From Appeasement to Aggression: The World on the Brink of War
About This Footage
Reel 4 of War Comes to America chronicles the rapid escalation of war in the late 1930s, as America watches global events unfold. It opens with Japan’s full-scale war on China in 1937, showing naval and aerial bombings, fleeing civilians, and mass casualties. The film then turns to Hitler’s diplomatic victories, including the 1938 Munich Pact, where Britain and France handed over the Sudetenland in hopes of averting war. A gleeful Hitler and Mussolini are seen celebrating their success. Meanwhile, Nazi spies are arrested in America, and a pro-Nazi rally fills Madison Square Garden, highlighting internal threats. The reel then shifts to Italy’s invasion of Albania in 1939, and President Roosevelt’s plea to Hitler and Mussolini to respect other nations—mocked openly by Hitler in the Reichstag. Shortly after, Germany invades Poland, launching WWII. Powerful footage captures bombs falling on Warsaw, Polish resistance, and British citizens preparing for war with gas masks. As England and France declare war, Roosevelt convenes a special session of Congress to amend the Neutrality Act, lifting the arms embargo. The reel ends with more brutal footage of Japan’s campaign in China, including executions of civilians, emphasizing the growing global crisis.