VIEW A PIECE OF WORLD WAR II HISTORY, BASED IN POLO, ON THE INTERNET

POLO -- The Sauk Valley's little-known effort to aid U.S. warships in
World War II has become the subject of a documentary that can be seen
on the Internet.

"Government Grown: How Polo, Illinois Helped Win the War" is a
15-minute documentary film about the "Hemp for Victory" program
created by the U.S. government during World War II.

Hemp, or marijuana, produces a stalk up to 12 feet tall from which
strong fibers can be harvested and turned into mildew-resistant rope.
During the war, the Japanese took over the Philippines, where most
hemp was produced, and the supply needed to make rope for American
ships was cut off.

The government chose Polo for its "Hemp for Victory" pilot program,
which lasted only a year, since the Japanese had been driven out of
the island nation.

Although corn and soybeans were more profitable, many farmers in and
around Polo raised the hemp as a patriotic war effort. The film
features the Polo Historical Society, which documented that era, and
residents who grew hemp or remember others who did.

It can be viewed for free online at www.governmentgrownhemp.com, or a
DVD is available for $10.99, with higher-quality images, bonus
features such as the complete U.S. propaganda film "Hemp for
Victory," and longer interviews.

It was produced by Stephen Young, who, according to the Web page, is
lead editor for the DrugSense Weekly newsletter and a freelance
writer who wrote a story about hidden hemp history for the Chicago Reader.