The following list of videotapes consists of titles in the American University Library's Media Services collection. These are primarily documentaries and feature films on the media coverage and depiction of war and war-related topics such as antiwar movements and the manipulation of public opinion.

Berkeley in the sixties. 1991. 1 videocassette (117 min.). Captures the events of the 1960's - the birth of the Free Speech Movement, civil rights marches, anti-Vietnam War protests, the counter-culture, the women's movement, and the rise of the Black Panthers - in all their immediacy and passion. Archival footage is inter-woven with present-day (1991) interviews and 18 songs from the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, the Band, and many others to present a history of Berkeley, California, in the 1960s.  VHS 1088

Bugs & Daffy: The wartime cartoons. Orig. 1943-5. 1 videocassette (ca. 80 min.). When the U.S. entered World War II, Warner Bros. immediately signed up their top talents -- Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck -- to take on the enemy.  Film historian Leonard Maltin narrates this vintage collection of eleven rarely seen wartime cartoons which kept morale high among homefront and military audiences. The Weakly Reporter: spoofs rubber shortages, scrap drives and food rationing -- Draftee Daffy: Daffy fights to escape the "little man from the draft board" -- Super-Rabbit: Bugs takes on the enemy in Europe -- Fifth Column Mouse: A household cat tricks a mouse into betraying the other mice into his clutches, with interesting results -- Falling Hare: Bugs tackles a pesky gremlin during a zany flight in a sabotaged airplane -- Daffy the Commando: Daffy personally bops Der Fuhrer with a mallet. Swooner Crooner: Porky Pig gets his chickens to lay eggs for victory with the help of a Crosby-like crooner -- Little Red Riding Rabbit: Granny is working for Lockheed and Bugs must contend with the wicked wolf -- Plane Daffy: Daffy fights the Nazis and must resists a spy se-duck-tress" -- Herr Meets Hare: Bugs heckles Nazi officer Hermann Goering -- Russian Rhapsody: Hitler is hijacked by "gremlins from the Kremlin.".  VHA 3428

Chicago 1968. 1995. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Explores the atmosphere surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Insight into factors contributing to events is provided through interviews with writers, politicians, anti-war activists and historians. VHS 3729

Counterfeit coverage. 1992. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Explores how the Kuwaiti government, over a 6-month period, uses one of the biggest public relations firms in America, Hill and Knowlton, to wage an unprecedented media campaign entitled "Citizens of a free-Kuwait" to argue the case for war.  VHS 2056

Crucible of empire: The Spanish-American War. 1999. 1 videocassette (60 min. each). Examines the colorful characters and historic events surrounding this 100-year-old war and its relevance through the 20th century. Using reenactments, interviews with noted authors and popular historians, and more than a dozen newly arranged popular songs from the period, Crucible of empire looks at the influence of race, economics, new technologies and the news media on America's decision to go to war.  VHS 6732

Faces of the enemy. 1987. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Examines the psychology of hatred and war. Shows how those considered to be enemies must first be dehumanized in order to justify destroying them. Looks at propaganda, political cartoons, posters and slanted news reports. Examples include how Japan, America, and Russia create and disseminate images of their enemies.  VHS 5397

Foreign alliances and misalliances. The Presidency and the Constitution. 1987. 2 videocassettes (120 min.). A group of national leaders are led through a variety of hypothetical cases. (1) An ally of the U. S. is under siege in his own country. What are the choices? (2) The ally has fallen and a Communist insurgency group takes over. This program explores questions of covert activity and appropriate oversight, leaks to the press and the power to make war. VHS 336

George Bush & the media: Is the honeymoon finally over? 1990. 1 videocassette (81 min.). The panelists discuss the evolution of relations between President George H. W. Bush and the media. Despite a lack of hard news, relations were cordial, even with a tax increase, until the Iraq-Kuwait crisis that led to the Persian Gulf War. VHS 2278

Hearts and minds. 1974. 1 videocassette (112 min.). This Academy-Award-winning documentary examines the American consciousness that led to involvement in Vietnam.  VHS 32

Homefront USA. Vietnam, a television history. 1983. 1 videocassette (59 min.). Series analyzes the costs and consequences of the Vietnam War using archival footage and interviews with participants on all sides of the conflict. This segment explains how the years of heavy U.S. involvement in Vietnam, 1965-1973, changed America. Tells how the country polarized into hawks and doves, and portrays the interplay between the reporting of events, public opinion and policymaking.  VHS 1181

The Iraq campaign 1991: A television history in color. 1992. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Filmmaker Phil Patiris condensed 750 hours of film into a satirical pastiche of short clips, Desert Storm events, news reports, Superbowl clips, advertisements, the Rodney King beating, and war and science fiction movies to show how American commercialism and sports hype influenced the public attitude toward the Gulf War. VHS 1828

Jang aur aman = War and peace. 2002. 2 videocassettes (147 min.). "Filmed over three tumultuous years in India, Pakistan, Japan and the United States, after the 1998 nuclear tests on the Indian subcontinent ... [it] documents the contemporary, epic journey of peace activism in the face of religious militarism and war .... [It] examines the militarization of India, it analyzes the human cost that is extracted from its citizens in the name of 'national security' .... [It] slips seamlessly from its analysis of homemade jingoism to focus on how an aggressive United States has become a foreign relations role model.  The unofficial U.S. doctrine of 'might makes right' is only too well emulated by aspiring Third World elites"--Container. VHS 7158

Kent State: The day the war came home. 2001? 1 videocassette (47 min.). This program looks back on the reasons for the violent attack on anti-Vietnam-war student demonstrators on the Kent State University campus in 1970. Shows the build-up of the protest against the Vietnam War, especially by the youth of the country and the Black Panthers, and follows the stories of the four students who were killed by National Guardsmen. Includes interviews with former students who witnessed the events including a wounded student-activist, a now paralyzed student, a former National Guardsman and a sociology professor. VHS 6686

The killing fields. 1985. 1 videocassette (142 min.). Feature film based on a true story. Dith Pran is an aid, translator and friend of two journalists who are covering the war in Cambodia.  He is eventually exiled to the labor camps in Cambodia's countryside, where he endures four years of starvation, torture and war before escaping to Thailand.  DVD 1874, HOME USE COLLECTION VHS 168

Know your enemy-- Japan. Orig. 1945. 1 videocassette (63 min.). This inflammatory piece of propaganda was intended to incite U.S. troops during WWII but wasn't released until August 1945 and then quickly withdrawn weeks later at the war's end. It purports to explain how the religious, political, cultural, and economic history of Japan led to its becoming a belligerent world power.  VHS 3436

The Language of war. 1993. 1 videocassette (29 min.). The program examines the use of "doublespeak," especially by the  military, in misleading language such as Dept. of Defense rather than Dept. of  War, "permanent pre-hostility" (i.e., peace), "air support" (i.e., bombing), "kinetic energy penetrators" (i.e., bullets); also undefined phrases such as "body count" and "national security."  The result is a misperception and, ultimately, cynicism when the public feels that officials lie. VHS 2305

Making the news fit. 1987. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Uses the civil war in El Salvador as an example to show that the news media often reported only information which the Reagan administration wanted the nation to know. Cites remarks from such people as a former CIA analyst, a journalism professor, and reporters who remember situations in El Salvador differently than what was originally reported in the media.  VHS 2979

Media coverage of Persian Gulf events. American forum. 1990. 1 videocassette (81 min.). The panelists discuss the coverage of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Since it was not then a shooting war, it had become a propaganda war. However, the media did not present all views and usually failed to put the crisis into a historical or cultural context. VHS 1777

The Media in the Iraq war. America's defense monitor. 1991. 1 videocassette (29 min.). Following a background report on the assumed legacies of the Vietnamese Conflict and the invasion of Grenada, Sanford Gottlieb interviews Pete Williams, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, and Newsweek correspondent Dave Hackworth, a retired colonel and veteran of both Korea and Vietnam. They express opposing views about the relations between the military and the press in the Persian Gulf War. Was the coverage accurate? What is the proper balance between security and censorship?  Was the press denied access?  Must the military "sell" war to the public? VHS 1535

The Military and the news media. 1985. 2 videocassettes (180 min.). Discussion by leading representatives of the military and the news media about the conflicts between the military's need for secrecy about its operations and the needs of the press when faced with restrictions or censorship of material which they feel the American public should know. Hypothetical situations are used to promote discussion and demonstrate the tensions between the two groups.  VSH 5390 Pts. 1-2

No man's land: Women front line journalists. 1994. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Profiles members of a truly rare breed -- women war correspondents. The film focuses on Janine di Giovanni, an American reporter who covers Sarajevo for London's Sunday Times, and Lyse Doucet who covers the "forgotten war" in Afghanistan for the BBC. As they and others such as Clare Hollingworth, Maggie O"Kane, Kate Adie, Ann Median and Martha Teichner speak of their experiences and personal sacrifices, many common traits are revealed. Paints a gripping portrait of women who have staked places in a traditionally male profession.  VHS 4584

The Panama deception. 1993. 1 videocassette (91 min.). Offers a view of the invasion of Panama that was not given by the American media. Presents evidence of mass burials of civilian casualties and internment of homeless civilians, which was concealed by the U.S. military or went unreported. Also claims to reveal Pres. Bush's "secret agenda" behind the invasion: to keep U.S. military bases in Panama after the year 2000 in defiance of canal treaties. VHS 2662

The Press at war: Coverage of the Gulf. American forum. 1991. 1 videocassette (82 min.). The panelists discuss the coverage of the Persian Gulf War. Though the coverage is extensive, does it reflect objective and factual reporting or a heavy reliance on government sources?  A question and answer session followed the presentations.  VHS 1760

Private Snafu. 1942-5. 1 videocassette (70 min.). These short cartoons were used as training aids during World War II to stress diligence, alertness, discretion, preparedness and the importance of every role whether in the military or on the home front. In keeping with his name (Snafu was a military acronym for "Situation normal, all fucked up") Private Snafu gets into scrapes and dangerous situations.  VHS 3443

Reporting from the hot spots. 2000. 1 videocassette (15 min.). Features reporters who report from war zones and other dangerous "hot spots," and countries where democracy and freedom of the press do not exist. VHS 7121

Salvador. 1986. 1 videocassette (122 min.). Feature film version of real events that occurred in 1980-81. Correspondent Richard Boyle (James Woods), veteran war photojournalist, is sent to capture the bloodshed and brutality of the war in El Salvador on film. He witnesses some of the darkest moments in the history of Salvador. Directed by Oliver Stone. VHS 1851

Sarajevo ground zero: SAGA's films of crime & resistance, produced under siege 1992-1993. 1993. 1 videocassette (53 min.). This documentary from SAGA, the multi-ethnic filmmakers of Sarajevo, documents the destruction and resistance in that city.  Includes clips from films made by SAGA members.  VHS 2876

The Spanish American War: Birth of a super power. 1998. 1 videocassette (100 min.). "As a war, it was small, nasty and suspicious. As news, it was godsend ... revealing look at the power of the press and its often problematic influence in the real world, where reporters can be as effective in spurring events as presenting them." Program looks at the [1898] war as it was "presented to people at that time through the accounts of newspapers nationwide ... [as the] forces, personalities and events of the war that secured America a place on the world stage are relived."  Uses archival photographs, newsreel footage and reenactments. Summary quotes taken from information on the History Channel webpage [http://historychannel.com].  VHS 5352

The story of G.I. Joe. Orig. 1945.  1 videocassette (108 min.). A gripping World War II drama based upon the newspaper columns of Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Ernie Pyle. VHS 7062

Toxic sludge is good for you: The public relations industry unspun. 2002. 1 videocassette (45 min.). Tracks the development of the PR industry from early efforts to win popular American support for World War I to the role of crisis management in controlling the damage to corporate image.  The video analyzes the tools public relations professionals use to shift our perceptions including a look at the coordinated PR campaign to slip genetically engineered food past public scrutiny.  VHS 7161

Under fire. 1983. 1 videocassette (ca. 127 min.). Feature film of the final days of Somoza's Nicaragua as witnessed and experienced by three American journalists. VHS 2968

Under orders, under fire. Ethics in America. 1988. 1 videocassette (120 min.). A panel of scholars, journalists, and leaders in government and public service discuss the moral responsibilities of officers, soldiers, and journalists in combat situations. In the first episode the panel considers what course of actions is demanded by loyalty to one's country, i.e. what are the general moral responsibilities of officers, soldiers, and journalists in combat situations? The panelists are asked to respond to a situation of desertion under fire and asked to discuss whether a soldier has the duty to follow orders no matter what. In the second episode they consider the ethics of confidentiality and explore the moral issues involved in the treatment of prisoners of war, the confidentiality of military actions including possible atrocities, the responsibilities of journalists reporting from combat zones, and the use of tactical nuclear weapons. The panelists are asked to respond to a situation of a chaplain hearing a soldier confess to a military atrocity.  VHS 602-3

Vietnam: The war at home. 1986. 1 videocassette (ca. 100 min.). The evolvement of the anti-Vietnam war movement at the University of Wisconsin is used as a microcosm of the national protest movement throughout the 60s and 70s, showing how the anti-war movement grew as a genuine people's revolt and how American foreign policy and American values at home were challenged and changed. The postscript describes the reception of the original film "The war at home.".  VHS 2469

Why Vietnam? Historic film classics: Historic film classics (Chicago, Ill.). Orig. 1965. 1 videocassette (33 min.). Presents the official U.S. government rationale used in 1965 to justify our involvement in Vietnam citing the "domino theory" and the idea that "aggression unchallenged is aggression unleashed."  Opening with a speech by President Johnson intending to enlist support for the war, the film shifts to a series of images equating the threat of Communism with that of the Third Reich. Can be useful in explaining the cold war context of this war and in examining governmental techniques of persuasion.  VHS 7163

The World is a dangerous place: Images of the enemy on children's television. 1989. 1 videocassette (13 min.). Focuses on the negative effects, which seemingly innocent war cartoons could have on healthy child development.  Examines the psychological and physical characteristics portrayed that provide the basis which can breed fear and hatred and the stereotypes of heroes and enemies.  VHS 1619

The Year of living dangerously. 1983. 1 videodisc or 1 videocassette (115 min.). Set in Indonesia during the 1965 coup d'etat against President Sukarno. Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson), an ambitious Australian reporter on his first overseas assignment, is befriended by a short Eurasian cameraman Billy Swan (Hunt playing in male drag) with connections in high places.  Hamilton soon gains an entrée to the rebel leaders, as well as insight into Jakarta's grim realities. Sigourney Weaver plays Jill Bryant, a British attache, with whom Hamilton pursues a romance.  VHS 1931 and DVD 295

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