The Paper Curtain
- Program
- The Paper Curtain
- Producing Organization
- WXXI (Television station : Rochester, N.Y.)
- Contributing Organization
- The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip-526-416sx65612
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- Description
- Program Description
- "'The Paper Curtain' examines the McCarran-Walter Act, passed in 1952, at the height of the McCarthy Era. The Act allows the government to exclude foreigners wishing to visit the United States based on the alien's political beliefs and affiliations. "Despite a presidential veto by Harry Truman, congress passed the Act, and it stands today as a living legacy to McCarthy-era xenophobia. Proponents of the Act claim it is a necessary tool to insure national security. Critics claim the Act is used to restrict the free flow of information and ideas from controversial people, and violates the spirit of the First Amendment. "When a distinguished foreigner is denied a visa to enter the U.S. there is often a flurry of news coverage. This was the case with Farley Mowat, the Canadian naturalist and more recently with Patricia Lara, the Columbian journalist. Sometimes the McCarran-Walter Act is mentioned, often it is not. Even if the Act is mentioned it is quickly forgotten. "'The Paper Curtain' was, as far as we could determine, the first documentary to take an in-depth look at the McCarran-Walter Act, the historical perspective in which it was passed, and the way in which it affects foreigners and Americans today."--1986 Peabody Awards entry form.This documentary examines the legacy of the McCarran-Walter Act, which allows the U.S. government to deny foreigners visiting the United States based on their political beliefs and opinions. Canadian writer and environmentalist Farley Mowat discusses his experience of being denied entrance to the United States under the McCarran-Walter Act, and a representative from Immigration Services talks about why he was denied entry and how he could have entered. The narrator gives a brief explanation of the passage of the act and what it allows the government to do. Several government officials and law experts discuss the act. Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes talks about his many run-ins with the McCarran-Walter Act, and a book publisher discusses his frustration with the McCarren-Walter Act. Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez also talks about being denied entrance to the United States, and American writer William Styron discusses his opposition to the McCarran-Walter Act. Italian playwright Dario Fo and actress Franca Rame talk about being denied a visa for the Broadway debut of one of Fo's plays, and the producer of the play discusses how the absence of Fo negatively impacted the production. Roy Cohn talks about Fo's play and political views. Hortensia Allende shares her experience with being denied a visa and her opposition to U.S. policies. The narrator and legal officials discuss a recent amendment to the McCarran-Walter Act. Former NATO General Nino Pasti shares his opposition to U.S. nuclear policies and his opinion of the Act. The narrator discusses the opinion of some that the McCarran-Walter Act violates the Helsinki Accords. Finally, the narrator talks about efforts to change the McCarran-Walter Act.
- Broadcast Date
- 1986-01-16
- Asset type
- Program
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
-
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Producing Organization: WXXI (Television station : Rochester, N.Y.)
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the
University of Georgia
Identifier: cpb-aacip-1a87eb8fdd5 (Filename)
Format: U-matic
Duration: 0:57:47
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- Citations
- Chicago: “The Paper Curtain,” 1986-01-16, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 26, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-416sx65612.
- MLA: “The Paper Curtain.” 1986-01-16. The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 26, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-416sx65612>.
- APA: The Paper Curtain. Boston, MA: The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-416sx65612