This film is part of Free

Men of Washington

March of Time profiles the American home-front through the lens of Washington, providing an insight into the machinery of government in the first months of war.

Documentary 1942 20 mins

Overview

March of Time profiles the American home-front through the lens of Washington, providing an insight into the machinery of government in the first months of war. Washington is depicted as a boom town with a touch of glamour, as the wheels of mobilisation transform the city to accommodate a rapidly expanding population drafted in to support the wartime administration. A precis of Roosevelt’s presidential career precedes a full description of the roles and responsibilities of the political leadership in the ‘capital of the united nations’.

Originally released in the US in July 1942, this is one of only two wartime issues in which March of Time focused on political leadership, the other being ‘Spotlight on Congress’. The rousing and persuasive tone of support for the political elite provides a sharp contrast to the biting cynicism and forensic precision with which the March of Time dissected political figures before the war.