ty machine got hold of a tidbit and cultivated it to such a
point that myth moved into the realm of accepted truth.
As a historian of the Disney Studio, I have long taken
an interest in this compelling story. Churchill and Roos-
evelt deciding strategy after viewing a Disney film?! I just
had to get to the bottom of that. Given the importance
of the subject, the existence of so many Disney sources
making the claim, and the voluminous documentation
that exists for both Churchill and Roosevelt, I thought
the task of confirming it all would be easy. Yet after many
years of intensive research, I have not found a shred of
evidence supporting any screening of Victory Through Air
Power at the 1943 Quebec Conference. What follows is
my personal journey as a Disney historian to discover the
truth, share what I have unearthed, and express my own
feelings on the subject.The Search BeginsV
erifying the claim clearly requires a primary
source, preferably one created close to the event.
Official documents would be best, but the only
official document that could conclusively verify that the
film was made available to the two leaders would be a mil-
itary order requesting that it be flown to the Quebec Con-
ference. The Signal Corps was the branch of the US Army
that was responsible for all military communications, so
somewhere in their records would be an order to have the
film flown to Canada. The US National Archives records
group where this document would reside, however, has
no easy way of finding such an order out of the 1,044,784
items I would have to go through. This was so limiting
that I decided anecdotal evidence by the particulars, such
as a piece of correspondence or a diary notation, would
work as well. Thus I started my quest.
I began seeking any personal anecdotes (written or
spoken) from a non-Disney/non-Seversky source. Yet af-
ter years of poring through the written records, journals,
notes, correspondence, and transcripts of such people
as Churchill, Roosevelt, General “Hap” Arnold, General
George C. Marshall, Admiral William D. Leahy, Air Chief
Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, and others, I found nothing.
The deeper I delved, the more it seemed that some
conspiracy was afoot to keep me from finding the truth.
Materials concerning the proceedings in Quebec are
sparse and inadequate due to the secrecy involved. I was
actually informed by a few Canadian historians that, part-
ly because of secrecy and partly because government of-
ficials in Quebec did not understand the historic impor-
tance of the conference, very few records were kept.
In the Roosevelt Presidential Library, “The Log of the
President’s Visit to Canada: 16 August 1943 to 26 August1943” was prepared by his Naval Aides, which may be the
reason there is no mention of a film about Air power. The
US Navy was quite afraid of the Disney film, feeling that
it might sway public sentiment heavily towards air power
and thus away from the navy.
Things did not pan out across the Atlantic either. The
staff at the British National Archives at Kew were helpful
but could not do the research for me. A professor friend of
mine spent a few days digging around Kew on my behalf
but once again, nothing. At my request, the Director of
the Churchill Archives, Allen Packwood, kindly ran a key-
word search of his vast database using “Disney,” “Sever-
sky,” and “Victory Through Air Power,” but answers came
there none.
Diaries were kept by Generals Marshall and Arnold.
But Marshall was an Army man and not an advocate of
air power at the conference, so it was no great surprise
to find no mention of the film by him. Arnold, however,
commanded the US Army Air Force. Surely he of all peo-
ple would have something to say. Unfortunately, he was
recuperating from heart troubles at the time, and his di-
ary entries concerning the conference are not extensive.
Other Quebec attendees did not keep records, and I was
unable to locate any useful correspondence.Seversky SurpriseT
he Nassau County Libraries in Long Island, New
York made me hopeful when I learned that they
held the bulk of Seversky’s papers. I had finally
found my Holy Grail and would once and for all know
that FDR and Churchill had indeed watched the film and
that it changed the strategic course of the war towards
long-range airpower!
I made my own long-range air plans so I could fly off
to my Holy Grail of research. It was not to be. In 1974,
Seversky died without heirs, and his papers were given
to the Republic Aircraft Corporation on Long Island.
A decade later the company was extinct, and the papers
made their journey to the Nassau County Library System.
Within this loosely-connected federation of Long Island
libraries, the papers were passed from location to location
until finally, one day, they disappeared!!
I spent weeks on the phone with many helpful folks
from the library, and no one knew where Seversky’s pa-
pers were or where they might have ended up. The closest
I came to discovering their whereabouts and what may
have happened was when the Assistant Director told me,
“We had a reference collection once, but it was phased
out a number of years ago as it was too specialized for us.”
I briefly thought about digging around in a few Long Is-
land landfills but ultimately decided against it.ARTIST AND AVIATORtymachinegotholdofa tidbitandcultivatedit tosucha
pointthatmythmovedintotherealmofacceptedtruth.
Asa historianoftheDisneyStudio,I havelongtaken
aninterestinthiscompellingstory.ChurchillandRoos-
eveltdecidingstrategyafterviewinga Disneyfilm?!I just
hadtogettothebottomofthat.Giventheimportance
ofthesubject,theexistenceofsomanyDisneysources
making theclaim, and the voluminousdocumentation
that exists forbothChurchilland Roosevelt,I thought
thetaskofconfirmingit allwouldbeeasy.Yetaftermany
yearsofintensiveresearch,I havenotfounda shredof
evidencesupportinganyscreeningofVictoryThroughAir
Poweratthe 1943 QuebecConference.Whatfollowsis
mypersonaljourneyasa Disneyhistoriantodiscoverthe
truth,sharewhatI haveunearthed,andexpressmyown
feelingsonthesubject.
TheSearchBeginsV
erifying the claim clearly requires a primary
source,preferablyonecreatedclosetotheevent.
Officialdocumentswouldbebest,buttheonly
officialdocumentthatcouldconclusivelyverifythatthe
filmwasmadeavailabletothetwoleaderswouldbea mil-
itaryorderrequestingthatit beflowntotheQuebecCon-
ference.TheSignalCorpswasthebranchoftheUSArmy
thatwasresponsibleforallmilitarycommunications,so
somewhereintheirrecordswouldbeanordertohavethe
filmflowntoCanada.TheUSNationalArchivesrecords
groupwherethisdocumentwouldreside,however,has
noeasywayoffindingsuchanorderoutofthe1,044,784
itemsI wouldhavetogothrough.Thiswassolimiting
thatI decidedanecdotalevidencebytheparticulars,such
asa pieceofcorrespondenceora diarynotation,would
workaswell.ThusI startedmyquest.
I beganseekinganypersonalanecdotes(writtenor
spoken)froma non-Disney/non-Severskysource.Yetaf-
teryearsofporingthroughthewrittenrecords,journals,
notes, correspondence, and transcripts of such people
asChurchill,Roosevelt,General“Hap”Arnold,General
GeorgeC.Marshall,AdmiralWilliamD.Leahy,AirChief
MarshalSirArthurHarris,andothers,I foundnothing.
ThedeeperI delved,themoreitseemedthatsome
conspiracywasafoottokeepmefromfindingthetruth.
Materials concerning the proceedings in Quebec are
sparseandinadequateduetothesecrecyinvolved.I was
actuallyinformedbya fewCanadianhistoriansthat,part-
lybecauseofsecrecyandpartlybecausegovernmentof-
ficialsinQuebecdidnotunderstandthehistoricimpor-
tanceoftheconference,veryfewrecordswerekept.
In the Roosevelt Presidential Library, “TheLogofthe
President’s Visit to Canada: 16 August 1943to 26 August
1943”waspreparedbyhisNavalAides,whichmaybethe
reasonthereisnomentionofa filmaboutAirpower.The
USNavywasquiteafraidoftheDisneyfilm,feelingthat
it mightswaypublicsentimentheavilytowardsairpower
andthusawayfromthenavy.
ThingsdidnotpanoutacrosstheAtlanticeither.The
staffattheBritishNationalArchivesatKewwerehelpful
butcouldnotdotheresearchforme.Aprofessorfriendof
minespenta fewdaysdiggingaroundKewonmybehalf
butonceagain,nothing.Atmyrequest,theDirectorof
theChurchillArchives,AllenPackwood,kindlyrana key-
wordsearchofhisvastdatabaseusing“Disney,”“Sever-
sky,”and“VictoryThroughAirPower,”butanswerscame
therenone.
DiarieswerekeptbyGeneralsMarshallandArnold.
ButMarshallwasanArmymanandnotanadvocateof
airpowerat theconference,soitwasnogreatsurprise
tofindnomentionofthefilmbyhim.Arnold,however,
commandedtheUSArmyAirForce.Surelyheofallpeo-
plewouldhavesomethingtosay.Unfortunately,hewas
recuperatingfromhearttroublesatthetime,andhisdi-
aryentriesconcerningtheconferencearenotextensive.
OtherQuebecattendeesdidnotkeeprecords,andI was
unabletolocateanyusefulcorrespondence.SeverskySurpriseT
heNassauCountyLibrariesinLongIsland,New
YorkmademehopefulwhenI learnedthatthey
heldthebulkof Seversky’spapers.I hadfinally
foundmy HolyGrailandwouldonceandforall know
thatFDRandChurchillhadindeedwatchedthefilmand
thatitchangedthestrategic courseof thewar towards
long-rangeairpower!
I mademyownlong-rangeairplanssoI couldflyoff
tomyHolyGrailofresearch.Itwasnottobe.In1974,
Severskydiedwithout heirs,andhispapersweregiven
to the Republic Aircraft Corporation on Long Island.
Adecadelaterthecompanywasextinct,andthepapers
madetheirjourneytotheNassauCountyLibrarySystem.
Withinthisloosely-connectedfederationofLongIsland
libraries,thepaperswerepassedfromlocationtolocation
untilfinally,oneday,theydisappeared!!
I spent weeks on the phone with many helpful folks
from the library, and no one knew where Seversky’s pa-
pers were or where they might have ended up. The closest
I came to discovering their whereabouts and what may
have happened was when the Assistant Director told me,
“We had a reference collection once, but it was phased
out a number of years ago as it was too specialized for us.”
I briefly thought about digging around in a few Long Is-
land landfills but ultimately decided against it.ARTIST AND AVIATOR