Agents Unknown 2019
Distributed by Cow Lamp Films
Produced by Leonard Hyman and David Reiter
Directed by Michael Reiter
Streaming, color, 67 mins
High School - General Adult
History; Military; Vietnam War
Date Entered: 11/21/2019
Reviewed by Michael Fein, Coordinator of Library Services, Central Virginia Community College, Lynchburg, VAThis fascinating and well-produced documentary is an interview with John Murphy about his experiences in Vietnam in 1967. Working as an advisor, analyst, and operative for the U.S. Army, the CIA, and working with the intelligence services of South Vietnam he presents a look inside the boots on the ground work of intelligence which will eventually become policy.
His story is not very pretty and shows how deceit, self-deception, false assumptions, and a bureaucratic mindset can quickly lead to a report becoming bad intelligence which goes from the ground to the highest levels and becomes bad policy. This has happened throughout all human history as there is always the motivation for reports to become what the boss wants to hear rather than what the boss needs to hear. No one wants to bring bad news to the boss and in a bureaucracy, this is increased by magnitudes.
Using the interview with Murphy as the narrative, the production uses contemporary footage, archival footage, photo stills, scans of newspaper articles and documents, and other visual and aural recordings to present his reminiscences of his service.
No technical flaws were found in this production. Sound, picture quality, and incidental background music were all well done.