A film titled 'Make America first in the air' on the development of air power of the United States. Animated map of the U.S. with a line from New York to Kansas. A covered wagon train of settlers moving west along desert terrain, depicting the Santa Fe Trail of 1849. Mountains in the background. Animated map of the U.S. with a line from New York to Kansas, and continuing through New Mexico and Arizona to California. Railroads decreased the time taken to cover the distance between the places to four days. A train using a steam locomotive moves to the right along a double track. Animation over a map of the U.S. with a line from New York to California. Airways further reduced the time taken to cover the distance to 27 hours. A U.S. Army Air Service Fokker T-2 aircraft in flight.
A streamliner locomotive pulling a train and moving quickly toward camera position. Scene changes to view of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial building (101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria, Virginia) in Alexandria, Virginia. Next scene shows a TWA gate area at Albuquerque New Mexico airport. A TWA Lindbergh Line DC-3 airplane taxis to a stop. A frozen park scene in Minneapolis Minnesota. An aerial view of Miami. A tall white tower in San Francisco (Ferry Building?). Wide pan view of skyline and skyscrapers of New York City. Exterior of U.S. Post Office Building in New York City.
Civilians demonstrate on road with banners in the Dominican Republic. A man paints a board. Civilians jam the streets of town. People on buildings. Exteriors of the National Palace (Av. México, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) shows a military truck arriving. President Joaquin Balaguer walks out of room in presence of some officials. Balaguer speaks at mike.
A parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. Men on motorcycles. Crowd lined up on sidewalks. Capitol in the background. Banners read 'Washington DC salutes'. New Commander Seaborn Collins of New Mexico with the U.S. flag in the background. Procession of military jeeps loaded with legionnaires. Legionnaires parade on street. Crowd and children cheer. Floats and men with flags along road.
The U.S. Naval fleet underway in the Pacific before Pearl Harbor. Italian narrator describing names and sizes of various ships including the USS Arizona,USS Oklahoma, USS West Virginia, USS California and USS New Mexico. Footage of the U.S. Pacific fleet ships in heavy seas with water crashing over their bows. Army Air Force biplanes take off from the deck of the USS Langley Aircraft Carrier. Sailors stand by as a biplane aircraft lands on the deck of the USS Langley (CV-1). Biplane aircraft on the deck of the USS Langley. Topic then changes to Air-Raid Defenses in and around Italian naval bases. Italian Sailors roll helium barrage balloon inflation tanks into ships. Sailors direct air into a balloon. Numerous barrage balloons in the sky. Soldiers prepare to release a balloon from a boat and fasten the metal cables. Deck guns in position. Soldiers observe through binoculars, telescopes, other instruments and monitor gauges and radar on a machine. A soldier talks on the radio from amidst sand bag barricades. Soldiers watch as two play a bacci ball game. They run to take their positions as a soldier signals incoming enemy aircraft. Enemy planes attack the Italian base. Explosions near ships in the water. A barrage balloon is hit and bursts into flames. Sailors fire anti aircraft artillery from behind a barricade. Mobile units dash to substitute the destroyed barrage balloon with a new one. Soldiers in a truck hold onto the new balloon and then release it. (World War II period).
Harry S Truman and other officials work on some documents. Truman's Vice Presidential campaign. People hold boards reading 'Truman for Vice President' during Democratic National Convention of 1944. Vice President Truman with President Franklin D Roosevelt. View of the exterior of the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC. Soldiers and horses with Roosevelt's casket during funeral of Franklin D. Roosevelt. A crowd at the Washington Monument. The United States flag at half staff on the White House. Truman addresses the Congress. He talks about cooperation and duty. Nazi German Axis soldiers surrender during World War II in Europe. A large crowd at Broadway celebrates VE Day in New York City. The first atomic bomb mushroom cloud billows into the sky over New Mexico during the Trinity atomic bomb test. Signing of Japanese surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri at the end of World War 2. Japanese official Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signs documents, then General Douglas MacArthur signs documents, and presents a pen to General Wainwright standing behind him. An American official takes a seat and goes through some documents. An officer reads documents at a table as soldiers stand by and watch.