The Universal Newsreel: The Forties

The wartime and immediate postwar reels: mobilisation, the fronts, the homecoming, and the first years of the atomic peace.

Year: 1940
Made by: Universal Newsreel
Directed by: Universal newsreel unit
Free to use because: In the public domain — no licence terms attached

The note

The war years are when the newsreel mattered most and was trusted least — material passed through censorship on both sides of the Atlantic before it reached a projector. Read that way it is a record of what the American public was permitted to see and hear, week by week, which is a different and equally valuable thing from a record of the war.

Universal Newsreel, twice weekly in American cinemas from 1929 to 1967. Universal gave the entire library to the public in 1974 and it is held by the National Archives, so these are public domain outright rather than by lapse of renewal. What plays here is the reel’s soundtrack — narration, music bed and location sound.

214 recordings

Washington DC

America Not Secure Against Brute Force Says Cordell Hull

FDR Asks Billion For Nat'l Defense And 50,000 Planes

Mrs. F.D.R. In Red Cross Appeal

F.D.R. Warns of Fifth Column

Gen. Pershing Urges U.S. Rush Planes, Arms To The Allies

U.S. To Aid Allies Says FDR After Fascist 'Back-Stab'

Queen Lauds 'Soldierettes'

Deanna Durbin Appeals For Donations

Nation's Draft Lottery Held

Roosevelt Warns Of Danger To U.S. If Nazis Win War

Screen Notables Hear Roosevelt Praise Industry

Big Da-Dit-Da Class Graduated At New Naval Radio School (exclusive)

Lend-Lease Bill Passed

F. D. R. Calls For National Unity In An All-Out Effort

Halifax Says Hitler Invasion Will Fail

U.S. To Guard Greenland

Baby Bonds For Defense

U. S. Raid Defenses Tested

Aid Britain Says Hull

President Buys First Bond

'American Day' Fete Biggest Patriotic Meeting In History

Soldier Welfare Service Launched At Monster Rally

Civilian Defense Chief La Guardia Announces Plan

Nazis War On Russia

La Guardia Calls Upon Nation For Scrap Aluminum

Churchill Home-Coming

President Proclaims Nat'l Defense Week For All Americans

Mayor Samuels Proclaims City Defense Week

Big News of 1941 - The Editors of Universal Newsreel present dramatic highlights of an epochal year

Gen. Adolf Takes Over

Churchill Safe At Home

Soldiers Stage 'Girlie' Show

"Scrap Rubber Needed" - F.D.R

Allied Convoy Battles Axis

Big Convoy To Russia Beats Off Nazis

Loretta Young Trailer

F.D.R. Starts $9,000,000,000 'V' Loan Drive

Roosevelt Warns Axis

Bulgaria's King Dies

Reds Rout Nazis

Long Way to Go Says FDR

Mrs. FDR Tells One

Thanks for the Dimes,1944-02-28

MacArthur in Battle

Preview To Invasion

Blast Berlin By Daylight

Hara Kiri in Admiralties

We Blast Truk, Jap Fortress

Jungle War In Burma

Eire Cut Off By Allies

Rout Jap Naval Force

MacArthur Renews Vow

Campaign in Burma

A Great Day For The Kellys

The Arsenal For D-Day

War News--All Good

Cameramen Ready For Invasion

Advance on Rome

Allies Close On Rome

Eve of Battle

First Pictures Invasion of France

First Pictures Of Rome's Capture

Aviation In The News

The Battle of France

German Rocket Bomb

Saipan Is Ours

Cherbourg, Gateway to Victory

Roosevelt To Run For 4th Term

Liberation Of France Forges On

Battle Rages Along Nazi Wall

Third Army blasts Nazi Strongholds

RAF Sinks Tirpitz

Target Tokyo From Saipan B-29 Base

Nazi Border Pierced By Allied Might

Allied Vise Tightens On Rhineland

Army Needs Must Be Met NAM Is Told

Winter Push To Knock Out German Reich

B-29s Rule Jap Skies