Using striking archive and war footage in support of interviews with veterans, scientists, attorneys, the U.S. Air Force, the Veterans Administration, Dow Chemical and more; this film documents the extraordinary history of chemical warfare, agricultural herbicides, damage to the world environment, and the plight of Vietnam veterans and their families as they struggle for treatment of exposure to Agent Orange and dioxin.
As soldiers return from new wars plagued by illness, disability and post-traumatic stress, as citizens question leaders’ decisions, as fresh environmental catastrophes evoke debate about accountability; it is critical to illuminate struggles and lessons from the past. Every issue raised in this film resonates in today’s classroom.
The many DVD extras include witnesses to the environmental effects in Vietnam, legal and veterans' perspectives today, artists' responses to the legacy of Agent Orange and more.
This powerful documentary, featuring rare archival footage and interviews with government officials, industry executives, academic scientists, and U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War, uncovers the moral, legal, and public health implications of the largest episode of chemical warfare in the history of armed conflict.
David Zierler, Ph.D., Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
For over a decade, I have taught the Agent Orange story as a case study to a generation of students unaware of the public health and environmental damages of this tragic episode in our shared history. Vietnam: The Secret Agent is a powerful work that needs to be seen by all.
Greg Möller, Ph.D. Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, University of Idaho
Resource Web Sites
PDF or PPT- Agent Orange Historic Timeline 1984 to present
This timeline covers the principal judicial, legislative and scientific events related to the chemical Agent Orange, which have taken place since 1984 to the present.
