EL SALVADOR: ANOTHER VIETNAM (TV)
Summary
This program, an updated version of a documentary that
was completed in December of 1980, documents the
violence in El Salvador and the role of the U.S. in that
civil war. Through interviews with key political
figures involved in the conflict and footage of Senate
hearings, the documentary focuses on the events that led
up to the revolution in El Salvador and the consequences
of the insurgency. In addition, graphic footage of the
violence in El Salvador is included. Highlights of the
program include the following: footage of Indochina;
Charles E. Wilson, speaking in 1954 about U.S.
involvement in the conflict; John A. Bushnell, an
employee of the U.S. State Department, and Murat
Williams, U.S. ambassador to El Salvador from 1961 to
1964, who discuss the history of U.S. involvement in El
Salvador and other less industrialized nations; footage
of the First Junta taking over the government of El
Salvador; Dr. Guillermo Ungo, president of the
Democratic Revolutionary Front (FDR), and Dr. Salvador
Samayoa, ex-minister of education and member of the
communist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Forces
(FMLN), explaining why they resigned from the First
Junta; the president of El Salvador, JosŽ Napoleon
Duarte, who defends his form of government; footage of a
demonstration in El Salvador that prompted the
government to revoke all freedoms from its people; Col.
JosŽ Guillermo Garcia and EnriquŽ Alvarez, the first
president of FDR, who offer their opinions on agrarian
reform; footage of Salvadoran military troops sweeping
through the countryside, killing civilians whom they
believe to be revolutionaries; footage of refugee camps
and dead bodies throughout the countryside; the voice of
Ita Ford, a Maryknoll Missioner, discussing the
situation; and Pres. Duarte, who tries to explain why
people are being killed. Other topics include Cmdr. Ana
Guadalupe Martinez and Dr. Salvador Samayoa of the
Political Diplomatic Commission of the FMLN and FDR,
who explain why they joined the fight against the
government; Cmdr. Martinez talking about being labeled a
"terrorist"; Dr. Ungo explaining why the people of El
Salvador are fighting the government; Pres. Duarte, who
says why he feels there is no oppression in his country;
footage of the attack on the National University in June
of 1980, where unarmed students are shot as they plead
for their lives; a woman recalling how her innocent
friend was taken into the hills by the military and
later found mutilated; Archbishop Oscar Romero speaking
about injustice, and footage of the funeral of
Archbishop Romero, who was evidently murdered by the
Salvadoran military; Alvarez discussing the Salvadorans'
willingness to fight for their liberty; Ford discussing
the government's accusations that the church is
subversive; footage of the bodies of Ford and other
missionaries, which are removed from unmarked graves;
Cardinal Cooke speaking about the murder of the Sisters
of Maryknoll; Archbishop Rivera y Damas offering his
opinion of why these nuns were murdered; footage of
William Rogers, who describes his mission to
investigate the violence in El Salvador; a clip of Pres.
Duarte being sworn into office; footage of revolutionary
troops battling the Salvadoran military; Cmdr. Martinez,
who explains how the Salvadoran military receives arms
from the U.S. government; Sec. of State Alexander Haig
and Rep. Dan Mica (D-Fla.), who speak about Cuba's
involvement in the conflict; Dr. Ungo, who talks about
North American intervention in El Salvador; Robert
White, former ambassador to El Salvador, who talks
about the difficulties of winning a military revolution
in El Salvador; Rep. Clarence "Doc" Long (D-Md.)
offering his opinion of Pres. Ronald Reagan's
intentions; Pres. Reagan describing the reasons for U.S.
involvement in El Salvador; Rep. Gerry E. Studds
(D-Mass.), who gives his opinion of U.S. tactics; Herb
Mills of Local 10 of the International Longshoreman
Workers Union, who explains why his union is boycotting
El Salvador; footage of various protests against U.S.
involvement in El Salvador; and Arnoldo Ramos, an FDR
representative, who explains why the U.S. must stop
shipping weapons to the Salvadoran military.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: November 30, 1980
- RUNNING TIME: 0:52:35
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:20160
- GENRE: Public Affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Democratic Revolutionary Front (FDR); El Salvador - History - 1979-; Farabundo Martis Liberation Group (FMLN); Human rights
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1981
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Glenn Silber … Producer, Director
- Tete Vasconcellos … Producer, Director
- Claudia Vianello … Writer, Narration by
- Mike Farrell … Narrator
- David Helvarg … Interviewer, Voice
- Wendy Blacksone … Composer, Music (Misc. Credits), Music arranged by, Singer, Instrumentalist, Flautist
- Bernardo Palombo … Composer, Music (Misc. Credits), Music arranged by, Singer, Instrumentalist, Guitar and Bombo player
- Patrick Collins … Instrumentalist, Synthesizer player
- Joe Locke … Instrumentalist, Marimba and pianoplayer
- Mitchel Moses … Instrumentalist, Harmonica player and flautist
- Bob Ostentag … Instrumentalist, Synthesizer tape recorder player
- Bobby Rever—n … Instrumentalist, Bass player, percussionist, and drummer
- Enrique Alvarez
- John A. Bushnell
- Terence Cardinal Cooke
- Jose Napoleon Duarte
- Ita Ford
- JosŽ Guillermo Garcia
- Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
- Clarence Long
- Ana Guadalupe Martinez
- Dan Mica
- Herb Mills
- Arnoldo Ramos
- Ronald Reagan
- Rivera y Damas
- Oscar Romero
- Salvador Samayoa
- Gerry E. Studds
- Guillermo Ungo
- Robert White
- Murat Williams