From the Attack on Pearl Harbor to the Roots of World War II
About This Footage
Reel 1 of The World at War (1942) opens with vivid scenes of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, showing the destruction of ships, aircraft, and facilities in the immediate aftermath. The reel also features President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous “date which will live in infamy” address to Congress, rallying the American people to war. Looking back before U.S. entry into the conflict, the film depicts Wendell Willkie’s call for global unity, labor unrest, and German Bundist rallies in Madison Square Garden. It further traces Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria and expansion into China, foreshadowing the broader conflict to come. As the opening chapter of the series, Reel 1 provides a compelling introduction to the events that propelled the United States into World War II.