, United States. The pilot uses power only sufficient to allow the helicopter to break ground by a foot or less. Company technicians manually move the XR-1 helicopter into a hangar following the tests.
Tethered tests of the U.S. Army Air Corps XR-1 helicopter at the Platt-LePage company factory in Eddystone Pennsylvania. The helicopter parked in front of hangar. Pilot Lou Leavitt in the cockpit and starts the engine. Several men watch and take pictures of the action. A group of men including Platt,Leavitt ,Le Page and Grover Loening talk to each other. XR-1 hovers as cars and trucks remain parked in the background. Several scenes in which the the helicopter lightly touches down and then takes off again.