Koppel, Panel Explore Conflict Journalism in South East Asia December 7
Press Release · Thursday, November 30, 2017

Washington, DC

Expert panel includes Ted Koppel, Terry Irving, Yasutsune Hirashiki, and Barrie Dunsmore

The National Archives hosts a special program on Conflict Journalism in South East Asia on Thursday, December 7, at 7 p.m. An expert panel will discuss the role of the TV journalism during the Vietnam War, and how this coverage influenced subsequent conflicts. This program is held in conjunction with the National Archives’ first-ever Vietnam War exhibit, Remembering Vietnam, which opened November 10, and runs through January 6, 2019.

News producer and author Terry Irving will moderate a discussion with Ted Koppel, journalist and former Nightline anchor; Yasutsune “Tony” Hirashiki, former ABC News cameraman for 40 years and author of On the Frontlines of the Television War: A Legendary War Cameraman in Vietnam; and Barrie Dunsmore, former ABC reporter reporter for 30 years and author of There and Back, Commentary by a Former Foreign Correspondent.  A book signing follows the program.  Reservations are recommended and can be made online.  

This event is free and open to the public.  It will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater and stream live on YouTube. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW.  The building is Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station.

Upcoming Remembering Vietnam-related events
All programs will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater.  Register online.

BOOK TALK:  Finally, A Parade for You: A Gift of Gratitude for the Military Men and Women Who Served Our Country During the Vietnam War
Wednesday, December 13, at noon
Author Molly Burton will discuss her book Finally, a Parade for You, a collection of mini-biographies of men and women who sacrificed their peaceful lives to serve their country during the Vietnam War. A book signing follows the program.  This event will stream live on YouTube.

FILM: From the Vaults: Remembering Vietnam
Thursday, December 14, at noon
We present the first in a series of archival selections from the National Archives’ motion picture holdings related to the war in Vietnam.  Today’s films will be Hidden War in Vietnam (1963; 30 mins.) and Why Vietnam? (1965; 31 minutes).

BOOK TALK:  1967: The Year of Fire and Ice
Friday, December 15, at noon
Professor Victor Brooks takes us back 50 years and explores how the year 1967 -- a year of dramatic change -- affected the lives of 200 million Americans in everything from support for the expanding war in Vietnam and the first Super Bowl to the beginning of the 1968 Presidential campaign and the “Summer of Love.” A book signing follows the program.  This event will stream live on YouTube.

BOOK TALK:  Vietnam: The Tet Offensive
Thursday, January 25, at 7 p.m.
Dr. Erik B. Villard and a panel will discuss the Tet offensive and Villard’s book, Combat Operations: Staying the Course, September 1967–October 1968.  The panel will explore the year when the Viet Cong and their North Vietnamese allies embarked on a new and more aggressive strategy that shook the foundations of South Vietnam and forced the United States to reevaluate its military calculations in Southeast Asia. A book signing follows the program.  This event will stream live on YouTube.

Remembering Vietnam is presented in part by the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family, Pritzker Military Museum & Library, AARP, FedEx Corporation, and the National Archives Foundation. Additional support provided by the Maris S. Cuneo Foundation, The Eliasberg Family Foundation, Inc., and HISTORYⓇ.                                              

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