244.
Montage: Commentary: Almost daily the total of
Signs with numbers of downed pilots must be
downed US planes altered. Every street of
Hanoi has such tallies. These
figures were current in
February 1968, but since then
they have been outdated by
events.
245.
Photos: Authors's President Ho Chi Minh - we
Ho Chi Minh Commentary: learned during our presence
among anti-aircraft unit in the Democratic Republic of
Vietnam - has ordered the
command of the air defence
and militia units
246.
Burning airplane wreck to include the shooting down
of an enemy plane in the
official statistics only
after the wreck - or one of
the remaining parts -
247.
Vietnamese extract parts has been, and I quote:
of wreck "touched by hand."
Wreck taken out of water Commentary: For this reason parts of
crashed aircraft are fished
from the inland water-ways
and even from the ocean so
that the plane may be
counted.
248.
Downed US pilot picked American camera men shot
out of water these scenes showing the
rescue of a U.S. pilot, whose
airplane may not appear in
Vietnamese statistics,
249.
Plane crashes into sea because it sank out of sight
to the bottom of the ocean.
250.
Corpse of drowned pilot His plane may be counted. The
pilot, who was drifted
ashore, is proof enough.
251.
Captured pilot in boat And this one also documents
satisfactorily that another
US plane went down in the
Gulf of Tonkin
252.
Montage: Excerpt from an order of the
Vietnamese collect remnants Supreme Command of the
of plane wrecks vietnamese People's Army:
Every village, in whose
vicinity a pirate plane
crashes, is permitted to
retain equipment of the pilot
or plane wreckage as a
"victory trophy".
253.
Photo: Author's During our presence the
Remains of 2000th plane Commentary: 2,000th American
plane was shot down.
254.
Vietnamese cartoon fades An event to which a
fades in and away Vietnamese cartoon payed
tribute in this manner. As we
learned, the pilot was able
to escape death in this pile
of debris.
255.
Montage: We found Lt. Commander
Corvette Collins Henry Haynes here in
Captain Haines the operating room of the
808 Army Hospital
Prepared for operation, Haynes was able to eject only
operation at the last second and hit
the ground hard. He suffered
Haynes wheeled down a severe bruise on his knee,
corridor in his room, put which led to effusion of
into bed. blood. Haynes is being
prepared for operation -
the intruder in the hands of
his conquerors.
256.
Haynes declares: X: Lt. Commander, the world knows
257.
Bombed hospitals that American airplanes have
destroyed North Vietnamese
hospitals, schools, towns
and villages,
258.
Haynes declares: and suddenly we find you, an
American pilot, here in a
North Vietnamese hospital.
Haynes: Yes, sir. They've done
everything possible to help
me and to help my leg get
better.
X: Only a few minutes ago you
were on the operating table.
You injured yourself during
ejection, is that correct?
Haynes: Yes, sir. As I ejected I was
a low altitude and, ah, as I
landed, came down into the
chute, in the chute, the
people of the village were
already there,
259.
Capture and they promptly told, a,
of Haynes took the survival
gear and the rest of the
gear, and then took
me to the village.
260.
Haynes delcares: X: How's the pain now?
Haynes: It's much better.
X. How many missions have you
flown?
Haynes: 32, sir.
X: Are you married?
Haynes: Ah, yes, sir, I am.
X: Do you have children?
Haynes: Two children.
X: You can use this opportunity
to extend greetings to your
wife and family.
Haynes: If I am allowed to do so I'd
send them my warmest love.
I'd send them my warmest
love, to my, our family.
261.
Photo: Author's Colonel Le Dinh Ly, the
Col. Le Dinh Ly Commentary: political officer of the Army
Hospital, told us;
262.
Plane shot down As long as the enemy makes
use of his weapon he will
experience our unmerciful
severity -
263.
Photo: Haynes when he has lowered it,
drinks from glass he will experience our
socialist humanity.
264.
Plane drops bombs - Music -
265. Cloud from explosion
266.
Risner declares: X: Colonel Risner are you a
member of a church?
Risner: I'm a Protestant and Assembly
of God.
267.
Photo: destroyed church - Music -
268.
Shively declares: Shively: I am a Baptist. Baptized in
the Baptist Church.
269.
Destroyed church - Music -
270. Abbot declares: Abbott: Methodist, Protestant.
271. Destroyed church - Music -
272. Thorsness declares: Thorsness: I am a Lutheran
273. Destroyed church - Music -
274. Torkelson declares: Torkelson: I am a Protestant.
275. Destroyed pagoda - Music -
276. Ringsdorf declares Ringsdorf: I am Methodist, Protestant.
277. Destroyed pagoda - Music -
278. Duart declares: Duart: I am of Protestant faith.
279. Destroyed church
280. Hubbard declares: Hubbard: I'm a Protestant by faith.
281. Destroyed church
282.
Hughes declares: Hughes: I am a Protestant, a
Methodist specifially.
283.
Destroyed church
284. Alvarez declares: Alvarez: Yes, I am a Catholic.
285. Destroyed figure of saint - Music - with Vietnamese church-goers
286.
Photo: wounded priest Commentary: The Right Reverend Vu Duy
Khiem, director of the
Catholic Priest Seminary of
Xa Doai, was wounded when
American air pirates bombed
the church and seminary.
287.
Photo. Mass on US aircraft American pilots at church
carrier service shortly before their
missions.
288.
Photos: Holy Communion Easter 1967 -
at Easter 1967 in Hilton-Hanoi The Right Reverend Ho Thanh
Bien extends captured
American pilots of Catholic
faith the body of the Lord.
289.
Montage: Fuses put on bombs Bombs such as these dropped
in 1967 inside seven months
by Evangelic, Baptist,
Methodist, and Catholic air
pirates destroyed
a total of 234 Catholic
churches and 23 Buddhist
pagodas.
290.
Two B-52's drop bombs Author's But they do not only
Commentary: drop bombs and rockets on
Vietnam -
291.
Rosaries and prayer beads also this here which we would
displayed on pole not have believed had we not
seen it for ourselves:
292.
Rosaries and prayer books Rosaries, prayer-beads and
on ground prayer books.
293.
Rosary with crucifix, "Thou shalt not take the name
zoom to Christ figure of the Lord thy God in vain;
for the Lord will not hold
him guiltless that taketh his
name in vain."
2nd Book of Moses, Chapter
20, Verse 7.
294.
Fade-over Commentary: This is General Curtis Le
May, the to photo of
experienced Chief of Staff of
the US Air Force. He, too,
calls himself a Christian.
295.
Abbott declares: X: You are a pilot, Lieutenant
Abbott, and you certainly
have heard of Air Force
General Curtis Le May.
Abbott: Yes, sir.
X: Curtis Le May has stated: "My
solution is to tell the North
Vietnamese either to pull in
their horns or we will bomb
them back into the Stone
Age."
Abbott: I don't know when he made
this statement. I don't know
when he made the statement.
However you know General Le
May does make statements, and
he is a military man from the
first point ?????? he
considers everything to be on
the military status. If we go
to war, he feels that we
should go win the war r
ight now and not spend three
or four years in conflict. As
to Drawing horns in', with
North Vietnam, I don't know
what he meant by that.
I think he has probably
referred to, either you guys
stop fighting or we're going
to go in there and really
clean you up.
X: Lieutenant Abbot, you are
living proof that the
US Air Force will never be
able to bomb the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam back
into the Stone Age. The
destruction waged here,
however, is tremendous. Do
you feel personnaly
responsible for the
tremendous amount of
destruction here in the
North?
Abbott: Well, that's., ah, I'm not
avoiding the questions. Now
as to my own personal actions
whether I am responsible for
the bombing in the North.
Let's say I am not
responsible in a certain
phase. I was ordered to come
to bomb North vietnam.
However I am responsible for
the destruction I have caused
and, personal or individual
bases being that I initially
dropped the bombs.
X: Were you only a part of your
airplane, or can you be
described as a responsible
person?
296.
Ringsdorf declares: Ringsdorf: If I was personally
responsible for my acts? No,
I don't know of any acts that
I have committed to be
responsible for. I dive-
bombed targets like they've
been doing in all the wars
since airplanes were
invented as far as I know.
297.
Burning homes I did nothing that hasn't
been done many, many times
before.
298.
Spain; Legion Condor Commentary: The pilots of the "Legion
in air attack Condor" also did nothing in
Spain during their hay day
except "bomb something" With
his mental attitude
299.
Ringsdorf shown Ringsdorf would also have
been suitable
300.
Planes of Legion Condor, then as a pilot: as a human
burning city lever of war technnology -
incapable of grasping that
the actual aim of the bombing
flights in Spain,
just as in Vietnam, was and
is: bombing to
smithereens the right of the
peoples to self-
determination.
301.
Risner delcares: X: If we were to look for those
responsible for the
air-terror against the
Democratic
Republic of Vietnam, how high
up would we have to go on the
ladder of responsibility?
How do you see it, Colonel
Risner?
Risner: Well, I, I can't answer the
question, but in answer to
your question I would say
that I am not seeking to
evade my responsibility. I
assume all responsibility
that is mine for anything
that I have done that is
wrong, and I am not seeking
to evade that at all as a
squadron commander. As far
how high we would have to go,
I really don't know this; ah,
I am partially responsible
myself. How much
responsibility is mine I'm
afraid would have to be
decided by some people who
are much wiser than myself.
302.
Photo: Russell Commentary: Lord Bertrand Russell,
British philosopher, honorary
president of an international
Vietnam tribunal bearing his
name. The Russell Tribunal
concluded:
303.
Vietnamese in front of the war of the United
rubble States in Vietnam is
genocide.
304.
Shively declares: X: Lieutenant Shively, we both
are in agreement that
tremendous destruction has
been, and is still being done
here, Do you see any
responsibility during your
custody here in the
Democratic Republic of
Vietnam to - let's say
- to personally make up for
this?
Shively: I'm not quite sure I
understand, Ah, you
think that I personally can
help make good
the damage that has been
done? Is that the,
your question? Do I think
that ....
X: Yes.
Shively: There is probably very
little that I personally can
do. However I could do my
small part perhaps with
other captured pilots, help
repair some of the bomb
damage and that way heal
some of the wounds caused by
our bombs. But I, it would
probably, because of our
limited ability to do
something big, it would be
small effort in the overall
destruction that has been
caused.
305.
Hugh bomb crater Author's The crater of a "three-
commentary: thousand-pounder". How long
would it take First
Lieutenant Shively to fill in
this hole alone?
306.
Other craters Vietnam's soil has deep wounds.
The greatest injury amongst
the people is not caused by
these bombs, which rip such
craters in the earth, but by
307.
Cluster bombs these insidious bomblets,
scattered onto street each of them not larger than
a tennis ball.
308.
"Mother bomb" in A so-called "Mother Bomb",
museaum which looks externally like a
normal explosive bomb -
309.
is opened opening itself a few seconds
after being
dropped from a height of
about 1,000 meters - and
the contents fall out.
310.
Pan to cluster bombs The so-called mother bomb
in "Mother bomb" contains up to 600 of these
cluster bomb units. Each of
them is filled with the
highly explosive charge
cyclo-ton, and each casing
contains 300 steel pellets of
6 millimeter diameter.
311.
Parts of cluster bomb The fuse -
units Arrow points the charge - which explodes
the casing of the cluster
bomb and scatters the steel
pellets in all
directions. One single pellet
can be lethal.
312.
Cluster bomb container The Americans call their
Zoom and return invention Cluster Bomb Unit,
in short C.B.U.
313.
Cluster bombs dropped The CBU: a weapon designed to
kill living targets. The
Cluster Bomb: a murder tool.
314.
Shively declares X: Lieutenant Shively, did you
drop cluster bombs over the
territory of the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam?
Shively: Yes, sir.
X: Then you are competent enough
to explain to us the function
of this bomb. We are handing
you part of this bomb and ask
you to please explain how it
works.
Shively: Yes, sir. Sir, this is what
we call a CBU bomb, it's a,
an anti-personnel type of
weapon, they are carried in a
canister of these
baseball-type things and
as they go off they come out
of the canister at a pre-set
altitude and then when they
strike the ground or strike
anything there's an explosive
charge inside that throws
these little pellets in all
directions.
X: On May 5, 1967, that is, on
the day of your last mission,
did you have CBU bombs on
board?
Shively: Yes, sir, that's what myself
and the other members of my
flight were carrying that
day, sir.
X: Which targets did you select
for your CBU bomb?.
Shively: Sir, we were on the Nguyen
Vien railroad classification
yard in the suburbs here of
Hanoi, sir.
X: Did you unload all your bombs
on the
prescribed target?
Shively: Ah, they, we don't drop the
CBU bombs right on the
target, sir, we drop around,
around the area, sir.
315.
Montage: Author's So they drop the cluster bomb
Cluster Commentary: "around the target". This
bomb victims in flexible formulation permits
Vietnam the pilot to drop his vicious
tool of murder on each and
every area of the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam - which
actually is the case.
315a.
"Mother bomb" A single mother bomb, that is
600 cluster bombs - 180,000
6-mm steel pellets, which
cover with the force of a
pistol shot an area 3,000
feet wide. This is systematic
head hunting.
316.
Duart declares: Duart: This piece here is the type
that I am familiar with. This
is the one that I carried on
my aircraft. This one here I
am not familiar with. I have
not seen this type before.
The principle looks to be the
same. This one here, these
bomblets are now dumped out
into the air and they aim by
centrifugal force to rotation
which is caused by the fuse
on the bomb itself. It
rotates, it goes through the
air, arming the fuse inside.
This is the safety factor in
case of an accident on the
ground. Once it is armed then
it simply drops until it hits
the ground and explodes and
it explodes breaking up in
pieces and firing out these
pellets as you see here. This
one here, as I see, was not
too effective. Here are many
pellets here that were not
shot out.
Commentary: That's how an expert speaks
about the cluster bomb. A
single pellet is enough.
317.
Photo: This 22-year-old teacher was
Portrait of teacher hit by only one pellet:
318. Photo: In the back of her head. Back of head
319. Thanks only to the skill of
Photo: a surgeon who removed the
Skull X-ray pellet from the center of
her brain.
320.
Portrait of teacher the girl lived.
321.
Abbott declares: Abbott: Yes, sir, this is a series
that we drop and, ah, the
weapon inside is similar to
those with a round top. We
drop it -
322.
Cluster bombs are dropped in a canister of the same
size as similar to a surface
bomb,
323.
Abbott declares: Abbott: a hard surface bomb and it
falls down so far, and the
bomb comes apart and the CBUs
spread out over an area.
324.
Photo: Family Commentary: The family of farm woman Doan
Thi Phuc was sitting in the
direction in which the
pellets flew. Four persons
- four wounded.
325.
Hughes declares: X: Colonel, the electricity has
(Emergency lighting been switched off. There is
turned on) an airraid warning, but we
still want to clear up
another question, and to do
so we are switching on our
emergency lighting. You have
certainly experienced
many air raids since you have
been here?
Hughes: Yes, sir, we have, yes sir,
we had, we have
had many during my stay here
since the 5th of May.
X: If you were to experience an
attack here on this area in
which we are now conducting
this interview, which type of
weapon - if you had the
choice - would you prefer to
be hit by? With
high-explosive bombs of say,
from 750 lb to 3,000 pounds,
with rockets or by cluster
bombs?
Hughes: Let me put it this way: the
CBU would be the least
desirous, followed by 3,000
pounder, then the 750 lb
bomb, then the rockets. The
reason for this is that, ah,
the odds of the rocket or the
bombs hitting you are not,
are not as certain as with
the CBU which has a pattern,
a broad pattern, and, too, as
I think, you're trying to
point out the steel pellet is
not a desirous thing. It is a
very, a very destructive and
a very painful bomb to have
fall in a community.
X: Thank you for your precise
opinion.
326.
Photo: back of a Commentary: A "painful,
woman killed by cluster destructive" weapon. "Not a
bombs desirable thing". This woman
is no longer alive.
327.
Torkelson delcares: Torkelson: Ah, well as far as I know,
ah, they use the steel-pellet
bomb for flak suppression and
for anti-aircraft
suppression; ah, usually a
flight carrying or an
aircraft carrying the steel-
pellet bomb will drop on the
guns that are in the t arget
area when they see it start
shooting.
328.
Shirt, hat Commentary: This shirt did not belong to
and farm tools of farm an anti aircraft- gunner, but
woman to the farm woman Phung Thi
Lu. On the 12th of March
1967 she was
tilling her field when she
was killed at 12.28 by a
cluster bomb unit.
329.
Duart declares: Duart: I think the steel pellet bomb
that you refer to is the CBU
bomb. The primary purpose of
this, ah, it's used in North
Vietnam would be to suppres
s the triple A or any
aircraft weapons in the
immediate target area prior
to the bomb run of the strike
aircraft. This is used
to suppress temporarily
the heavy fire that we've
been running into in almost
every target area.
330.
Photo: Wounded girl Commentary: Not an anti aircraft-gunner,
but 12-year-old Nguyen Thi
????op, several times wounded
in the back by a cluster bomb
unit.
331.
Shively delcares: Shively: As they come over the target
and their pop- up and start
their dive they're to look
around the area and find the
areas in which the most guns
are firing. And they drop the
CBUs in a hope that the
effect of the CBUs will
lessen the amount of firing
at the later aircraft, so
that they will not have such
a hard time at the
targets.
332.
Photo: Mother with child Commentary: Non an anti-aircraft gunner.
The left foot of this small
boy was so severely injured
by splinters of a cluster
bomb unit that it had to
be amputated.
333.
Hughes declares: Hughes: Upon contact with the ground
they detonate and, as we can
see here, there are steel
pellets in this particular
one, and when it does
detonate, these pellets and
the shrapnel fly in the
immediate vicinity of the
detonation.
X: Then it is used especially
against living targets?
Hughes: It is designed primarily for
flak suppression, and yes,
sir, that would be contrued
as personnel.
334.
X-ray photos illulminated Author's X-ray of living targets. A single
Commentary: pellet penetrated here into a
human spine. Dr Tjung
indicates the path of the
projectile.
335.
Dang Hinh in bed We saw the spinal column of
this man.
336.
Montage: His name is Sang Hing, 26
Destroyed school room years of age, and by
profession a teacher.
American air pirates
destroyed school, situated in
the vicinity of Hanoi.
337.
Prof. Tung, other doctors After the attack the teacher
examine patient Dang Hinh lay helpless - as here -
incapable of moving his legs,
but seemingly uninjured.
Among the physicians working
to heal Dang Hinh is Prof.
Ton That Tung. Professor Tung
is a member of the Medical
Academy of the USSR, a
corresponding member of the
Surgeons Society of the GDR
and France. Professor Tung
and his colleagues in the
Vietnamese/German hospital
found out what was wrong with
the legs of Dang Hinh. A 6
milimetre pellet had
penetrated his back here.
338.
Testtube with pellets This is only a few of these
small pellets which surgeions
have had to extract by the
hundreds and thousands from
human bodies.
339.
Paralysis of legs Externally everything seems
demonstrated. to be in order - but this
X-rays 26-year-old man has been
paralysed from the waist
down. Ever since the pellet
injured his spinal column.
340.
Doctors at bedside of She is also a victim of
wounded girl the cluster bomb: 7-year-old
Nguyen Thi Tuyet.
341.
Head These X-rays show how two of
the small X-rays pellets
penetrated the brain of this
girl. Vital parts of the
brain were hit:
342.
Attempts to move little Tuyet, who only two
days before our visit
survived the brain operation,
will remain paralysed on her
left side the rest of her
life.
343.
Skull X-rays X-ray photos. Matter-of-fact,
illuminated objective evidence. Here a
pellet penetrated the cheek
and went on to lodge in the
brain.
344.
Bed-ri-den student. It was the cheek of a young
Zoom to face and scar woman . . . Nguyen Thi Phuong
is a senior at the University
for Electrical Engineering.
We will not show you the
legs, chest and
back of this young woman
which are so horribly scared.
Worse still than these
injuries is this small scar,
similar almost scar, similar
almost to a birthmark. This
is where the pellet which
lodged in her brain entered.
345.
Prof. Tung tests eye-sight These tests here prove what
of student is now irrevocable: the
engineering student Thi
Phuong is totally blind in
her right eye.
346.
The teacher's wife at his Danh Hinh, who is paralysed
bedside in both legs, has a visitor.
His wife has come. She wants
to tell him about their
child: There are moments of
tenderness and family
hapiness in this place of
suffering. We vividly
remembered these scenes when
we asked the air pirates if
they wanted to take
opportunity to greet their
family....
347.
Hubbard declares: Hubbard: In this camera?
X: Yes, in this camera here.
Hubbard: I'd like to say hello
Beverley and Dave and all my
family, and as you can see, I
am very well and healthy and
you have nothing to worry
about as far as my health. I
love you all very much and
pray for the day that we'll
be together again. Please
keep faith in God and never
give up. Pray for me and one
of these days I'll be back.
348.
Photo: Victim - Music -
349.
Alvarez declares: Alvarez: I say hello to my mum and dad
and my sisters, my wife of
course, my sweetheart.
350.
Photo: Victim - Music -
351.
Shively declares: Shively: I'd like to say hello to my
mother and father and tell
them that I love them very
much and that I miss them
very much and for them not
to worry about me, that I am
being treated well, that I am
healthy, that I am fed well
and that I am confident that
some day I will be able to
return and we will be able to
return to our normal lives
that we had once before.
352.
Photo: Victim - Music -
353.
Ringsdorf declares: Ringsdorf: I don't really know what to
say except I miss her mvery
much and I hope to be home
soon.
354.
Photo: Victim - Music -
355.
Torkelson declares: X: If you look in this camera
there is a real chance that
your wife will see these
pictures, we'll take care of
that.
Torkelson: I'd just like to say that I'm
all right now, very well
taken care of and I hope that
you don't worry too much
about me. I think that
when the war is over the
Vietnamese people will
release me and I hope that
you're doing fine and that
you'll hellp to comfort my
mother and father and don't
worry too much. I'll be home
in the near furture.
356.
Photo: Victim - Music -
357.
Abbott declares: X: Lieutenant Abbott, we are now
giving you a chance to greet
your wife. Do you wish to
make use of this opportunity?
Abbott: I'd just like to tell you, ah,
Lena, that I am allright, and
I'm fed well, and taken care
of good and that I shall be
home some day. Take real good
care of yourself, cause I'd
like to see you when I get
home.
358.
Photo: Victim - Music -
359.
Risner declares: X: Commander, you have the
opportunity to greet your
family with a few words. Do
you wish to make use of this
opportunity?
Risner: Yes, sir, I would. Kathleen
and Rob, Jeff, Carl, Timm and
Danny, I miss you very much
and, God willing, I'll
return.
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