John W. Dower, War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War (1986), p. 16
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To be inspired with the will to win, Capra told his associates as they embarked on this work, Americans needed to be shown that they were fighting for the existence of their country, and at the same time were carrying the "torch of freedom" for a better postwar world- a world in which conquest, exploitation, and economic evils had been eliminated, and peace and democracy prevailed. This seemed a clear line, and a familiar one to anyone who recalled the idealistic Allied propaganda of World War One.

— John W. Dower on Frank Capra

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "To be inspired with the will to win, Capra told his associates as they embarked on this work, Americans needed to be shown that they were fighting for the existence of their country, and at the same time were carrying the "torch of freedom" for a better postwar world- a world in which conquest, exploitation, and economic evils had been eliminated, and peace and democracy prevailed. This seemed a clear line, and a familiar one to anyone who recalled the idealistic Allied propaganda of World War One." in the context of "John W. Dower, War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War (1986), p. 16" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Frank Capra" (Quotes about Capra) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 19, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

About John W. Dower

John W. Dower (born June 21, 1938, in Providence, Rhode Island) is an American author and historian.