Safeguarding Secrets, 1941

This 1941 U.S. Army Signal Corps film hammers home the need for secrecy in WWII defense work, showing dire fallout from loose lips—ship explosions, sabotage, and death. In black-and-white with sound, stock shots dazzle: spies skulk, fires rage, U-Boats torpedo ships, and bodies pile up. A soldier dodges his girlfriend’s questions on the phone as a spy’s hokey mic eavesdrops, while titles blare “THOUGHTLESSNESS BREEDS SABOTAGE” over smoke. Bowling alleys and shops frame cautionary tales, ending with a spy nabbed by security.