Henry Carter Hull

Prelude to War: began as a training video for U.S. Troops compares the "free" world to the "slave" world--the dictatorships of Germany, Italy, and Japan. Used widely as a propaganda piece, the film endures as a study of how governments survive to justify wars to those who fight them. The Nazi strike: Capra's documentary depicts Germany's diplomatic and military betrayals leading up to the 1939 invasion of Poland and the events that finally led France...

From late 1943 to the spring of 1944, Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his officers prepare the American Army, Navy, and Air Force to take back the island of Great New Britain from the occupying Japanese. U. S. Army personnel go through training maneuvers on New Guinea, with the help of natives who familiarize them with jungle tactics. As American bombers launch a preemptive attack, naval forces bombard the island before the military lands at dawn in two...

This engrossing documentary (originally designated as War Department Information Film #7) gives an in-depth look at the culture and values of America in the years immediately preceding our entry into World War II. Captured enemy film footage also affords a unique look into the cultures and values we opposed.