I have a number of films that I plan to incorporate into a documentary
television program. I have no idea whether they were ever covered by copyright
or whether copyrights were renewed. Most of the films were produced
between 1937 and 1944. Most were produced by the Republican National
Committee. When I called their offices, they knew nothing about the films.
To be on the safe side, I plan to pay the Library of Congress for a copyright
search on each title. It's easy to find out if a particular title is in
the public domain. The catch is that I'm looking for some footage of black
soldiers during World War II. I have been to the National Archives and I
was surprised to learn that "The Negro Soldier" is not in the public domain.
So we're back to the original question: How do I find public domain film
of black soldiers during World War II?
Kristine Brancolini
Indiana University Libraries