Germany Assignment

President Wells was in Germany from November 21, 1947-May 27, 1948 with his assistant, Peter A. Fraenkel. He had been invited by General Lucius Clay to become the Cultural Affairs Advisor to the military governor and the Acting Director of the Education and Cultural Relations Division of the Office of Military Governor for Germany (U.S.) (OMGUS). To take on this role, Wells took six months leave from Indiana University to serve the international community, a task about which he was quite passionate. These films from his time in Europe reveal his interest in German culture, the people he encounters, and the architectural and natural beauty of the area. They also reveal the devastation experienced by European cities in the aftermath of the Second World War. Click an image to watch a movie.

All of the papers pertaining to Wells' time in Germany have been digitalized. You can find them here: http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/findingaids/view?brand=general&docId=InU-Ar-VAB8162.xml&chunk.id=VAB8162-02044&text1=c75&startDoc=1.

Germany

Here Wells films a small village (location unknown). He focuses on the architecture, the alpine dress (lederhosen), and the behavior of various groups of people. At 2:07, the focus shifts to the natural world. Wells captures a castle upon a high hilltop, the surrounding mountains, a mountain lake, and an expansive forest. He appears to have been fascinated by the difference in scale between the natural and the manmade environment.

Marburg - Bokern - Ending

This film begins with images from a small village with large, open fields. There appears to be a festival going on; scenes depict children and families enjoying fair-style rides. He then shifted his focus to buildings and the surrounding countryside.

Ending Parks

With only about one and a half minutes of useable footage, this reel shows city life, focusing on the architecture of the buildings and the everyday affairs of the people. Wells took notice of the prevalence of lederhosen.

Bokern - Bonn - Cologne

This short film depicts statues and monuments, castles, city life, churches, and ordinary folks living their everyday lives.

Hitler's House, Etc.

The last of the reels from his trip to Germany, this one depicts a small village that pales in comparison to the jagged, snow-capped mountains that surround it. Wells then films Hitler's mountain retreat ("The Eagle's Nest") as it sits crumbling after the war. Wells once again seems to be fascinated by the juxtaposition of the natural and the built environments, as well as with lederhosen. This time, he has a local man pose for him in this particular alpine dress; the man appears to enjoy the attention.