Plan for Destruction

This just ran on Turner Movie Classics. Although I've seen a LOT of documentaries etc. on WWII and am familiar with Hitler's rise to power, I did not know about the Geopolitical influence on him, and the key elements of that theory. If all US citizens could view this movie, and even see it as part of students' school studies in Civics, we could have a better understanding of how people's need for power and control can become destructive plans for millions. It is important to remember that NOW a Dictator no longer needs to be a leader of a country to finance and organize an army to go out and spread terror to undermine the power of other countries. Don't you see this going on now? Osama Bin Laden is an example. Everyone wake up! The world has changed. We are no longer fighting the government of other countries in formally declared war - we are fighting an insidious plan to undermine the unity and confidence of US citizens to weaken us, making us more vulnerable for takeover. Also, look at the propaganda machines working to get other countries to "hate" Americans and protest against our country. Enemies know that our borders are impenetrable from the strength of our military. They've devised other ways to infiltrate, break down and dismantle our great country, America. Don't be naive and think that America is here forever, and nothing can change that.

Plan for Destruction (1943)

*** (out of 4)

MGM, Oscar nominated documentary short about how Germany's defeat in WW1 led to Hitler trying to take the world over in WW2. This documentary offers quite a bit of information in its 22-minute running time. Most of the stuff is over-dramatic but that's just a part of these WW2 shorts from this period. Lewis Stone stars.

It's also interesting to see how they looked at war issues back then compared to today.

If you're interested in this film then Turner Classic Movies usually plays it during their "31 Days of Oscar" festival.

"Plan for Destruction" was included in the "Crime Does Not Pay" DVD collection from Turner Entertainment. However, this film really does not appear to be a part of the set and bears no similarity to the other films in the series. It really is just a wartime propaganda short from MGM--albeit a well made one.

The film is narrated by Lewis Stone and is a film showing the progression of Germany from the end of WWI to the power-made nation it was in 1943. However, it looked at this in an unusual manner--focusing on an actual but mostly forgotten general and college professor, Karl Haushofer (played by the familiar character actor Frank Reicher). Haushofer's notion of 'goepolitik' was that Germany was destined to rule the world and his teachings fit in wonderfully with the Nazis. However, the short-term benefit of such a policy is more than balanced by the resolve of the united nations of the US, Soviet Union, etc. according to this film.

This is clearly a WWII propaganda film that's meant to strengthen the resolve at home in the war effort. And, for what it is, it's pretty good. A novel way of assessing the Nazis, that's for sure.

This is well-produced, but not based on historical fact. The amount of influence Haushofer had on Hitler's viewpoint is very debatable, although there is no argument that he did have some influence. And there never was am 'Institute of Geopolitics' - that was dreamed up by the scriptwriter. Haushofer had a half-Jewish wife, was never a member of the party, and spent some time in a concentration camp. He is on record as a supporter of Hitler. To what end, no one knows. One of his sons died in the July 20th plot against Hitler. Haushofer and his wife committed suicide in 1946. The idea of Lebensraum that he professed was psychological rather than physical - Hitler's vision was different from that of Professor Haushofer. This film is propaganda, and works well in that genre. This film is propaganda, and works well in that genre.

I didn't love Lewis Stone's narration here, not least because he kept referring to Britain/British and England/English which always strikes me as lazy writing. That said, though, it's still quite an interesting assessment of the forward-planning skills of former Imperial general Karl Haushofer (Frank Reicher). Following his defeat in the Great War he took up an academic position that not only facilitated his planning for the future domination of the world by a revitalised Germany but that also provided him with lots of fertile young and impressionable minds to indoctrinate. His former assistant Rudolph Hess (George Lynn) suggests to him that he meet a prisoner with a small moustache and the rest is history. It mixes some dramatic elements with some news actuality to deliver to American audiences an idea of just how meticulously the Nazis had planned their "Politik" agenda and at how this could all too readily impact on the USA, however geographically detached the maps might suggest it is. There is a positive message for the audience here suggesting that by uniting against the Axis powers, there are some sunlit uplands ahead - but there is more work to be done.