In 1976, Francis Lee edited footage he shot during the years 1941 to 1945 while an Army combat motion picture cameraman. A pacifist and painter living on New York City's East 10th Street before World War II, Lee initially requested classification as a conscientious objector. Realizing WWII was a war against racism, fascism and totalitarianism, he reconsidered, was classified 1-A and enlisted as an Army cameraman.