Educational Media Reviews Online

World War II was generally perceived as a just war, with a clear set of moral imperatives that made the average man’s decision to fight much easier than almost any other war in modern times. This film examines a little known group of Americans who refused to fight in that war. Some 40 000 men were enrolled by the draft as Conscientious Objectors, (COs) and this documentary explores their decisions, their activities during the war, and their impact on later events. It is a fascinating look at a group of diverse men from a range of different social, religious and political backgrounds who truly believed that they could not bring themselves to kill another man. Many were inducted into the Civilian Public Service and were sent to labour camps to dig ditches. Others were jailed for refusing to join the draft. Some were eventually sent to work in mental hospitals where they managed to effect far reaching reforms in the treatment of the mentally ill, and others worked as medics with the Armed Forces. They all had to maintain extraordinary strength of mind and spirit as the tide of public opinion was most decidedly against them. When the War was over and the troops were coming home, many of these men went overseas to work with the relief agencies cleaning up and providing aid and comfort to the survivor and refugees of Europe and Asia.

The film aired on PBS in January 2002, and offers a thoughtful contrast to the reflexive jingoism that has made up most public discourse in the US over the past year. It is well shot, combining archival footage with contemporary interviews with surviving COs, and has the production values one would expect from a PBS show. One wishes that there had been a bit more time devoted to the ‘why’ of their position, as the roots of these men’s beliefs are glossed over or referred to in a somewhat offhand way. (The filmmakers assume that most viewers will know that the Quakers for example were ardent pacifists) The film for the most part simply states that these men truly believed that they could not kill another man, and while this is a very powerful argument, it does not quite satisfy the viewer, especially since it wasn’t an argument that held for the vast majority of American men of the time. However, the information that the film provides, the examination of an alternative to violence and the history it provides more than make up for this absence.

This film is highly recommended for any collection that deals with WWII, the pacifism, or civil disobedience.