Norman Alley's Bombing of U.SS. Panay

Aboard the USS Panay, on the 12th of December 1937, was a Universal News cameraman who had covered World War I and was in China to report on the Japanese invasion. Norman Alley had a motto about his work: “Go to hell if you must — but bring back pictures of it!”

With him was Eric Mayell of Movietone News. Both men experienced the trauma of the Panay attack - and filmed it. This is their newsreel.

When President Roosevelt and other government officials saw the entire footage, they were gravely concerned about its impact on the American people. As a result, Norman Alley and Universal agreed to remove thirty incriminating feet of coverage from the film. In doing so, they may have helped to avert war - at that time - with Japan.