Hearts and Minds CollectionPapers, [1970-74]
2 cartons, 1 video tape
Processed: July 2005
By: Erin O’Brien & Dale Freeman
Accession number: 104-08
PROVENANCE
The Hearts and Minds collection was donated to the Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences and the Archives and special Collections Department of the Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston by director Peter Davis on September 13, 2004. A copy of the film was added to the collection for added reference in September of 2005.
HISTORY
The documentary Hearts and Minds is of great importance to the cultural history of the Vietnam War. This film does not merely feature the factual opinions of important political figures of the time: it is an important cultural examination of the formation and internalization of political beliefs.
In 1974, Hearts and Minds won the Academy Award for best documentary film. This controversial film, along with producer Bert Schneider’s decision to read a telegram from the Viet Cong in his acceptance speech, caused a commotion at the award ceremony. The granting of such a prestigious award to a film that openly criticized the actions of the American government angered two of the Oscars’ conservative presenters, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope. The two immediately drafted a disclaimer which Sinatra presented to the audience. “We are not responsible for any political references made on the program, and we are sorry that they had to take place this evening.” The disclaimer angered those who supported the film with actress and co-host Shirley MacLaine stating, “I’m a member of the academy and you didn’t ask me.”
The research and interviews for the project are expansive. Director Peter Davis interviewed not only influential political figures of the period like Clark Clifford, Tony Russo, Walt Whitman Rostow, Daniel Ellsberg, General Nguyen Huu Co, and General William Westmoreland, but he sought out opinions of soldiers, veterans, civilians and Vietnamese.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
This collection documents the creation of the Hearts and Minds documentary. Within the two cartons are the transcripts of the interviews collected by Peter Davis, some with notes written in the margins. The collection also includes research done by the producers including notes on other Vietnam War films and on collections of clips from existing footage for use in Hearts and Minds.
The collection was copied onto archival paper due to the fragile and unstable condition of the originals.
The records have been arranged into two series:
I. Transcripts from the original interviews conducted for the project II. Research for the film and other film information
SERIES
I. The copied transcripts of Peter Davis’s interviews in this series form the bulk of the collection. Parts of some of these interviews appear in the final film, some of the interviews do not appear in the film at all. Hand-written director/producer notes can be seen on many of the transcripts. The series is in alphabetical order by interviewee’s name.
II. This series consists of research for the film, cut transcripts, film transcripts, and reel listings. It includes notes on other films documenting the Vietnam War. It also contains transcripts of speeches and television appearances by important political figures as Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. Stock footage lists and records are also a part of this series. In these folders are references to previously existing footage that had significance for the film.
Series I. Box 1 Folder and Title
1. Abzug, Bella 2. American Revolution 3. Arlington National Cemetery 4. Ball, George 5. Banquet in Saigon 6. Betty – Squaw Dance 7. Bidault Interview 8. Bien Hoa Army 9. Bill – Truck Driver 10. 10. Boy in Hospital 11. 11. Charlie and Jerry – G.I.s in massage parlor 12. 12. Charlie and Jerry – G.I.s in bar 13. 13. Chau, Diem – newspaper editor 14. 14. Clifford, Clark 15. 15. Co, Gen. Nguyen Huu – former S.V. foreign minister 16. 16. Coffin Maker 17. 17. Coker, Lt. Thomas – homecoming 18. 18. Coker (con’t & partial) 19. 19. Coker (talks to school kids) 20. 20. Concord, MA – Emerson parade 21. 21. Country club and barbeque 22. 22. Custer battlefield 23. 23. Detroit rap group 24. 24. Devillier – French historian/journalist 25. 25. Duong, Binh – wise man 26. 26. Dvorshak, Kay – Bob Muller’s girl 27. 27. Eddie 28. 28. Eddie and Tom 29. 29. Ellison – Marine 30. 30. Ellsberg – 1/2 31. 31. Ellsberg – 2/2 32. 32. Ellsberg – additional 33. 33. Ellsberg – second interview 34. 34. Ellsberg at Fairleigh Dickenson 35. 35. Ellsberg at garden party 36. 36. Football game/locker room – Elaine’s transcript 37. 37. G.I.s on the street 38. 38. Holder, Stan – Kiowa warrior, Vietnam vet 39. 39. Home with honor – Cardinal Cooke 40. 40. Indians – Computer (Dr. Westphal) 41. 41. Ling, Ngyun Noc 42. 42. Loan (Prostitute with son from American G.I.) 1/2 43. 43. Loan (con’t) 2/2 44. 44. Man in bombed-out house 45. 45. Man with hoe 46. 46. Mount Rushmore 47. 47. Muller, Bob – Vietnam vet 48. 48. N. Vietnamese man in front of house 49. 49. Old man at Phu Cuong 50. 50. Old man – bombed out 51. 51. Placitus 52. 52. Province chief at home 53. 53. Province chief in front of house 54. 54. Province chief at rifle training center 55. 55. Quang Nam funeral 56. 56. Randy – Marine pilot 57. 57. Refugee camp – discussing ceasefire 58. 58. Risoto, John – Vietnam vet 59. 59. Robert 60. 60. Rostow, Walt Whitman – part 1 61. 61. Rostow, Walt Whitman – part 2
Box 2
62. 62. Russo, Tony 63. 63. Russo, Tony – on the street 64. 64. Salan, General 65. 65. Sau, Phong Van Ba 66. 66. Sequoia National Park 67. 67. Soldier 68. 68. Soldier and father (S. Vietnamese) 69. 69. Squaw dance – grandparents 70. 70. Squaw dance – translations 71. 71. Stash brothers interview 72. 72. Tan, Mr. O. Tra 73. 73. Taylor, Gen. and Khanh, Gen. – telephone conversation 74. 74. Tinh, Chan 75. 75. Trung, Le Chanh 76. 76. Two sisters/woman/lost child 77. 77. V.A. fitting room 78. 78. Vietnamese interviews – used in final film 79. 79. Village chief 80. 80. Village soldiers - putting up flag 81. 81. Westmoreland, Gen. William 82. 82. Woman with baby 83. 83. Wounded Knee 84. 84. Wounded South Vietnamese at Cong Hoa hospital 85. 85. Yellowstone
Series II. Folder and Title
1. Anti-Communist/Red Menace 2. Cut transcripts 3. Elaine’s transcript (LBJ) 4. Film transcript 5. Horrors – Army’s view of war 6. Inside North Vietnam, Felix Greene screening 7. Kennedy and Johnson eras 8. Malmer (Swedish film) 9. Movie clips 10. 10. Nixon and Eisenhower eras 11. 11. Reel listing and camera/tape rolls 12. 12. Stock footage list 13. 13. Stock footage records #1 14. 14. Stock footage records #2 15. 15. Stock footage records #3 16. 16. Stock footage records #4 17. 17. Vietnam films inventory
ACCESS: Open |
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