Prelude to War (1943)

USA. Propaganda documentary film.

Footage symbolizing war.

Parade of US troops, orchestra in front, flag fluttering.

Explosions on the ground, bombs falling from an airplane.

A blown-up ship is burning in the sea.

Bombings in London, lights of fires in the darkness, the silhouette of a cathedral is illuminated, walls of houses are collapsing.

A burning city in France.

Germans in France, tanks are moving along the road.

The Eiffel Tower.

German soldiers are marching from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Cannons are firing, explosions.

A burning city in China, people among the ruins of houses are looking at the sky, Japanese planes are flying.

People are running along the street.

Czechoslovakia, German tanks are moving.

A sign to Prague.

Horse artillery is moving along the road.

German ships in the North Sea near Norway.

An airplane is flying low over the trees, explosions are in the city below.

Tanks and cannons are firing.

A downed airplane is falling.

Corpses of murdered civilians lie in the street.

German tanks are moving.

A German artilleryman tightens the rope near a gun, Poland is firing, troops are dropped from an airplane on parachutes.

Greece, a view of the Acropolis and other ancient monuments from an airplane.

Guns and tanks are firing.

The signing of the capitulation.

Albania, motorized German artillery is driving along the road.

Yugoslavia, troops are jumping from an airplane.

Russia, civilians are digging anti-tank ditches.

Cavalry is galloping, tanks are coming towards them, airplanes are flying, bombs are falling.

Production processes at military factories in the rear of the United States.

Map of the United States.

US troops on the march.

Vice President Henry Wallace gives a speech in New York on May 8, 1942: "This is a war between the free world and the slave world." Commandments about peace and humanity from the Koran, Confucius, the Bible, the US Declaration of Independence.

Statues of Washington, Jefferson, Garibaldi, Lafiette, Bolivar, Lincoln.

Paintings and sculptures on military themes.

Monument to the soldiers of Washington's army who died at Valley Forge in the Civil War of 1777-1778. The flag of the United States, a bell swinging, with a relief inscription on it: "Liberty".

The White House, the Capitol, the Statue of Liberty The other side of the world on another globe.

The enemies of peace - Japan, Germany, Italy.

Italian fascists march on Rome.

Street battles.

Refugees fleeing.

A truck with fascists driving down the street.

Mussolini taking the parade, smiling contentedly.

Germany.

Crowds of people greeting the fascists, Hitler.

Inflation in Germany, the roulette wheel spins, the exchange rate of the mark falls.

Costumed procession of fascists.

Hindenburg taking the parade of troops, inspecting the line of soldiers.

Hitler and Goering are sitting in a room, behind them are German industrialists and magnates.

Hitler is at the window.

Soldiers are running down the street, shots are heard

USA. Japanese army, Emperor Hirohito riding a horse, Japanese people bowing.

There are chants, everyone raises their hands up.

Germany.

The crowd greets Hitler standing on the square, Hitler comes out onto the balcony.

The silhouette of Japan on the map turns into a dragon, the silhouette of Germany into a swastika, the silhouette of Italy into an axe.

Italian legionnaires, the German army, the Japanese army marching.

Hirohito on the square, Hitler, Mussolini.

Hitler's hysterical speech, shouts of "Heil!" Mussolini speaking.

Hirohito's speech to the troops, shouts of "banzai".

Government institutions in these countries: the Reichstag in Berlin, the House of Representatives in Rome, the parliament in Tokyo.

A session of the Japanese parliament.

Hitler speaking in the Reichstag, Mussolini in the House of Representatives The work of the German Ministry of Propaganda.

Speech by the Minister of Propaganda Goebbels, people listening to the radio.

A sign on the door: "People's Court", officials.

The work of the "Labor Front", young people digging ditches with shovels.

A soldier approaches, gives an order, everyone listens, raises their hands in a fascist salute.

The work of the secret police.

The police march down the street, a policeman breaks down a door with a rifle butt.

The cover of Hitler's book "Mein Kampf", a quote from the book: "Only the use of brute force brings benefit".

The 13th Legion in Turin, a fascist on the podium giving a speech.

The legionnaires draw daggers.

A young fascist speaks against the background of the NSDAP banner, pulls out a pistol.

The crowd raises their hands.

Newspaper headlines about Hitler's putsch in Munich, 1923. Hitler executes anti-Nazi leaders.

The police arrest people.

Headline: "Giacomo Matteotti killed by Italian fascists". /Scene: a car is driving, shots are heard, the car falls into a ditch.

Rebels are killed in Japan.

Headline about the assassination of Roehm in Germany.

General Watanabe of the USA is killed in Japan.

Gothic cathedral, people pray in the temple.

The stained glass window shatters into pieces, a portrait of Hitler appears.

Speech by Dr.

Alfred Rosenberg, chief of the political bureau of the Nazi Party, at the Nuremberg Congress in 1938. The swastika as a symbol of Germany.

Persecution of the church.

Berlin, 1935, 7,000,000 Protestants were disbanded.

Sign of the Evangelical Youth Society, a paper about the dissolution is pasted onto the sign.

Newspaper, photographs of Cardinal Faulhaber, headline "Nazis storm the Cardinal's palace".

Photo of Pastor Niemoller, imprisoned in a concentration camp.

Headline: "Pastor Wiesler commits suicide in a Nazi prison".

Nazis arrest priests, popes and monks.

A Nazi paints a Star of David on a shop window.

Persecution of Jews in Germany.

Bandits burn, kill.

Headline: "1,500 German pastors arrested under house arrest." A hand glues a circle with a swastika to a door.

Goebbels speaks.

Speech by Julius Streicher, a rabid anti-Semite who published his own newspaper "Der Stürmer" in Munich in July 1935. Hitler sits among his comrades

USA. Work with youth.

Teacher proclaims a toast to the Fuhrer, children raise their hands, sing about Hitler.

Italian school youth organization named after Benito Mussolini, class.

In Japan, children are engaged in military training.

Young buglers and drummers in Germany.

In Japan, children march with flags.

Italian detachments of young legionnaires, drummers.

German youth march with flags.

Japanese detachments of youth in uniform, Italian ballilla marching.

Close-up of marching boots.

Parades of fascist youth.

Swastika on an armband.

Nazi salute.

Faces of youth, old people, women with children who watch the parade USA, Capitol.

Washington Disarmament Conference of 1921, Japan, France, Italy, USA participate.

Treaties on the quantitative composition of fleets, on the integrity of China.

In 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris by 15 countries, including Germany and Japan, renouncing war as an instrument of national policy.

Under the London Naval Treaty, the United States destroys its ships.

Map of the United States, reduction of the army to 136 thousand people /approximately the same as in Romania, where there are 2,000,000 people/.

A costumed march in the United States against the war.

The Pathé Newspaper conducts a poll of people on the street. "If the war starts in Europe, what should we do?" Interviews with people.

Demonstration, banner: "No to foreign predicament.

Economic crisis in the United States.

Roosevelt at his desk.

Newspaper headlines: "Congress passes wage and hours bill." Factory chimneys smoke, workers march.

Social programs, a law on social security has been passed.

Workers are building a road.

Federal public works programs.

New roads

USA. Dam, power plant.

Headline: "Senators object to League of Nations".

Senate passes tariff law, "Prohibition".

Protest rallies.

Gubernatorial elections in the USA USA. Germany.

Election campaign in Germany, you can only vote for Hitler.

People cast ballots.

In Germany, they burn books by progressive authors: Jack London, Remarque, Hemingway, Thomas Mann and others.

Cathedrals, a children's church choir sings.

Child care in Germany.

Kindergartens, children play, draw, play sports.

Flag with a swastika.

Children at guns, soldiers nearby.

Japan, military training of children, they run with weapons in their hands.

Italian boys put on gas masks, go on the "attack".

In the USA, the Red Cross collects funds to help Japanese children USA. Parades in Germany.

Hitler looks on, smiles.

Goering with a marshal's baton.

Mussolini on a visit to Germany, inspects the line of soldiers with Hitler.

Thousands of rallies, Hitler speaks.

Leaders of the Nazi Party: Hess, Goering, Frank, Goebbels, Dietrich, Todt, Reinhard, Darre, Ley.

Rallies in Italy, joyful cries of "Duce".

Rallies in Japan.

Hitler greets the Japanese minister, signing of the agreement in December 1941, Ribbentrop signs.

World map.

Mussolini's claims in Europe, Africa, Asia.

Tanaka Memorial - the Japanese dream of a world empire, of conquering China, Australia, Asia.

Germany's plans to seize Europe

USA. Admiral Yamamoto addresses sailors.

The Japanese dictate terms to the White House.

The Capitol building in Washington, with Japanese soldiers marching in front of it.

Propaganda in Germany, on all fronts.

Awarding mothers with many children.

Demonstration of German women.

A special program for producing ideal children in Germany in special camps.

A large number of babies are lying there, sisters are swaddling them.

USA. Speeches by Mussolini, Hitler.

The military budget in Germany is growing, data from 1932 to 1938. Military industry output: tanks, artillery, trucks, airplanes, ships.

Newspaper headline: "President Roosevelt approves military budget." The Japanese army.

Events in Manchuria.

September 18, 1931. Map, points Harbin, Changchung, Mukden.

Trains are running, soldiers are at the destroyed track.

Guns are firing.

Japanese soldiers on the offensive, cavalry on the march.

Trucks with Japanese soldiers in Manchuria.

Map of the captures.

Photo of Pu Yi in dress uniform, helmet with feathers.

Cavalry parade.

Pu Yi arrives by train.

US Senator Stimson condemns Japanese aggression.

The League of Nations Commission visited Manchuria, its report.

The French representative speaks at the League of Nations.

Conclusion: the Japanese entered in self-defense.

The common people of England /peasant, waiter/ do not understand these events.

Meanwhile, fires are raging in Manchuria, Japanese troops are entering

USA. Tanaka speaks about Manchuria.

Task No. 1 - the conquest of Manchuria, task No. 2 - the conquest of China.

Shanghai, 1932. The Japanese navy's guns are firing at the city from the sea.

People are running down the streets.

Planes are bombing the city.

Refugees on the roads.

Fighting in the city.

Children are looking at the sky, bomb explosions.

The dead are lying in the streets, women are crying.

Ruins of houses.

Killed children.

Landing from a ship to the shore.

Street fighting is underway.

The Japanese flag is on a house.

Japan is annexing a province to Manchuria.

Tanks and cavalry are advancing.

Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek among soldiers.

The Great Wall of China USA. Map of Europe.

Mussolini is speaking, talking about the readiness to seize Ethiopia.

A squadron of Italian planes on a field, ships at sea, 1935, an attack on Ethiopia near the village of Val-Val.

Newspaper headlines: "Mussolini in Ethiopia".

Soldiers board a ship, passage through the Suez Canal.

Haile Selassie speaks at the League of Nations, asks for help from Western countries.

Ethiopia, Emperor Haile Selassie under a canopy in front of a crowd of subjects.

The Ethiopian army fights with Italian troops.

There are battles, bombings, the wounded are carried.

Portrait of Mussolini.

Roosevelt's speech condemning Italy to the USA. Hitler, Goering and Mussolini at the map at headquarters.

The 3rd gangster Hitler.

Hitler raises his hand in greeting.

He will be discussed in the next film.

Map of the conquests of Italy, Japan.

The army on the march.

Montage of short shots.

American troops, the US flag.

Children in uniform.

Construction.

At the end, the words of G.K. Marshall, Chief of the Joint Staff of the US Army are quoted: "The triumph of democracy can be achieved only with the complete defeat of the military machines of Germany and Japan.