Village by Village: A Report on the Bombing of North Vietnam 1972
*SOME GRAPHIC WAR FOOTAGE: INJURED AND DEAD PEOPLE* Four Americans with Medical Aid for Indochina visit north Vietnam; voiceover of President Nixon about decision to continue air strikes and bombing North Vietnam to end the war; footage of bombing and Vietnamese running for shelter in the streets; text on screen: “On May 20, 1972, four Americans visited north Viet Nam. The invitation came from the government of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam. The purpose for the trip was to investigate the damage resulting from the escalations in the air war and the mining of north Vietnamese harbors announced by Nixon on April 6, 1972. “Many of the descriptions in this film are taken from a diary kept by Dr. Zimmerman while he was in Viet Nam. Super 8 sync system supplied by Richard Leacock and the MIT Film Section.” William Zimmerman at desk speaking about four who provide medical aid for Indochina: Rev. Robert [Lecky?], Fr. Paul Mayer, Marjorie [Tobagan?], Bill Zimmerman; footage of Vietnamese in everyday life in the city streets; voiceover: “Hanoi May 21”: talk about the air raids and resuming daily life after them; voiceover: “Reunification Park”; traveling at night to avoid danger; voiceover: “village threshing field full of rice”; text: “Phuc Loc population 1000 7 kms. from Haiphong” people walking around surveying rubble after bombing; placard in Vietnamese; text in English: “Haiphong” “May 23 meeting with Quang Thao, Mayor of Haiphong” explaining recent bombing to white man and woman in room looking at map with heading: “Ban do thanh pho hai phong”; more aftermath of bombing attacks; wounded Vietnamese man in hospital describes his experiences with English translation voiceover; text: “Nam Dinh population 100,000”; images of bombed villages with voiceover describing aftermath of bombing the previous night; voiceover recounts their hotel bombing; Vietnamese male with others around explains situation with English translation voiceover; text: “Bau Ngu population 4500”; voiceover: “May 24th, 8 am”; description and footage of aftermath of air strikes by pellet bombs and anti-personnel weapons; monument of outrage: Vietnamese text on placard with English translation voiceover; footage of civilian casualties in St. Paul’s Hospital; 22:30-33:15: meeting with eight captured American pilots who addressed a letter to Congress protesting the April escalation of the air war; text: “Hanoi May 25 8pm meeting with 8 capture pilots”; text: “intermittent noise caused by DRV news camera”; Fr. Paul Mayer talks in a meeting, introduces rest of team, then asks the eight captured pilots to introduce themselves with rank and where they are from: James D. Cutter, Norris [?] Charles, Denison[?] Miller, Walter Eugene Wilber, David Hoffman, Kenneth James Fraser, Edwin Harding [?], Len Gunther [?]; pilots then discuss their excellent treatment by the Vietnamese, medical, etc.; explain that they are not POW’s, but detained; give eyewitness accounts and lack of justification for the air raids and misrepresentation of their mission to Americans and others; discussion of policies of Nixon administration; voiceover continues questioning Nixon policies with footage of aftermath of bombing on people and the land; unidentified female voiceover in English: history and current state of Vietnamese struggle for independence and way of life; Zimmerman at his desk talking about refusal for U.S. to admit responsibility for bombing villages in Vietnam; “This film was made by Geri Ashur, Janet Mendelsohn, Walter Teller, with help from Medical Aid for Indochina, 474 Centre St., Newton Mass. 02158; Clergy and Laity Concerned, 637 West 125th St., N.Y., N.Y. 10027
*SOME GRAPHIC WAR FOOTAGE: INJURED AND DEAD PEOPLE* Four Americans with Medical Aid for Indochina visit north Vietnam; voiceover of President Nixon about decision to continue air strikes and bombing North Vietnam to end the war; footage of bombing and Vietnamese running for shelter in the streets; text on screen: “On May 20, 1972, four Americans visited north Viet Nam. The invitation came from the government of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam. The purpose for the trip was to investigate the damage resulting from the escalations in the air war and the mining of north Vietnamese harbors announced by Nixon on April 6, 1972. “Many of the descriptions in this film are taken from a diary kept by Dr. Zimmerman while he was in Viet Nam. Super 8 sync system supplied by Richard Leacock and the MIT Film Section.” William Zimmerman at desk speaking about four who provide medical aid for Indochina: Rev. Robert [Lecky?], Fr. Paul Mayer, Marjorie [Tobagan?], Bill Zimmerman; footage of Vietnamese in everyday life in the city streets; voiceover: “Hanoi May 21”: talk about the air raids and resuming daily life after them; voiceover: “Reunification Park”; traveling at night to avoid danger; voiceover: “village threshing field full of rice”; text: “Phuc Loc population 1000 7 kms. from Haiphong” people walking around surveying rubble after bombing; placard in Vietnamese; text in English: “Haiphong” “May 23 meeting with Quang Thao, Mayor of Haiphong” explaining recent bombing to white man and woman in room looking at map with heading: “Ban do thanh pho hai phong”; more aftermath of bombing attacks; wounded Vietnamese man in hospital describes his experiences with English translation voiceover; text: “Nam Dinh population 100,000”; images of bombed villages with voiceover describing aftermath of bombing the previous night; voiceover recounts their hotel bombing; Vietnamese male with others around explains situation with English translation voiceover; text: “Bau Ngu population 4500”; voiceover: “May 24th, 8 am”; description and footage of aftermath of air strikes by pellet bombs and anti-personnel weapons; monument of outrage: Vietnamese text on placard with English translation voiceover; footage of civilian casualties in St. Paul’s Hospital; 22:30-33:15: meeting with eight captured American pilots who addressed a letter to Congress protesting the April escalation of the air war; text: “Hanoi May 25 8pm meeting with 8 capture pilots”; text: “intermittent noise caused by DRV news camera”; Fr. Paul Mayer talks in a meeting, introduces rest of team, then asks the eight captured pilots to introduce themselves with rank and where they are from: James D. Cutter, Norris [?] Charles, Denison[?] Miller, Walter Eugene Wilber, David Hoffman, Kenneth James Fraser, Edwin Harding [?], Len Gunther [?]; pilots then discuss their excellent treatment by the Vietnamese, medical, etc.; explain that they are not POW’s, but detained; give eyewitness accounts and lack of justification for the air raids and misrepresentation of their mission to Americans and others; discussion of policies of Nixon administration; voiceover continues questioning Nixon policies with footage of aftermath of bombing on people and the land; unidentified female voiceover in English: history and current state of Vietnamese struggle for independence and way of life; Zimmerman at his desk talking about refusal for U.S. to admit responsibility for bombing villages in Vietnam; “This film was made by Geri Ashur, Janet Mendelsohn, Walter Teller, with help from Medical Aid for Indochina, 474 Centre St., Newton Mass. 02158; Clergy and Laity Concerned, 637 West 125th St., N.Y., N.Y. 10027