The working titles of this film were The Night Watch and Desert Legion. Robert Buckner's onscreen credit reads: "Written and produced by Robert Buckner." Sword in the Desert was the first Hollywood film about the birth of the modern state of Israel. As noted in the film, Great Britain, which invaded Palestine in Dec 1917, was mandated in 1922 by the League of Nations to oversee the country. Despite British attempts to resolve conflicts between Jewish and Arab residents, both groups fought bitterly for control of the land. During the 1930s, the Jews formed a paramilitary organization, the Haganah (Defense), to combat the Arabs, while the Arabs, under the leadership of the grand mufti Haff Amin al-Husayni, formed the Arab Higher Committee to challenge Jewish claims. As a result of the 1939 London Round Table Conference and a White Paper, Jewish immigration was limited to 1,500 per month until 1944, when all Jewish immigration was halted. In 1947, after more than two decades of violent unrest, Britain deferred to the United Nations, which voted in Nov 1947 to split Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. Jews proclaimed Israel their new homeland on 14 May 1948, the day before Britain's evacuation from the region.
       Contemporary news items add the following information about the production: In the 1930s, Buckner went to Palestine many times while working as a correspondent, and in 1934, wrote a short story, "How Still We See," based on his observations. In the short story, the protagonist, a cynical, areligious man visiting Palestine, is transformed, partly as a result of a Christmas Eve celebration in Jerusalem. In an Oct 1948 NYT article, Buckner claimed that "How Still We See" provided the 'seed' for his screenplay The Night Watch. Buckner spent months interviewing English, Arab and Jewish authorities before writing The Night Watch. In Nov 1947, three producers--Elliott Nugent and his newly formed company Niagara Enterprises, Inc., Walter Wanger and George Markow--expressed interest in making a film based on Buckner's story. Robert Montgomery reportedly optioned the story with Nugent, and Paulette Goddard and Burgess Meredith were also interested in it, but became discouraged after several studios passed on the project. Brian Donlevy was announced as a possible star, as was Van Heflin, who tried to sell the story to United Artists. Markow proposed doing the picture in Italy, and two Italian companies inquired about the project.
       In Jul 1948, Universal-International bought the screen rights to "The Night Watch," a novel version of which was to be published in the fall of that year. In early Oct 1948, however, HR announced that production on the film, as well as publication of the novel, would be postponed indefinitely due to the assassination of Count Folke Bernadotte, a Swedish United Nations mediator who was shot by Israeli extremists on 17 Sep 1948. Protests from English production head J. Arthur Rank, who feared the picture would be too anti-British, also held up the project, according to HR, but by late Oct 1948, the film was back on Universal's schedule. No evidence that the novel was ever published has been found.
       On 1 Nov 1948, HR reported that Swiss actor Paul Christian would be making his American screen debut in the picture. Christian was to co-star with Ann Blyth; Dick Powell was also mentioned as a possible star. Stephen McNally replaced Christian in the role of "David" in early Mar 1949 after Christian developed an eye infection, while Dana Andrews took over the role originally assigned to McNally. Irish actor Liam Redmond made his American film debut in the picture. Buckner originally intended to direct the picture himself, according to the Oct 1948 NYT article. Beach scenes for the million-dollar production were shot in Monterey, CA. Other scenes were shot in the desert town of Victorville, CA, and in the San Fernando Valley, where a dude ranch was altered to look like a kibbutz. In Monterey, local residents acted as immigrant extras. In late Apr 1949, production was halted for ten days due to a "mysterious fever" contracted by Andrews. Composer Frank Skinner reportedly recorded Christmas music at the Carillon of the Church of Nativity in Jerusalem.
       Just prior to the film's completion, HR reported that "certain elements of the British press" had already "openly railed against the picture, terming it anti-British propaganda." Buckner, who was not Jewish, defended the fairness of his story, remarking in the Oct 1948 NYT article that he had presented "the most enlightened and the most general British attitude." He added that Army sources in England had approved the script and had "supplied many helpful photographs and much technical data." Despite Buckner's claims of fairness, in Feb 1950, the London City Council demanded that the picture be withdrawn from distribution after two days of violent incidents. According to a Var news item, police interceded several times during the run when audience members "got out of hand," throwing smoke bombs and firecrackers. In addition, some American critics complained about the picture's inattention to the Arab side of the conflict. Bosley Crowther noted in his NYT review that "the Arab peoples are almost completely overlooked and factions within the Jewish forces are not even hinted at." Crowther added that as "the first Hollywood film on a hot topic," Sword in the Desert may "agitate resentment among those more objectively inclined and spread a damaging impression of a tragic chapter in recent history."