China Shall Have Our Help

This documentary, likely produced in the early 1940s, captures the United States’ wartime solidarity with China during its struggle against Japanese aggression. A key sequence features the China Week march in New York City, a public demonstration of support, with prominent figures including Wendell L. Willkie (1940 Republican presidential candidate and advocate for internationalism), Herbert H. Lehman (New York Governor), and Dr. Tsune Chi Yu (Consul General of the Republic of China). The march, filled with banners, flags, and enthusiastic crowds, underscores American sympathy for China’s plight. The film weaves this event into a broader narrative tracing U.S.-China engagement, from early trade and missionary ties in the 19th century to diplomatic relations under the Open Door Policy, and culminating in WWII-era cooperation under the Good Neighbor Policy and Lend-Lease Act. Likely shot in black-and-white, it uses archival footage, maps, and narration to highlight shared democratic values and mutual aid, reflecting the 1941-1945 context of alliance against Axis powers.