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Crisis in the Pacific

Two years before the attack on Pearl Harbour, the March of Time warns of the dangers of Japanese aggression in the Pacific: ‘as far east as Hawaii, as far west as Singapore’.

Documentary 1940 12 mins

Overview

Beginning with a grimly prophetic warning that the war could be long and costly, this film urges its audience to beware the dangers of Japanese aggression. With British and French attention focused on the defence of Europe, Japan saw opportunities ahead in 1940 to fulfil its imperial ambitions in the Pacific. This film focuses on the strategic importance of Guam, criticising Congress for its timidity in vetoing plans for the island’s military redevelopment in 1939.

One of several issues released in 1939 and 1940 alerting audiences to the dangers of war in the Pacific, this film features some typical March of Time narrative devices, including a re-enacted scene with a Japanese radio announcer (played by an actor), who boasts aggressively about ‘settling the South Pacific question’. The extensive use of maps includes a diagram of the Hawaiian island of Oahu and Pearl Harbour, which the commentary describes as ‘already believed to be impregnable’.

Original title

The March of Time 5th Year No. 10

Genres

Documentary and War

Country

USA

Language

English