COTTON IN THE WAR EFFORT

[Music] to the men and women of the cotton industry the products of the cotton industry the work of your hands are helping to win the war on every Battlefront they are as necessary to our fighting men as guns and tanks as the war advances the Armed Services must call on you and your industry to set new production records your contribution to the national effort has been superb I know that you will meet and surpass the new demands made upon you by the necessities of war you will carry your end of the heavy load that we all must share to make sure of victory sign Graham Somerville Lieutenant General commanding [Music] looks like an awful lot of cuttin to me sure we're growing enough but our mills don't turn out enough goods for the army why not you got lots of textile mills and after all how much cutting minutes country use 12 billion yards a year when they all go they go into clothing wrappings and shelter for civilian and army use plus lend-lease good cotton goes into yarn and powder and plastics they're part of almost every weapon in this war part of ships and guns and plays yeah but only a minor part there are no minor parts it cotton we're missing the war Woodstock and I'll blow them I'll prove it to you what's this they're hitting the beaches [Music] where would they be without cotton invasion by air without cut reinforcements without copy and then who might not come back without cutting a line I see your point if the army needs all this cut let them have it we can't we're two billion yards short this year two billion yards I can't picture two billion how much is that well it takes 122 yards of cloth to equip one soldier we're so short that 16 million men might run around naked in the first place we haven't got 16 million soldiers and in the second I haven't seen a single one of them run around naked you haven't no all right what's this an induction station yeah I remember one of last spring sample orders for the army included 19 million undershirts 18 million pairs of socks 6 million 200,000 leggings 14 million hand pitchers all cotton you've got about 40 different items made up general and special issue nice sleep in Bank that's made of it too from head to toe from how much they made us steel I know I was an air raid warden what's that inside well I suppose there's certainly underwear socks shoes shows yes shoes lined whether them stitched shirt pants belt leggings bill jacket cartridge belt gas mask the pack and most of lieutenant what for instance a canvas shell to have spare socks handkerchiefs rashes food isn't cotton ever already cottonseed oil here you see what the well-dressed soldier wears all over the globe cough and cotton cotton I'm getting dizzy all right lie down and go to sleep I will under cotton sheet what is all this [Music] I'm all the sweat how re cotton or is this perspiration it does are these outfits made of a tube sure and saw the barracks bang hey you look tired again I am a little bit then go on get those tents up you had another tough day that's why Uncle Sam bought you 380 million yards of cotton duck last year just so you'd have a roof over your head come on step on it we can't wait for you we got to take off boy it's a great life to be a soldier you roll along and tires reinforced with cotton cool you're protected from Sun and rain by a canvas top you never have to walk never yeah are we going overseas hmm what's the rush just to complete your education you wanted to know all about Copland war didn't you oh I guess so around life wraps cotton canvas any comment no I hope those rafts they couldn't dry this trip these talks thousands of tops all over the globe cotton duck it the precision work on all these plane motors is protected from bad weather and corroding salt by these talks and down in the hold much of the cargo that's going to the troops is in cotton or burlap sack why shouldn't I be a few days I'm gonna forget all about cut just smell the sea in there enjoy myself lying around and the Sun look up into the sky and what do you think signal flags and they're made of cotton I'm surrounded by it everywhere everywhere you are life preservers Mae West they're all made of it you know it's quite a relief to look at something that's just plain metal ever heard of guncotton look now will you let me relax just for a moment myah the sunset pretty isn't it little pink cotton clouds you mind a few general observations go ahead you see this is a war of great distances every ounce of weight we can save counts well cotton is light very light it resists water mildew sunlight and perspiration cotton is tough it doesn't tear easily I believe then and remember the obstacle course my fatigue clothes stood up better under the string than I did I hope by now we've got you tough enough for this here - you got captain that camouflage net overhead I don't care what it's made of as long as that hides us the insulation on the Signal Corps wire the bail feeding the bulletin - that machine gun Hey look are they ours here that's good lots of cutting up there too of course without it our planes couldn't fly are you kidding I'll show you brother ailerons di suppose they're all covered with cotton fabric and that's on the outside all right all right I know I won't have any peace but you show me the cotton inside the oxygen supply lines self-sealing gas tanks the heating system where's the heat look you're in the stratosphere it's 60 degrees below zero outside that's why those men are wrapped in electrically heated cotton suits quite a trick and easy to move around in you see those mittens without them their hands would be lumps of ice [Music] this isn't the same plane as it no this is a transport for paratroopers I make a jump sure just wait your turn the chutes aren't cut some of them are and all of them use captain harness and ice tests with cotton thread you hope it's good thread don't worry they use the best lightest toughest cut the long staple kind before the war it came from Egypt now we're planning it in New Mexico Arizona California okay okay do I go now you take your orders from the man with a cigar he's the jumpmaster watch his face we put a camera on his chest it opened it held every time by the way the film for these pictures was made of cotton one of the fallout after us ammunition and supplies you see those supply shoots all cut [Music] rather the Japs a couple of miles from here these men have been fighting the Japs for three weeks day and night without rest bandages are made of cotton stretchers are made of cotton mattresses blanket gee I'm glad we got enough of it but I told you we're short two billion yards short look at these men take a good look at their faces do you know what they want most now well a clean shirt and clean socks or I can imagine now you can because you've seen them remember its little things that make a man feel human and often what's called morale is nothing more than clean dry clothes and morale wins battles these are the new combat uniforms they are better more comfortable than the old ones they protect a man from almost anything but bullet and every piece of them is cut that's why we must have more often say this is terrific look Sarge give me a furlough so I can go home and tell them all about cut the best thing you can do is stay on your job just as they're staying on theirs back home but since you're caught on so quick I'll make your private first class now a striper huh made of I know cut these dough boys are in there fighting for you they're on their way overseas and they need cotton as much as they need steel and copper and chromium and oil and gasoline they needed to fight they needed to win they need every piece of cotton we can supply sometimes even a generals using [Music] from enemies guys our planes are planning a special kind of cotton field with each small white father d-day Victory Day grows nearer on the fields of home the cotton pickers of America are fighting a war in the mills and factories of home the cotton workers are fighting a war and every man and woman who spins and weaves and cuts and souls everyone whose hands touch country is helping to make some part of this flag this symbol of freedom [Music]