October Surprise: French National Archives Release 1968 TV Footage of McCain's Vietnam Captivity

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Run time: 04:33 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvcuEqGUwmc   Posted on YouTube: October 22, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: October 23, 2008 By DU Member: Amerigo Vespucci Views on DU: 2184

 
French Archives Release Footage of McCain's Vietnam Captivity
Footage from 1968 French TV documentary shows McCain interviewed as prisoner of war in Vietnam

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/22/french-archives-release-footage-mccains-vietnam-captivity/

The French national archive has released footage of John McCain as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, showing him lying injured in bed and smoking a cigarette during an emotional interview with a French reporter.

French reporter Francois Chalais conducted the interview. His widow says the online release this week of 4 minutes, 33 seconds of footage is the fullest distribution of the interview since it first aired four decades ago.

The video shows McCain shirtless and unshaven, smoking a cigarette. Answering questions from Chalais, he spoke about being shot down over Hanoi on Oct. 25, 1967, and parachuting into a lake.

At times, when speaking of his family, McCain's lower lip trembles and his voice breaks.

"I was on a flight over the city (Hanoi) ... and I was bombing and I was hit by a missile or anti-aircraft fire, I'm not sure which," he said, adding that his plane "went straight down."

After landing in the lake, McCain said he "was picked up and taken to the hospital, where I almost died."

In the interview, McCain said he was treated well by his Vietnamese captors. Asked about the food, he told his French interviewer, "It's not like Paris ... (but) I eat it."

The exact date of the interview is not clear, but it appeared to be taken in late 1967.

The French national audiovisual archive INA is posting the interview on its Web site, for one week. It was first broadcast on French television program Panorama in January 1968.

Mei Chen Chalais, the reporter's 56-year-old widow who holds the legal rights to the footage, told The Associated Press that some excerpts of the black-and-white footage are widely available -- mostly unauthorized -- in cyberspace, and have been used by television networks in France and the United States.

Her lawyers are seeking payment from at least seven broadcasters in France and the United States that used the footage without authorization, said one of her attorneys, Jacques-Georges Bitoun on Wednesday.

Even McCain's campaign Web site features a few seconds of the footage, which Chalais said was done without her approval. Chalais' lawyers have sent a letter on the rights issue to McCain's campaign team.

[shotten99]

1. Too little too late

People know he was a POW. I don't see this being a game changer.

[NoThirdBushTerm]

3. what?

He was a POW?!??! Why hasn't he campaigned on this???? /end sarcasm

Yes John, we all know you were in the military, and you got shot down, and were tortured. That is still not a free-pass to the white house.

Thank you for your service.

[DBoon]

4. no he wasn't tortured

under current US government guidelines, what the North Vietnamese did to him could not be defined as torture

/sarcasm

[psychopomp]

23. The American public will make up their own minds

The recitation of the details of his service and his status do not seem to support the view of John McCain as the stoic warrior. If nothing else, he looks quite ordinary and human in this regard. This video does nothing to lend support to the myth of the stalwart, 'heroic' McCain.

[rsdsharp]

2. I'm struck, when looking at that film,

by how different his eyes look. They appear blue, and the pupils are easily discernible. Today his eyes look jet black, and it's impossible to see the pupils. How is that possible? Is he wearing dark contacts, and if so, why?

[Gruenemann]

5. It's the Spice. n/t

[ProfessorPlum]

11. :)

Nice one.

[SemperEadem]

18. LOL!! Excellent!!!

Gotta rent that movie...

[Mme. Defarge]

6. Windows of the soul?

[FLyellowdog]

16. Would that explain all the blinking he does?

[greblc]

25. When he sold his soul to satan...

his eyes turned black.

[Union Thug]

7. It's a big "so what?" Really-who cares? n/t

[MrsBrady]

8. he's obviously in pain here

I don't wish anything bad for McCain. And too bad he had to go through this. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.


I just don't want him to be president.

[bobd0]

9. Vietnam Vets Against McCain tell a different story

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/

[Chichiri]

10. He looks like a decent guy. I wonder what happened to him.

[raysr]

12. He wasn't thinking of the hundreds

of women and children he was killing while bombing. So how is he to be pitied or respected for this? Some Republican said it not long ago, he knew the job was dangerous when he took it.

If he gets elected, I think there'll be a consenus that he shouldn't have been released from the "Hilton".

I have no pity or respect for him for his service, I did my time too, '68-'70, fuck you McCain.

October Surprise? Who wouldn't know about this as it's the backbone of his campaine, he's been milking being a POW his entire political career. He refused to be released because it wouldn't have looked good for his father. Besides, at the time, he didn't think it was going to be as long as it was.

Now that the door is open on his service let's talk about the many proaganda tapes he made for the NVA.

[kwolf68]

14. Good point

when something is won it comes with sacrifice
it's there beneath the joy, the glory and pride
rarely it's acknowledged but in positive light
consciously omitting the losers' plight

-Bad Religion, verse 2, Victims of the Revolution

[manray11]

22. I agree

His role in that despicable escapade should bring shame and certainly no honor.

[Harmonicaman]

13. Get used to seeing it...

Faux news will probably loop it and play it to death up to and including election day

[Tutankhamun]

15. He misses his wife until he dumps her.

[debbierlus]

17. This isn't new - this footage was on Frontline's special about the candidates - lots of clips

This has been out for over a week.

[EmilyAnne]

24. Yes. I saw it on Frontline, too. Maybe more than a months ago. n/t

[RainDog]

19. this footage demonstrates to me what a waste it was for the U.S. to be in Vietnam

I'm sorry that McCain and all others were pows. I'm sorry that villagers were murdered in cold blood. I'm sorry that the media failed to cover the anti-Vietnam War movement among the soldiers as noted in Sir, No Sir!

I'm sorry that LBJ lied about the Gulf of Tonkin, along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

I'm sorry that Dulles and Angleton used Nazis, via the Gehlen org, who found it in their best interests to lie about the threat that the Soviets were to America - and the resulting years of fear and MAD.

I'm sorry no one listened to Eisenhower warn about a permanent military/industrial complex that took over all of our national policy.

No matter what happened to McCain, his choice of Palin demonstrates CURRENT poor judgement and a disgusting pandering to the theocrats on the right. For this reason alone, voting for McCain would be a continuation of the horrible choices this nation made over decades.

[JNelson6563]

20. John McCain while he was still a human

I think that version of him died many years ago.

Julie

[manray11]

21. They obviously treated POW's really well...

McCain has a cigarette and doesn't look like he's missed a meal in his entire life and pretty healthy as POW's go.

[Sanity Claws]

26. He looks and sounds so scared

I also wondered about his eyes. Someone already pointed out that his eyes here look very blue. Now he looks like he has black eyes.