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-[film projector whirring] -[music playing]
[reporter] After years of Japanese rule,
U.S. troops arrive in the Philippines.
With General Douglas MacArthur vowing to free the Commonwealth
from the Japanese invaders.
Meanwhile, as U.S. forces push further into Europe,
the German quest for world domination begins to unravel.
The Nazi war machine has been uprooted
in North Africa and Italy,
and its European neighbors have been liberated
from their tyrannical overlords
for the first time in half a decade.
But this liberation came hand in hand
with a shocking discovery.
Scattered across German-occupied Europe
are over 42,000 ghettos,
detention centers and, most disturbingly, death camps.
Even the battle-hardened allied soldiers couldn’t believe
the incredible horrors these poor souls had to endure.
Reports indicate that thousands of bodies
were discovered at each site, leading experts to believe
that the death toll has reached over 6 million.
As if the thousands found in unmarked graves
weren’t enough to turn your stomach,
even more bodies were found in huge furnaces,
as shown in this demonstrational footage
which was smuggled out of the death camps
of Dachau, Germany.
No further proof is needed
to condemn these beastly Nazi cowards
than the damning films shown here.
This film reels will no doubt act as evidence
in the prosecution of the devils that were once in-charge
of terrible places such as this.
We can only thank our lucky stars
that President Roosevelt
has dedicated the United States military
to freeing Europe from Hitler’s terrible reign.
[film projector whirring]
[whirring stops]
Could I have done more?
[somber music playing]
[footsteps running]
[whistle]
Stop!
Don't move!
Turn around!
Hail Hitler!
Ambassador!
Forgive me, gentlemen.
[stammering] I was rushing home to beat curfew,
and I’ve never left the Consulate so late before.
I seem to have lost my bearings in the darkness.
Would you, gentlemen, be so kind as to walk me home?
Yes.
Of course, Ambassador Feng-Shan.
[ominous music swells]
[ominous music fades]
[suspenseful music playing]
[machine whirs]
[beeping]
Idiot!
[instrumental music]
[instrumental music continues]
[knocking on door]
It's open.
A telegram for Mr. Alex Frieder.
Yeah, I'm Alex.
Oh, wait.
[in Filipino] Thank you.
Alex, what is it?
What if this isn't from Feng-Shan,
what if...
what if this is a trap?
It specifically says not to contact him
or anyone else in Austria.
Why would it be a trap?
So this is real?
Yeah, Herb, it's real.
What are we going to do?
[footsteps approaching]
[in Spanish] Excuse me...
[in Filipino] I'm looking for my husband.
You don't know where he is?
Why? Where is he exactly?
Oh.
Look at the time!
I've got to be in another meeting.
Me too.
Sergio...
What aren't you telling me?
The President said he's going to Pampanga...
to meet up with...
Governor Abad Santos.
[dog barking in distance]
Oh, Consul General.
I’m afraid you caught me on the way out.
I'm sorry for the unexpected visit, Paul,
but I’m afraid I have a rather urgent matter
to bring to your attention.
Whatever you say to me now
will likely reach my wife at some point.
Earlier this month,
the German Embassy requested a new Chief of Security.
Mr. Ebner.
He arrived this morning.
I presume there's more to it than that.
Man arrived at the airport in full SS uniform.
Well, that's not illegal.
Distasteful, maybe.
But illegal, no.
This is alarming, Paul!
We have Nazis on our soil for God’s sake!
I hate to remind you, Mr. Cartwright,
but America has its own Nazi party.
And frankly,
Americans in Nazi uniform alarm me much more.
But thank you for your notification.
But if this Mr. Ebner is a spy,
he would arrive in plainclothes.
I don’t think this is anything to be too alarmed about.
But just in case,
you can mention it to security to keep an eye out.
What an unpleasant man!
-Nazis? -Nazis!
Technically, dear, they’re not our enemy,
no matter how much we hate those sons of bitches.
Jose!
Please bring the car around.
We’ll be going to Hotel de Oriente.
[door opens]
[door closes]
I've been looking for you all afternoon.
Where have you been?
I left Manila with Apolonio.
Why?
To meet up with Pedro to discuss some things.
What things?
Things like why he wants to kill you?
[in Spanish] Are you crazy?
This is Pedro. He wouldn't hurt me.
He is a friend, you know that!
And besides, you should have seen the faces of his men
when I confronted them about the rumors.
-You confronted his men? -Hmm-mm.
My god!
Don't worry, they're on my side now.
Manuel.
Oh okay, I promise you.
The governor and I have sorted it out.
The farmers are appeased.
And look, I even made it just in time for tonight!
[clicks tongue]
You should have told me where you were going.
What for? So that you'd worry?
Manuel!
[in Spanish] I am your wife.
[in Filipino] It's natural for me to worry.
Stop calling me "Manuel!"
You only do that when you're angry at me!
That's because I'm angry at you, Manuel!
Don't be angry!
Look, see, I'm sorry.
I’m fine!
Let’s just enjoy tonight.
There's plenty to celebrate.
My love...
Promise me this...
From now on, no more secrets.
I'd rather worry about you all day
than be angry at you all night.
It will be so, my queen.
Now come,
we cannot be late. Not tonight!
Do I really have to go?
You know I don't like these things.
Come, come. It'll be fun.
Kathleen and Mamie will be there,
and you can tell them how stupid your husband is.
Hmm-mm.
But handsome!
Lovely.
Taxi!
Hotel de Oriente.
[door opening]
[Mamie] This is some shindig!
I wonder what the President has planned.
[Ike] Well, with an audience like this,
it’s bound to be good.
This man loves the spotlight so much, I swear...
if he wasn’t a politician, he’d be a movie star.
[laughter]
[Ike] Mr. Vice President!
I heard you're heading stateside soon.
That we are, Colonel.
Well, if you speak with Roosevelt,
tell him to get me off my ass and into a tank!
[laughs] I would love to, Ike, but...
I suppose I will have my hands full
trying to convince him to lower our excise tax.
Good luck with that.
If anyone can win over those American legislators,
it is Sergio Osmeña!
Thank you, Mr. President.
You've got a battle up ahead.
But I made sure he's got a good strategy
to win them over.
Just like I did 4 years ago when I secured our independence.
Shall we, gentlemen?
[performer singing]
[performers singing]
[applause]
Thank you!
Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together
for the President of the Philippines,
Manuel Quezon!
[applause]
Ladies and gentlemen,
thank you for your precious time.
I am humbled that you could join me in unveiling to you
a project that is dear to my heart.
May I present,
the new capital city of the Philippines,
-Balintawak! -[applause]
Mr. President!
Mr. President, that’s great!
But it would be even greater if we can call it Quezon City!
[laughter]
Ramos is right, Mr. President.
A remarkable place deserves an equally remarkable name!
To Quezon City...
new capital of soon-to-be independent Philippines.
Cheers!
[applause]
If you insist.
Now you, Assemblymen, can name it whatever you want.
Just leave the Act on my desk once you pass it.
I’ll do the signing…
That's if I don’t forget.
[laughter]
Congratulations, Mr. President!
Looks like a fine city.
Thank you, Colonel.
Could you step outside?
There’s something I've been wanting to ask you.
Of course.
Mr. Vice President.
Sir!
Was that alright?
What's alright, Ramos?
Ah yes, yes, yes, it's fine, it's fine.
Don't worry. We'll discuss it.
-See you. -Yeah.
You know, Balintawak City does sound like a dignified name.
But as a country bumpkin from the South,
I must admit that Quezon City
does roll off the tongue a whole lot easier.
Well.
Although, Balintawak does have a less...
how shall we say, egotistical ring to it?
Son of a gun!
Ike, I'd like you to be the first official
Chief of Police for the new capital.
Manuel...
You've been very kind to me and Mamie.
-Hmm-mm. -And I’d be honored, but...
my duty is with America,
and that will always be my first priority.
I’m also hoping to be called back
for the attack on Germany soon.
Roosevelt just signed
the three Neutrality Acts with Hitler, Ike.
The man has no stomach for war.
Oh we might not have a choice.
We can’t be cowering behind
this Neutrality doohickey much longer.
If Germany doesn’t light a fire under our ass,
the Japs surely will.
Well that's precisely why
you would’ve been the perfect Chief of Police, Ike.
Brave men of your caliber are rare nowadays.
Well, I might not end up as your Chief of Police,
but I am still your Military Advisor,
and if you want my advice,
keep your guard up!
I know Roosevelt is confident that the Japs won’t dare invade.
But mark my words, Manuel,
they’re coming.
That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?
To protect us?
Unless we’re in Europe.
Fighting Hitler.
[coughing]
Hello, everyone! Good evening!
Mr. President.
Vera.
Hotel de Oriente is honored
that you held your unveiling here tonight.
Thank you so much.
No need to thank me, Vera.
It is always my pleasure coming here.
And also, I have prepared a bottle of scotch for you.
Your favorite.
-On the house. -Oh.
What's your next song with Vera?
-It's gonna be-- -Play it!
Now!
[in Spanish] Thank you very much, Miss.
That's my song.
Shameless bitch.
Sorry, darling?
-[Vera singing] -Gentlemen...
cards?
Ah, I'll take three.
Cards, gentlemen.
Straight flush!
[blows raspberries]
Hot damn!
Good one, Ike!
That's his second winning hand in a row.
Well they don't call me
the poker wizard of Manila for nothing.
[laughter]
Well, look who finally showed up.
Hey boys, you missed my hand.
Gentlemen.
Have a seat.
Gentlemen, can we speak with you?
Alone.
Alex, whatever you have to say to me now
-would likely reach my wife-- -Paul!
Please! This is serious.
Kathleen, Mamie.
Why don't we move to that table over there?
Herbert and I received this telegram today.
This comes from Ho Feng-Shan,
a Chinese Consul stationed in Austria.
He was the one that helped us smuggle in the refugees
from Shanghai.
Alex, Herbert,
not trying to be suspicious or anything,
but you’re sure this came from your man?
Alex, I'm not quite sure what this means.
They want to exterminate the Jews!
What Jews?
All of them.
All Jews?
It's unthinkable.
Is it?
It’s no secret Hitler wants to conquer the world,
and it’s no secret he doesn’t want Jews in it either.
Maybe Cartwright was right.
Maybe there’s more to this SS officer than I thought.
SS officer?
Yes, the new Chief of Security at the German Embassy
just arrived today.
The SS is here?
On the day this telegram arrived?
Well, is that a coincidence?
Well, we'll have to verify this information.
No! We need to get them out.
And bring them where?
Manuel,
if I can get them out,
will the Philippines take them in?
Well I've already taken in 25 refugees
from Shanghai last year...
But there are so many more that need our help!
Now more than ever.
How many refugees are we talking about here, Alex?
As many as we can.
Hundreds. Maybe even thousands.
It depends on how many other countries
the JDC can get to help.
We can raise the funds needed to get the refugees out.
We need somewhere for them to go.
From what I recall,
we’re only allowed 500 foreigners each year.
I don’t even know how many of those we have left.
Well we can’t sit around and do nothing!
You wanted specialists from Europe
for your new capital city anyway.
I mean these people aren’t just refugees.
They’re engineers, teachers, scientists...
All we’re asking is for you to let them in.
Alex, Herb, I know it’s urgent. Alright.
I’ll call for a meeting with my Assembly
as soon as I can.
I can take in 25 easily, but hundreds or thousands...
I can’t approve a number like that.
That’s got to come from Washington.
Manuel, you’re the President of the Philippines.
Either help us or don't. These people are going to die!
Paul, surely there's something we can do.
Alex,
now hold your horses.
There are quotas that cannot be ignored.
To bring in that many refugees,
there will have to be a change in the law.
Gentlemen,
thank you for your time.
Pardon me, gentleman.
I should probably go talk to them.
[exhales loudly] What a day!
Here I was, about to celebrate
the unveiling of the new capital with my friends,
instead, I get yelled at
for being a Chief of Staff following the rules.
It’s their people that are suffering, Manuel.
I didn't say no, Ike.
I just said it would take time to say yes.
Well time isn't something they have a lot of.
Yes, I can relate with that.
Alright, alright, I'll talk to them privately tomorrow.
[jazz music playing]
♪ Work all day ♪
♪ For measly pay ♪
♪ But, baby, I got swing ♪
Take it away, boys.
[saxophone blowing]
[in Spanish] What's wrong, my love?
Nothing.
[in Filipino] What were you talking about with Alex earlier?
Why couldn't we hear it?
It was disrespectful to Kathleen and Mamie.
[in Spanish] I'm sorry, my love, but I can't tell you.
And why not?
Confidential. You understand, right?
Just this afternoon, you promised me
you would not keep things from me anymore.
I’m not keeping things from you!
My god, I can't win with you.
Alright, fine!
Alex received a telegram from Germany.
It seems Hitler wants to move the Jews into these new camps.
Alex wants me to help them escape Austria and Germany
and bring them here instead.
Well, the ghettos are terrible places.
Would it not be better for the Jews
if the Nazis were to keep them at these facilities?
Not keep, Aurora.
Can we help?
It is not that simple.
We are talking about hundreds and thousands of Jews here.
[exhales loudly]
Those poor people,
you have to help them!
I need to consult my Assembly first,
or else they'll accuse me of deciding by myself.
You know that!
Thank you for telling me.
Where are you going, my love?
Why? I told you everything you wanted to hear, right?
I don't want to sleep alone, my love.
Why don't you call...
Vera?
[mimicking Vera] Mr. President, thank you so much!
[crickets chirping]
Mommy.
Mommy!
Hmm?
Why are you sleeping here?
You fought with Dad again, didn't you?
Is it because of Vera?
Not really.
I just used Vera as an excuse, so I could sleep here.
This hut reminds me of better times...
before we moved into the Palace.
You know, Baby...
Your father and I didn't grow up rich.
My parents couldn't even send me to school.
But if you ask me,
we were very happy then,
even though it was difficult.
That's why when your father is done with his duties here...
We want to return to a simple life.
We'll move to the fields in Marikina.
No servants,
no bodyguards.
No chefs.
Just family.
Would that bother you, my dear?
No, Mom.
[knocking on door]
Come in!
[door closes]
[in German] Welcome, Commander Ebner!
[in German] Thank you, Ambassador Kaiser.
Hail Hitler!
First things first.
This is an American Commonwealth
so I require all my employees to speak English
as a courtesy.
Can you speak English, Commander?
Adequately.
I'm sure that was specified in my references.
Ah I haven’t bothered to read your file.
It was not me that picked you for this job,
that was High Command.
I had no say in it.
And also,
there’s no need to wear full uniform in this heat.
Just something--
Thank you, Ambassador Kaiser,
but I'm quite comfortable in my uniform.
May I ask why this Embassy is flying the Imperial flag,
rather than the Swastika?
This is the Embassy of Germany, Mr. Ebner, not the Nazi party.
The Nazi party is Germany now.
All government buildings have flown the Swastika
since 1935.
I'm somewhat disappointed
to find that this embassy has been insubordinate
-for over three years. -[sighs]
Major Commander, please forgive me.
Obviously there has been some sort of misunderstanding.
Clearly.
Would you like me to personally ensure
that these flags are changed by the end of the day?
I’ll take care of it...
today.
Excellent.
Oh, and one more thing...
[in German] This country may be an American Commonwealth,
but this consulate is German soil.
Remember that, Ambassador Kaiser.
Hail Hitler!
[door opens, closes]
[exhales]
Freaking Nazis!
[sighs]
[Herbert] What are you doing?
Packing.
You’re going back to Cincinnati?
[Alex] Nope!
-Well, then where are you going? -Nowhere!
Well, then why are all your things in suitcases?
They’re not, and these are your things.
What are you talking about?
I’m sending you home, Herb.
There's Nazis all over Europe, Japs all over the Pacific...
I mean now-- Now there’s a goddamn SS officer
just around the corner!
And face it, Herbert,
America is the only safe place in the world right now!
Tell the rest of the family what’s going on,
and not to come over until it’s all sorted out.
I can't just leave you here!
I need you to get word to the JDC
so we can raise the funds for the refugees!
We need transportation, accommodation, everything!
Then why the hell don’t we both just go?!
I have to convince Manny to help us.
Well, then why don’t you go, and I’ll stay!
Stop. Come on, don’t argue with me.
Your wife is expecting you home in 16 days, Herb!
What am I gonna tell her when I come home instead of you?
What would you tell her?
It’s your turn to head back anyway.
You’ll just be a couple of weeks early, that’s all!
Now take the next boat out of here.
I booked your tickets. You’re ready to go.
Did you pack the…
Yup, everything's here.
Well, look, there’s bound to be something that you missed
and whatever it is, you better bring it back in Cincinnati,
-you understand? -I will.
I mean, go. We don’t have time to argue.
Your boat... Your boat leaves in two hours.
-Don’t do anything stupid. -No promises.
-And keep kosher. -No promises.
I'm coming with you, schmuck!
Come on!
[film projector whirring]
[music playing]
[reporter] On the 9th of November,
the year of our Lord, 1938,
violence against the Jews broke out across the Reich.
In just two days, over 250 synagogues were burned,
and over 7,000 Jewish businesses,
hospitals, cemeteries, and schools were looted.
Dozens of Jews were killed.
This was Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass,"
so named after the shards of shop windows
that littered the streets in its wake.
Following this display of violence,
the German government sought to unload its Jewish problem
onto other countries.
The German transatlantic liner, the St. Louis,
sailed from Hamburg, Germany to Havana, Cuba.
Aboard were 937 Jews
who were all turned away from the United States
and finally, Canada
before we sent them right on back to Germany.
No, thank you, Mr. Hitler,
you solve your own Jewish problem.
Can you believe both America and Canada
turned them away?
Osmeña, Roxas.
I've just wrapped things up with Apolonio here.
Have you read what Emilio Aguinaldo
had to say about me in the papers today?
[chuckles] Not yet, but let me guess...
He said that you're the greatest President
-in Philippine history? -[all laugh]
-[coughs] -Oh there, see.
[Osmeña chortles]
When that day comes,
crows will turn white and storks will turn black.
[chuckles]
He sure has a lot of time on his hands.
-He sure has, Roxas. -[chuckles]
Mr. President, this is my mission.
This is what I will present to the U.S. Congress and Roosevelt
when I get to Washington.
What do you think?
Sergio, I have to be honest with you.
I’ve been keeping my hand close to my chest
but here’s the real play.
You’re not going to the U.S. to work out the excise tax.
I want you to try to convince the U.S. Congress
to readjust our planned independence date.
[Roxas] Mr. President...
That's not on the agenda.
The Americans won't like that.
How will we explain this to them?
The minute you explain, you lose the game, Roxas.
Mr. President, our independence is already secured.
You're right, Sergio, but 1946 is a long way away.
Some of us here may not be around that long.
I'll try.
I'm not promising, but I'll try.
But, Mr. President...
My priority is still the lowering of our excise tax.
I understand, Sergio. Thank you.
However, I'm requesting
that you prioritize our independence.
We'll meet again next week, gentlemen.
[tense music playing]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[sighs] Why did I assume I could find you anywhere else?
Oh, Cartwright! Come, take a seat.
I thought we’d be meeting in your office.
[exhales]
This is my office.
What’s the point in governing a tropical island paradise
if you’re cooped up indoors all day?
[chuckles, sighs]
Cartwright, there’s a matter of some delicacy
I need to discuss with you.
How much of our immigration visa quota
do we have left up to, say, May of next year?
Oh we haven’t issued many of those.
I can find out how many we have left.
Off the top of my head about...
Two hundred.
High Commissioner, what’s this about?
Are you expecting an influx of immigrants or something?
No, no, Cartwright. I was just wondering.
Hm?
Have a cigar.
They just arrived from Cuba this morning.
Oh, lovely!
[chuckles]
[somber music playing]
Yes, what is it?
I am looking for Alex. Is he around?
He just stepped out. He should be back soon--
Mr. President!
I heard that you sometimes visit
but I didn’t know you would be here today!
It was unannounced, no need to worry.
Are you the Frieders' accountant?
[stutters] Bookkeeper.
I was supposed to have a meeting with Alex but...
Alex is seeing his brother off to Cincinnati as we speak.
Such short notice.
Yeah, apparently something urgent came up.
Well, alright then.
In that case, I'll see him some other time.
-Good day! -Uh...
Excuse me sir, but...
I never got to properly thank you for…
helping me and the other refugees from Shanghai.
It’s good to finally meet you, Mister...
Blumenthal. Leo Blumenthal.
It's good to see you safe and sound.
[nervous chuckle] More or less, sir.
[chuckles]
Did you get that during your escape?
Uh, no. This is, uh…
This is from a firing squad.
Firing squad?
You were sentenced to death?
By Nazis, yes.
But how did you survive?
Oh, well, when the bullet went through my cheek,
I was paralyzed by shock.
I could hear what was going on around me but I couldn't move.
I thought maybe that's what death was.
I kept thinking I was dead even when they...
Threw us into a hole.
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes
was my sister's face.
Isn't it strange how people look when they are dead?
They look like dolls.
Like there was never any life in them at all.
So I waited for night.
I climbed out.
Eventually I made it to Shanghai.
I'm sorry...
Sometimes it just all comes back to me at once and I..
I forget myself.
It's alright.
Perhaps it was something I needed to hear.
One more question, Mr. Blumenthal.
Why was your family sentenced to death?
To be honest, Mr. President...
We were never told.
Alright, well.
It was nice to meet you, Mr. Blumenthal.
Now that’s someone I can truly call Man of the Year!
-Oh, for heaven's sakes! -[women laugh]
It’s just a cover story!
You’re placing the cart before the horse!
I haven't been named Man of the Year.
-Yet! -[others chuckling]
You certainly deserve it though.
[Paul] There's so many more deserving than I.
Like Manuel here, for instance. Or you, Ike!
God knows you have done your country service,
above and beyond the call of duty.
Well, you know what MacArthur
told me Roosevelt said about you?
He said that you are too young, too honest,
and too good-looking to become president.
-[all laugh] -[coughs]
Well, he forgot to say too humble!
[all laughing]
The man used three compliments to insult you.
Yes, I don't know whether to be honored or outraged.
But too young? He must have said it a while ago.
[all laughing]
Alex, I’m glad you could join us.
I apologize for what happened at the Hotel de Oriente.
No, Manuel, no. I'm sorry.
I let my emotions get the best of me.
That's alright, no harm done.
Mamie, Aurora.
I think they’re going to talk about that thing
that they can’t discuss in front of us.
So, let's adjourn.
Besides, we'll be able to play a proper game of poker.
[soft chuckle]
Anyway, I had a good think about what you and Herbert asked for.
Alex, let’s do it.
Let’s bring in those Jewish refugees
-as soon as possible. -Thank you, Manuel!
Thank you so much.
Alex...
I don't mean to discourage you,
but the Consul General informed me earlier that there’s
only around 200 visas left to give for this year.
That means Manuel is going to really have
to push the State Department for ten times more than that.
I can hear a 'but' in there.
But...
The State Department’s not the most congenial bunch
at the post.
Sadly, they're a bunch of goddamned anti-Semites.
No doubt this going to ruffle some feathers in Washington,
but I truly believe this is the right thing to do.
I’m going to bring those refugees to safety, Alex,
as many as I can.
But before we can plan this out,
we need to figure out who we can bring here exactly.
A list of refugees’ names is imperative.
We cannot apply for these visas
if we don’t have the names of the people applying.
How do we get a list of refugees’ names
without the Germans getting suspicious?
We do it right in front of their noses.
Post a classified ad in their papers
inviting interested Jews
to migrate to the Philippines to work as doctors,
architects, engineers, who can-- how shall we say it...
boost the economy of a newly formed nation?
Nothing spurious about it.
The Nazis won’t suspect a thing.
Alex, you have contact to the European press, am I right?
Yeah, I can do that.
I know a German journalist stationed here
who can put a classified ad in the German papers.
[President Quezon] Next on the agenda, visas.
We need to apply for as many as possible. Paul?
Hell! We’ll be hog-tied if we try to write
an official requisition without knowing
how many visas we'll need.
But at least I can ascertain how many
Washington will be willing to grant.
Dwight, you’re my ace.
A lot of the Americans we’re dealing with here
are military men.
Can you put the screws on them?
I can contact our old friend, MacArthur.
Try and get his support.
Then it’s settled.
Gentlemen...
I think Hitler has taken enough from the world, don’t you?
What do you say we take something from Hitler?
[glasses clink]
This is a surprise, gentlemen. Good morning to you!
A surprise?
Perhaps you forgot that you called this meeting.
Excuse me, sir. I'll go ahead.
Thank you, Apolonio.
Osmeña, Roxas, you're right.
I'm the one who called for this meeting
but something urgent came up.
It slipped my mind. I'm sorry.
Last week, didn't you tell us
how important expediting our independence is?
In that case, Mr. President, what is this "important" matter?
I received a telegram some time ago
about Hitler's plan to place all Jews into these new camps.
Alex says these are death camps.
I've agreed to help them.
I'm coordinating with Dwight and Paul
to bring them here as soon as possible.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
Not to belittle the Jews, but...
Should the Filipinos be concerned about this?
Osmeña, the Jews are also children of God
who need as much help as any Filipino.
That’s very noble of you, Mr. President.
But let me remind you
that Aguinaldo doesn't need any more ammunition against us
in the upcoming elections!
This isn't about winning votes, Roxas.
This is about people's lives.
[Osmeña] We're not opposing you, Manuel.
We just want you to think this through.
Gentlemen, I've made my decision.
[somber music playing]
Excuse me, sir. Do you have a reservation?
No, I'm meeting a friend.
Please forgive me, sir. This is the German Club.
I know, I eat here all the time.
I was invited by a Mr. Miller.
Ah, yes, Mr. Miller.
May I have your name please, sir?
Frieder. Alex Frieder.
Ah, yes, Mr. Frieder.
Could you please wait outside?
Okay!
I'm sorry, sir. Outside the restaurant.
[Miller] Alex!
I'm sorry, I only found out when I got here.
What's going on?
I don’t know. Something has spooked them.
Spooked them?
Apparently, they’ve rejected few members already for being...
Well...
Jewish?
Like I said, I only found out when I got here.
So...
So, I hear you have a scoop for me?
Nope, not a scoop.
It's an ad.
An ad?
It’s for German newspapers.
President Quezon feels the country
could use more specialists who were trained abroad.
If Jews aren’t welcome in Germany,
why not come here, right?
It says here, if you’re interested,
to send a telegram with your name and occupation.
Alex, you know as well as I do
that sending a telegram is not going to be easy
for a Jew in Europe.
We’ll just have to take the best we can get, I suppose.
If this is on behalf of the President...
Why do you need me?
Why doesn’t the Philippine government place the ad?
You want a scoop?
Governor McNutt is a terrible, terrible poker player.
That’s not a scoop!
Alright.
Dwight Eisenhower.
He only shaves his head because he’s going bald.
Well that's--
[in German] Thank you.
Excuse me.
[tense music playing]
-Hail Hitler! -Hail Hitler!
[tense music playing]
Do you think he’ll hear you out?
Well...
The man’s never had a problem
listening to or seeing reason before.
He was the only one on my side
when I warned Washington about the Japs.
If he’s so amicable, then why do you seem so worried?
[sighs]
I said he know how to listen.
I never said he was amicable.
General MacArthur is… old fashioned.
America will always come first to him.
[sarcastic laugh]
Sounds familiar.
Is something wrong, dear?
Do you remember...
before we shipped out to Panama--
I thought we agreed we're never going
-to speak about that. -I said...
Before we shipped out to Panama.
Do you remember what you told me?
I remember asking you to come with me.
And you were the one that said you wanted to stay.
And when I did, you said,
"I’m sorry, Mamie, but America will have to come first.
"If you want to be my wife,
you’re going to have to accept that."
When the chips are down, Mamie...
The only thing that a country can depend upon
are its soldiers.
When you become a soldier,
you have to honor that trust.
Sounds a bit like selling your soul. [sighs]
It’s my life that America needs, Mamie.
My soul?
That belongs to you.
-Oh! Good afternoon, General! -Ma'am.
Colonel Eisenhower, you wanted to see me?
General MacArthur, sir.
Won't you excuse us, dear?
New look?
I'm in retirement.
So, what is it, Colonel?
The natives giving you trouble again?
No, not at all, General.
Actually, I came to ask you a favor.
What can I do for you, Colonel?
Well...
We were playing poker last night,
and the President mentioned that he wants to offer residency
and working permits to a number of Austrian and German Jews
that can still get out of Europe.
But he might need some help convincing Washington
to open U.S. immigration restrictions.
And I was wondering
if you might know someone in a position to help.
[chuckles]
You’ve gotta be kidding me, Eisenhower!
What in God’s name gave you the idea
that Washington would entertain this bullshit even for a second?
You’re not the only person to say this, General.
I bet I’m not!
Now listen, Colonel...
Do you know how many Japs
are living right here in the Philippines?
More than none, which is too many.
You think those Japs are gonna be on our side
when the rest of them invade?
Now, you want to bring in Krauts too?
The Philippines has less than a decade left
of American rule, General.
Don’t you think the President should have a say
on who he can or can’t bring into the country
when that time comes?
Oh, please, Colonel.
We both know that the minute we ship out of here,
they’ll be begging us to save them from the Japs.
Look, I’ve known Quezon since we were boys.
He’s always had one glaring weakness.
He has too much faith in his own people.
Thank you for your time, General.
Enjoy your retirement.
And shave that beard!
[MacArthur] And listen, Colonel...
Let me give you some advice.
Let this one go.
You’ve got a spotless record as a soldier.
Don’t let Manny ruin it.
General.
[coughing]
Oh, Manuel, forgive me.
I don’t mean to snub you.
It’s just that I have all these reports
to finish up by midnight tonight,
so I can send them to Roosevelt by morning tomorrow.
That's alright, Paul.
I should be the one to apologize,
barging in on you like this when you’re obviously busy.
Tell me, my friend...
What's on your mind?
Paul, I’m worried our refugee plan is going to hurt
the Vice President’s mission in Washington.
What do you think?
Will it make things difficult for Sergio?
You know those guys better than I do in Washington.
Do you think they'll shut Sergio off
if they hear about the Jews?
Well, Manuel, I’ll be honest with you.
Yes. Definitely Congress is gonna have a field day
with your Vice President over this.
Washington's teeming with anti-Semites.
Hell! Even State Department’s got a bigot running it!
But let’s not overlook the fact
that there’s lots of good guys in Congress, too.
Men who believe in our cause.
And I’m sure, once Osmeña gets there,
they’ll support him all the way.
Mr. President.
Paul, the Secretary of State
has sent me word that President Quezon here
contacted President Roosevelt’s office,
asking for asylum for thousands of Jewish refugees.
Here in Manila?
Is this true?!
Yes, Mr. Cartwright. It’s true.
Well, I’ll be damned!
Commissioner,
as a diplomat, you should know firsthand
that the State Department will not accept foreigners
beyond immigration’s quota!
Even President Roosevelt confirms that!
Well, thank you for the notification, Consul General.
But I'll call the President myself to explain.
And I'm positive he'll hear us out.
I don’t know why you're wasting your time on this, Paul.
Bringing in hundreds of Jews
is a serious threat to our national security!
I mean Jews, Paul? Really?
For God’s sake,
they’re worse than Niggers!
[coughs]
[coughing]
[coughing continues]
[Quezon coughing]
[coughing continues]
[breathing heavily]
[coughing]
[somber music playing]
[faucet running]
[somber music playing]
[classical music playing]
[footsteps approaching]
Papa?
Are you okay?
Of course.
Why shouldn't I be?
Is there something on your mind?
I am the President.
There's always plenty of things on my mind.
[classical music playing]
[Quezon chuckles]
[classical music playing]
Is this about the refugees?
How'd you hear about that?
Well,
the last time I saw Uncle Alex this stressed
was when you when you helped those people in Shanghai.
Are they asking you to help a lot more?
Much more than I know how.
[classical music playing]
Papa...
I know that times are hard right now.
And that there are a lot of people in need...
But there’s so much more for you to worry about.
Why does it have to be you?
It doesn't have to be me.
Then why?
Well, the question is not...
why I choose to help.
But rather, why no one else will.
[classical music playing]
-Sorry to interrupt. -[Quezon chuckles]
-Mr. President. -Alex.
What can I do for you?
I've got them.
The telegrams from everyone in the ghettos
who wants to come to the Philippines.
-I've got them! -Excellent! Let's see it.
They're in the car.
I'll need help carrying them up.
[Paul] Holy cow!
Ten thousand names!
How do we even...
I mean, I want to help them all, Alex.
But how will I justify to the State Department
all those visas for just this year alone?
Herbert and I talked to the JDC.
They're still behind the plan a hundred percent.
They're ready to wire us some money
as soon as we give them the go signal.
That will help, Alex.
But it still doesn't give us a clear solution
for that amount of visas.
Alright, let's just say that we figure out a way
to get 10,000 visas.
We have other problems, gentlemen.
And the devil's in the details.
Ten thousand names
means we need to get 10,000 exit permits
from the Nazis.
Jews can’t travel freely in Nazi territory.
Besides the exit permits,
they'll need 10,000 travel clearances.
But how the hell are we going to get 10,000 travel clearances
from the devil himself?
We’ll ask the German ambassador, Kaiser.
And you expect him to hand them to you?
The way I see it, they are trying
to get rid of the Jews,
and we want to take them in
so it may make sense to give them travel papers.
Well, how well do you know him? Is he a reasonable man?
Well, he's not a Nazi.
He’s from the old school.
But he won’t do us a favor
unless we give him something in return.
So, what are you saying? He’ll sell us those papers?
He might if we have something to sell.
I mean, I imagined the Nazi party is keeping
a sharp eye on everything that goes on at the Embassy
now that the SS is here.
So we got to figure out how to get him outside the Embassy
and speak to him alone,
without sparking the interest of the SS.
But how?
[sighs]
[somber music playing]
We lure him out of his lair.
And into a ball.
A presidential ball.
[lively music playing]
-[music fades] -[crickets chirping]
He's here!
[car door closes]
Who invited the Nazi?
Dear god! I'm sorry, Manuel. I can’t be here.
Nonsense, you belong here like anyone else, Alex.
Besides, you’re my personal guest.
Ambassador!
[Ambassador Kaiser] Mr. President!
I would like for you to meet our new
Chief of Security at the Embassy,
Mr. Ebner.
Mr. Ebner, sir, welcome to the Philippines!
Thank you, Mr. Quezon.
Lt. Col. Eisenhower.
Delighted to meet you.
I am a big admirer of your publications on tank warfare.
I see you came in your full uniform, Mr. Ebner.
As did you, Colonel.
A military man shouldn't be afraid of showing
where his allegiances lie,
don't you think?
Ah, and let me guess,
you must be the cigar magnate,
Mr. Herbert Frieder?
Alexander.
Oh. My apologies, Mr. Frieder.
I've heard nothing but compliments
about your fine cigars.
It's a shame that I'd never put anything
made by a Jew's hands in my mouth.
Then, it’s clearly your loss, Mr. Ebner.
To the champagne room, gentlemen.
Mr. Ebner, do you like poker? Jazz?
Not particularly, Mr. Quezon.
[President Quezon] Ah, you might like this.
This is how we entertain our special guests,
like yourself.
[singing] ♪ I keep on dreaming ♪
♪ A night easy and free ♪
♪ Now that I'm leaving ♪
♪ Baby, won't you dance With me? ♪
Ambassador Kaiser, how about a game of poker?
We haven't played in a while.
[waiter] Scotch, gentlemen?
-Pour me, please. -Indeed.
[jazz music playing]
[Vera singing] ♪ I keep on dreaming ♪
♪ A night easy and free ♪
He'll never be able to tell him now.
That Nazi can hear everything.
♪ Baby, won't you dance With me? ♪
Mr. Ebner, are you a gambling man?
As much as I can help it, Mr. President,
I try to avoid taking unnecessary risks.
Dear, where are you going?
Mr. Ebner, would you like to take this dance with me?
Gentlemen.
[jazz music continuously playing]
Ambassador.
So, Mr. Ebner, how are you finding Manila so far?
Do you like it?
It's okay, Ms. Quezon.
I'm not used to the humidity just yet.
Ambassador Kaiser, there’s something
I’d like to offer you in exchange
for some consular services from your good office.
Ah. And what might these consular services be?
Exit permits, for some professionals
I plan to bring here to my country.
Exit permits?
Those can be costly, Mr. President.
Depending on who they are for.
My previous station was very crowded, not like here.
Not only with Germans,
but also with Untermenschen.
"Untermenschen"?
My apologies. Sometimes I forget myself.
[chuckles]
It's a German word which means, "less than human."
What I have to offer for these exit permits
has a higher value than mere currency.
Let's up the stakes.
Some land I used to own in Pampanga, six hectares.
[Ambassador Kaiser] "Used to own"?
[President Quezon] It has your name on it.
All you have to do is put it in your pocket,
and all I ask is you grant us 10,000 exit permits.
So you don’t like being around those kinds of people?
On the contrary,
I find them exceedingly interesting.
Heretical culture is somewhat of a fascination of mine.
[chuckles]
If that’s the case, then,
why do you deny them the same rights as you?
Ms. Quezon, I enjoy spending time with my dogs,
but I wouldn't want them running my bank now, would I?
Thank you for the dance, Miss.
[jazz music continuously playing]
Mr. President, thank you for your generosity,
but the German Embassy cannot accept bribes.
I will, however, grant your request for exit papers.
In fact, you may even be doing us a favor.
We’ve been trying to get rid of them for the longest time.
But not even America took them
when we were happy to give them before.
I guess, now, the land of the free
has finally changed her mind.
[jazz music continuously playing]
Take as many as you want, Mr. Quezon.
Hitler would be glad to dispose of them this way.
After all, paper is cheaper than bullets.
Oh, and by the way,
I don't think this land will be yours
to give away for very much longer,
Mr. President.
Hail Hitler!
Damn it!
[jazz music continuously playing]
-[music stops] -[exhales sharply]
Son of a gun!
What was on that paper?
Land, in exchange for exit papers.
And he took it?
No, but he’s giving me the exit papers nonetheless.
Mr. President, there are several reporters up there.
If anybody spotted or overheard you
making a deal with the Germans,
believe me, this is going to be all over the papers tomorrow!
Manuel, why are you doing this?
[in Spanish] Why?
Because I can’t turn a blind eye, Sergio.
I’m not going to sit around
and wait for another country to do something.
I’m not going turn away those in need
when I should have the power to save them!
I am not like Roosevelt!
This is not a pissing contest!
Politics has always been a pissing contest!
I can’t ignore the refugees’ cry for help, Sergio.
No one is hearing them out.
I can’t turn away, not this time!
Well then, do me a favor.
Save some of that bravado for our Filipino peasants
who need your service just as much as those refugees do!
Our people have rights, Sergio.
The Jews do not.
Our people need my help to prosper,
but the Jews need my help to escape slavery,
torture,
execution!
Why can’t you understand this?
When you asked me to run with you,
I took you at your word.
No more dealing on your own!
No more bypassing others.
No more “me above party.”
When you dealt with a Nazi behind our backs,
it looks like you just lost your closest ally!
Damn it!
When do you plan to tell me that your tuberculosis is back?
It's not that bad.
Don't worry about it. I can handle this.
It's alright.
[drawer slams shut]
[grunts]
I can handle this. Don't worry about it.
Stop lying to me.
I've got things to do.
Important things and I cannot stop.
And what about your health?
You can't rescue anyone
when you are already six feet under.
Manuel, you promised.
No more secrets.
I don't want a dead husband.
You're seeing a doctor.
That is not a request!
Do you understand what I'm telling you?
I do.
I was the one who urged you to help these people, remember?
But we are talking about your life, Manuel.
Do you understand me?
I understand. I'll go see a doctor.
-Well you better do it-- -Don't worry about it!
I'm fine.
It's fine.
[pouring]
[laughter]
Quezon has lost his mind.
Making the Philippines an orphanage!
[laughter]
An orphanage.
And for what?
Don't we have enough problems here?
-Now, he wants to add more! -[laughter]
And what about the immigration quota?
Is he going to bypass that, too?
Word has already reached Washington,
-and even they can't believe it. -[chuckles]
Manuel says he can’t even give our farmers their own lands,
yet now, he’s trying to give our lands to foreigners?
[footsteps approaching]
Aguinaldo.
What are you doing here?
[exhales sharply]
I warned you, Paul.
Cartwright.
Visas were rejected.
Vote wasn’t even close.
[Cartwright chuckles]
You should have known better, Paul.
[chuckles]
Maybe I should have.
Look at all these people.
Architects, playwrights...
Look, we’ve got a couple here who are physicists!
If you can just imagine...
Imagine what Germany could be if it weren’t for the Nazis.
You don’t have to imagine it, Alex.
That’s what the Philippines will be like
when we bring these people in.
Paul, just in time. I was about to deal.
-Have a seat. -[shuffles cards]
-Are those the names? -Yeah.
Yes, all 10,000 of them.
[sighs]
Is there something wrong, Paul?
[sighs]
Congress rejected our requisition
for additional visas outright.
The vote wasn’t even close.
So, what do we do?
Well, I still have the 210 left that I could issue.
Two hundred and ten?
What about the other 10,000 names I've got?
What? Better luck next time?
Alex, we’re doing the best we can.
And who the hell do you think is going to have to choose
which of the 10,000 live or die? Huh?
How do I do that?
With alphabetical order?
“It's too bad your family died.
If only their last name began with the letter A!”
Alex, we did everything that we could possibly do.
So this is it then? Huh?
A Chinese man risks his life for my people.
The President of the Philippines gives us his own land.
Hell! Even the damn Germans gave us the exit papers.
Now, here we are, after living there my whole life,
it’s the U.S. of A that lets it all go to hell.
You know?
You know what's the worst part is?
These people don’t even know what’s coming.
[sobs]
They can’t even make the most of the time that they have left.
[somber music playing]
Excuse me. I need some air.
[crickets chirping]
[somber music continuously playing]
[sighs]
Ike, I don’t have much time left.
I know, Mr. President.
But we mustn’t let this stop us. There’s always another solution.
I don’t mean the Jews, Ike.
I’m talking about me.
I'm dying, Ike.
I'm heartbroken. I don’t know how else to put it.
Not for the dying itself.
But for what I'm going to miss out when I'm gone.
Not seeing an independent Philippines.
Not seeing my children grow up.
And not being there for Aurora.
Does your family know?
Just Aurora.
She doesn't know how bad it is, though.
I've decided that the best I could do with the time
I have left is to help these people.
And I can’t even help Alex with those names.
We can still save the 210.
What about those we leave behind?
Every name that Alex crosses off that list
is going to die, Dwight.
It’s never easy to decide who lives or dies.
It’s a burden that no man should ever have to bear.
That’s why in every firing squad,
one of the guns is filled with blanks,
so that no one person
has to take the blame for the execution.
Ike, let’s get back to Alex.
Manny,
thanks for letting me know.
Do me a favor, Ike.
Don’t you tell anyone.
[somber music continuously playing]
[music fades]
[rotates phonograph crank handle]
[somber music playing]
That burden should not be yours to bear alone, Alex.
["Non Siamo Cambiati" by Roxy Aldiosia playing]
["Non Siamo Cambiati" continuously playing]
[gunshot]
-[gunshot] -[music stops]
Thought I'd find you here.
You seem to spend more time here than you do in your office.
Join me for some tea?
Ah no, not today. Thank you.
High Commissioner, I have news.
Secretary of State has phoned me
to let you know that from now on,
he’s taking charge of the refugee problem.
U.S. consuls throughout Europe have been informed that
all refugees have to contact the Consul directly.
So he gets to decide who comes in and who doesn't.
Damn it, Cartwright! That's outrageous!
Those poor people can’t even get out of the ghettos,
let alone contact U.S. consuls themselves!
Chief's orders. [chuckles]
[exhales sharply]
Well, can I at least get the 210 visas I have left?
My god, Paul! I can't believe you still don't understand.
No more refugees!
Oh! And High Commissioner,
you might want to check this with your Democrat friends.
Word's getting out that there’s no ‘McNutt’
on the next presidential ticket.
[chuckles]
Don't say I didn't warn you, Paul.
[exhales sharply]
[phone ringing]
-Yes? -[Paul] Mr. President,
I’m sorry for this. I just got word.
I tried my very best to make them understand.
But the Secretary of State denied all visas.
Including the 210.
Manuel, once again, I'm truly sorry.
[chair squeaks]
-[screams, coughs] -[dramatic music playing]
[coughing continues]
[glass shatters]
[coughing continues]
[music stops]
[doctor] Complete bed rest, lots of fluids,
and he cannot be stressed.
When the President wakes up, you have to tell him to rest.
He should not be working.
I'll tell him when he wakes up.
-Thank you, Doctor. -No problem.
[door opens]
Doctor, how's the President doing?
The President is having a relapse of tuberculosis.
And I won't lie.
Patients who relapse,
they usually don't survive long.
Did you hear that?
No more working.
[Aurora sighs]
[chuckles]
It's gone.
They took back all of Paul's visas.
[Alex] I did this.
[Ike] Come on, Alex, don't be ridiculous.
No, it's true! I pushed him so far.
You didn't know.
Did you know, Ike?
[exhales sharply]
As if the world hasn’t already gone to hell.
[Alex] And it was all for nothing.
I mean, after everything we did, everything we risked,
we've lost it all.
And we saved no one!
It's over.
It's over because it nearly killed you.
Whether you got the visas or not,
it's over for you because you need to rest.
Sergio can take your place temporarily.
No!
They'll ruin everything I worked hard for.
I'll continue working in bed.
What the...
[in Spanish] My love, my love...
[in Filipino] They'll undo everything.
What makes you think Osmeña will ruin everything?
He's your Vice President.
If he can't stand in for you, what is he for?
Osmeña will--
[coughing]
Okay, no more politics.
[in Spanish] Rest, my love, please.
[groans]
[somber music playing]
[birds chirping]
[exhales sharply]
You were right.
Aguinaldo is trying to use the refugee issue
to gain favor from our own party-mates.
I knew it!
Without a scapegoat, this man has no chance.
[chuckles]
But now…
I already told the President this would happen.
There’s more.
Aguinaldo knows that Roosevelt is trying to amend
their Constitution so he can run for a third term.
He suspects Quezon is going to do the same.
I will tell the President that he has to give up his crusade.
What if he doesn't?
[glass clinks]
You know, I will never support Aguinaldo,
but maybe he’s right.
Maybe what the Nacionalistas need is a new leader.
[glass clinks]
[door opens]
-You are such a stubborn idiot! -[door closes]
I will die of boredom.
I need to work or I will lose my mind.
Stop working this very instant!
Lives are at stake here, Aurora. I need to save these people!
-That's enough! -[strikes table]
I can't keep a brave face
in front of our children anymore.
Do you know how afraid they get
every time they hear you cough?
[sobbing] Don't leave me a widow, Manuel.
I won't survive that.
[in Spanish] My love.
[sobbing continues]
Forgive me, my love.
I have been selfish.
I didn't realize
how much I've been hurting you and the children.
I didn't realize that you've been suffering silently.
And despite my stubbornness,
you have loved and supported your stupid husband.
I don't have much time left.
But I can still do something worthwhile with this time.
But you have already done so much for your country.
You gave us our independence.
A city will be named after you.
They will build statues of you all across the Philippines.
No, no, no… that's not what I want.
No… maybe it used to be, but not anymore! No.
I don't want to be remembered like that.
I just want to be remembered
as someone who did something when everyone did nothing.
Not for glory, but because it was the right thing to do.
I don't want the Filipino people to worship me.
I just want you all to be proud of me.
Hmm?
Do you know why I fell in love with you?
You have always had so much faith in your people.
But every time there's a battle up ahead,
you always think that you have to face it alone.
But you're not alone.
You are the president of the Filipino people, my love.
Don't just make them proud of you.
Make them proud of themselves.
[instrumental music playing]
[typing]
[Quezon] Gentlemen of the National Assembly,
please accommodate my request
of appropriating the sum of 150,000 pesos
for Vice President Osmeña's mission to Washington.
As my special representative
to conduct trade and negotiations
and other important matters,
it is important that he has more than enough
for his travels.
[coughing]
Excuse me, sir.
Thank you, Mr. President! That is very kind of you.
-[coughing] -[door closes]
What's happening to you?
I'm not going to argue with you.
[chuckles]
I'm here to talk to you properly.
The party feels that you are not concentrating
on the many issues that they bring to the table.
They find you obstinate,
egotistic.
You do not prioritize what is best for the country.
How many times do I have to say it, Sergio?
For agrarian reform to work, we have to change
the entire infrastructure of the Philippines.
This isn't just about agrarian reform, Mr. President!
No. It's about Emilio Aguinaldo. Am I right?
So you know?
So this was my mission all this time?
You know that Washington
will not renegotiate our independence.
So you just decided
that you are going to pressure Congress
so that they will keep Roosevelt in office,
and you'll be in office, too!
I don't want Roosevelt in office.
I wanted Paul McNutt in office, Sergio.
But that's not the reason.
Oh, enlighten me.
[sighs]
When you go to the White House, use their toilet.
What?
Use their toilet, Osmeña, for your countrymen.
Are you joking?
You will see when you are there in the Oval Office,
there is one there, but you are not allowed to use it.
The guard will send you all the way
to the staff corridors.
Opposite the kitchen,
you will see a toilet that you can use.
On the front door of that toilet,
there is a plaque that says,
"coloreds."
I know how the Americans treat the Negroes,
but I am not a Negro.
Sergio, it doesn't says Negroes,
it says “coloreds,”
as in not white.
That's you, me, and every one of your countrymen.
We are only allowed in the White House
because we have 17 million votes behind us.
But go anywhere else in Washington,
and a Filipino is not even allowed to eat
in the same restaurant as an American!
Even on our very own soil!
On Dewey Boulevard,
there's a sign on the door to the Army-Navy Club that says,
"No dogs and Filipinos allowed."
Neither you or I can remove that sign
unless we have our independence, Sergio.
We may live under American rule, but we are not like them.
[in Spanish] Please, Sergio.
Help me with this.
Please.
You have my support, Mr. President.
[piano music playing]
Take care of yourself.
You need to be in good health
when we finally get our independence.
[sighs]
[door opens]
[coughing]
Gentlemen, thank you for never backing down
on this fight for the Jews.
It seems that Washington has backed us into a corner,
which leaves me no choice.
Tomorrow, I will hold a press conference.
I will tell the Filipino people what is going on,
not only in Germany, but also in the U.S. Congress.
I'm sorry, Manuel.
But what do you hope this will achieve?
It took my wife to knock some sense into me, Alex,
to make me realize that we've taken on this crusade
by ourselves.
A few men against the apathy of the world.
Washington needs to realize that there is an entire country
that will not stand for their lack of action.
They need to hear thousands of voices crying out,
“This is the Philippines!
With or without you, we will stand against Hitler!”
Gentlemen,
I have a plan.
[whirring]
[tense music playing]
[tense music continuously playing]
[whirring]
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have decided to reveal to you and the Filipino people,
a matter of great injustice.
For years, my family
has personally protested
the treatment of the Jewish people
under the Nazi regime.
I am here today to tell you
that this injustice does not stop in Germany.
No one has outdone me in giving due credit
to the government and the people of the United States
for what they have done in the Philippines.
But I cannot permit anyone to say in my presence
that our people have enjoyed greater freedom
under the American administration,
or that our people will not enjoy their freedom
under an independent Philippines,
as much as they have enjoyed it under the American flag.
And I will not, in my conscience,
allow America to dictate to us
who we can or cannot accept into our borders.
It is my hope, and indeed my expectation,
that the people of the Philippines
will have in the future every reason to be glad
that when the time of need came,
their country was glad to extend
to a persecuted people a hand of welcome.
It is true, and I am proud of it,
that I once said,
"I would rather have a government
"run like hell by Filipinos
than a government run like heaven by any foreigner."
I said that once.
I say it again,
and I will always say it as long as I live.
[reporter] Citizens rally in the Philippines
after a rousing speech
by Filipino President, Manuel Quezon.
Men and women from all walks of life
have taken to the streets of Manila
in protest of its borders being controlled
by the United States.
Strikes have broken out all across the country
with many industries refusing to open shop
until the matter is resolved.
But the bigger question lies with the Filipino military,
America’s largest force across the Pacific Ocean.
Will the Philippines lay down its arms in protest?
If so, what could this mean for the war in Asia?
Only time will tell.
Your move, Washington.
[tense music playing]
[tense music continuously playing]
Let's begin the inquiry.
Kindly state your name and designation.
Dwight David Eisenhower,
Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army.
Paul Vories McNutt,
High Commissioner to the Philippine Commonwealth.
Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippines.
We'd like to thank President Quezon
for agreeing to appear at the hearing today.
As you, gentlemen, know,
the State Department is quite concerned
by the recent rallies by the Philippine people.
Colonel Eisenhower, do you believe
that the recent rallies of the Filipino people,
in any way, threatens our Commonwealth?
Sir, I'm a firm believer in freedom of speech.
And these Filipino people ought to have the right--
Sir, please just answer "yes or no"
and then you may expound.
Yes.
You may expound.
Oh.
I'm aware that the Filipinos
are a sentimental and nationalistic people,
and the scouts and rangers might sympathize
with their protesting fellowmen.
I surmise from your statement
that you feel that the rangers and the scouts
may go against us?
Not against us, sir. But...
they could lay down their arms in support of the protesters.
If I can ask?
Are the scouts and the rangers aware
of what they are protesting against?
Or is it just a misguided nationalism,
and jumping on the bandwagon?
Nothing of the sort, sir.
These people know what they're protesting against.
You want to let these islanders tell us what to do?
Sir, I believe the way to quell this whole situation
is to listen to what the Filipinos--
Are you out of your goddamned mind?!
Please, sir! Please! Please.
May I ask President Quezon a question?
[Quezon] Go ahead.
Sir, if Philippine Immigration Law
is changed in your favor,
where do you intend to build the refugee camps?
Well I do not intend to build any camps, Mr. Grishaw.
I do intend to build a town,
and not for refugees,
but for people with trades and skills
that can benefit both of our great nations.
My wife and I have pledged our very own property
to this cause in Marikina.
I wish to say something.
Let the record state Consul General Cartwright
wishes to make a statement.
You may proceed, Consul General.
Mark my words, gentlemen!
Once you let those Jews in here,
you won't be able to keep them out of America.
Look,
there is a security issue here that we must take into account,
and I'm not even talking about the fact
that all these Jews are also Germans.
Well, that is obviously something we must not overlook.
No, gentlemen!
There is a deeper threat... a cultural threat.
The threat to who we are.
It is a well-known fact that it was the Jew
that introduced communism into Eastern Europe.
Do we really want these people with their warped mentality
get into the United States of America
through the Philippines
and spreading their vile ideology to our countrymen
in the same way that the Jews of Hollywood
are even now poisoning the minds of our children?
That's the real threat that we face
if we continue to allow
more of these commie Jews into America.
And they look like us.
How are you going to segregate them
if you can't even recognize them?
As I already said to the High Commissioner before,
I simply do not understand
this overwhelming concern for the Jews!
Consul General,
you keep ranting on about vile ideology,
and yet you don't hear yourself!
Clearly, gentlemen,
all that the Filipino people are yearning for
is to help fellow human beings escape tyranny,
persecution,
prejudice,
hatred.
Be mindful, we Americans too,
broke free from the shackles of tyranny
when back then Patrick Henry cried out against England
and spoke those famous words:
"Give me liberty, or give me death!"
Liberty...
that crucial, inalienable right,
symbolized by a grand lady holding a torch
over New York Bay.
She's standing firmly for freedom,
while disseminating her message to the entire world:
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
yearning to breathe free."
Yes, we broke free from a despotic kingdom,
and then opened our doors to the dispossessed.
Gentlemen, let us renounce hateful discord.
Let us lay aside bigotry.
Let us allow the people of the Philippines
to carry out this unselfish,
most hospitable gesture
to open their doors to the dispossessed,
and to then live...
live with liberty and justice for all.
Alright, gentlemen, cards on the table.
We're all politicians here. We're not stupid.
We're all aware that Commissioner McNutt here
is no longer on the next presidential ticket,
which means that Roosevelt is going to run again,
even if it means changing the U.S. Constitution.
Why? Because unless you do something
to please all the bigots in your country,
like Mr. Cartwright here,
the same bigot population
will not vote for you in the next election.
Well, think of it this way.
How many votes do you think you'll lose
if an entire country cries out
that the Democratic Party is an ally to the Nazis?
President Quezon, with all due respect.
There is a difference
between an American who believes in segregation
and a Nazi.
Not to a Filipino.
[door opens]
[footsteps]
Best you take a seat, Alex.
[birds chirping]
Mr. Frieder,
it brings us great joy to give this to you.
That's the 210 visas for the refugees
that you and Manuel picked.
[birds chirping]
And that's an additional 1,000 visas
for another set of refugees we can bring in!
That's 1,000 visas per year, Alex.
Manuel...
Gentlemen!
It's not 10,000, but it's a start.
Indeed, Mr. President, a good start.
Yeah.
To the Frieder brothers!
For their tireless efforts.
To the Jewish refugees.
For their resilience.
And to the Filipino people.
For rewarding my faith in them.
Hear! Hear!
[footsteps]
The ship has docked.
They will be arriving in river taxis.
[piano music playing]
[instrumental music playing]
[instrumental music continuously playing]
Name, please?
Mosher Zimmerman.
Welcome home!
Thank you very much.
[instrumental music continuously playing]
Welcome to the Philippines!
[instrumental music continuously playing]
[whirring]
[reporter] We can only thank our lucky stars
that President Roosevelt
has dedicated the United States military
to freeing Europe from Hitler's terrible reign.
Could I have done more?
Sweetheart.
You did something...
when everyone else did nothing.
I will never forget that.
Your children will never forget that.
The Filipino people...
will never forget that.
["Quezon's Theme" by Shulem playing]
["Quezon's Theme" by Shulem continuously playing]
In 1938, during the Kristallnacht,
when they arrested all the Jews
and sent them to concentration,
a policeman came to my father
and told him to leave the country quickly.
Because Quezon and his country were dependent on America,
and still he decided to act against their wishes,
and showed strength and bravery.
["Quezon's Theme" instrumental playing]
What then happened was
that when we were in the Philippines already,
we heard about the process
of Jews being put into concentration camps.
We don't know how to appreciate
what they did for all us people,
not only for me,
that they let us come in to the Philippines,
that they opened their home.
There was no discrimination. None.
And that as a Jew was a very new experience,
to be in a country where there was no discrimination.
It was not a rich country.
It was a country that was dependent on the United States
for a great deal.
And therefore,
by going against the wishes of the United States
at that time by taking in Jews,
President Quezon was making a very large statement
and a risky statement.
Had it not been for the Philippines,
we wouldn't be talking today.
If the Philippines hadn't opened its doors,
if Quezon hadn't made the decision that he did,
I don't know if my mother or my mother's family
would have survived the Holocaust.
["Quezon's Theme" by Shulem playing]
["Quezon's Theme" by Shulem continuously playing]
["Quezon's Theme" by Shulem ends]
["Hindi Namin Malilimutan" by Rachel Alejandro playing]
["Hindi Namin Malilimutan" continuously playing]
["Hindi Namin Malilimutan" continuously playing
["Hindi Namin Malilimutan" ends]