NATO Archives Declassified

The IWM-held NATO film collection

The NATO film collection is one of the most historically significant collections in IWM’s Cold War and late 20th century archive, consisting of thousands of reels; made by NATO, produced for NATO, or collected by NATO. It bears witness to half a century of military, social, cultural and political moments in Europe, and offers a unique visual history and behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Atlantic Alliance, from the late 1940s to the 1990s.  Over 1,300 titles are currently available to view and licence on IWM Film, our dedicated film website.

Highlights of the collection include:

Introducing NATO: A Briefing Film (1967). Uses a combination of archival footage, animation, and commentary to explain the North Atlantic Council, the NATO command structure, and the need for collective defence. On 4 April 1949, 12 nations signed a treaty, creating NATO.

Background to Berlin (1962). Documents the division of Berlin into four sectors following the Second World War, the subsequent Soviet blockade, and the Berlin Airlift. The film was released shortly after the wall went up, serving as a propaganda tool to explain the situation to the public and reinforce NATO's commitment to protecting West Berlin. 

Introducing... the Atlantic Community (1950s). A series of films on NATO member nations highlighting their history, culture and industries. Primarily funded by the United States government, these films were created to promote Western unity against the Soviet threat and to showcase the success of post-war economic recovery, largely driven by the Marshall Plan (1948-1953). Examples include:

Introducing the United Kingdom (1956)
Introducing Denmark (1956)
Introducing Norway (1955)
Introducing the United States (1956)

IWM's YouTube Channel. How NATO Change History Forever

Using NATO footage, 'How NATO Changed History Forever', relays how NATO’s formation in 1949 is inextricably linked with the Cold War’s start. Covering 1945 to 1955, when the iron curtain fell in Europe and two ideological blocs squared up against one another in an increasingly frosty international climate, it explains the place of NATO in this emerging new world order.

Explore and licence the film clips used in this YouTube video 

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"The materials digitised by IWM represent some of the key moments in time, with some very rare footage, for telling the story of the Alliance to the world. NATO is grateful for the invaluable expertise from IWM to help the Alliance preserve this important collection and make it available for a new generation of storytellers to share NATO’s history.”  Ineke Deserno, Head of Archives at NATO (2019)

IWM has an exclusive, worldwide right to utilise the digitised NATO collection, including licensing broadcast quality video content. For assistance with research or information about access to the collection, please contact us at: filmcommercial@iwm.org.uk