Mrs. Miniver (character) President Franklin D. Roosevelt credited it for hastening America's involvement in the war. Winston Churchill is said to have claimed that it had done more for the Allied cause than a flotilla of battleships. Churchill is further quoted by Bernard Wasserstein in his book, "Barbarism and Civilization," as saying that the book (and later the film) was worth "six divisions of war effort." In 1942, when the film came out, Roosevelt ordered it rushed to theaters. The film adaptation of "Mrs. Miniver" was produced by MGM in 1942 with Greer Garson in the leading role and William Wyler directing. Under
American propaganda during World War II films for new recruits. Capra designed the series to illustrate the enormous danger of Axis conquest and the corresponding justness of the Allies. This "Why We Fight" series documented the war in seven segments: At President Roosevelt's urging, "Why We Fight" was also released to the theaters for the general public. In Britain, Churchill ordered the entire sequence to be shown to the public. Movies were also useful in that propaganda messages could be incorporated into entertainment films. The 1942 film "Mrs. Miniver" portrayed the experiences of an English housewife during the Battle of Britain and urged the support of