The Scarlet and Black. April 1t. 1976—31. 5

visitors

I . .
Americans surprise French TV crew

byDougSchult:

Those who listened to George
Ball’s consciousness trickle iorth
Monday night might have noticed a

‘ rather small man prowling around
‘with a rather large, imposing
camera perched on his shoulder.
Other students have reported
‘foreign individuals with the same
camera and other paraphernalia
attracting undue attention to
normally commonplace things,
such as people, buildings and
‘ churches

The Frenchmen said they
thought Americans would be more
concerned about it, They said that
some interviewees were surprised
to learn (and the crew was Surs
prised that they were surprised)
that it has been only one year.

“They think it’s already been two
or three years over," Dominik
said.

it Vietnam did not appear to the
visitors to be on the American

E

“ . . . Americans made two mistakes

in Vietnam. The first was to go,

‘

the second was to come bac .”

—

it

But that is exactly what they

were supposed to be doing—“C’est

a dire" as they would sayiseeking

.nut American daily life, even it it

_ includes an occasional Visit by a

distinguished diplomat. And yes,
they were French

“They" are members oi a
French television tilm crew in the
us. documenting American “day
to day lite” as it appears “one year
after Vietnam H

The particular Zscminute
segment of a regular FrCncn
celevision feature entitled “Cost 3
. ire" (‘And so... ." or “lhat is to
say .."l which they are shooting is
scheduled to air April 28, two days
before the anniversary ofthe fall of

igon, Thus their leader, Jacques,

icided that the crew would try to
ind out ivhat the American people
are thinking and what they are
remembering about Vietnam, as
well as portraying everyday
American life.

They are one or many French
iilm teams in die us. making
stories about the bicentennial, they
explained. Most have a French
angleistories about Laiayette, or
Jean LaFitte or L’Eniant. the

*signer oi Washington, no,

So, what are Americans
nking? Have they forgotten
nam7 lnterviewmg Americans
g through the White House in
Washington, they found tourists
responding to Vietnam with “It's
over,” and other surprisingly short
answers, they said. “They don’t
‘i/ant to talk about it," said the
small one, Dominik.

GLASSES

Mode and Repaired
In Our laboratory

Contact Lenses

Eyes Examined
Phone 236—7502

EJ. Jensen, 0.0.

OPTOM E'I'RIS'I'

Across from Post Office
Closed Thursday p.m.
and Sat. p.m.

conscience as a whole, they found
it “important" to the minds oi two
Iowa veterans to whom they
taliicd

According to the crew's im-
pressions, the war seemed to both
veterans a verv personal ex
perience and a waste of time, One
who they characterized as ”not
intellectual, but open minded,”
said that his one year stint was a
waste oi time, but he is now more
open to the international problems
and is ”sure that there isn’t only a
good and a bad side.“ a wrong and
a right. they said

Another vet emphasized that
Americans made two mistakes in
Vietnam The iirst was to go, the
second was to come hack. He ielt
that if one starts something, one
must finish it, they said

Asked how the French leel about
Vietnam, Jacques said, “The
French have a good conscience
because they think it is an
American problem now, but they
iorget that they started it.” He said
there was some bitterness or
disappointment about “the end "

The crew’s stop in Grinnell was
part oi their visit to middle
America and particularly to
American iarms Their questions
to iaimers, they said, were by no
means limited to Vietnam, but
more about “the technical
problemsoiiarming,oitheirhopes
tor the iuture, about the ‘grain
deal’ and the embargo.” “C’est a
dire," day to day lite

Besides tilming Ball at the
European conterenee Monday
night, the crew was on campus to
talk with a student about
students~their attitudes. goals,
problems and what they are trying
to reach in ’76. They were par
ticularly interested in iinding a
French speaking student, so they
could have some undubbcd iootage
tor their French viewers They
happened upon Mark Krivchenia in
French House.

Told that they were interested in
“America atter Vietnam."
Krivchenia preiaeed his comments
by explaining how students' at-

IiHle murders are

coming

After An Evening At The
Game or With The Books—
Why Not Treat Yourself
To Something Special?

Treat Yourself To A
Cold Michelob.

It’s Worth It!

*ttltlltlw

*»

MICHELOBt

It's an unexpected pleasure.

titudes have changed since the
war He said the crew was quite
surprised to learn that Grinnell
was a strong center ior
“radicalism” and antiwar protest
in the 60's

trom the war experience, “there's
no challenge to the system,
whereas in the [50’s there were
actual threats to the system,” he
told them

“No longer any agitation from
the war experience, “there’s no

challenge to the system whereas

in the 60’s there were actual

threats to the system . . . ’ ”
——

Krivchenia also told the iilm
crew that Grinnell students in
general were now apolitical, with
more economic and individual
concerns and even “a good deal oi
cyniClsm.”

Krivchenia told the Frenchmen
that the change in students’ at
iitudes related to the phasing out. of
the war. No longer any agitation

lie called Vietnam a mistake
also. but one that people have
learned a great deal from,

The crew iound their way to the
golden buckle oi the corn belt
through the United States lns
iormation Agency, which con-
tacted ‘Grinnell 'Heralchegister
publisher Albert J. Finder, The
agency specializes in aiding
ioreign journalists in the U 5.

THE COLORADO COLLEGE SUMMER SESSION

luneuio August6,1975

NINE UNDERGRADUATE INS'I’lTUTES

Emsyslems oi the Pikes Peak Region:
Plilns-Moniane Geology-Ecology
Field Studies

Urban Studies: Cities In Transition

Photography: Technique, Creativity,
c one

An: in the Arena-

rilm: An Undergraduate Immersion
The Conversation 0! Man

Studies in Humanities,

Srllnle and Social Science

The United states as a

Atrhiterture, En burnout and Society Developing Nation

Myth and weslun Culture

Organiled in Cooperation with Grinnell and Knox Colleges. Each Institute
includes a series at integraied courxes in which students earn nine semester

credits, Frequent lectures by dist
ueni research are included

ed speualisls, held trips and indepens

COMPLETE LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULUM

Southwest studies lnslitule:
South uy Southwest

"any: notni Sdloal ot Dance
Onera neural and Workshop

WIIYE: summer senton, loom HEM, color-do College, Colorado spring, coin. 109113

 

