1952: Fulgencio Batista seizes power in Cuba. Batista and his men enter Camp Columbia and win over the garrison. The soldiers pick up arms. The convoy leaves for the Presidential Palace in Havana. A pilot climbs into the cockpit of an airplane. Rafael Salas Canizares, the new Chief of Police, directs his men in his office. He goes into a building and talks to his radio operator. Obsolete ships of the Cuban Navy in the bay. Officers converse before a map on the wall. Cars and tanks on their way to the Presidential Palace. President Carlos Prio Socarras takes sanctuary in the Mexican Embassy. The Republic of Cuba flag, and the Democratic constitution suspended. Ousted President Carlos Prio Socarras leaves for Mexico with his family. The Presidential Palace in Havana. Batista during a meeting with his Cabinet. University of Havana students carry out a mock funeral of the Cuban constitution. Police officers and officials inside the Fifth National Police Station. Seeds of revolution against Batista are sown: Leader of the student movement, Jose Antonio Echeverria, encourages his fellow students to act. A pro-Batista faction smears the statue of a student hero with red paint. Students gather and demonstrate on the streets. The police try to control the demonstration. Explosions during the demonstrations. A wounded student leader protesting against Batista is taken to a hospital, where he dies. Students carry his casket down the steps of a building. Student demonstrators hang Batista in effigy. Police arrests students in the University campus. The students are defended by a former Senator in court. Newspaper headlines about the various shootings. A man killed during a police raid. Rafael Salas Canizares is made Brigadier. Proceedings underway in the Department of Investigation. The Minister of Interior meets with radio executives and publishers and orders censorship. People around a car with the words 'Censored' and 'Censorship' painted on it.
A film based on the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Long Island, New York which is dedicated to study of foreign animal diseases. Animated map of the United States of America depicts the New England region of the U.S. affected with foot and mouth disease of animals during year 1870 and Mexico and Canada affected by epizootics in 1946 and 1952 respectively. A technician stores animal foot and mouth disease virus in a laboratory freezer.
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines takes the oath of office as Mexico's next President. Attending the inaugural are retiring Ambassador O'Dwyer and Vice-President Nixon. Crowd greets the new President. Soldiers march in respect of the President. Officials watch from balcony of building.
Aero-Medical Field Laboratory tests at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, United States. A section of a rocket with various compartments and recording instruments placed horizontally on the ground. A monkey secured inside the rocket compartment. Another monkey placed in the other compartment. Recording instruments fastened to the monkeys. A group of personnel inspects the tip of the rocket. A man holds a parachute. A monkey placed in the rocket chamber.
Aero-Medical Field Laboratory tests at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, United States. A section of a rocket with various compartments and recording instruments placed horizontally on the ground. A group of personnel inspects the tip of the rocket. Recording instruments fastened to a monkey. It is secured inside the rocket compartment. A doctor examines the monkey and administers an injection in the leg.
Film starts showing United Press wire service receiver with report in it. "Tokyo" is superimposed on the image. A huge gathering of Japanese people is seen, most holding umbrellas on a rainy day. Camera view from behind some of the crowd, with the National Diet (Legislative) building in the background. Groups of men rush through the crowd creating disturbance. They protest the Treaty of San Francisco on April 28, 1952, which ended U.S. occupation, but levied heavy penalties on Japan including confiscation of all assets owned by the Japanese government, firms, organization and private citizens, in all colonized or occupied countries. Closeups of some surrounding a uniformed policemen and roughing him up. Views inside the House of representatives chamber, where members are in a state of turmoil. Member are dragging one legislator. Closeup of him sitting on the floor and of another legislator waving a fan to cool off. A cadre of uniformed officers enters the assembly room and forcibly removes several struggling legislators. Following that, a group of legislators forces another to the Chairman's position in the chamber. (Note: Political conflicts, between supporters of politician Hatoyama Ichiro and those of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida resulted in the Prime Minister declaring an “Out of the blue” dissolution of the House of Representatives in August, 1952.)