VIETNAM: A TELEVISION HISTORY, NO. 6: AMERICA'S ENEMY (1954-1967) (TV)

Summary

The sixth in this 13-part documentary series about the Vietnam War. Linked from its conception to the book by Stanley Karnow, this series presents a historical overview of Vietnam and provides an understanding of the country and its people at war, from the period of French colonial rule through U.S. involvement in the conflict. Interspersed throughout with news footage and archival film, and drawing on exclusive interviews with French, American, and Vietnamese diplomats, military and government officials, soldiers, and civilians who provide critical analysis of the war, this documentary chronologically portrays the Vietnam war equally as a political, social, and tragic national experience for the United States. This installment offers a profile of the war from the viewpoint of the Vietnamese, whose commitment to the struggle for the liberation of South Vietnam ran so deep that it was able to withstand the superior armed and air forces of the United States throughout the early years of the war. Included are interviews with military personnel who discuss the Vietcong's counter tactics and their roles in major operations carried out against the U.S.; survivors of American bombing campaigns; and others whose clandestine involvement in the war strengthened the forces of the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army in the South.

Also in this part, two Americans who were prisoners of war in Vietnam, Everett Alvarez (1964-1973) and Robinson Risner (1965-1973), describe their daily routine and treatment during captivity. Illustrated with accompanying footage, topics discussed include the following: the capture of the Binh Gia province; the participation of children and old people in the war; workshops that converted unexploded and unused American war materials into new weapons and bombs; key targets of Operation Rolling Thunder, the U.S. campaign to bomb North Vietnam; medical treatment of bomb victims; the creation of tunnels to use as training bases and shelters; the opening of the Ho Chi Minh trail, the communist supply route to the South which was kept open by armies of female draftees; and America's extensive use of firepower over both South and North Vietnam. Those interviewed include Vietnamese officials Premier Pham Van Dong, Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, Capt. Tran Van Ngo, Capt. Dang Xuan Teo, and Maj. Duong Sang; Nguyen Thi Dinh, former member of the National Liberation Front; soldier Lan Son Nao; villager Tran Nhat Bang; Ngo Thi Hien, Ngo Thi Thiep, and Nguyen Thi The, female survivors of an American operation; Dr. Ton That Tung; Danang resident Nguyen Thi Anh; Hoang Loc, Ho Minh Sac, Ngo Thi Tam, Ho Thanh Dam, Nguyen Van Ngi; and U.S. officials Earl Young, advisor at Long An, Sgt. Thomas Murphy, and Col. Ray Snyder. Included are clips of Vice Pres. Richard Nixon in Saigon and Pres. Ho Chi Minh of North Vietnam. Acquisition and cataloging of this program was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Details

• NETWORK: PBS WGBH Boston, MA
• DATE: August 31, 1983
• RUNNING TIME: 0:58:45
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T91:0134
• GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
• SUBJECT HEADING: Vietnam War; Prisoners of War (Vietnam War); U S - Officials - Talk/Interviews; Vietnam - Officials - Talk/Interviews
• SERIES RUN: N/A
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Richard Ellison … Executive Producer
• Martin Smith … Producer, Writer
• Bruce Palling … Associate Producer
• Julian Ware … Film Editor
• Will Lyman … Narrator
• Chris Pullman … Production Design, Titles and graphic design
• Ngo Vinh Long … Translator
• Mickey Hart … Music by, Composed and performed by
• Billy Kreutzman … Music by, Composed and performed by
• Vic Firth … Music (Misc. Credits), Performed by
• Zakir Hussain … Music (Misc. Credits), Performed by
• Airto Moreira … Music (Misc. Credits), Performed by
• Merl Saunders … Music (Misc. Credits), Performed by
• Bobby Vega … Music (Misc. Credits), Performed by
• Phil Kaffel … Music (Misc. Credits), Recorded by
• Lawrence Lichty … Direction (Misc.), Director of Media Research
• Stanley Karnow … Reporter, Chief Correspondent
• Everett Alvarez
• Dang Xuan Teo
• Duong Sang
• Ho Chi Minh
• Ho Minh Sac
• Ho Thanh Dam
• Hoang Loc
• Lan Son Nao
• Thomas Murphy
• Ngo Dinh Diem
• Ngo Thi Hien
• Ngo Thi Tam
• Ngo Thi Thiep
• Nguyen Thi Anh
• Nguyen Thi Dinh
• Nguyen Thi The
• Nguyen Van Ngi
• Richard M. Nixon
• Pham Van Dong
• Robinson Risner
• Ray Snyder
• Ton That Tung
• Tran Nhat Bang
• Tran Van Ngo
• Vo Nguyen Giap
• Earl Young