Intertel; 1; The Quiet War

thumbnail of Intertel; 1; The Quiet War
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Series
Intertel
Episode Number
1
Episode
The Quiet War
Producing Organization
Associated-Rediffusion
Contributing Organization
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
Thirteen WNET (New York, New York)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-75-558czfzf
NOLA Code
ITTL
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Description
Episode Description
This hour-long documentary concerns the southern half of a nation torn in two, a tiny Asian nation located on the edge of the Bamboo Curtain. Here, war has gone on longer than in any other place in the world. An Associated Rediffusion Ltd. unit spent nine weeks in South Vietnam filming materials to illustrate the tragedies of this "quiet" war.
Series Description
Intertel, a dramatic breakthrough in the dissemination of ideas and cultural exchange through television, was conceived in November 1960. Five television broadcasters in the four major English-speaking nations joined to form the International Television Federation, to be known as Intertel, the first such international organization. The participants were Associated Rediffusion, Ltd. of Great Britain, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and for the United States, the National Educational Television and Radio Center and the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company. Intertel produced on a bi-monthly basis hour-long documentaries on important world topics, inaugurating a global television production agency dedicated to the creation of programs of substance and meaning.John F. White, President of NET, called Intertel "more than a fusion of the creative talents of the organizations involved in producing television programs of outstanding merit. It is a step forward to world understanding," he added. "I believe that the exchange of documentaries, while of great significance in the vastness of the mutual understanding in it can foster, is but the first step in a regular exchange of all forms of programming." Donald H. McGannon, President of WBC, hailed the new organization as "a pool of the technical and creative ability and knowledge of all the groups which will extend the international horizons of television in all aspects. This is the first practical step, after years of talking and hoping, toward the creation and use of international television for cultural exchange and an effective weapon for peace." By having observers examine topics far removed from their everyday assignments, Intertel gives viewers a fresh viewpoint. The founder members indicated that by dubbing these programs in foreign languages and making them available to all nations, they hoped television companies in Europe, Asia and South America will eventually join this unique project.The supervisory committee for the United States programming segments consists of Mr. McGannon and Mr. White; Richard M. Pack, WBC Vice President - Programming; and Robert Hudson, NET Vice President for Programming. Intertel came into formal being November 14, 1960, in a special meeting in Vancouver, B.C., and the culmination of plans for such an association which has been under way for a long time. John McMilliam of Associate Rediffusion, was named contemporary Coordinating Officer at that time. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Description
This hour-long documentary concerns the southern half of a nation torn in two, a tiny Asian nation located on the edge of the Bamboo Curtain. Here, war has gone on longer than in any other place in the world. An Associated Rediffusion Ltd. unit spent nine weeks in South Vietnam filming materials to illustrate the tragedies of this quiet war. In 1954 nobody gave South Vietnam more than a few months to live. But President Ngo Dinh Diem worked a kind of miracle. Through his own shrewd handling of affairs and enormous United States aid, his nation survived. And yet now, though there is quiet at the line that divides the country from communist-controlled North Vietnam, at least sixty people a week are being killed by terrorists in other areas of South Vietnam. Much of this documentary is directly concerned with South Vietnams fight with the Viet Cong, but The Quiet War also tells the story of the people who live in the little country their work, their play, and their worship. In particular it focuses on Mr. and Mrs. No (pronounced N) and children, a family of warmth and charm. Viewers of the program will get a picture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam and the Paris of the East, with its wide boulevards thronged with mollusk-hatted, chattering people. They will see vendors carrying their back-breaking, balanced baskets and announcing their hot soup with the traditional clickety-click of hollowed wood. They will see tradesmen selling live geese and wriggling octopi in the markets. Then they will be taken a mile outside the city where they will come upon sugar cane fields that may be hiding terrorists, bridges and railway lines guarded by watchful soldiers, and overturned vehicles lying idly in ditches the work of terrorists who struck the night before.
Broadcast Date
1961-06-04
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Documentary
Topics
Public Affairs
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:54:59.997
Credits
Producing Organization: Associated-Rediffusion
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-0f706fec537 (Filename)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
Thirteen - New York Public Media (WNET)
Identifier: cpb-aacip-2c9baeb3910 (Filename)
Format: 16mm film
Duration: 00:52:20
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Citations
Chicago: “Intertel; 1; The Quiet War,” 1961-06-04, Library of Congress, Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed May 19, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-558czfzf.
MLA: “Intertel; 1; The Quiet War.” 1961-06-04. Library of Congress, Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. May 19, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-558czfzf>.
APA: Intertel; 1; The Quiet War. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-558czfzf