Original subtitles

Narrator: PEARL HARBOR, DECEMBER 7, 1941.

THE JAPANESE SURPRISE ATTACK

LAUNCHES THE UNITED STATES INTO WORLD WAR II.

AS ALLIED FORCES BEGIN THEIR EPIC STRUGGLE

TO DRIVE THE JAPANESE OUT OF THE PACIFIC,

A BRITISH JOURNALIST HAS EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

TO THEIR CAMPAIGN.

ARMED WITH HIS COLOR MOVIE CAMERA,

HE CAPTURES DRAMATIC FOOTAGE

FROM SOME OF THE MOST SAVAGE CONFLICTS OF WORLD WAR II.

HE TRAVELS WITH THE TROOPS AS THEY BATTLE

TO RECAPTURE BORNEO, NEW GUINEA AND THE PHILIPPINES.

HE HAS PRIVILEGED ACCESS

TO THE GREAT WAR LEADER GENERAL DOUGLAS MacARTHUR

AND FOLLOWS HIM TO JAPAN IN AUGUST 1945

TO FILM THE HISTORIC SURRENDER.

IN JAPAN HE WITNESSES THE DEVASTATION

OF THE ATOM-BOMBED CITIES OF NAGASAKI AND HIROSHIMA

AND THE JAPANESE NATION COMING TO TERMS

WITH THEIR BITTER DEFEAT.

THIS IS THE UNIQUE STORY OF THE WAR

SEEN THROUGH ONE MAN'S LENS--

A JOURNALIST WITH BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS

TO TELL THE STORY OF THE END GAME IN THE PACIFIC.

IN DECEMBER 1941,

BRITISH JOURNALIST WILLIAM COURTENAY

IS TRAVELING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

ON A MISSION FOR HIS GOVERNMENT.

HE'S TRYING TO CONVINCE RELUCTANT AMERICANS

TO JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST ADOLF HITLER.

THE UNITED STATES HAS AN OFFICIAL POLICY OF ISOLATIONISM.

COURTENAY HOPES TO CHANGE THAT--

AND HISTORY IS ABOUT TO MAKE HIS JOB MUCH EASIER.

William Courtenay: I WAS IN SEATTLE--

THAT NIGHT I WAS TO ADDRESS SOME 8,000 WORKERS

FROM BOEING AIRCRAFT WORKS AT THE LOCAL AUDITORIUM.

IT WAS NOON ON THE COAST...

THAT FATEFUL SABBATH WHICH WAS TO SOUND THE DEATH KNELL

OF AMERICAN ISOLATIONISM.

Narrator: THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

ON THAT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7,

BRINGS THE UNITED STATES INTO THE WAR.

COURTENAY'S MISSION COMPLETE, NOW HE SENSES AN OPPORTUNITY.

HE SECURES A PRESS BADGE TO COVER BATTLES IN THE PACIFIC

FOR THE BRITISH PRESS.

AND IN THE SPRING OF 1942

HE SETS SAIL WITH AMERICAN TROOPS FROM SAN FRANCISCO.

HE'S THE ONLY BRITISH JOURNALIST GRANTED PRIVILEGED ACCESS

TO THE U.S. MILITARY.

Courtenay: WE STEAMED UNDER THE GOLDEN GATE

AT SAN FRANCISCO IN FAIR WEATHER,

WATCHED THE LAND RECEDE,

WONDERED WHAT ADVENTURES LAY BEFORE US

AND WHEN WE WOULD ALL SEE AMERICA AGAIN.

Narrator: A MONTH LATER COURTENAY ARRIVES IN AUSTRALIA

AND IMMEDIATELY GETS TO WORK AS A WAR CORRESPONDENT

FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES AND DAILY SKETCH NEWSPAPERS.

IT'S IN AUSTRALIA

THAT COURTENAY FIRST MEETS GENERAL DOUGLAS MacARTHUR,

THE MAN LATER DUBBED AN AMERICAN CAESAR.

MacARTHUR HAS JUST FLED THE PHILIPPINES

FROM THE ADVANCING JAPANESE.

COURTENAY IS THERE WITH THE REST OF THE PRESS PACK

ON MARCH 21, 1942,

WHEN THE GENERAL ARRIVES IN MELBOURNE.

ON HIS SHOULDERS RESTS THE IMMENSE BURDEN

OF DEFEATING A TRIUMPHANT JAPAN.

Courtenay: EXCITEMENT RAN LIKE WILDFIRE THROUGH MELBOURNE.

HE HAD CAPTIVATED THE PUBLIC FANCY OF AMERICA

MORE THAN ANY OTHER GENERAL SINCE LEE AND GRANT

IN THE DAYS OF THE CIVIL WAR.

Narrator: FOR MacARTHUR,

NOW SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC,

THE FIGHT AGAINST THE JAPANESE IS PERSONAL.

AFTER THEIR SUCCESSFUL ATTACK

ON PEARL HARBOR,

THE JAPANESE HAVE ADVANCED

ACROSS THE PACIFIC.

MacARTHUR HAS BEEN FORCED

TO RETREAT FROM HIS HEADQUARTERS

IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IT HAS BEEN A BITTER HUMILIATION.

HE VOWS "I SHALL RETURN," WORDS THAT BECOME HIS MANTRA.

MacARTHUR AND FLEET ADMIRAL CHESTER NIMITZ

LAUNCH A GRUELING AND COSTLY ISLAND-HOPPING CAMPAIGN

AGAINST A DETERMINED ENEMY.

THEIR TWO-PRONGED ADVANCE TO RECAPTURE THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

WILL TAKE OVER THREE YEARS OF BRUTAL ISLAND-TO-ISLAND COMBAT.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL:

AN INVASION OF JAPAN.

THEIR CAMPAIGN BRINGS THE MIGHT OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE AND NAVY

TO BEAR ON AN ENEMY WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING.

[TROOPS SHOUTING]

BUT WITHIN MONTHS OF THE CAMPAIGN'S START,

MacARTHUR AND NIMITZ'S TACTICS BEGIN TO PAY OFF.

IN MAY AND JUNE 1942,

NIMITZ WINS A SERIES OF DECISIVE NAVAL VICTORIES

AT THE BATTLES OF CORAL SEA AND MIDWAY.

Newsreel announcer: NAVY PLANES ROARED FROM THE DECKS OF OUR CARRIERS...

THUNDER DESTRUCTION OVER A 300-MILE BATTLE AREA.

THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY IS OVER.

Narrator: AS THE ALLIES CELEBRATE THE VICTORY AT MIDWAY,

WILLIAM COURTENAY IS COVERING THE CAMPAIGN IN NEW GUINEA.

AS A DECORATED WORLD WAR I PILOT,

HE'S NO STRANGER TO COMBAT.

OUT IN THE FIELD

COURTENAY STRIKES UP A CLOSE FRIENDSHIP WITH MacARTHUR

THAT GIVES HIM PRIVILEGED ACCESS WITH HIS CAMERA.

IN 1943 HE TAKES PART IN MULTIPLE LANDINGS

AND FILMS THE GENERAL'S TROOPS

AS THEY BATTLE THEIR WAY

THROUGH THE PACIFIC.

COURTENAY HAS WITH HIM HIS 16-MILLIMETER MOVIE CAMERA

USING THE NEW COLOR KODACHROME FILM.

HE HAS NO TRAINING AS A CAMERAMAN,

BUT HE MANAGES TO CAPTURE A BEHIND-THE-SCENES RECORD

OF LIFE WITH THE TROOPS.

AND HE ISN'T SHY ABOUT APPEARING IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA HIMSELF--

OFTEN HANDING IT OVER TO THE MEN HE'S WITH.

MacARTHUR'S TASK IS DIFFICULT.

THE ONLY WAY TO DEFEAT JAPAN IS TO PRIZE THEIR GRIP

FROM THEIR ISLAND FORTRESSES ONE BY ONE.

COURTENAY FILMS A NEW TYPE OF WARFARE

AS THE GENERAL LAUNCHES A SERIES OF MASS AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULTS,

EACH BACKED BY AIR AND NAVAL BOMBARDMENT.

FOR THE FIRST TIME THESE AMPHIBIOUS FORCES

ARE ABLE TO TRANSPORT AND LAND WHOLE ARMIES

WITH ALL THEIR WEAPONS.

NO OTHER NATION CAN MATCH THE MIGHT AND SOPHISTICATION

OF THESE U.S.-LED OPERATIONS.

COURTENAY IS WITH THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION

ON FEBRUARY 29, 1944,

AS IT LEADS ONE OF THE MOST DECISIVE AMPHIBIOUS ATTACKS

OF THE WAR SO FAR,

AN ASSAULT ON THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS,

NORTH OF NEW GUINEA.

THE ISLANDS CONTAIN LOS NEGROS, HOME TO THE MAMOTE AIRFIELD,

ONE OF THE KEY ASSAULT OBJECTIVES FOR THE ALLIES.

THEY'RE ALSO IDEALLY SITUATED TO COVER THE ALLIED ADVANCES

ALONG THE NEW GUINEA COAST.

THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION IS MADE UP MAINLY OF TEXANS.

IT'S THE BEST-TRAINED AMERICAN DIVISION

YET TO GO INTO ACTION IN THE PACIFIC.

COURTENAY SHOOTS BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE

OF THE MEN JUST HOURS BEFORE THE ASSAULTS BEGIN.

THE WRITER NORMAN MAILER,

WHO ALSO SERVED IN THE PACIFIC CAMPAIGN,

CAPTURES THE MOOD OF FOREBODING BEFORE SUCH LANDINGS.

Norman Mailer: NOBODY COULD SLEEP.

WHEN MORNING CAME, ASSAULT CRAFT WOULD BE LOWERED

AND A FIRST WAVE OF TROOPS WOULD RIDE THROUGH THE SURF

AND CHARGE ASHORE.

ALL OVER THE SHIP, ALL THROUGH THE CONVOY

THERE WAS KNOWLEDGE THAT IN A FEW HOURS

SOME OF THEM WERE GOING TO BE DEAD.

Narrator: AS THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION

PREPARES FOR THE ASSAULT ON LOS NEGROS,

COURTENAY FILMS THE FIRST BOMBARDMENT

AND LANDING OPERATIONS.

Courtenay: FROM AIR AND SEA WE PREPARED THE WAY.

THE SUCCESSION OF BOMBS

RESEMBLED THE RAT-TAT OF MACHINE GUNS,

WHILE HUNDREDS OF SHELLS FROM EACH SHIP

PLASTERED THE COAST ON BOTH SIDES OF THE HARBOR ENTRANCE.

Narrator: THE BRUTAL BOMBARDMENT FORCES THE JAPANESE ENEMY

OUT OF THEIR ENTRENCHED POSITIONS AND INTO FULL RETREAT.

THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION LANDS AT LOS NEGROS UNOPPOSED.

THOUSANDS OF TROOPS SWARM ONTO THE BEACHHEAD,

BRINGING WITH THEM TONS OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES.

BY EARLY AFTERNOON THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION

SECURES ITS INITIAL TARGET-- THE MAMOTE AIRSTRIP--

WITH VERY LITTLE OPPOSITION.

MacARTHUR IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE PHILIPPINES.

ALMOST THE MOMENT IT IS CAPTURED

THE AIRFIELD IS PUT TO USE BY ALLIED GROUND ATTACK AIRCRAFT

FROM THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE.

REINFORCEMENTS CONTINUE TO FILE ASHORE FOR HOURS

AFTER THE FIRST LANDINGS.

AND THE RELIEF FOR THOSE WHO'VE MADE IT ONTO LOS NEGROS

IS ENORMOUS.

OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS THE TROOPS REPEL

SEVERAL FEROCIOUS JAPANESE COUNTERATTACKS

AS THE ALLIES TIGHTEN THEIR GRIP.

BY MAY 18, 1944,

THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS ARE SECURELY IN MacARTHUR'S HANDS.

ALONG WITH FILMING THE ACTION, COURTENAY HAS EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

TO THE ALLIED TROOPS IN THE FIELD.

HE SPENDS HIS TIME FLYING FROM ISLAND TO ISLAND

WITH HIS CAMERA, RECORDING WHAT HE SEES.

Courtenay: JUNGLE WARFARE HAS ITS HUMORS AND COMEDIES

JUST LIKE ON ANY OTHER FRONT.

WHEREVER BRITISH, AUSTRALIAN, OR AMERICAN TROOPS ARE FOUND,

THEY HAVE A WAY OF MAKING THEIR OWN FUN

EVEN IN THE WORST OF COUNTRY CONDITIONS

OR UNIMAGINABLE HARDSHIP.

Leon Hesser: A FEW OF US AT A TIME

WERE TAKEN BY SMALL BOATS TO THE BEACH FOR A SWIM.

WE HAD NO SWIMMING SUITS, SO WE SKINNY DIPPED.

WADING OUT TO SEA IN WATER ABOUT TWO FEET DEEP,

A JEEP-LOAD OF WACs PASSED ALONG THE BEACH.

WE ALL FOUR FACED THE YOUNG LADIES AND WAVED.

Narrator: ONE FAVORITE PASTIME OF THE TROOPS

IS TO TRADE IN SOUVENIRS FOUND

AMONG DEAD JAPANESE SOLDIERS ON THE BATTLEFIELD,

INCLUDING JAPANESE PROPAGANDA INSTRUCTING ALLIED TROOPS

ON HOW THEY SHOULD SURRENDER.

THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER TROPHY IS THE JAPANESE SAMURAI SWORD.

Courtenay: THE JAPANESE OFFICER CONSIDERS IT A POINT OF HONOR

TO HAVE HIS SWORD DIPPED IN THE BLOOD OF HIS ENEMIES.

MOST OF THE CAPTURED SWORDS BEAR EVIDENCE OF BEING BLOODED.

Narrator: WHEREVER MacARTHUR'S TROOPS GO

IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

THEY FIND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES CAUGHT UP IN THE CONFLICT.

[CHILD CRYING]

MANY LIBERATED PACIFIC ISLANDERS ARE KEEN TO JOIN COMBAT UNITS

AND FIGHT ON THE SIDE OF THE ALLIES.

IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA SOME 3,500 MELANESIANS SERVE

IN THE PACIFIC ISLAND REGIMENT.

THE TROOPS USE LOCALS FOR MANUAL LABOR--

LOADING AND UNLOADING SHIPS AND TRUCKS;

CARRYING AMMUNITION AND HELPING TO CLEAR THE UNDERGROWTH.

WITH THE VICTORY IN THE ADMIRALTIES,

THE ALLIES ARE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS.

INSTEAD OF CAPTURING EVERY SINGLE ISLAND

OCCUPIED BY THE ENEMY,

MacARTHUR'S STRATEGY IS TO "HIT 'EM WHERE THEY AIN'T,"

JUST TAKING SELECTED ISLANDS AND BYPASSING OTHERS.

ON APRIL 22, 1944,

GENERAL WALTER KRUEGER'S 6th ARMY

SETS OFF TO CAPTURE HOLLANDIA, ALSO IN NEW GUINEA.

Newsreel announcer: ADVANCE LANDING BARGES

SPEED TO SHORE UNDER COVER OF FIRE,

GENERAL MacARTHUR PERSONALLY DIRECTING THE ASSAULT--

A DARING THRUST 500 MILES BEYOND THE MOST ADVANCED POINT

PREVIOUSLY OCCUPIED BY ALLIED FORCES

DRIVING DOWN THE NEW GUINEA COAST.

[AIRPLANE ROARING]

Narrator: ON HOLLANDIA COURTENAY LINKS UP WITH ONE

OF THE AIR FORCE SQUADRONS' FLYING B-24 LIBERATORS.

AS A DECORATED WORLD WAR I PILOT HIMSELF, COURTENAY LOVES FLYING.

DURING THE CAMPAIGN

HE OFTEN HITCHES A LIFT WITH FRIENDLY AIRCREWS.

THIS MISSION DELIVERS SUPPLIES TO SOME TROOPS

WHO HAVE BEEN CUT OFF IN A LANDSLIDE

DURING THE COMBAT.

Courtenay: THE SLEEPERS AND THE DROWSY ONES

AND THE THINKERS AMONG US

ALL ARE SUDDENLY GALVANIZED INTO LIFE

BY THE SHARP RAT-A-TAT-TAT OF MACHINE GUN FIRE.

CAN IT BE THAT ZEROES HAVE ATTACKED US?

EVERYONE IS ALERT

AND WE CAN ALMOST HEAR THE HEART THUMPS OF THE SOLDIERS.

BUT IT IS ONLY OUR GUNNERS IN THE FUSELAGE

WISELY TRYING OUT A FEW ROUNDS ON THEIR GUNS

TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO JAMS

AND THAT THEY ARE READY FOR ANYTHING.

Narrator: BUT ON MANY OCCASIONS THESE ATTACKS CAN BE FOR REAL.

[GUNFIRE]

THESE LIBERATOR BOMBERS CAN BE USED

AS GROUND ATTACK GUNSHIPS, TOO.

THEY'RE READY TO SWOOP DOWN ON THE BEACHES OF NEW GUINEA

AND TAKE THE JAPANESE LANDING CRAFT BY SURPRISE

WITH DEVASTATING RESULTS.

[GUNFIRE]

THE AIR CREWS IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THEIR PLANES.

THEY OFTEN NAME THEM AND DECORATE THEM WITH ARTWORKS.

EVERY AIR CREW DEPENDS ON THEIR PLANE FOR SURVIVAL--

AND FOR MANY, THAT RELIANCE CREATES AN EMOTIONAL BOND.

NAMING THE PLANE AND HAVING A SYMBOL OF THAT NAME

PAINTED ON THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT

BECOMES A RITE OF PASSAGE.

B-25 GROUND ATTACK AIRCRAFT,

C-47 TROOP CARRIERS,

P-47 THUNDERBOLTS,

B-32 DOMINATOR BOMBERS;

NO PLANE IS TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL.

AND THE ART CAN BE HUMOROUS, RISQUE OR EVEN OUTRAGEOUS.

FOR THE YOUNG BOMBER AND FIGHTER CREWS,

THESE ARTWORKS OFFER A BREAK

FROM THE STRESSES AND STRAINS OF COMBAT.

AS COURTENAY IS FILMING WITH THE FIGHTING MEN,

MacARTHUR'S ISLAND-HOPPING CAMPAIGN REMAINS ON THE MOVE.

BY LATE SUMMER 1944 HE'S MADE A DRAMATIC ADVANCE

TOWARD JAPAN,

HOPSCOTCHING 1,200 MILES UP NEW GUINEA,

ATTACKING KEY JAPANESE POSITIONS AND BYPASSING OTHERS.

HIS TROOPS HAVE STAGED A SERIES OF SURPRISE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULTS

ALONG THE WAY.

THEY NOW SET THEIR SIGHTS ON THE PHILIPPINES.

FOR MacARTHUR, RETURNING TO RECAPTURE THE ISLANDS

HE'D BEEN FORCED TO ABANDON TWO YEARS EARLIER

IS A CASE OF PERSONAL PRIDE.

ON OCTOBER 20, 1944, THE LARGEST AMPHIBIOUS FORCE IN HISTORY

LAUNCHES AN INVASION OF THE PHILIPPINES.

THEIR FIRST TARGET: LEYTE ISLAND.

COURTENAY LANDS ON THE BEACH WITH THE MEN AT LEYTE

TO FILM THE U.S. 6th ARMY SPILLING ONTO THE ISLAND.

IT'S A HISTORIC MOMENT.

A FEW HOURS LATER GENERAL MacARTHUR HIMSELF

MAKES A DRAMATIC ENTRANCE.

AFTER SPLASHING ASHORE,

HE DECLARES THE BEGINNING OF THE LIBERATION.

Douglas MacArthur: PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES,

I HAVE RETURNED.

BY THE GRACE OF ALMIGHTY GOD,

OUR FORCES STAND AGAIN ON PHILIPPINE SOIL.

Paul Austin: THE WORD WENT JUST LIKE WILDFIRE.

"MacARTHUR HAS LANDED" KEPT GOING THROUGH THE RANKS.

EVERYBODY KNEW WHO HE WAS, AND IT WAS UPLIFTING.

WE HEARD THE PHRASE "I SHALL RETURN" OVER AND OVER.

IT WAS A KIND OF MOTTO,

SOMETHING FOR US TO LOOK FORWARD TO.

Narrator: VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC DEPENDS ON THE FIGHTING MEN;

BUT IT ALSO RELIES ON THOSE WHO FOLLOW,

IN PARTICULAR THE SEABEES.

THESE AMPHIBIOUS ENGINEERS AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

SWOOP IN TO BUILD AIRSTRIPS, ROADS AND FACILITIES

TO SUPPORT FURTHER OPERATIONS.

THEY CARVE GREAT 17,000-FOOT RUNWAYS

OUT OF THE VIRGIN JUNGLE,

TEARING DOWN THOUSANDS OF PALM TREES TO BUILD THEM.

COURTENAY IS ON LEYTE FOR ANOTHER HISTORIC MOMENT:

THE ARRIVAL OF FEMALE NURSES IN THE COMBAT ZONE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN THE CAMPAIGN

THAT NURSES ARE SENT IN TO TREAT BATTLE CASUALTIES IN THE FIELD

AS WELL AS THOSE WHO'VE BEEN EVACUATED FROM THE FRONT LINES.

DAVE BOONE, A NEW YORK SUN COLUMNIST,

GIVES A MOVING TRIBUTE TO THE NURSES.

Dave Boone: THE AMERICAN NURSE AT HER BEST

IS ONE OF THE GRANDEST HUMAN BEINGS ON EARTH.

I GUESS NO MATTER HOW BRAVE AND SELF-SACRIFICING

ANY MAN OR WOMAN MAY FEEL TODAY

THESE GIRLS MAKE 'EM FEEL SMALL TIME.

Narrator: MacARTHUR'S GREAT VICTORY AT LEYTE

HELPS PAVE THE WAY FOR THE ALLIES

TO ADVANCE FURTHER INTO THE PHILIPPINES.

THEIR NEXT TARGET IS TO LIBERATE THE ISLAND OF LUZON,

HOME OF THE CAPITAL, MANILA.

IN JANUARY 1945 THE 6th ARMY HEADS TOWARD LINGAYEN GULF

ON THE EAST COAST OF LUZON.

THIS WILL BE MacARTHUR'S LARGEST AND COSTLIEST OPERATION.

OVER 100,000 JAPANESE SOLDIERS

ARE PREPARED FOR A MAJOR CONFRONTATION.

THEY WILL FIGHT TO THE BITTER END,

AND THEY HAVE A DEADLY NEW WEAPON--

THE KAMIKAZE SUICIDE SQUADRON.

WITH THE THREAT OF KAMIKAZE ATTACKS ON U.S. SHIPS,

NERVOUS GUNNERS ON BOARD

FIRE AT EVERYTHING THAT MOVES IN THE AIR.

JUST BEFORE DAWN ON JANUARY 9, 1945,

THE 6th ARMY REACHES THE LANDING BEACHES AT LINGAYE.

COURTENAY JOINS THOUSANDS OF GIs

AS THEY POUR INTO LANDING CRAFT FOR A FULL-SCALE ATTACK.

900 AMPHIBIOUS TANKS AND 2,500 LANDING CRAFT

SWARM TOWARD SHORE IN A DAZZLING DISPLAY OF RAW POWER.

COURTENAY IS IN ONE OF THE LANDING CRAFT

AND FILMS AS THE FIRST WAVES OF TROOPS PREPARE TO HIT THE SHORE.

[GUNFIRE]

CONDITIONS ARE PERILOUS.

DESPITE SPOTTER PLANES ABOVE,

THESE MEN CAN'T BE SURE WHERE THE ENEMY IS.

COURTENAY'S SHAKY SHOT REVEALS THE ADRENALINE OF THE MOMENT.

BUT LUCK IS ON THEIR SIDE.

A JAPANESE COUNTERASSAULT NEVER COMES.

175,000 ALLIED TROOPS LAND SAFELY ALONG A BEACHHEAD

THAT STRETCHES 20 MILES.

THE LIBERATED FILIPINOS GREET THE ALLIED SOLDIERS

AS CONQUERING HEROES.

David Gutterman: AFTER WE LANDED

THE FILIPINOS REALLY WELCOMED US; THEY LIKED US.

THEY WERE ALL YELLING "MALMHAY," WHICH MEANS HELLO.

THEN WE HEADED DOWN TOWARDS MANILA.

Narrator: FOR THE ALLIES, LIBERATING THE CAPITAL

WILL SYMBOLIZE THEIR DETERMINATION

TO SMASH JAPANESE POWER IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC.

BUT THE JAPANESE WILL FIGHT TO THE BITTER END

TO KEEP THEIR HOLD ON THE CITY.

THE GRUELING BATTLE OF MANILA BEGINS ON FEBRUARY 3, 1945.

U.S. NEWSREELS REPORT THAT 50,000 JAPANESE ARE KILLED

AS ALLIED TROOPS BATTLE THEIR WAY TOWARD THE CITY.

FOR MacARTHUR IT'S PAYBACK TIME.

AT LAST, AFTER FOUR WEEKS OF FIGHTING,

HIS FORCES LIBERATE MANILA.

WILLIAM COURTENAY IS ONE OF THE FIRST JOURNALISTS

TO FILM THE RUINS OF THE PHILIPPINE CAPITAL.

TO CELEBRATE THE ALLIED VICTORY,

AMERICA'S TOP VAUDEVILLE PERFORMER,

JOE E. BROWN, PUTS ON A SHOW FOR THE TROOPS.

NICKNAMED "GI JOE,"

BROWN WORKS TIRELESSLY IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

TO ENTERTAIN THE SOLDIERS AND NURSES.

IT WAS, HE SAID, A MEANS OF OVERCOMING THE LOSS

OF HIS OWN SON, DON, AN AIR FORCE CAPTAIN

WHO HAD DIED ON A TRAINING FLIGHT IN 1942.

BROWN DEDICATES ONE OF HIS ENTERTAINMENT TOURS

IN THE PACIFIC

AS A MEMORIAL TO HIS SON.

Joe Brown: WHEN I WAS OUT THERE ALONE ENTERTAINING TROOPS...

I SOMETIMES THOUGHT OF THAT THING

WE HAD SAID TO EACH OTHER.

I'D SEE A LAD DOWN IN THE AUDIENCE

WHO LOOKED LIKE MY SON, AND I'D REMEMBER.

I DID MEET HIM OUT THERE HUNDREDS OF TIMES.

Narrator: THE ALLIES ARE NOW PREPARING

FOR THE FINAL, DEADLIEST ASSAULT OF ALL--

THE INVASION OF JAPAN ITSELF.

AS AMERICAN FORCES FIGHT

FOR THE ISLAND OF OKINAWA

IN MARCH 1945,

THEY HAVE TO BATTLE

INCREASINGLY DESPERATE

JAPANESE SUICIDE ATTACKS.

Newsreel announcer: ONE DAY FOUR OF THEM STARTED AT ONCE.

TWO WERE SHOT DOWN, THE THIRD JUST MISSED,

BUT THE FOURTH KEPT COMING,

COMING AT 300 MILES AN HOUR

AND FINALLY CRASHED ON THE FLIGHT DECK.

Narrator: AS U.S. TROOPS ARE ADVANCING

ON THE ISLAND OF OKINAWA,

COURTENAY IS WITH THE 9th AUSTRALIAN DIVISION

OFF THE COAST OF BORNEO.

ON JUNE 10, 1945,

THEY BEGIN THEIR AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT ON LABUAN ISLAND

SUPPORTED BY U.S. FORCES.

THEIR OBJECTIVE IS TO LIBERATE THE WHOLE OF BORNEO

AND TO REGAIN CONTROL OF ITS RICH OILFIELDS.

[GUNFIRE]

AS THE TROOPS ADVANCE INTO THE ISLAND,

A FORCE OF SEVERAL THOUSAND JAPANESE DEFENDS FIERCELY.

BUT THEY ARE NO MATCH FOR THE SUPERIOR ALLIED FORCES.

COURTENAY'S PRIVILEGED ACCESS TO MacARTHUR

ENSURES THAT HE'S ON HAND WITH HIS CAMERA

FOR THE GENERAL'S LANDING

JUST HOURS AFTER HIS TROOPS HAVE SECURED THE BEACHES.

ON LABUAN ISLAND, COURTENAY ALSO COMES FACE TO FACE

WITH SOME JAPANESE PRISONERS CAPTURED DURING THE CAMPAIGN.

Courtenay: EVERY JAPANESE SOLDIER IS TAUGHT

THAT SURRENDER IS THE SAME AS DEATH.

IF HE SURRENDERS, HE IS TREATED AMONG THE DEAD.

HE IS TOLD THAT HE WILL NEVER RETURN TO JAPAN.

Narrator: BUT THEY DO RETURN.

AFTER MOVING TO CAMPS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC,

UNITED STATES AND AUSTRALIA,

THE MAJORITY OF JAPANESE POWs GET HOME BY THE END OF 1946.

ONLY FOUR WEEKS LATER, COURTENAY JOINS UP

WITH THE 7th AUSTRALIAN DIVISION ON BORNEO

AS THEY SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCH

THE LAST MAJOR ASSAULT OF WORLD WAR II

ON BALIKPAPAN.

THOUGH NO ONE KNEW IT AT THE TIME,

IT MARKS THE END OF GENERAL MacARTHUR'S CAMPAIGN.

ON AUGUST 6, 1945,

COMES AN EVENT THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD.

Newsreel announcer: THE ENOLA GAY BEGINS THE BOMB RUN.

AT 9:15 THE BOMB IS DROPPED.

THE AIRCRAFT BANKS AWAY AT HIGH SPEED.

Narrator: PRESIDENT TRUMAN

ORDERS THE DROPPING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA.

THEN, JUST THREE DAYS LATER,

THE AMERICANS DROP THEIR SECOND ATOMIC BOMB ON NAGASAKI.

A SHATTERED JAPAN FINALLY ACCEPTS UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.

FOR THE FORCES WHO HAVE FOUGHT THEIR WAY ACROSS THE PACIFIC

IN ONE OF THE MOST BRUTAL AND COSTLY CONFLICTS IN HISTORY,

THE SWIFT AND SURPRISING END TO THE WAR

COMES AS A MIGHTY RELIEF.

A MILLION-MAN GROUND INVASION OF JAPAN HAS BEEN AVERTED.

Gutterman: WE WERE GETTING OURSELVES READY FOR JAPAN.

I DIDN'T EXPECT THAT I'D LIVE THROUGH IT

IF WE MADE THE LANDING.

SO I WAS CERTAINLY GLAD THEY DROPPED THOSE ATOMIC BOMBS.

THAT'S A HELL OF A THING TO SAY, BUT THAT'S THE WAY I FEEL.

Narrator: THE NEXT DAY THE JAPANESE EMPEROR HIROHITO

TAKES TO THE RADIO FOR THE FIRST TIME

TO ANNOUNCE DEFEAT.

WILLIAM COURTENAY

IS AT GENERAL MacARTHUR'S HEADQUARTERS IN MANILA

LISTENING TO HIROHITO'S SURRENDER SPEECH ON THE RADIO.

Courtenay: THE EMPEROR'S SCRIPT COMMENCED

WITH A MASTERPIECE OF UNDERSTATEMENT:

THE WAR HAD NOT ALTOGETHER GONE IN OUR FAVOR.

Narrator: GENERAL MacARTHUR BECOMES THE SUPREME COMMANDER

FOR THE ALLIED POWERS IN JAPAN.

IN MANILA HE'S NOW TASKED WITH ARRANGING THE PEACEFUL ENTRY

OF THE VICTORIOUS ALLIED FORCES INTO THE DEFEATED COUNTRY.

HIS FIRST JOB IS TO FIND A WAY TO TALK TO THE JAPANESE.

WITH ALL COMMUNICATIONS DOWN,

HE ORDERS THEM TO SPEAK TO HIM IN MANILA

BY RADIO LINK FROM TOKYO

AND SETS OUT TO ARRANGE THE FIRST DETAILS OF THE SURRENDER.

MacARTHUR COMMANDS THE JAPANESE TO SEND A DELEGATION TO MANILA

FOUR DAYS AFTER THE SURRENDER.

IT'S A TWO-STAGE JOURNEY;

THE JAPANESE FLY FIRST IN THEIR OWN PLANES

TO THE LITTLE ISLAND OF LE SHIMA.

AT LE SHIMA THEY TRANSFER TO A DOUGLAS C-54 SKYMASTER

AND ARE FLOWN ON TO NICHOLLS AIRFIELD OUTSIDE MANILA.

THERE ARE NERVES ON BOTH SIDES.

THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THE AMERICANS COME FACE TO FACE

WITH THEIR BITTER ENEMY OUTSIDE THE BATTLEFIELD.

THE JAPANESE DESCEND THE PLANES

STILL WEARING THEIR SAMURAI SWORDS.

NO ONE QUITE KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT.

THE JAPANESE ARE MET

BY MAJOR GENERAL CHARLES A. WILLOUGHBY,

WHO HAS BEEN MacARTHUR'S INTELLIGENCE CHIEF.

ON THE SURFACE ALL SEEMS IN ORDER.

BUT AS COURTENAY'S UNIQUE COLOR FOOTAGE REVEALS,

WILLOUGHBY ENDS UP HUSTLING THE JAPANESE DELEGATION

INTO THEIR CARS.

ENRAGED FILIPINOS ARE STARTING TO THROW ROCKS AT THEM.

THE JAPANESE DELEGATION IS TAKEN TO MANILA CITY HALL

FOR A FIRST CONFERENCE WITH THE ALLIES

TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION

OF THE JAPANESE MAINLAND.

CAMERAS FLOCK TO THE SCENE,

BUT NO ONE GETS CLOSER THAN WILLIAM COURTENAY.

THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMY,

LIEUTENANT GENERAL KAWABE, IS FIRST OUT OF THE CAR.

HE FINDS HIMSELF SURROUNDED BY GIANTS.

Courtenay: ONE OF GENERAL MacARTHUR'S TOUCHES

WAS TO LINE THE APPROACH TO THE CITY HALL

WITH ARMY GUARDS--

EACH MAN AT LEAST 6 FOOT 2 INCHES TALL.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Newsreel announcer: THE CONFERENCE IN WHICH ARRANGEMENTS

FOR THE OCCUPATION OF JAPAN ARE MADE.

THE ENTRANCE OF THE JAPANESE.

THEY ARE TOLD THAT AMERICAN AIRBORNE TROOPS

WILL LAND IN THE TOKYO AREA.

THE BEGINNING OF THE OCCUPATION OF JAPAN!

Narrator: GENERAL MacARTHUR HAS DELIBERATELY STAYED AWAY

FROM THE MANILA CONFERENCE,

CHOOSING TO WAIT AND COME FACE TO FACE

WITH HIS CONQUERED ENEMY ON JAPANESE SOIL.

HE FLIES INTO OKINAWA ON AUGUST 29, 1945,

IN HIS OWN GLEAMING C-54 SKYMASTER, BATAAN.

THIS IS THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

OF THE 65-YEAR-OLD CONQUEROR'S CAREER.

THE NEXT DAY COURTENAY AND THE OTHER WAR CORRESPONDENTS

MAKE THE HISTORIC FLIGHT

FROM OKINAWA TO THE JAPANESE MAINLAND.

SOME 15,000 MEN

OF THE BATTLE-TESTED 11th AIRBORNE DIVISION

ACCOMPANY THEM ON THEIR 1,000-MILE JOURNEY.

EACH AIRCRAFT CARRIES 44 FULLY ARMED INFANTRYMEN--

REMEMBERING THE TREACHERY OF PEARL HARBOR,

THE AMERICANS ARE TAKING NO CHANCES.

BY 8 A.M. THE COASTLINE OF JAPAN COMES INTO VIEW

ON A HAZY SUMMER DAY.

Courtenay: YOU MAY IMAGINE THE FEELINGS OF ALL OF US--

ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO HAD BEEN WITH GENERAL MacARTHUR

ON THE LONG MARCH FROM MELBOURNE TO MANILA

AND UP TO TOKYO

TO FEEL THAT HERE AT LAST WAS JOURNEY'S END.

Narrator: WHEN COURTENAY AND THE OTHER CORRESPONDENTS

LAND AT ATSUGI AIRFIELD,

THE FIRST THING THEY SEE

IS A GROUP OF MITSUBISHI RAIDER FIGHTERS

WITH THEIR PROPELLERS REMOVED.

MacARTHUR HAS ORDERED THIS AT THE MANILA CONFERENCE

TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF SUICIDE ATTEMPTS BY JAPANESE PILOTS.

THE 11th AIRBORNE DIVISION

TRIUMPHANTLY RAISES THE STARS AND STRIPES

FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE JAPANESE MAINLAND.

COURTENAY IS ONE OF THE FIRST JOURNALISTS

TO GET BEHIND-THE-SCENES IMAGES

OF AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR ON THEIR WAY HOME.

MANY OF THESE MEN HAVE BROKEN OUT OF PRISON CAMPS

AND TRAMPED THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE

TO REACH AMERICAN FORCES.

WITHIN 24 HOURS THE POWs WILL BE BACK ON U.S. SOIL.

THE CONQUERING TROOPS PREPARE

FOR THEIR VICTORIOUS ENTRANCE INTO THE JAPANESE MAINLAND

WITH SOME TREPIDATION.

IN OKINAWA, CIVILIANS HAVE THROWN THEMSELVES FROM CLIFFS

RATHER THAN SUBMIT TO THE DISHONOR OF SURRENDER.

WILL THE SAME HAPPEN HERE?

ALONG THE ROUTE TO YOKOHAMA

THEY SEE HUNDREDS OF JAPANESE SENTRIES

LINING BOTH SIDES OF THE DUSTY ROAD.

Courtenay: THEIR BACKS WERE TURNED TOWARDS THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS,

WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A DELIBERATE INSULT.

ACTUALLY IT WAS JAPAN'S IDEA OF THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT.

THEY FELT THEY WERE NOT WORTHY

TO LOOK THEIR CONQUERORS IN THE FACE.

Narrator: THE VICTORS ARE IMPRESSED IF NOT SHOCKED

BY THE MILE AFTER MILE OF URBAN DEVASTATION THAT THEY ENCOUNTER.

BUT DESPITE CARPET BOMBING, SOME SERVICES SEEM UNTOUCHED.

Courtenay: WHEN WE ENTERED YOKOHAMA

WE WERE SURPRISED TO STILL SEE THE TRAINS RUNNING PAST...

WHEN ALL AROUND IS DESOLATION, HALF THE CITY IS DESTROYED.

Narrator: THE DEFEATED NATION

COMES FACE TO FACE WITH THEIR CONQUERORS

ON THE U.S.S. MISSOURI

AT THE SURRENDER CEREMONY ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1945.

TOKYO BAY IS CLOGGED WITH HUNDREDS

OF POWERFUL, GLEAMING AMERICAN FIGHTING SHIPS.

THE CEREMONY IS DUE TO START AT 9:00 A.M.

THE DELEGATES AND PRESS CROWD ONTO THE OPEN DECK.

AS A FRIEND OF MacARTHUR,

COURTENAY GETS SPECIAL ACCESS TO FILM THE HISTORIC SIGNING

FROM A PRIME POSITION ON THE NUMBER 2 GUN TURRET

FAR ABOVE THE PRESS PACK.

AT 8:55 A.M. THE JAPANESE DELEGATION REACHES THE MISSOURI.

Courtenay: AND A GASP OF SURPRISE SWEPT DOWN THE SHIP

AS THE JAPANESE FOREIGN OFFICE OFFICIALS

HEADED BY SHIGEMITSU, THE FOREIGN MINISTER, ARRIVED

WEARING TOP HATS AND FULL MORNING COAT,

FORMAL DRESS WITH STRIPED PANTS.

Narrator: A JAPANESE DELEGATE, TOSHIKAZU KASE, LATER WRITES:

Toshikazu Kase: NEVER HAD I REALIZED

THE GLANCE OF GLARING EYES COULD HURT SO MUCH.

WE WAITED, STANDING IN THE PUBLIC GAZE

LIKE PENITENT BOYS AWAITING THE DREADED SCHOOLMASTER.

Narrator: ONE MAN IS MISSING:

EMPEROR HIROHITO, WHO TAKES NO PART IN THE PROCEEDINGS.

MacARTHUR HAS OTHER PLANS FOR HIM.

FINALLY, GENERAL MacARTHUR MAKES HIS ENTRANCE

WITH FLEET ADMIRAL CHESTER NIMITZ

AND ADMIRAL WILLIAM HALSEY.

MacArthur: IT'S MY EARNEST HOPE

AND INDEED THE HOPE OF ALL MANKIND

THAT FROM THIS SOLEMN OCCASION A BETTER WORLD SHALL EMERGE

OUT OF THE BLOOD AND CARNAGE OF THE PAST--

A WORLD FOUNDED UPON FAITH AND UNDERSTANDING,

A WORLD DEDICATED TO THE DIGNITY OF MAN

AND THE FULFILMENT OF HIS MOST CHERISHED WISH

FOR FREEDOM, TOLERANCE AND JUSTICE.

Narrator: THE SIGNING OF THE SURRENDER

SIGNALS THE OFFICIAL END TO A SAVAGE CONFLICT.

MAMORU SHIGEMITSU SIGNS,

REPRESENTING THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE GOVERNMENT,

THEN GENERAL YOSHIJIRO UMEZU,

ON BEHALF OF THE IMPERIAL ARMED FORCES.

AFTER THE JAPANESE, IT'S MacARTHUR'S TURN.

LOOKING OVER HIS LEFT SHOULDER IS A SYMBOL OF THE WAR'S TOLL:

LIEUTENANT GENERAL "SKINNY" WAINWRIGHT,

EMACIATED FROM THREE AND HALF YEARS AS A PRISONER OF WAR.

THEN COME THE REPRESENTATIVES OF NINE OTHER ALLIED POWERS.

AS THE JAPANESE ARE LED AWAY,

THE VICTORS PUT ON ONE FINAL DISPLAY OF TRIUMPH:

1,500 PLANES--

BOEING SUPERFORTRESSES AND NAVY FIGHTERS--

ROAR ACROSS THE SKY.

Walter Brun: IT LOOKED LIKE SOMEBODY

WAS PULLING A CURTAIN OVER THE SKY.

THAT'S HOW MANY PLANES THERE WERE.

IT WAS SO OVERWHELMING THAT WE ALL FELL DOWN ON OUR KNEES,

SOME PRAYING AND CRYING.

THAT WAS ONE TIME, I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT.

Narrator: THE ONLY REQUEST THE JAPANESE HAVE MADE

AT THEIR SURRENDER

IS THAT THE EMPEROR MAINTAINS HIS THRONE.

THIS SUITS MacARTHUR, WHO WANTS TO BRING DEMOCRACY TO JAPAN

AND THINKS HIROHITO WILL HELP STABILIZE

THE TRANSITION TO PEACE.

IN AN INCREDIBLE BREAK WITH CONVENTION,

THE EMPEROR CHOOSES TO PAY MacARTHUR A FORMAL VISIT

SHORTLY AFTER THE AMERICAN ARRIVES IN TOKYO.

ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1945, SECURITY IS TIGHT AT THE PALACE

AS COURTENAY WAITS WITH THE PRESS PACK.

HE MANAGES TO CAPTURE A RARE GLIMPSE OF HIROHITO ON FILM.

Courtenay: WE SAW HIS CAR DISAPPEARING IN THE DISTANCE.

IT WAS AN EVENT NOT LOST ON THE JAPANESE

THAT A MAN WHO THEY BELIEVED TO BE A GOD

SHOULD HAVE TO CALL ON A MERE MORTAL.

IT WAS BY THIS METHOD

THAT MacARTHUR KEPT THE EMPEROR ON THE THRONE

AND ISSUED HIS ORDERS TO THE PEOPLE THROUGH THE EMPEROR.

Narrator: THIS PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN

AT MacARTHUR'S MOMENTOUS FIRST MEETING WITH HIROHITO

BECOMES THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGE OF THE OCCUPATION.

IT CAUSES A SENSATION WHEN IT'S PUBLISHED IN THE JAPANESE PRESS.

IN ONE SINGLE IMAGE

IT ESTABLISHES BOTH MacARTHUR'S AUTHORITY

AND THE FACT THAT HE WILL SUPPORT THE EMPEROR.

JUST WEEKS AFTER THE ATOMIC BOMBING

OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI,

ALLIED FORCES VISIT THE RUINED CITIES.

COURTENAY IS THE FIRST JOURNALIST

TO FILM BOTH HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI IN COLOR.

HE CAPTURES ENDLESS VIEWS OF URBAN RUBBLE,

OBLITERATED BUILDINGS AND BLASTED TREES.

ALL OF THIS DESTRUCTION,

THE RESULT OF A SINGLE BOMB DROPPED ON EACH CITY.

IN NAGASAKI COURTENAY IS MESMERIZED

BY THE EERIE LANDSCAPE.

Courtenay: THE MITSUBISHI AIRCRAFT WORKS HERE

WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED.

SO GREAT WAS THE HEAT GENERATED BY THE BOMB

THAT THESE WORKS MELTED LIKE WAX FROM A CANDLE.

SURVIVORS AND EYEWITNESSES WITH WHOM I SPOKE

A FEW DAYS LATER AFTER WE ENTERED THE CITY

TOLD ME THAT THE FIRST THING OF WHICH THEY BECAME CONSCIOUS

WAS A STRANGE WHITE LIGHT IN THE SKY.

Narrator: IN NAGASAKI COURTENAY ALSO FILMS A GROUP OF SAILORS

FROM THE BRITISH CRUISER H.M.S. SWIFTSURE

WHO ARE THERE AS GUESTS OF THE U.S. MARINES.

WITH THE THREAT OF DISEASE

AND THE UNIMAGINABLE DESTRUCTION ALL AROUND,

THE ENTRY FROM THE CRUISER'S SEMI-OFFICIAL LOG

DELIVERS A POIGNANT ACCOUNT.

"ONLY A FEW TWISTED BUILDINGS STOOD

AMONGST THE ACRES OF RUBBLE

AND ALTHOUGH A FEW ROADS HAD BEEN CLEARED,

THE REST WAS AS IT HAD FALLEN, WITH CHARRED BONES,

AND EVEN SKULLS, AMONGST THE RUBBLE.

THE PRESENCE OF SO MANY SMALL, UNBROKEN ORNAMENTS AND CHINAWARE

SHOWED ONLY TOO CLEARLY

THAT MOST OF THE RUBBLE HAD BEEN SMALL JAPANESE HOMES.

MOST OF US RETURNED ON BOARD FROM OUR VISIT

IN AN EXTREMELY DEPRESSED STATE OF MIND,

AND NOBODY WAS SORRY WHEN WE SAILED AGAIN FOR KAGOSHIMA

THAT SAME EVENING."

THIS ISN'T THE LAST TIME THAT COURTENAY WILL TRAVEL

TO THESE RUINED CITIES.

TWO YEARS LATER HE RETURNS TO HIROSHIMA

TO FILM ANOTHER HISTORIC MOMENT.

EMPEROR HIROHITO EMERGES FROM THE MIST

AS AN ORDINARY MORTAL

TO INSPECT THE ATOMIC DEVASTATION

THAT BROUGHT AN END TO HIS CLAIMS OF DIVINITY.

HIS VISIT TO HIROSHIMA ON DECEMBER 7, 1947, TAKES PLACE

ON THE SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR.

EVERYWHERE HIROHITO GOES HE'S GREETED BY HIS PEOPLE,

WHO SING, WEEP, AND CHEER THEIR FORMER GOD.

THE EMPEROR'S TOURS,

WHICH BEGAN IN 1946 AND TAKE HIM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY,

PLACE HIM IN UNPRECEDENTED CONTACT WITH HIS SUBJECTS.

HIS SIMPLE CLOTHES AND HABIT OF RAISING HIS HAT AT THE CROWDS--

AN UNIMAGINABLE GESTURE BEFORE HIS DEFEAT--

BECOME AN ESSENTIAL PART OF HIS SHOWING HIS PEOPLE

THAT HE IS LIKE THEM-- A MERE MORTAL.

THE HIGH POINT OF THE EMPEROR'S TOUR COMES HERE,

STANDING ALONE ON A WOODEN SCAFFOLD NEAR GROUND ZERO.

HIROHITO PLEDGES TO HIS PEOPLE

THAT NEVER AGAIN WILL JAPAN PURSUE POLICIES

THAT MIGHT LEAD TO ANOTHER PEARL HARBOR.

THESE MOVING SHOTS MARK THE CLIMAX OF COURTENAY'S JOURNEY--

HERALDING A NEW ERA IN POST-WAR JAPAN.

THIS IS THE LAST TIME COURTENAY WILL TRAVEL THROUGH THE COUNTRY

WITH HIS MOVIE CAMERA.

IN THE LATE 1940s COURTENAY BECOMES AN AIR CORRESPONDENT

AND OCCASIONAL WAR CORRESPONDENT

WRITING ON KOREA IN PARTICULAR.

BUT THE AMATEUR FILMS HE SHOT

DURING THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC AND IN JAPAN

WILL HAVE A LASTING LEGACY.

AFTER THE WAR COURTENAY'S FILMS ARE HAILED

AS ONE OF THE ONLY AUTHENTIC RECORDS IN COLOR

SHOWING THE STIRRING EVENTS

BEFORE AND AFTER THE FALL OF JAPAN.

THEY'RE SHOWN TO CAPTIVATED AUDIENCES

THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN,

INCLUDING SCREENINGS AT THE WHITE HOUSE

AND IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

FOR COURTENAY, WHAT HE HAD SEEN AND LIVED THROUGH

IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

WOULD STAY WITH HIM ALL HIS LIFE.

HE HAD WITNESSED IMAGES OF GREAT HORROR AND GREAT HEROISM

AND SEEN HISTORY IN THE MAKING

AS HE FOLLOWED THE ALLIED FIGHTING MEN

IN THEIR EPIC STRUGGLE TOWARD VICTORY.

AND WHAT HE SAW WAS CAPTURED, IN COLOR, FOR THE AGES.