AllMovie

This program is part of a series that examines some of the most unusual events and people that were part of the World War II experience. The stories are told using archival film footage, photographs, personal accounts, and scholarly commentary. This episode is about two powerful symbols: the eagle of the United States and the swastika of the Nazi party. The American symbol holds an olive branch and spears in his talons. The eagle is looking towards the symbol of peace, but is ready for war. This symbol accurately reflects the position of the United States when it was attacked by Japan, and Hitler subsequently issued his Declaration of War against America. The swastika, with its arms reversed, in a telling perversion of an ancient peace symbol, also accurately describes the heart of the nation that attempted world domination through war.