Detailed events in the weeks following the end of the vietnam war. A special report from 1975. Communist saigon. On American History tv on cspan3. Each week America History tvs reel america brings you films to tell the stories of the 20th century. A War Department film produced for servicemen and women after the defeat of nazi germany on may 8, 1945. Hosted by general George Marshall and other military officials, the film explains in detail the plan to defeat japan and how the War Department will decide who can be released and sent home, and who needs to stay on for the continuing fight in the pacific. [ explosion ] [ cheers ] [ cheers ]. Now that the United Nations have delivered europe from the nazis nazis, two of our three enemies lie among the ruins of their own, evil ambitions. We have come far along the road since those early, perilous days that shook the world. I salute the members of the armed forces of the United States for courage and complete devotion to duty. Throughout the african and european campaigns. I salute the men in uniform ashore afloat or in the vast city of india, china and burma. The fact is, we have been fighting not two wars, but one global war. The global war in which at the darkest hour, our axis enemies were striking eastward and westward halfway across the world, and threatened to join forces in the middle east thus isolating china and russia. Had that been successful the combined strength of the Axis Coalition could have been directed at the destruction of the three nations of the world one by one. We have therefore to consider the possibility that after the conflict of asia africa and Europe Germany might engulf the british isles, and might then join with japan and attack on our costal cities and industries. By that time we would have been fighting alone and virtually surrounded. The outlook was serious, and the degree of decision had to be made. Therefore our strategy was to first prevent at all costs germany and japan, and then crush them one at a time. We had to destroy the nazis first because, until our great country could perform the miracle of building sufficient ships for all out war, it was necessary to choose the considerably shorter supply routes to the european theaters in preference to the longer sea lanes of the pacific. Further more, to have undertaken an earlier offense on japan would have required large naval forces. The attack on pearl harbor had rendered us unable to assume the offensive. The Naval Program needed two years to complete, and we couldnt wait that long. In europe, we had hardfighting allies already at grips with the enemy. In england, we had bases to launch our fast growing air power. In the pacific we had no air bases near japan, and no strong allies however brave. Most important of all, america immediately had to commit its major forces to european theater because, at that time the axis partners had russia and britain on the ropes. If we concentrated on japan and defeated it we then might have been confronted with a germany that either had confronted russia and britain or at the least, had become so strong, it would be impregnable to our delayed attack. Particularly if they gained position of the fleets, we would have had long years of war. Thus we made the choice. Over the pacific, attacking europe. First, we would attack germany from the air, then invade europe and destroy the german army. With our allies, we won the battle of europe. Without the heroism and sacrifice of our pacific naval, air and ground troops. It would not have been possible. Our pacific troops fought and held back a savagery so we could have our full power against nazi germany. Then as we gathered straight from the pacific, they closed in on the enemy, destroying the ships and planes in preparation for the final kill. We won the battle of europe. But the war, the global war, will not be won until we have exterminated Japanese Military power. The japanese at pearl harbor. Japan. Malaysia. If japan committed to 100 years of war and sacrifice if nothing. We are prepared to lose ten million lives in our war with america. In japan committed to World Domination or to death. A japan whose whole front is united behind the enemys war effort. Now, together with our allies, we shall concentrate devastating power against this treacherous enemy, and rid the world perm then inially permanently. We can do this if each american in and out of uniform keeps in mind the fact that we would not have won this war, nor can we enjoy any peace, until japan is completely crushed. Two down and one to go. To defeat japan as quickly as we can, permanently, we must now assemble readjust and streamline our world forces in order to apply the maximum power. In striking this last great blow, will we need all our present military personnel to bring about the showdown in the pacific. Military necessity decrees that all men suited to the type of warfare to be waged against the pacific foe must remain in service as long as they are essential. However, certain kinds of troops will not all be needed to meet the vast but special commands at the Pacific Theater. With this in mind, the War Department for some months has been formulating a plan for the return of nonessential soldiers to civilian life. Briefly, the plan is this. Men surplus to the needs of each overseas theater and to the continental United States will be assembled in the u. S. From among these men some will be designated essential, and a substantial number will be nonessential, to the new military needs of the army as a whole. And will be returned to civilian life according to certain priorities. Taking the european theater as an example the War Department has informed the commanding general of that theater of the types and numbers of the units needed in the pacific. And the types and numbers of the units which will remain as occupation troops. Zpt and the types and numbers of the units which have become surplus. To return these units as is to the United States with their present personnel would be the simplest and easiest method. However, the War Department does not believe this to be the fairest method. It is to select the surplus men from throughout the theater, as individuals. Using thoroughly impartial standards. To help arrive at such fair and impartial standards the War Department has conducted polls among the men in the armed forces. Experts were sent boot field to obtain a Cross Section of the american enlisted men who voiced their opinions you nonmousenonyou. Let the men over 30 out first. Let the men with children off first. Let the man with dependents off first. Men who served overseas. Men who served overseas. Men who have been in the army longer. Men with children who served overseas. By ma jor tisjoritymajorities the poll showed men who served overseas and men with dependents should be the first to be returned to civilian life. The thorough study the War Department worked out a plan which best meets the test of justice and um partialityimpartiality. This rating card will be issued, and you will be scored on the four factors that will determine your priority of separation. These are one service credit. Which is based upon the total number of months of army service you have had since september 16 1940. Two, overseas credit. Which is base upon the number of months you have served overseas. Three, combat credit. Which will give you credit for the number of grand Service Stars youve easterned as well as additional credit for additional decorations. Four, parenthood credit giving you credit for each dependent child under 18 years up to a limit of three children. This is the way it works. Suppose youve been in the army 19 months since september 16 1940. Across from service credit, 19 will be put in column one under the heading number. In column two under multiply by will be a number which the theater commander will give you. Suppose its one. Web one is put in column two. Under credits, you put column one multiplied by column two. In this case it would be 19. Across from overseas credit in column one put the number of months you spent overseas. In this case suppose its 14. In column two, you again put down a number the theater commander will give you. Suppose its two. In column three, you multiply 14 by 2 and put down 28. Combat credit. Suppose youve been in two separate campaigns and are entitled to two bronze Service Stars. Suppose youve won the purple heart. That gives you three decorations. Under column one, put down three. For column two suppose the theater commander announces the number three. Column three will be 3 times 3 or 9. If you have two children under 18, a 2 is put in column one across from parenthood credit. In column two, suppose the theater commander says the number is 4. Then column three would be 2 times 4, or 8. Adding up all your credits in column three you get a total of 64. This is your priority credit score. This is the score that will be used to select out surplus men from the theaters and the United States. This is also the score that will be used when a certain portion of all the surplus men will be nonessential and returned to civilian life. Remember, the numbers put down here under column two are just hypotheticals. Your theater commander will announce to you the exact numbers to put in this column. They will be the same all over the world. Then whether you make out your own score or it is made out for you, you will understand it and know where you stand in relation to the men about you. Thats the plan of reduction, as it will work out. We separate from the army strictly those men with overseas and combat service. Yet, well provide an extra opportunity for separation for those men with dependent children. You may ask, how will this effect nayvynavy . In all cases the demands of military necessity and the needs in the war against japan must first be met. It is important that this phrase, military necessity be thoroughly understood. It is unfortunate but true that regardless of priority standing certain types of units and certain types of personnel can never bekomcome civilians because of the need and nature of the war. Let us hear from general henry h. Arnold in regard to how the plan will apply to the air forces. Men of the army air forces, you have smashed your opponents in europe. You have succeeded magnificent magnificently, and were proud of now. Now we must smash japan and carry the war to every part of her empire no matter how remote. Our Tactical Operations and our strategic bombardment must be closely cooperated with the efforts of the ground and sea forces in the all out invasion of japan. That is where you come in. An overwhelming air force in the pacific is indispensable. So what have we to do . We must concentrate our air strike against japan in the shortest possible time. Because of the great distances in the pacific, it will take more than twice as many planes and men to drop 1,000 tons of bombs on japan as was required in the pomming ingbombing of germany. As we approach tokyo, our task becomes far more complicated. New air bases must be established on the mainland and on the captured islands adjacent thereto. Many of these bases must be supplied by air. We will run into violent opposition and, yet, japan will have aerial bombardment. Her cities are more concentrated than germany. She cannot disperse. With all our air strength japan can be defeated in the shortest time and the least cost to american lives. Now, to answer your question. Will any of the men from the air forces be released . Yes, they will. But only as the air forces have moved combat troops and supplying Ground Forces from various parts of the world into the pacific area. Men will be released as fast as they can be replaced by men from the Ground Forces or by new inductees. Remember only after they have been replaced. Eventually, men of the air forces will be replaced in the same ratio as men from other branches of the army. But most of us will be required by military necessities to remain until the job is completed. General Jimmie Doolittle began the bombardment of japan with a full hand of planes. How will the War Departments plan for separating nonessential men operate in regard to the Service Forces . General somerville has a message. So far, you men of the Service Forces have accomplished miracles in supply, in construction, in communication, in transportation and sanitation and health. But our job is tougher in the pacific. One Service Force man could keep two and a half men firing in europe. In the pacific one Service Force man can keep only one and a half men firing. Supply lines are longer. Our bases are more widely scattered. Well find no readymade cities and roads and power plants. Well have to construct our own roads, our own communication lines through the most primitive kind of country. Well have to hack base after base in swamp and jungle. With every step forward, medical and sanitationarise. We take our world along with our army. This means the world of the army Service Forces is of the greatest immediate importance. Therefore, reduction in its strength must be slow at first. More and more men will be separated as readjustments in the army take place. But right now, beating the japs is the number one priority. Well find nothing ready made for us in the pacific. Nothing but tough assignments. There will be plenty of them. We in the Service Forces must get them behind us before our job is done. Lieutenant general leslie mcnare of the Ground Forces said a few words before he gave his life for his country on the normandy front. The plan is to move against japan with all the strength we can deploy effectively. The more overwhelmingly we tackle them, the sooner the job will be finished and the fewer the losses. Some must be transferred from one branch of the army to the other in order to balance the new forces. Some will not be needed and may go home. I know the Ground Forces everywhere are going to rise to this new demand and see the entire war through to a finish that is a finish. You will see how the readjustment of the army based on military necessity will take place on a worldwide scale. For simplity we will describe the workings in each of the three types of theaters that now exist. These are one, inactive overseas theater, such as the europe or caribbean. Two, active overseas theater such as the southwest pacific or china, ber maurma, india. Three, the continental United States. Lets examine an inactive overseas theater. The general is given new troop strength and made known to him the numbers and types of units which are now surplus. These will be units of various types, such as armor divisions, artillery battalions, infantry ordinance companies or other units as the case may be. Lets take the infantry and assume there are four divisions in the theater. And one division has become surplus. The theater commander will grade the men in all four divisions according to priority Credit Scores. Select out the top 1 4 and designate these men as surplus. He will shift all the men remaining in the surplus division who are not surplus into the active divisions. Then transfer all the surplus men into the surplus division, which will now serve as a vehicle for eventually returning them to the United States. Remember, however, military necessity governs the selection and transfer. That means no man in a unit that remains in service can become surplus until a qualified replacement is available. If military necessity should entail the immediate transfer of a certain unit to the pacific, there may conceivably will no plan to move before the emergency transfer is made. Consideration will be fwichbgiven to the men when they arrive in the new theater. The same processes will be for all units in the theater. In all cases, the type of men declared surplus will be determined by the type of unit that becomes surplus. The active units needed against japan will now be shipped to the pacific. Those units required for occupation duty will be sent to their stations. The surplus units will be returned to the United States as quickly as possible. In the unit, the men of these surplus units will revert back to a surplus pool in the Ground Forces, air forces or Service Forces as the case may be. It is from these surplus pools that the planned reduction of various types of Army Personnel will be made. The number to be returned to civilian life is no longer essential will be chosen from among those with the highest priority Credit Scores. However, the rate of return of surplus men from overseas will depend upon the number of ships that can be spared over and above the thousands of ships required to supply our fighting theater in the pacific. The Pacific Theater is number one priority. All else must wait. To it we must transport millions of fighting men. Millions of tons of landing barges tanks, planes guns, ammunition and food. Over longer supply lines than we had to europe. This means most of the ships and planes that were used to supply the once active european theater will now be needed to supply the active pacific area. The majority of ships that proceed to europe will continue on to the pacific, laden with troops and supplies for the distant campaign. Very few will turn around and come back to the United States. That is why we cannot return all the surplus men to the United States at one time. And why it may take many months. However, during the time that such men are waiting their turn to go home, a complete program of educational and Vocational Training will be available to them. While this process of selecting and returning surplus men from the european theater is taking place, the plan for readjustment will be applied in the active overseas thee terseaters like the southwest pacific. Men will be declared surplus to the expense that replacements can be provided. Naturally, since the pacific is now the only active area, we know there are no surplus units of any type there. Military requirements there will nand an nand demand an increase in units. Troops in the pacific area will benefit by the reduction of the army. Not as units but individuals. The commanding general at each active Pacific Theater has been allotted his quota of the numbers and types of men who can be replaced. He will select these men using the same standards you have seen to determine priority of return. These men will then be returned to the United States as rapidly as replacements of the same type become available and as the military situation will permit. Take the infantry as an example. Normally there will be a great flow of men needed to build up and maintain an offensive against japan. Say 5,000 replacements over and above the normal number can be shipped to the pacific. Then 5,000 men with the highest priority Credit Scores can be surplus and return to the Ground Forces surplus pool in the United States. Where their scores will determine whether they are to be among that number of infantrymen no longer essential to the army. Simultaneously with the selection and return of men in the overseas theaters, the same process will be taking place in the troops stations in the continental United States. Frankly, the troops in the United States will be the Main Reservoir of replacements for the overseas theaters. Their priority Credit Scores will be lower than those of men who served overseas and seen come patbat duty. The unit system will apply in the United States. The commanding generals in the Ground Service and air have been given the numbers and types of individuals within their commands who have become surplus or can be replaced. They will transfer their surplus men to the surplus pool for designation as essential or nonessential as you have seen. Also if any man who may be nonessential under the plan wishes to remain in the army, such a man will not be forced out if he will be usefully employed. In the case of the armys officers military necessity will determine which are nonessential. They will be separated as they can be spared. Our Womens Army Corps has not been forgotten. It is an integral part of our armed forces and a priority for release among its members will be determined just as in the rest of the army. Treating the corps as a separate group. Credit will be given for the Womens Auxiliary Army corps. However, soldiers whose husbands have been separated from the army will be discharged upon application. You have seen how the worldwide readjustments in the army will take place. The surplus men from all overseas theaters and the continental United States will be reassembled under their respective commands in the United States surplus pools. There will be some reduction in the Ground Forces. There will be somewhat less reduction in the Service Forces. There will be practically no immediate reduction in the air forces. As replacements sbecome available from the Ground Forces and new inductees, the air forces and Service Forces will separate a share of men proportionate with the Ground Forces. You also know wherever possible, the men to be returned to civilian life will come from among those with the highest priority Credit Scores. Based on total service, overseas service, combat service and number of dependent children up to three. You also know that the great majority of men to be released will come from overseas. Those who must say on active duty have a mean job to do. We shall do it as americans. In the tradition of the american soldier. It is not a question of whether we will win, but only of how quickly and how thoroughly we can do the job. Upon you the men who remain in active service, the destiny of peoples and of nations depends. Others who come at you may read history. Others may write it. But you men, will make history. Two down and one to go. Now to make it three. O say, can you see by the dawns early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming . Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming . And the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say, does that starspangled banner yet wave oer the land of the free and the home of the brave . With live coverage of the u. S. House on cspan and the senate on cspan2 here on cspan3, we complement the coverage by showing you the most relevant Public Affairs events. On weekends, it is the home to American History tv telling our nations story. Including the civil wars 150th anniversary, visiting battlefields and key events. American artifacts touring museums and Historic Sites to discover what they reveal about americas past. History bookshelf with the best known American History writers. The presidency, looking at the policies and legacies of our nations commanders in chief. Lectures and history, with top college professors. New series, r erkseel america, featuring educational films through the 30s to the 70s. Cspan3, created by the cable tv industry and provided by your local satellite provider. Like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. Tonight at 10 00 p. M. Eastern on American History tv an nbc news special report. Communist saigon from may 26th 1975. Nbc news reported on the april 30th aperture of south vietnams capital by communist forces. It detailed events in the weeks following the end of the vietnam war. N nbc news special report from 1975. Communist saigon on American History tv on cspan3. Tonight on the communicators. Acting executive director of first net, kennedy on the creation of one nationwide broad band Emergency Communications network for first responders. It would be able to provide especially a data and broad band network for first responders. Police officers Emergency Medical Technicians responding to the incident that are on the zeen scene of the incident would have the ability to have video of things from the scene being sent to incoming responders. To have pictures from the scene. To be able to have important Situational Awareness data on where everybody is on that particular scene. Today, not everybody would have the ability to see where the other ambulances are staged that might be coming in to pick up additional patients. A mass casualty situation, youd be able to leverage it for triage. Today, there is Technology Like fit bits and Wearable Technology youre seeing in the fitness world. What if it was done for Emergency Medical Services where they can place it on a patient and get vital signs, as an example. Not with the devices today but think of the innovation that could happen. You would know where all of your patients are. Youd be able to track the current vital signs and be able to send them to hospitals and track them there and make sure theyre handed off and that there is continueity of care and you can adjust to a changing situation in a rapid fashion. Tonight at 8 00 eastern on the communicateors on cspan2. Recently, American History tv was at the organization of american historians annual meeting in st. Louis, missouri. We spoke to professors and students about their research. Naoko wake, an assistant professor at Michigan State university. Tell us about your research with japanese americans in hee roiro hiroshima and nagasaki