[bombs exploding] this is the battle of china. This is the great city of shanghai on a september day in 1937. This is the fearful beginning of a new kind of war. This is the first mass bombing from the air of the helpless civilian population. Why . Why are these innocent chinese men, women, and children to die beneath the hail of japanese bombs . To find the answer to these questions, we must understand something about china and japan. And to understand china, three facts must never be forgotten. China is history. China is land. China is people. Chinese history goes back for more than 4000 years. That is a long time. It was only 168 years ago that washington crossed the delaware. Only 452 years have passed since columbus discovered america. 1500 years since the world saw the fall of the ancient roman empire. 3400 years have gone by since moses received the 10 commandments. 3700 years have passed since the pyramids were built. But more than 4000 years ago, the chinese empire was already in existence. And more important, so was the chinese civilization, a civilization of art, learning, and peace. Yes, china is history. China is also land. More land than the entire continent of europe, a third larger than the United States, and rich in Raw Materials. This vast area consists of china and four other provinces. To the north is manchurian, huge and desolate, but abounding in abundant in Raw Materials. Next to manchuria, mongolia. Here lies the gobi desert, a vast plateau twice the size of texas, inhabited by nomad tribes who lead their caravans back and forth over ancient trade routes. To the west, tibet, the icy roof of the world. Its borders encompass the eastern and of the himalayan mountains, a mystery land that few have entered. And from these vast mountains of the west rise the three great rivers. The northernmost of these is the yellow river. Far to the south is the pearl the seahich enters pass, the great parts of hong kong. The greatest river of all is the one that flows between, the yangtze, winding for 3000 miles through the heart of china, bringing fertility to the good earth and bearing upon its broad waters half the commerce of china. Yes, china is land. Next to russia, the largest country in the world. Most important, china is people. 450 million of them. [singing] if the whole population of china were to walk past you, four abreast, there would never be an end to the procession. The new chinese would be born and grew up before the last man could pass by. Of every five people on the face of the earth, one is a chinese. And since 1 5 of all the human beings of the world are chinese, we should know what sort of people they are. In all their 4000 years of continuous history, they have never waged a war of conquest. They are that sort of people. They developed the art of printing for movable type. They invented the mariners compass, without which, no ocean could be crossed. There were among the first astronomers, and their observations of the stars and planets made possible the accurate measuring and recording of time. They are that sort of people. Why do we call our dishes china . Because the chinese invented the art of making porcelain. As we all know, they invented gunpowder, not as a weapon of war, but to celebrate their holidays and religious festivals. It was one of chinas great philosophers who, 500 years before the birth of christ, gave mankind these words. What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others. They are that sort of people. Enriching the world in which we live. Yes, china is incredibly old, incredibly big, incredibly populous. Yet, it was until recently, a land with which few of us concerned ourselves. But now, a great change has taken place. China is now our fighting ally. Or more accurately, we are chinas. But china has been fighting our enemy, japan, for seven long years. Why is this, why is the chinese, with all their 4000 years of history who have never waged an aggressive war, been forced to fight. To fight and die by the millions. Because china is land. 4 million square miles of it. And because china is people, 450 million of them. And because japan had a plan to use them both. That plan was finally stated in the tanaka memorial, a blueprint for world conquest. I formulated in 1927 by the Japanese Foreign minister. In order to conquer the world, we must first conquer china. Dream as very mad their mad dream. Phase one, the conquest of manchuria for Raw Materials. Phase two, the absorption of china for manpower. Piece by piece, though as not to arouse the rest of the world. Phase three, a tram to the south. Phase four, the move to crush the United States. One fact was obvious, china was to be the giant back on which japan would ride to world conquest. Just as russia was to be enslaved for german use. But how is it possible for japan, only 1 20 the size of china, and with only 1 6 of the population, to think of conquering china, much less the world . There were two reasons for this. In the first place, modern china, in spite of this age old history, was like the broken pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece controlled by a different ruler, each with its own private army. In modern terms, china was a country, but not yet a nation. While japan was a united highly regimented dictatorship. Second reason lies in the use that each country made of our western civilization. Lets see what china took. You will notice that this is a very old piece of film. Actually it is more than 30 years old, and it shows a very great man. In 1911, this man fathered a peoples revolution, which brought to an end chinas ancient imperial government and began its new era of a modern republic. In chinese history it secured a place as george washington. He and his followers chose for the cornerstone of their new republic chinese words that would echo those of another. Government of the people, by the people, for the people. To make these principles become reality, they built more schools and colleges. They established scholarship so that their young men and women could go forth to the universities of america and europe and bring back to their own country other western ideas. This new generation returned to china with new techniques of industry. Architecture, science, medicine, they built more hospitals to free their people from the blight of disease. They introduced education. Compulsory education. They laid down as essential for freedom for which we fight today. Freedom of expression and freedom of religion. In 1925, he died, but his disciples carried on his monumental work. Their aim, the unification and modernization of china. Chinese industry was oldfashioned and inefficient. Transportation was slow and inadequate, but now railroads began to link the great seaports and river harbors to the inland cities. A network of highways began to stretch beyond the Railroad Lines into the deep interiors. After leaving them untouched for centuries, china was beginning to use her vast store of Raw Materials. Soon the tools and machines of the new factories were delivering the goods and products for chinas new economy. For the chinese believed in using the best of western civilization for the progress of their country. While they were building this new nation, just a day and a half by steamer across the yellow sea lay japan. Here the god emperor and his fanatic warlords were using the same western civilization for one purpose, and only one. To create one of the worlds most powerful war machines. Their aim, the absorption of china and the fulfillment of the tanaka memorial. For years japan had deliberately copied military weapons and industrial techniques discovered in other countries. For years japan, under the pretext of lacking Raw Materials for industry, had been buying, in every corner of the world, materials not only to build this war machine, the materials which were to be stored to use in conquest they were planning. For years, while other nations were trying to outlaw war by reducing armaments, japan was feverishly and secretly building a modern army, a modern navy, a modern air force to strike from strike a blow to the civilized world. We all now know about the islands in the pacific, japan fortified in violation of all international treaties. These were the reasons why it was possible for japan, only one 20th the size of china, and only 1 6 of the population of china to think of conquering china as the first step to world conquest. And as you see, in 1931, they embarked on phase one, the occupation of manchuria. The small bonfire that the japanese lead in manchuria was to grow and spread with uncontrollable fury until the entire world was a flame. Phase one of the tanaka plan was completed, exactly as planned. They were confident this plan could be accomplished without them becoming involved in a major war, and they were right. The unification of china was still too remote for the chinese of the south to care for what happened to their kinsmen in the north. Using the stepbystep technique, a few months later, the japs took a crack at shanghai. [bombs exploding] the chinese resistance was so great, that hastily called that. They waited another year, struck in the north causing a lot of profit. This too they got away with. The world criticized, the chinese protested, but still the japs got what they wanted. Another piece of china without a war on their hands. To rule over manchuria, they set up a puppet government under their stooge, the chinese prince. The leaders of new china remembered other barbarians that had invaded their countries. The evidence still stood in the great wall, built by their ancestors more than 2000 years earlier, stretching for 1400 miles across mountain and desert to protect themselves from the barbarians of the north. Of the great wall, it has been said that it is the only work of man which would be visible from the moon. The chinese knew that modern barbarians cannot be stopped by a wall, however strong or high. They cannot even be stopped by people unless the people are united. By 1937, the unification of china was making such progress the japs got worried. The one weapon they could not permit china was unity. They would strike again before china could become a nation. This time it would be a big bite, five more northern provinces out of the heart of china. At the United States embassy in china, the military attache there was colonel william mayer. Let him tell you what happened. Col. Mayer the first thing they did was to prepare their usual fake alibi. This time it was not a damage track as it had been in muncher manchuria. A jap soldier was disappeared and obviously had been kidnapped by the chinese. Japans honor had been insulted. Once more the insult must be avenged. On the night of july 7, 1937, at the marco polo bridge, the jap war machine struck. [bombs exploding] within the space of a few weeks, the invaders were in control of two cities. It looked as if the japs would have another walkover. [cheering] now the japs sat back to digest and organize this new conquest. A peaceloving japanese did not want a war if they could get their land without one. This time they were in for a rude surprise. This time, instead of protesting and negotiating, the chinese struck back. Not in the north, but at shanghai where the japs least expected it. To understand the fighting that followed, we must know something about the city of shanghai itself. Situated near the mouth of the Yangtze River, it is the biggest city in china. As the largest seaport in the far east, it dominated the commerce and foreign trade. Through it passed most of the wealth of the orient. In shanghai, truly the east met the west. Within this city of three and a half million chinese was another city, a foreign settlement, made up of a french concession and a wellknown international settlement. There, the various powers, including great britain, the United States, and japan had stationed detachments of troops. Japanese, british, french, and our own United States marines to assist the police of a Shanghai Municipal council in the preservation of peace and order and to protect the boundaries of the international settlement. These detachments were limited in size, but the japs secretly, and in violation of treaties had increased their garrison, so that when fighting started in august of 1937, they thought they were fully prepared for any eventuality. [gunfire] the force of the chinese counterattack almost drove the japs into the river. Backed up by the heavy guns of their warships, however, they managed to hold out until reinforcements arrived. Jap landings were then made in the vicinity of the fort, and on the Yangtze River north of shanghai. The chinese drew back to positions five or 10 miles inland, where they could secure some protection from the heavy jap naval gunfire. [explosions] at the same time, the invaders succeeded in making a surprise landing some 20 miles to the south of shanghai. Put two divisions ashore, and pushed rapidly north to outflank the city. [screaming] the chinese position was thus made untenable and the withdrawal was ordered to the west and to the south. Only about half of the chinese army that had fought at shanghai was left to withdraw. Meanwhile, enraged at the idea of anyone resisting the Imperial Japanese might, the japs took their vengeance upon the civilian population in the city. A city without guns or planes to defend itself, and deliberately slaughtered thousands from the air. [explosions] [whistle of bombs dropping] for some there was refuge inside the international settlement, where japan was afraid to bomb the property of foreign powers. Just yet. But there was not room for all. For each who found safety inside, there were thousands huddled beyond the gates, standing helpless and undefended against the jap attacks. There was no escape for these surging and panic stricken people. They could only scurry through the narrow streets, pushing and packing into the center of the city to be trapped and buried alive in the collapsing buildings. Thus the japanese introduced the world to a new kind of war, a war of deliberate terrorization, of deliberate deliberate, of frightfulness. When the campaign was over, the japs occupied the entire peninsula east of shanghai. Reorganizing rapidly, they launched and organize drive on nanking. One column pushed along the railroad, while another swung further to the south. This column then split and continued its drive, hoping to cut off any retreat of the chinese army. Yangtze be here in the that they attacked an american gunboat, despite the distinctive marking. [gunfire] the ship was bombed and sunk,ith the loss of american lives the first of american warship to go to the bottom in this war. This was a mistake and the japanese government apologized. Meantime, chinese armies defended their city, which was the capital of the chinese republic. [explosions] [men screaming] [explosions] but again, japanese power was too great. After a battle lasting but a few days, the city fell to the invaders. [men shouting] in their occupation of nanking, the japs outdid themselves. The helpless populace was captured by the city walls and could not flee. The japanese soldiers went berserk. They raped and tortured. They killed and butchered. [gunshots] [speaking foreign language] in one of the bloodiest massacres of recorded history, they murdered 40,000 men, women and children. [gong sounds] those who lived might better have died, for the horror of their twisted and torn bodies was worse than death. These scenes were photographed by an american missionary and smuggled out of china after the rape of nanking. This nightmare of cruelty was all the more powerful because it was deliberately planned by the japanese command to tear the heart out of the chinese people, once and forever. Then it happened. Up, which was dreamed was toiled for, which is stronger than stonewalls was at tot born in china, the will resist. [speaking chinese] last bloody blow, the japanese had accomplished what 4000 years had failed to bring into being, a united china, and aroused china. [speaking chinese] but the chinese knew the will to resist was not by itself enough. They knew that china must develop the power to resist. They must also develop a plan. It was this. They would slowly yield territory, piece by piece, while they developed power and weapons. The industrial strength of china must be moved to the west, beyond the mountains. Beyond the Railroad Lines. Beyond the lines of communication. Safe from enemy attack, they might produce the guns they needed. They would trade space for time. Space for time. Blowup the roads. Space for time. Scorch the earth. Space for time. Blow up the factory building. Leave nothing for the invaders. And then the people rose and moved, riding, walking, crawling. 30 million of them, spontaneously driven by an epic impulse, rose and made their way westward. Them,rth teaming with moving westward on a track that stretched for 2000 miles of roadless wilderness. The world witnessed one of the most amazing spectacles in human history, the greatest mass migration ever recorded. Whatever could be of use and moved, the chinese took with them on a homeric journey. Their libraries, their schools, their hospitals, all dismantled and carted away. Machinery from over 1000 factories weighing over 300 Million Pounds was moved away in traps and ox carts and on their backs. Wherever they could, they gathered along the few remaining railroads. They waited, hoping to ride on their last westward road. When they had packed the last train with the last ounce of humanity and machinery, the tracks themselves were taken up, rail by rail, tie by tie. To be transported westward, to leave nothing for the enemy. Every river pointing westward was heavyladen. Every sandbag, every barge pressed into service, weighted down at the waters edge for the precious tools for new china. Nothing could stop them. Not even the rivers that narrowed into mountain gorges. Machineryith their more precious than gold. [singing] progress was measured by the mile, by feet, by inches. The trail they broke was moistened every step of the way by their sweats. Where there were no trains, no boats, no ox carts, there were still willing hands and feet and straining backs. 30 Million People moving westward. Westward from the invader. Westward from slavery. Westward from debt. Westward to freedom. [singing] now in the free Mountain Land of the west, ancient cities sprang with fresh and modern life. Chief of them all was the new capital of free china. Here, high above the Yangtze River, the chinese reestablish their government. They knew the people of the city would not be safe from jap air raids. The memories of shanghai were fresh in their mind. On the sandstone cliff on which the city was built, they rushed the building of enormous caves for the people. To the japs, it became the heart of the nation they were determined to conquer. King and it would break the spirit of china. [yelling] but they could not reach the city by land. They would send their bombers to it from the face of the earth. Against these japanese armadas, slow and obsolete made an attempt to defend chungking. [engines roaring] [gunfire and artillery] [air raid sirens] [bombs whistling] [explosions] but neither japanese bombs nor japanese planes could destroy the life of the city. Or not only the people by the factories had gone underground, where they could work day and night. This time the chinese had anticipated their enemy. In spite of bombs and fire and destruction, this time the chinese stood fast. Planning chungking became the symbol of their indestructible spirit. Blaring] now, the call to arms sounded throughout new china and from the vast interior, chinese millions answered the call. They came from the south and the north, from the east and from the west. They formed the peoples army. With a new faith in their hearts, men and women left their homes and farms to fight for something bigger now than each mans home and farm and each mans life. They were fighting for new china. New soldiers, awkward and unskilled, like all new soldiers but they toughened and trained. [sounding off] they learned the discipline and order of drills. They knew they must strike and strike hard. They learned to kill. The youth of china also came forward, training to care for the sick and wounded. Girls joined their husbands, brothers, and sweethearts in uniform. And to the aid of china came volunteers from other lands, men who pledged to fight against tyranny and oppression no matter where. Americans, like the legendary colonel and his flying tigers. Few american planes were knocking down enemy planes 20toone. Phase two of the two not a plan called for breaking the horse to their will. But the great patient horse refused to be broken. The enraged japs saw other plant breaking down. So they tried to cut up the lifeblood. They penetrated along the river. Withailroads were rebuilt slave labor as the japanese moved inland. Chinas supply lines were cut off by jap warships blockading the coast. The japanese strategy was isolation of china. Port after port was occupied. China was being cut off from supplies she could not manufacture for herself. Supplies she was getting from her western friends. Guns china wass, doomed. With the whole of the chinese coast in the hands of the japs, there were only two routes for vitally necessarily material a. From indochina, a railway connecting with a truck road. Its capacity was limited. Then there was the old trail of camel caravans across the gobi desert, which could bring in even less. Not only did these routes provide too little, but they were too near the jap territory. Separating these two were hundreds of miles in deep river gorges. If this stretch of tortuous mountain trails could be replaced with a modern highway, china would have a practical supply route to burma and the sea. Several internationally known firms of engineers were called in to do the job. They said the work might be completed in six or seven years if china could supply them with the most modern machinery. China did not have the modern machinery, nor did she have 67 years. So she began building the road with her bare hands. By thousands, by tens of thousands, by hundreds of thousands they toiled at the backbreaking task to carve this muchneeded supply line out of the reluctant mountain. And out of their sweat and toil they created the burma road, not in six or seven years, but in less than 12 months. A monument to the new spirit of the new china. As soon as it was completed, the road went into immediate service. By thousands the trucks shuttled back and forth, climbing to nearly 10,000 feet, around hairpin curves, along the edges of sheer precipices where passing trucks had barely one foot of clearance. The blood plasma of new supplies flowed steadily over chinas lifeline to the sea, protected by the colonel and his flying tigers. But it cannot be measured only in the miracle of construction, it must be measured in the tragedy of destruction. While the burma road was being built, the invading jap armies had straddled two thirds of the Railroad Lines of the country. In the summer of 1938, they set out to capture the remaining one third, starting with the vital Railroad Junction on the banks of the yellow river. Originally the river flowed southeastward to the yellow sea. Nearly a century ago, a great flood abruptly changed the course, swinging it far to the north. For generation upon generation, as the spring floods rushed down, thousands of chinese rushed to the dice to try to hold it back to protect their homes and their crops. Now is the japs advanced on chengchow, the chinese released a flood between themselves and the japs. Once more, the river flowed in its old course, forming a barrier which to this day has prevented the japs from entrenching themselves in this area. Thus once more, with no thought of the human life or material cost, the chinese traded space for time. In the chinese had still other tricks to pull from their patch and faded sleeves. Youll notice from this map, it does not look like the military maps used in other previous films. While standards, it should have looked like this, which is the way the japs wanted it to look. The japanese were learning the occupation of chinese cities and the control of chinese rivers and railroads still was far from meaning the subjugation of china. The chinese formed themselves into guerrilla bands. Japs. D to harass the these were mostly farmers who had stayed behind on the land when the great migration to the west took place. Peaceful farmers one day, deadly fighters the next. They made an unpredictable and uncontrollable enemy. The japs held the lines of communication, but in the pockets bus formed, these unconquerable guerrillas constantly sniped. When the japs tried to annihilate them, they disappeared only to reappear in another spot. [yelling] attacking with speed and surprise, they ambushed enemy patrols. [explosions] japanese were fighting people. N chinese they were fighting the chinese land. Floods, thehe swamps and marshes, these, too, were enemies that divide the japanese war machine. It was proving to be a bucking bronco. Plan had of its not a bogged down in what the japs still referred to as the china incident. This left them in a quandary. Phase two was still incomplete and four could no longer be delayed. In russia, the overwhelming offensive was taxing the military offensive to the limit, removing any fear of russian interference. Threatened after the sledgehammer of dunkirk, it was left militarily exhausted. The navy scattered across the sea, guarding the lifeline of supplies. Here in america, we were finally awakening to our danger and taking steps to protect ourselves. We had appropriated funding and constructed a two ocean navy. Our army was rapidly expanding. If the ultimate objective of the tanaka plan were to be achieved, now was the moment to strike. Now, when russia was otherwise occupied. Now, before britain could recuperate. Now, before we could gather too much strength. So the japs made a fateful decision to embark on phase three and phase four, the conquest of the indies and the United States without waiting to complete phase two, conquest of china. Thus, the paralyzed American Power in the pacific, without warning, as they have always struck, they struck again. [explosion] according to all of the rules, chinas position should now be greatly improved. They now had fighting allies. Ourselves, the british, the dutch. But it did not work that way for china. For in those tragic early months of 1942, when we sustained defeat after defeat at the hands of our common enemy, china enjoyed the worst setback of all. Out of our defeat, china lost the burma road. But still, chinese courage never faulted. Her determination never weakened. In the history of those long and tragic months of black defeat in 1942, one bright page stands forth. The page written by our chinese ally. This city the japs wanted the , city for two reasons. It was in the center of the chinese rice ball and also an important railway juncture. Twice before they had tried to take it and twice been thrown back. Massing a large Striking Force on christmas eve, 1941, the japs started southward. At three points during the drive south, Chinese Forces put up token resistance. Instead of withdrawing toward changshaw they withdrew east. By new years eve, in spite of fierce resistance, the japanese were certain the fall of the city was only a matter of what hours. They did not know was that they had walked into a wellbaited trap. The Chinese Forces that had withdrawn into the hills now swept down down on the japanese supply line and cut them to ribbons. The Japanese Army soon ran out of food and ammunition and begin to withdraw. The chinese launched a counter offensive and push the japanese back where they had come from. [explosions] the japanese were forced to withdraw from the pursuing Chinese Forces. [explosions] [gunfire] [bugle blares] the battle was a magnificent victory for the people of china. The people who would not surrender. The people determined to fight for their freedom. The people who cannot be beaten. As 1944 dawns, another story was being written. From the aleutians to the south pacific, we were on the offensive. In the jungles of new guinea and in the gilbert and marshall islands, on the shores of new britain, on the pacific waters, japan faces the expanding power of the nation she attacked. In india, american, british, and Chinese Forces are gathering strength for the liberation of china. Chinas war is our war. Now her millions belong not only to united china, but also to the united nations. Leader of our American Forces is general stovall who has the unique honor of being the chief of staff of all the chinese. Division after division are being flown in our planes from china to india where they were and equipped with the most modern american weapons. Trained and hardened to spearhead the coming drive against japan. Through enemyheld territory and northern burma, the new road was being pushed, over mountains. Through jungles and swamps. From india to china, to connect with the old burma road. In the jungle on either side, american and chinese patrols pas protect the road and strike at the jets at thejaps. Supplies and ammunition brought in by planes and parachutes. From fields in india and air transport command plane takes off every six minutes loaded h artillery, jeeps, nation supplies for the army of china. , overhis burma skyway this hump of mountains 16,000 feet high, more tonnage is being flown into china then was ever trucked in over the old burma road. In the skies over china, japan faces new opposition. Chinese, many of them train on the fields of arizona, fly ando, california fight beside their american comrades. The fighters and bombers of the Chinese Air Force and those of the 14th air force fly far and wide over china. Hitting enemy concentrations, smashing lanes along the china that move people donation 2000 miles, that built the burma road, our building airfields out of stone, mud, and patient tireless hands. Today, still cut off by land and sea from the rest of the world, chinese armies and chinese gue rillas still stand firm against war machine. Youngest, and the fight sidebyside in the struggle of freedom against slavery. Against barbarism, good against evil. A victory for the future of mankind. We in china, like you, want a better world. Alone but for all mankind and we must have it. [applause] coming up this weekend on American History tv on cspan3. Tonight at 10 p. M. Eastern on real america, the 1947 u. S. War department film, dont be a sucker. About hate filled speech. An average american and im an American American and some of the things i see in this country of ours make my blood boil. I see people with foreign accents making all the money. I see negroes holding jobs that belong to me and you. I ask you, if we allow this thing to go on, what will become of us real americans. . Weon american artifacts, tour the president ial vehicle collection at the Henry Ford Museum in dearborn, michigan. Then at 8 p. M. Eastern on the presidency, Herbert Hoover scholar george nash talks about the relationship between the 31st president and calvin coolidge. Just four days before the election, coolidge, ever the party regular, finally gave uber and extraordinarily finally gave Herbert Hoover an endorsement in a prearranged telegram that a vote sensational headlines. Herbert hoover had declared, his fitness to be president. He said he was able, experienced, trustworthy and safe. Tv, allcan history weekend, every weekend only on cspan3. Up next on American History tv, larry would, author of, ozark gunfights, and other notorious incidents. He talks about feuding groups and infamous c