This U.S. Navy newsreel, Casablanca Conference, is the first issue and recaps the Casablanca Conference of 1943 at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco. The newsreel opens with aerial footage of large estates outside of Casablanca. A military jeep sits next to a building (01:17). A panorama shot shows viewers the scope of 1946 Casablanca (01:34). U.S. troops line a road leading into Casablanca (02:00); U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt rides in an army jeep, passing soldiers standing at attention. The jeep drives down a road lined with tanks and soldiers (02:48). U.S. tanks drive in formation during what looks to be a military parade or inspection (03:36). The film shows the Anfa Hotel, site of the conference (03:58). FDR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sit next to each other and discuss matters as officers stand behind them (04:25). At a U.S. military cemetery, two U.S. soldiers lay a wreath at the base of the flag pole (05:27). FDR sits with French General Henri Giraud (05:58). FDR, General Charles de Gaulle, Churchill, and Giraud sit together on the hotel’s lawn (06:29). FDR and Churchill announce the outcome of the conference as reporters take notes. U.S. troops stand at attention (07:32). The newsreel ends with FDR sitting aboard a U.S. naval vessel with several officers (08:11).
The Casablanca Conference (codenamed SYMBOL) was held at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, French Morocco, from January 14 to 24, 1943, to plan the Allied European strategy for the next phase of World War II. In attendance were United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Also attending and representing the Free French forces were Generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud, though they played minor roles and were not part of the military planning. Premier Joseph Stalin had declined to attend, citing the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad as requiring his presence in the Soviet Union.
The conference agenda addressed the specifics of tactical procedure, allocation of resources, and the broader issues of diplomatic policy. The debate and negotiations produced what was known as the Casablanca Declaration, and perhaps its most historically provocative statement of purpose, “unconditional surrender”. The doctrine of “unconditional surrender” came to represent the unified voice of implacable Allied will—the determination that the Axis powers would be fought to their ultimate defeat.
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