"Under Four Flags is a picture that the Government intends every one in the United States shall see...as an example of what the United States and the Allies can do and are doing for the cause of Liberty." (Form letter to theater owners from Dennis Sullivan)

Dennis J. Sullivan

Detail from a letter [1918] War: World War, 1914-1918 Status: Civilian

One week after American entered the war, President Woodrow Wilson created the Committee on Public Information. Journalist George Creel headed the CPI, sometimes known as the Creel Commission, and it promoted support for the war through newspaper stories, public speeches, and motion pictures. Dennis Sullivan was Manager of Domestic Distribution for films made by the CPI. This collection, submitted by Sullivan's great-niece, contains almost 270 photographs used in the making of the CPI's third film, Under Four Flags, a documentary released shortly after the Armistice was declared. The photographs offer a view of war largely shorn of violence and harsh consequences, but they are also a dramatic record of World War I's unique details.