>> once again, the bright blue planet of earth rises over the lunar horizon. for those who had witnessed man's landing in the sea of tranquillity the moon would never again appear quite the same. july 24th, dawn in the pacific. apollo blazes across the heavens coming back to earth at 25,000

miles an hour. president richard nixon, who had talked with the astronauts by telephone while they were on the moon, was waiting aboard the recovery carrier to welcome the returning voyagers.kfín the president later expressed the nation's response to this historic mission. >> some way when those two americans stepped on the moon, the people of this world were

brought closer together. that it is that spirit, the spirit of "apollo," that america can now help to bring to our relations with other nations. the spirit of "apollo" transcends geographical barriers and political differences. it can bring the people of the world together in peace. >> to protect against any possible lunar contamination the astronauts put on airtight special garments before coming on board the rescue ship. they transferred directly from the helicopter to a mobile quarantine van in which they would be flown back to the manned aircraft center in

houston, texas. july 27th, the journey was ended. they were home again. ♪

ahead lay three weeks of isolation, medical tests and mission debriefings. then visits to major cities of america and abroad. the details of their unique mission would be relived and remembered so others might learn what they had learned and that future travellers in space might build upon their experience. ♪ the rock and soil samples brought back would be examined and analyzed by scientists in many lands. they would reveal new insights into the origin and age and the composition of the moon. and perhaps new knowledge of the earth, as well. already experiments left on the moon were sending back revealing new information.

the mission was successfully completed. "the eagle" had landed the first men on the moon and "columbia" had returned them safely to the earth. wherever man's journey tomorrow across the ocean of universe history will remind him that "apollo 11" was mankind's first encounter with a new world.

>> each week american history tv's reel america brings you archival films that help to tell story of the 20th century. in an attempt to control colorado river the u.s. government began construction on hoover dam in 1931, one of the largest manmade structures in the world when it opened. in 1936. the project employed over 21,000 workers. it was completed two years ahead of schedule. next, a 1955 department of the interior film about the planning and building of hoover dam. the story of hoover dam explains the engineering feats necessary for construction and promotes economic and recreational benefits provided by the structure. >> this is a story of hoover

dam, one of america's modern civil engineering wonders. ♪ >> build a dam in the wilderness and the world will beat a path to it. for many centuries, this was a lonely canyon, unseen and untouched by man. scorched by a desert sun. scolded by an angry river slashing its way to the mother sea. now it lies peaceful and silent except for the gentle hum of a hydroelectric power plant, the bubbling up of water as it leaves mighty turbines, the cheerful sounds of america and

the world on the move to see this pioneer multipurpose reclamation project man built in black canyon. millions come to this once desolate spot to see this engineering wonder, to hear the story of hoover dam. >> ladies and gentlemen, we're now standing on the powerhouse ramp, 560 feet below the top of the dam. this is black canyon where nevada and arizona meet, where the colorado river once flowed uncontrolled. here is where man conquered this mighty river placing a concrete yolk about its neck to harness its tremendous water and power resources. >> through the ages the river has gathered to its bed the snow rivets of the rockies flowing southwestward to the pacific ocean, gouging great canyons, piling up great deltas of silt in the valleys.

early settlers were at the mercy of this untamed giant. melted snow from the mountains each spring swelled the colorado river into a raging torrent. flooding fertile valleys along its banks. destroying farmlands, homes and cities. in 1905, the colorado cut through its banks below the mexican border, and for two years poured unchecked into the saltin sink forming an inland sea. after each spring's flood when the river had spent its fury it dried to a trickle. crops withered and died. man and his livestock thirsted. all living things suffered. settlers along the river were discouraged and aroused. some gave up and went elsewhere.

others stayed to fight. the river had to be regulated. controlled in a year around flow if they were to succeed. no more floods. no more droughts. arthur powell davis first reclamation director and chief engineer understood their problem. for years he had traveled up and down the river, surveying, studying. build a high dam in a deep canyon upstream to control the river, he reasoned. in 1918 davis reported his findings and proposals to congress. congress responded in 1928, passed the boulder canyon project act authorizing construction of hoover dam to control and regulate the colorado river. and the all-american canal system to deliver water to farmlands on the lower river. in 1930, president herbert hoover for whom the dam is named signed the appropriation bill to

begin construction. under a contract awarded in march 1931 to six companies incorporated, a combine of six major construction firms, men and machines went to work to build this dam of unprecedented size. this modern civil engineering wonder, reclamation engineers rushed to completion specifications and design drawings. crews at the dam site completed their surveys and investigations. the thunder of man's determination to conquer the colorado reverberated between the sheer cliffs of black canyon as construction got under way. the first major task was to divert the river around the dam site. to do this four tunnels, two on each side, were drilled through the canyon walls. each 56 feet in diameter, they averaged 4,000 feet in length.

drill holes were packed with dynamite and blasted. after each explosion shovels and trucks entered the tunnels, mucked off the rock and dumped it in gulches. workmen excavated over 1.5 million yards of blasted rock material from the four tunnels in 13 months. tunnels then were lined with concrete three feet thick. explosions rocked the canyon almost daily for two years before actual placement of concrete in the dam began. acrobatic workmen called high scalers prepared the canyon walls for each blast.

suspended on ropes they drilled holes in the rock and loaded them with dynamite. after each explosion, these daredevils swarmed over the cliffs, prying loose rock and clearing the walls of debris. in november 1932, the colorado river was diverted. under control for the first time in its history, the river flowed around and past the site. men in trucks dumped earthen rock embankment across the canyon below the tunnel openings forcing the river from its age-old bend through the huge diversion tubes. a second earth and rock dam was thrown across the tunnel downstream keeping water from backing into the foundation area.

isolated and protected from the river by the two copper dams, the site was pumped dry. men and machines dug 135 feet below the old river level to reach bedrock for the dam's foundation, excavating over 2 million dubic yards of rock and sand. as clean-up of the dam site exposed the ancient bed of the colorado river, geologists read the history of what happened ages ago. workmen cleaned and prepared bedrock surfaces to receive the first concrete, assuring utmost stability for hoover dam's foundation. 12 miles upstream, drag lines excavated sand and gravel for the dam's concrete from an old stream bed deposit on the arizona side. a train hauled this raw material to an aggregate plant across the river a few miles above the dam site.

here the sand and gravel passed through various processes of screening, grading and washing until it emerged as unexcelled aggregate. then it was stockpiled according to sizes to await its trip to the dam site. this processed aggregate moved as called for in a steady flow over the railroad to two mixing plants, one in the canyon bottom and the other on the nevada rim. there sand and gravel were blended with cement into a uniform mix, meeting rigid specifications for the 4.5 million cubic yards of concrete to be placed in the dam structures. from the mixing plants, concrete was dispatched to all points of construction. nine anchored aerial cable ways

spanning the canyon from rim to rim lowered the concrete into the forms and handled other supplies and equipment, as well. as the first bucket of concrete settled into its foundation on june 6th, 1933, hoover dam began its rise from the depths of black canyon. as cableways dumped load after load of concrete into the forms the dam soon reached its full 660 thickness at its base, poured in four foot layers of concrete, structures keyed or interlocking columns climbed skyward as crews set new recordsiwnúe daily. bucketful after bucketful ran the continuous cycle, mixing plant from canyon rim out into mid-air from the gorge and down, into the forms, dumping its load

of 16 tons.

for the power plant's pen stock system climbed as a maze of reinforcing steel and concrete, perched on shelves, these graceful columns rose 403 feet, well above the dam's crest and the canyon's rim. two giant spillways were set against the canyon walls on each side of the reservoir just above the dam. these high level controls each capable of bypassing 200,000 >x cubic feet of water per second assure that no water will ever over top the dam. water flowing into the basins plunges downward into the tunnels to enter the river below the dam, 100-foot long drum gates rise during flood stage to give the reservoir an additional 16 feet of storage. hoover dam's penstock system called for pipes of unprecedented size, ranging from

8 1/2 to 30 feet in diameter and 5/8 to 2 3/4 inches. in thickness.r&yútr(t&háhp &hc% as it was not possible to ship country, steel plate was brought from eastern rolling mills. a steel fabrication plant erected especially for this job near the dam site rolled and assembled the nearly three miles of pipe installed in the canyon wall tunnels. as in all unprecedented phases of hoover dam's construction fabrication of the pipe sections required special machinery and equipment. edges of the dimension plates were shaped on a planing machine to assure precision and accuracy civilian later steps in the manufacture. then they were bent on a giant press and rolled into circular form. one such plate equalled one-third the complete

circumference of a finished pipe. three of the largest curved plates welded together formed a ring 30 feet in diameter and 11 feet long. two of these rings joined made up a section weighing 150 to 184 tons. a section weighing 150 to 184 tons. a vertical lathe machined the edges so the sections would fit precisely when joined in pen stocks inside the canyon walls. a train passing through one of the 30-foot sections reveals their comparative size. when the intake towers and their connected tunnels were ready to receive the pen stocks a especially designed trailer hauled the sections one at a time down the highway of the plant to the dam site. of the canyon rim, a 150-ton cable weight relieved the plant over its burdens, spread the

sections over the gorge and lowered them with absolute control. trailers waiting at portals of the access tunnels carried them to their permanent connections inside the main tunnels. the five sections were hoisted into location with cables and joined end to end pressure fins to form continuous conduits between the turbines and outlet valves. while this was going on, a continuous stream of concrete had been pouring into the dam pours. the structure neerdared its full height of 726 feet, far bigger than any other structure built by man. on may 29 1935, two years after they had begun pouring crews placed the last concrete in hoover dam, a total of 3-1/4

million cubic yards. this modern wonder stood completed, two and a half years ahead of schedule. on september 30 1935 president franklin delano roosevelt dedicated hoover dam to the nation's progress. he praised its designers and builders. the dam stood like a sentinel, white and beautiful in the desert sunlight, guarding the river and its downstream wealth. floodwaters lapped helplessly against its arched back while the reservoir filled. this manmade rezservoir and sea spread into the hills and canyon canyons canyons. hoover dam had conquered the colorado. turbine fits to hold hoover

dam's electric units were built into the powerhouse. general installations began in 1935. the first generator, unit end 2, began operation october 26, 1936, to serve the city of los angeles. by ones and twos, the generators filled the pits as demand for electrical energy in nevada arizona and california called into service. finally, in 1959, manufacture and installation of the last generator m8 began. for 25 years the n-8 pit had lain dormant and silent except for the hum of other hoover generators. now as more capacity was needed, contracts were awarded for the generators' manufacture and installation. plants throughout the nation fabricated n-8's many parts. the design of n-8 followed that

of many other hoover-generated units. it is a 90000 kilowatt 60-cycle, 120,000 volt generator driven by a 160 horsepower turbine. the reservoir, which spins and powers the turbine wheel, is controlled by a huge butterfly valve which permits the water to flow to the turbine of the feeder pen stock. weighing 2,000 tons, parts were shipped to hoover dam on 60 rail cars. arriving at the canyon rim overlooking the dam, the parts were lifted by cable weigh out over the canyon and down to the powerhouse. parts descending into the gorge on strands of cable were familiar and almost daily sites reminiscent of previous installations. and the main cable way operator was the same one that had helped

install and operate the cable way during the dam's construction in the early 1930s. others likewise had worked on the project throughout its construction. inside the nevada wing of the powerhouse technicians assembled and installed the mass of electrical cargo. crews prepared the n-8 pit to receive the new generating unit. they removed temporary slabs over the turbine and relief valve outlets over the river. liner liners in these openings were set in concrete. the turbine sections were lowered into the pit. sections were lowered bolted together on the line. the complete scroll case was then anchored in concrete.

later the tturbine's water wheel attached to the bottom end of the shaft was installed inside the case. the butterfly valve was assembled on the floor and later connected to the pen stock and the turbine's scroll case. meanwhile, the generator's two main parts took part. steel plates were stacked around the rotor and stater frames. coils were locked into place and electrical connections were made. the powerhouse's overhead cranes lifted the completed 24-ton stater from its erection bay and carried it to its foundation where it was loaded and boarded into place. the 466-ton rotor was moved from its erection bay and lowered inside the stater. the rotor was then joined to the

turbine water wheel by a shaft 60 feet long. guides and thrust bearings and other parts were added to complete the assembly. after test runs, n-8 went on the line december 1st 1961 to serve the state of nevada and to complete the hoover power plant raising its capacity to 1-1/3 million kilowatts, keeping it as one of the world's largest hydroelectric installations. as the last sounds of construction faded into history, hoover dam had cost $175 million, less a deferred payment of $25 million allocated to flood control hoover dam's cost is being returned to the federal treasury at 3% interest from the sale of hydroelectric power. hoover dam has fulfilled the hopes and expectations of those who envisioned this great

reclamation project. colorado river waters that once destroyed man and his property now served him. the colorado pours its waters into lake mead, named for dr. elwood mead regulation commissioner during construction. calmly hipdbehind the dam, these waters go through lake mead. there's a year-round flow to irrigate over 1 million acres of desert land, serve industrial needs of the pacific southwest generate hydroelectric energy and provide various other multiple purpose benefits. the clear waters of lake mead ha opened up a vast recreational fish and wildlife land for north america.

fishermen beat paths to this wilderness along the colorado river, fishing boating swim and enjoy these important outdoor reclamation products. hoover dam and its power plant work around the clock to serve water and power needs of the pacific southwest. water from lake mead passing into the intake towers falls over 500 feet through the pen stocks to spin the giant turbine wheels and then discharge to the river. this action is repeated at downstream reclamation dams. transformers step up hoover dam voltage as it comes from the generators. lines carry this power up over the powerhouse roof to the switchyard. from there it is transmitted over lines across the desert.

the river flows southward and along the way man diverts from the controlled stream to sustain his prosperous way of life. 67 miles downstream davis dam reregulates the colorado's flow, releasing water through its power plant turbines through ir gators in this country and mexico. generators interconnect with those at hoover dam upstream and those at parker dam downstream. this energy goes out over transmission lines of the parker davis project to farms homes and factories. much of this colorado river energy pumps the farmers' irrigation and drainage water. parker dam, 155 miles downstream from hoover dam was built with funds advanced by the metropolitan water district of southern california. parker dam provides a bay for

the colorado river's aqueduct another one of the colorado's seven wornds. this waterway delivers municipal and industrial supplies to the los angeles and san diego coastal areas. parker dam also controls floods. below parker dam, head gate rock dam dwerts wateriverts water to colorado river reservation zones. and the irrigation district the oldest irrigation development along the colorado river. at imperial dam and desilving works, colorado river water enters river-size canals to irrigate farmlands in colorado

and arizona. the all-american canal system carries part of colorado river's flow westward to the yuma imperial and west valleys. when water reaches its farthest point on this canal system it has traveled nearly 500 miles after leaving hoover dam and has required ten days to make the trip. the healer gravity main canal takes water from imperial dam south and east of the mesa lands projects. mexico's share of colorado river water to irrigate lands below the border passes imperial dam and most of it is diverted at marelas dam into the alamo canal. the non-surplus food, fiber and forage crops grown on lands nourished by water on hoover dam find ready markets throughout

the nation. while snow-covered lands lie idle, winter fruits and vegetables roam in the southwest while colorado water is shipped to dinner tables across the nation. in return these irrigated areas buy farm machinery and other products from the manufacturing centers. this exchange of goods between west and east, north and south has helped develop america's free enterprise prosperity. hoover dam has pointed the way to the fullest utilization of the colorado river's resources. man is adding other mighty reclamation projects to the stairway of dams in the colorado river. in northern arizona glen canyon dam has joined hoover dam in conquering and regulating the colorado. potential sites and other canyons on the colorado river

await the day when they, too, will cradle mighty multi-purpose dams. these developments will write new chapters in the story of hoover dam, truly a modern civil engineering wonder. 200 years ago, british soldiers invaded washington, d.c. and burned down the city. this is a live two-day forum with historians and authors marking the history of the burning of washington and the war of 1812. all starting tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. eastern. and day two of the conference on the war of 1812 also live thursday here on american

history tv. the white house historical association and the u.s. capital historical society starting at 8:30 a.m. eastern time. each week american history tv's reel america brings you archival films that help tell the story of the 20th century. herbert hoover served as president from 1929 to 1933, remembered most for his time at the oval office at the start of the great depression hoover also seshdrved as the secretary of commerce for president coolidge. in this interview hoover discusses his life beyond the presidency. speaking with reporter ray helmley, he speaks about his childhood, his time in china during the boxer rebellion and his time supplying food in the

germany rebellion in 1901. this is part of the national collections and university archives. this is the campus of stanford university one of america's great schools. this is the memorial church. this is the memorial theater. and this is the library on war revolution and peace. i'm a news commentator. i am meeting a great american and an old friend. i am here to have a talk with the 31st president of the united states, mr. herbert hoover.

>> sit down ray. >> thank you sir. could you tell us what it means? >> well it is the library on war, revolution and peace. the purpose of it is to present

the complete history of this world since the beginning of first world war i. it has many objectives. one of them is to develop under measures of peace our display of the experience of the world in that order. it covers economic military, other questions. it is now the haven of historians all over the world. because the germany library was destroyed, the french library was destroyed and the british library was damaged, this is the complete story of what has happened in the last 50 years. >> how did the idea of a library

start? >> i was crossing the north sea on a usual journey with the belgium connection of relief and i had a book written by andrew d. white. he was the great historian of the french revolution. and he complained in that book that he had not been able to present the life of the people in general in france because of the disappearance of franklin literature, newspapers bulletins, a thousand things that displayed the life of the people. i told him that i was in a unique position to collect that material so i established collection agencies in all of the countries at war in europe.

i was going behind the lines once a month on a circuit around in connection with my particular job, and so we started the collection of that type of literature, and eventually we moved to more important documentation. >> the library must contain a huge number of documents. >> it contains today probably 20 million documents. many of them are the originals, which form the time points in american history. the most pathetic of them i think i will show you, and that is this. when the russians invaded poland, they took about

rebelled. another case was winone where i made a request of eebbert who was the first president in germany after the first world war. it would be appropo to this

effort. he gave me the minutes of the german war conflict pre citedsided over by the emperor during the entire first world war with all the documentation attached to those minutes. that is the only set in the world. >> wow. >> and finally, after request of a german ambassador i agreed that we would keep it in the vault for a number of years that's not yet open to the public. >> why is the library located here at the ñodyjd'xñleland stanford university, mr. hoover? >> mr. henley, i graduated from this university, and after that mrs. hoover took a house on the campus here in order to have a headquarters in which she could keep our two boys in school while i journeyed all over the earth. i also at the same time was a trustee of this university.

so very naturally, i was anxious to build up the institution. >> i know that you were born in west branch iowa and i think that generally people know that after your mother and father died, and uncle that asked you to share his home in oregon. could you tell us how it happened, then that you got down here and attended leland stanford university? >> the uncle of mine in oregon was a country doctor with all the fine attributes of the country doctors in the united states. i lived with him and his family parts of it for a matter of about seven years. during that time i got a job as an honest boy. and on one occasion, a gentleman having some business with the farm came in, and while he waited, he talked with the office boy. and he was inquiring what i

wanted to do so far. and he said, well you ought to take up engineering. and he was himself an engineer. so we discussed it and he rather inspired my mind and soon i noticed that stanford university had announced the institution would be opened that autumn and that tuition would be free. now, that more or less fit my necessities. they announced they would old entrance examinations in portland, oregon. i went to the appointed place. i took the examinations as well as i could never having been in high school but having attended a night school where i had picked up some latin and some mathematics.

i passed the mathematics examinations with such distinction that the professor conducting the examination sparked a good bit of interest, sent for me. inquired about my family background. he himself was a quaker. he was a great professor of mathematics and presently was the professor of swarthmore college for many years. nevertheless, he said to come to the university and he planned a tour, and he thought i could get in, and he also said he would be glad to help me work my way through the university. >> i see. so really, you have two cases, mr. hoover, where men, older men, showed a keen interest in a young man trying to get along? >> oh i have a number of unforgettable obligations to men who took an interest in a youngster. they do it yet all over the

united states. there were two. there were many more to follow. >> of course that was the beginning, then of your engineering career was it not? >> you don't call yourself an engineer until you get out of college, but that is where i began, at stanford university. >> yes, sir. could you tell me, mr. hoover after you got your diploma, then, at leland stanford what was your first job? >> well, i had worked during the summer vacations during my entire time in stanford on the united states geological survey. that is where i earned most of the money i needed. then after having finished that season and not having a job after i graduated, i went into the mines at grass valley in

california, being ]k familiar with those mines from the previous work i had done with the geological survey. i saw my job and thought my diploma might be of importance and i might even get on the staff of some mine. but that diploma didn't seem to impress anybody. and finally i got to a position where i took the job underground in the mine, and i worked five months, i think, or six, as a common miner and it was not a bad experience. >> do i understand you to say sir, you took the job as a common miner? what kind of mine was this? >> it's a gold mine. i didn't even have a distinction of being a miner. i was started by loading trucks. a miner is a and i rose to that eminent position two or three months later of the. >> i see. how many hours did you work a day there? >> regulation hours at that time was 10 hours a day and six days

a week. >> do you remember how much wages you got? >> $2 a day. i think i got 2$2.25 after i was promoted to run the drill. >> well, sir in your first job you learned how to work with your hands didn't you? >> that isn't the whole story. i worked with my hands as a boy but i really learned at that time the agony of walking and going from mine to mine looking for a job. >> well i take it then that you, during that period, you were able to lay aside a little money for future activities? >> well i certainly laid enough money aside to get down to san francisco and look for a better job. >> well, mr. hoover, then, how did you happen to get into professional engineering after those underground mining days experience? >> well, i had developed a great friend of dr. brenner here at

stanford. he was one of those men who always bushed youngsters a lot. he introduced me to a man who gave me an appointment. he had a job for an engineer to go to australia and there i wen went on my first $10,000 job. >> subsequent to that, your work took you to countries all around the world didn't it, mr. hoover? >> yes, at a national engineering firm. we managed china vermont, russia russia, including the united states and canada. during the first seven years of this century, i went around the world seven times with my entire family. >> well, it must have been good to get home, then, after one of those long trips in those days?

>> always a thrill to come back to america. this is the place where freedom really lived. >> did you not practice engineering in russia during during the czar days? >> yes, sir, we had operations which we managed in russia. there we had over 100,000 men and a very successful operation. the main interest in it was that it was a complicated chemical and metallurgical operation. but subsequently, the bolsheviks when they seized it weren't able to manipulate it, because they had used up all the brains of our staff and it was shut down and closed for maybe 15

years or more, and all those people were out of a job. >> i see. during your experience in russia, how did you get along with the russian people? >> oh we got along extremely well because at that time the government was appearing shus to see the development of the natural resources of the country. we were the first americans to come in. we had no. >> so the russians welcomed the americans. >> i see. >> we had no difficulty getting on with the people, because with that type of an operation we tried to get the best sbels. we paid wages far higher. we never had a strike or labor. >> did you ever hear from those

workers? >> i took a relief of communist rush hour on behalf of the american people. i picked some of our.f!zw-fñ-! 6& there they were met by a deputy]có)i(|o7# ak7be,l4 jo/6obf ñeqhói 0tûi

which resembles bronze and comes from the fact that they used the better american iron. no other iron would touch iron ore of less than 1%. nevertheless, they built an industry on the basis of that and the aftist quality of the return. >> shall we go over and take a look at them. >> rage is a display of the

chinese pors. they have the highest chinese concept in our artistic arrangement and workmanship. we thought this set of 5 should be placed in the memorial room to mrs. herbert hoover downstairs and that has been done. >> well let's go sit down. you were many times in china, then, weren't you mr. hoover? >> yes, i went to china originally as a part of the engineering firm i mentioned to you as the chief engineer to the then-department of mines. it had been created by the

german government. that job came to an end by the boxer uprising which threw the government out. and mrs. hoover and i had to spend a month under artillery fire until the american marines came in and rescued us. that ended that job. >> outside of your experience in the boxer rebellion, mr. hoover, how are your relations generally with the chinese? >> oh the chinese are a very friendly people. i traveled over a big part of china during the two years prior to that, and had nothing but courtesies with everybody. i, of course was supposed to have an official position.

there's nothing to comment on, particularly they're an in if ifi infinitely friendly people they're highly unrealistic, and it's the total aspect of china except in a very narrow circle. >> mr. hoover why do you think now congress has the power of what happens to the chinese people? >> when these armies drove the czech out of the mainland, the first thing he did was disarm the chinese population right down to the last butcher knife. no chinese would create a revolution to throw out machine guns was it a failure of its methods, failure of productivity should call the regime of the.

wherever loebzs are hazard fight the leaders. there's fights like this that the refreshment' aptitude on using world. they have to restrain them if they want to get their own objectives. we saw a phenomenon na misa, and he was the post peaceful thipgng running around there at that time.

he made the peace treaties. nothing was more lasted perhaps. in 1949 you violated every one of those agreements. . those so you areday -- i have confidence with the objectives of those people that it would be a lasting peace with good will towards men. but it might be endurable. we might be able to reduce the armament of the world somewhat, all of which might gi you a dance. >> this book here.

could you tell us about it. >> this book was first published just 400 yeefz ago. it was in whole gallon. there were mining and chemical industries of their time. there were great difficulties in a translation to. . six actors. . they were to read it, and with her background of technical training and the fact that i know something about the subject, we were able to make a translation of it for the first time.

it was purely a labor of love. it had no great practical value of modern times though many of the practices labeled here are still in action. in any event, for a couple hundred years, it was the textbook of those industries. and at one time, they chained it in an iron binding to the alter and cathedrals in mining towns such as san luis. the police translated it for the benefit of the miners, plus the illustrations. so the book had at one time a great weight. for now, though, it's. there was nothing particularly pleasant about the book at the time. there were 2000 counts created

and and. you dipt get the 250, huh? >> i didn't get the 250. >> well, it mub amust be a good job. it took five years and furnished the family interest during that entire period. >> mr. herbert hoover, when did your career as a farmed. there was relief in 1914. i didn't know it at the time we all all. my client and partners i had to have some other interests. but i never back -- what kautsd

you to go into the relief work. >> that was the combined pressures of leading belgium, the belgium in baxter, the american prime minister the american video in bultss. . this authorization carried a lot of experience from time to time. >> most of it was a pretty humdrum business. you had to transport a tremendous volume of food overseas or a fleet of 300 ships. you have to transported inland. the incidents that came out

of of. the service across the north sea was contained by the dutch and they frequently lost their channel steamers. but they always provided methods of escape so nobody much drowned. one day i went down took the boat and. normally i've them all for my pho. but the story that came to me was that you will have to pay cash. and i said okay. well, the last one, the cleaning person came down and she said, i the story of you're.

but the times i really got rolling was when the germans were were. i got up & wen to see this performance. a german had dropped and. >> wasn't there a aim. and a gray position and in the jury cap yet. on the overside of the cabinet 12 million starving bell jumz

and file if. meepg you'll go off to a quicker end. argument. i would call before the cabinet and i found. >> sorry, i go gray. and mr. ashwidth who was then prime minister were all on my side. so i firnd. . thousands of british. i was receiving 10 or 12 million a month from the british. you may have invertedly answered a question that is in my mind. what dooupg of the policy of star? >> it may be on the instrument of war of the i would bofr you

to an earlier end, but do you know the human beings that are reliable on that. work in belgium relief, mr. hoover, did not end your food relief operation, did it sir? >> no. the belgium relief continued throughout the war. and i continued to kupgt it when we came in, i reviewed the. . meanwhile the frerchl were beginning to find food difficulty and they continued to call on me for advice. and and. he asked me to take over the iowa food, safety and add mens.

then i was asked to go to yarp on behalf of all the government of 350 million people in eastern europe. >> that work ended in what year sir? >> well, i took it up again. you might say i had. for the car, it's on the secretary of kpefrt. you also have some relief work that you put your komps on your of the. >> thaet weird because of the rushing appropriate. could you tell us something about the flood of 1997, the

greatest flood along the mississippi from cairo now. . and in 70 to. so is. about a million and a half of people out over the low ground in the water and put them in camps on the high ground and looked after them for three months and put them back in their homes again. we lost only three liarsbodies in that operation. >> three bodies. >> and the expense of it was conducted entirely by americans. we never called on the government for a dime except i had the services of the navy and the coast guard. >> you referred briefly to russian relief.

in 1923. can you tell me about that? >> a dreadful drought struck washington in 1923. i organized the operation for help. we sent some 200 americans into russia. they had completely free movement. i raised to congressional appropriations appropriations. and and. sdplz they're all addressed to me the american pem, and i'll find it somewhere here in the library. when the merch communism.

>> hold a graph up. mr. hoover what i recall your next great work was in the release of the great depression. can you tell me something about that? >> the whole economy of ump collapse -- europe collapsed and brought us down. i organized relief in the united states. at the time i left office we had about 18 million people on relief in the united states. and mr. roosevelt thought he had to continue the same number until about pearl harbor. >> your own next operations in the field of relief came when sir?

>> at the beginning tlmp known. in the course of three or four two years the. and they closed off our pragtz. the inevitable post-war salmon that. >> bachld, every world war will kret. it will be back and mr. the likes of what i had never seen before. he asked me to take part in the management of the movement and i did so by organizing the necessary setup in washington,

and again i visited 38 different nations by plane, organized their administrations got back, and we pulled through. when we started we were convinced at least 800 million people would die in that family and we won a war we hadn't expected. in the end we pulled them all it's very clear, mr. hoover. >> let me ask you this. thurg all yeefz accident. either for relief or for the federal service except in this sense. that i have at times taken

federal salaries and expended them on others outside of my own needs, bad youths. i was led to that by an i was led to that on my honey. i doenl. moefz happened that 1%. i had confidence and i felt i owed my country a deb that waskt debt that was unpayable, and i had no write to ask her to pay me. that was the practice up until the 31st of june this year. >> i think that on occasions you z i, so she may have pd a

rikr effectiveness and that's when a member of tong had appearbeen investigated. i've been here 33 and a half years and i have yet to be investigated by congress. >> mr. hoover i know that you have had a special interest this children, and i believe that you set up a special relief for children. could you tell us about that, please? >> well, that originated during the belgium problem. there were 2 million belgium children and the normal age for an adult is deficient in the type of food that will support child life. so we had set up an organization

for the million children in belgium. when we came there as a whole. >> they were ancestors of all of the bandits and racketeers in the world. that brings to mind -- did i interrupt you, sir? when world war ii came on, i set these up in 39 countries to meet that faechl. there was a of undernourished. there was some 30 million of them as we calculated them.

so i took that matter up with the united nations and the american administration. and they set up an organization and i suggested the men, who should operate suggested the men who should operate it and these were the men who had operated in europe and world war ii and world war i, and they're still operating it to this day, and so far as i know, they've looked after nearly 50 million children in the last five years. >> i see. as you were speaking of child welfare and child relief work, mr. hoover my mind went back to a rather notable statement you made on the subject. seems as i recall it was back in 1930 when you were president, and i believe you had summoned a child welfare council at that time. i have -- i think it's in here in this book. i'm wondering if it wouldn't have be appropriate for you to tell us about it at this time.

>> well, i can read it to you if that's covering it. >> all right, sir. >> that statement has been republished many times. the older i grow, the more i appreciate children. we approach all the problems of childhood with affection. theirs is the problem of joy and good humor. they are the most wholesome part of the race. they are the sweetest or they are fresher from the hands of god, whimsical, mischievous, we live a life of apprehension of what their opinion may be of us a life of defense against their terrifying energy, we put them to bed with a sense of relief and a lingering of devotion. we envy them the freshness of adventure and the discovery of life. we mourn over the disappointments which they will

meet. >> thank you, sir. i think that probably brings us up to your work with the government reorganization commission. two presidents, i believe, called you to washington to take up that work. could you tell me what your reaction is from that labor? >> the problems perhaps are entirely too long to go into here, but this government of ours multiplied itself from about 600,000 officials up to 2,500,000 as a result of 23 years of war and trouble and multiplied the budget from 3.5 billion to 75 billion with a growth of government agencies from 300 up to some 1600 and the fabulous waste and duplication

and lack of efficiency so that the congress with the approval of the president in each case set up a commission. in both cases i was asked to take the chairmanship. the first reorganization commission of six years ago secured the adoption of a great many of its recommendations, about 70% in fact, and they related to reorganization of different agencies and setting up of a new structure of the government. the korean war and the rearmament came along and obscured whatever savings there were. the second government zpamened the policy and point of view. and we have made recommendations which if adopted would enable the balancing of the budget and a very substantial reduction in taxes. the last commission required five years to get its proposals

adopted. it may take us some years to get these, but i feel certain it will come. >> and i believe you intend to keep working on it to make it come true. >> well, the press seem bent on getting me retired, but i can't stop until we get these recommendations adopted. >> mr. hoover, it seems to me this is an appropriate time for me to ask you this. in view of world conditions in our own country and abroad what do you think with respect to the chances of private enterprise returning and the chances of our having greater individual freedom again? >> well you mentioned abroad. there has been a total economic revolution in germany. germany has gone back to a free enterprise system and has become the most prosperous statement in europe. likewise belgium retreated from socialism into a free enterprise

and has been prosperous ever since. the last election in britain guaranteed there a retreat from socialism and a free enterprise. in our own country we haven't made as much progress as we should. the second reorganization commission, however, proceeded on the thesis that this was a country where the economic and social system was based on private enterprise and individual action. both of them naturally regulated to prevent unfair practice and to prevent a monopoly. and that the government should only intervene with the people in matters in which the people could not support and take care of themselves. well, our department has departed a long ways from that basis and the recommendations of the reorganization commission are very largely in the nature of methods of return back to the

fundamental thesis on which this country was founded. >> well, you know, we've covered a vast number of subjects here today, covered a lot of ground and i think the thing that comes out of it possibly is the fact that you've been a mighty hard-working man all your life. however, i do think that you're also known for your relaxation. will you tell us how do you get your relaxation? >> well, i go fishing whenever i get a chance. also i go to baseball games. and then the other exercise of that kind, i have a rather yen for fishing because of the ripple of a brook and the slap of a wave against the side of a boat will brainwash most anybody into a much cleaner pugsosition,

huh? >> didn't you once make a famous statement about fishing? >> i don't know. ime have said a lot about it. i explained why presidents all went fishing. they all have even though they never fished before and that was because the american people have respect for privacy only on two occasions. one of them is prayer and thes fishing and presidents can't pray all the time. the fishing question is the problem of getting from here to somewhere else and getting out of an awkward spot. if you get any you know all men are equal before fishes. there is no ascendancy of these evil thoughts that seem to infect our social system. >> that of course brings me to another subject that i wanted to ask you about before we part, your interest in boys club.

i refer to that because i was thinking of your talking of baseball and fishing. you have a very vital interest in the boys club. will you tell me what that means to you. >> well, i have been the chairman of the board of the boys clubs now for nearly 20 years, and i was connected with it even before that, but it appeared to me as being a completely systematic method by which elder people could be of help to youngsters outside of their normal schooling and parents and so forth. the boys club have about 400,000 members. they're all slum boys. it's a slum movement. it's probably the best preventive to youth delinquency there is in the united states. these boys are taken in and they're given certain manual training and they're given music

and they have ample games, and they're organized into teams instead of gangs. and they have equipment that is growing in dimensions. today it would cost $120 million to replace the equipment we have in those institutions, and i might mention to you that the boys clubs these boys clubs developed five major league players in the last series. >> wow. and it also gives a chance for the older man to do something for the boys just as older men did things iffer you as you were growing up is that right? >> a large part of it is based on voluntary help of elder people. the carpenter goes in and takes charge of the carpenter shop. and if he finds a boy that looks like a carpenter he develops him and the like and so forth.

>> right. mr. hoover, while i've been sitting here, i've been wanting to ask you something about these flags. this flag is the president's flag? >> that is right. >> why is it here? >> it is the only gift that the president receives from the american people. he gets no pngs he gets no title, but he gets his own flag and he has a right to fly it. >> unlike a senator who is called a senator or a governor flag and he has a right to fly it. >> unlike a senator who is called a senator or a governor ets his own flag and he has a right to fly it. >> unlike a senator who is called a senator or a governor flag and he has a right to fly it. >> unlike a senator who is called a senator or a governor title, but he gets his own flag and he has a right to fly it. >> unlike a senator who is called a senator or a governor who is called a governor after he leaves office. >> you better mention the kentucky colonels and the generals. and a president is nothing but just plain mister. and i think it's a comfortable feeling. >> mr. hoover, i want to thank you for this session that you and i have had here together today. there's just one other thing. i wonder if you would be willing to give me something of your philosophy, something about your feeling about your fellow americans and about your country.

>> that's rather an extensive subject. one time i wrote a passage on that subject and think you've about got it in that book if you can give it to me. i don't think i could phrase it as well as i did at that time do it contemn pore rainously. >> fine. >> so if you'd like i don't mind reading it to you. >> i wish you would, sir. >> perhaps without immodesty i can claim to have had some experience in what the word "america" means. i've lived in many lands, many kinds of american life. after my early boyhood in an iowa village i lived as a ward of a country doctor in oregon. i lived among those to whom hard work was the price of existence. the opportunities of america opened to me through the public schools. they carried me to the professional training and the great american university.

i began by working with my own hands for my daily bread. i have tasted the despair of a fruitless search for a job. i even know the kindly encouragement of a boarding house keeper. i've seen america in contrast with many nations and many races. my profession took me into many foreign lands under many kinds of governments. i worked in governments of free men, of tyrannies of socialists of come it ins, and i've met with princes and kings and despots and december prados. i have seen the squaller of asia and the frozen class barriers of europe. i was not a tourist. i was associated in their working lives and in their problems. i had to deal with their social systems and their governments. and i'm standing everywhere to

these great masses of people there was a hallowed word, "america." to them, it was the hope of their whole world. every homecoming was for me a reaffirmation of america. it cams from the other nations which comes from the acceptance of equality and the wide open opportunity to all who want a chance. it is more than that. it is land of self-respect borne alone of free men. i have had every honor to which any man could appear. there is no place on this whole earth except here in america where all of the sums of man can have this chance in life that has come to me. i recount all this in order that

in quicker terms i may give my own testimony. the meaning of our word "america" flows from one pure source. within the soul of america is freedom of mind and spirit in man. there alone are the open windows through which pours the sunlight of human spirit. here alone is human dignity, not a dream but an accomplishment. perhaps it is not perfect. but it is more full in its realization here than in any other place in the world.

each week "american history tv's" "reel america" brings you archival films that help tell the story of the 20th century. at the end of 1963 the united states had about 16 million advisers in viet name sent to help in their war against the men and the communist north. next from 1963 a 30-minute u.s. army film documenting the activities of captain william johnston who trains and assists south vietnamese troops while they're constantly being attack and harassed by viet cong.

50 years ago on august 10th, 1964, the situation in vietnam was transformed when the president signed the tonken resolution. since the outbreak of hostilities in 1959, united states army advisers in vietnam have undergone a variety of experiences and learned much about the complexities of guerrilla warfare in southeast asia.

working through m.a.g. these advisers have increased in number to more than 12,000. each is assigned to a specific activity or unit to the army of the republic of vietnam commonly referred to as ar vin where his chief dueys are to make certain that u.s. equipment is use and maintained properly and to teach by lecture, demonstration, and by setting an example. perhaps the advisers most important function is to advise his unit commander to make suggestions skillfully and diplomatically in a manner adjusted to the customs and traditions of the vietnamese and to the individual personality of the commander. since 1959 -- in fact, since 1956 when m.a.g. advisers were

sent to vietnam many lessons were learned. many guidelines and techniques have been developed. the best way to describe it and to illustrate the lessons learned is to tell the story of one u.s. officer, captain william r. johnston who from may 1962 until april 19 3 served as m.a.g. adviser to the first infan trentry battalion seventh regiment, army of the republican of vietnam. 34-year-old michigan-born captain johnston with a wife and two children in chicago would soon learn his military assignment required a thorough knowledge of guerrilla tactics. and to maintain a workable relationship with his a.r.v.i.n. counterpart he would have to

make some changes in his approach toward human relationships. his counterpart captain kahn had received infantry and artillery training in the united states. but there was still a large gulf of two divergent cultures. it would be up to sergeant johnston to bridge this gulf as rapidly as vietnamese customs would permit. as johnston met officials he was aware of the need to understand the vietnamese people without becoming involved in their politics. the advise or's duty was to adhere to the u.s. national policy and his policy is to support the operations of the incumbent government of vietnam.

when johnston reported to the first battalion they were stationed at a sugar mill. it was 16 kilometers east of the cambodian border. one primary mission of the first battalion was to provide security for the mill as well as to stop the viet cong from forcibly collecting taxes from farmers who brought in sugarcane. captain johnston made it a point not to rush matters in establishing himself. with them here is a schoolteacher drafted into the army and now johnston's wxj &háhp &hc% interpreter. the american captain learned that the mill employed 2,000 workers and was in an area largely controlled by the viet cong cong. he and kahn estimated 30% of the employees were guerrillas who worked on night patrols disrupting supply lines.

feeling his way carefully, one of captain johnston's first recommendations was to improve artillery installations, thereby increasing fire at the 115 how it wasser sugar mill. he also suggested that living in shelters improvised from ponchos was neither helping morral nor contributing to supply continue continuity continuity. another basic mission of the battalion was to secure a portion of the only usable road of personnel, sugar and supplies between the mill and saigon. the road led through viet cong infested territory with -- despite the presence of the first battalion word was received one morning that the road had been cut during the night.

captain johnston hurried to the scene where it was report thad the viet cong were still in the area. battalion troops arrived a new minutes later. the battalion commander was at regimental headquarters and by now he had learned that kahn's workload was such that he could not always be available. the second company tried to intercept the guerrillas but only succeeded in driving them into the jungle. by this time, johnston considered himself a member of the battalion. was aware that the officers and men liked to hear him say "we'll do this" or "our battalion." he recommended a course of action to the company commander remembering that an adviser never commands, only suggests. with the viet cong still in range, a . .30 machine gun was

brought into use. a .60 millimeter mortar crew set up their weapon and began firing. suspects were rounded up for interrogation. johnston would assist in this as soon as he could. once the guerrillas were driven off and the chance of harassing fire reduced to a minimum civilians released by the chief began repairing the road. some of these same farmers have been recruited by the viet cong to dig it up the night before. there were several motives for cutting the road. most important, of course, was to disrupt transportation and supply. these passengers disembarking so their bus can bypass the damaged portion illustrate another motive, which was to enable the viet cong to halt civilian traffic, to capture or kill

officials, take hostages, collect money and to dhee live propaganda harangs and leaflets. when the road was sufficiently repaired, the flow of traffic resumed, taking passengers to their destinations, as well as fuel and supplies to the sugar mill. as a result of the cutting of the road and other night activity by the viet cong, captain johnston made a recommendation which led to the first appreciable disagreement between him and captain kahn. the recommendation was for regular night patrols throughout the area. although it was eventually followed, the battalion commander refused at first because he was used to fight big day and defending by night.

johnston then ask to leave volunteer patrols. kahn reluctantly consented. they proved so successful that the battalion commander drew up plans for nightly patrols, receiving high praise from division. johnston's reward was satisfaction from the results obtained. while stationed at the sugar mill captain kahn, captain johnsons ton johnston johnston, and the first battalion participated in other combat operations at company level, as a battalion, or as part of a larger unit. helicopters played an important role in such operations and it was up to johnston to request helicopter support through the regimental adviser as well as to brief u.s. pilots. the first battalion operated with an ail borne unit which was part of this district which was

to clear the area. at first to get an idea of the capabilities of the battalion troops, johnston accompanied the lead element. huts would serve as guerrilla hidedowns and c.p.s were burned to the ground. a communist information booth was also leveled by first battalion soldiers and members of the self-defense corps. even in the midst of combat, troops took a break. johnston quickly learned that vietnamese have less stamina an americans and they must have frequent breaks and four meals a day. however, this did not interveer with a highly successful mission. a sizable number of prisoners and suspects were captured. when johnston arrived on the scene, he learned that they had not been searched. he suggested to the company commander that this be remedied. one was found to be on the wanted list, a hard core viet

cong who committed murders and atrocities against civilians. interrogation of prisoners presented a major and continuing problem to johnston in his capacity as an adviser. it was also an infantry adviser's responsibility to help arrange for armor support when needed. these m-113 armored personnel carriers were requested to assist the first battalion in clearing the delta. the high grass made it easy for the viet cong to hide. however, some were captured and many suspects flushed out for interrogation. in obtaining armor or any other support it was up to the u.s. adviser to make his counterpart

to aware of his availability and to establish liaison to the supporting unit. in addition to armor and army aviation, other support obtained by cab on the johnston and captain kahn included artillery, engineer signal, ordnance, medical, and naval. it was while the battalion was stationed at the hpwa sugar mill that johnston set up an organization to retrain the personnel. the u.s. adviser devoted much time to help supervise this training.

this exercise stressed unit tactics in clearing an area. both the training and the area selected proved so successful that higher headquarters assigned the first battalion the task of training three companies of recruits as regimental replacements. these recruits as well as members of the battalion who could be spared were also given training on the new claymore anti- anti-personnel mine. because the demonstration range which the battalion built was located outside the compound and trainees were subject to sniper fire, they kept loaded weapons in hand. the lecture phase was conducted by lieu ten nanlt keene battalion s-5. johnston recommended him for this duty because he spoke some english and the two could communicate directly.

the u.s. adviser had then given kooem english instruction as well as an intensive course in the use of the mine. johnston had become aware of double-checks the translation of his words especially since he had discovered that instructors and interpreters injected their own feelings on the subject instead of translating literally. during the first few classes on the claymore johnston personally set the mine in the ground and prepared it for detonation. realizing the importance of teaching by demonstration, he showed no reluctance about getting his hands dirty. however, he realized it would be wrong to continue to do the work himself and that he would have to persuade one of the battalion officers to take on the

responsibility. use of bayonets to hammer in targets illustrated a minor but persistent problem he faced as an adviser. ever since he joined the battalion, he had observed the men misusing the bayonet instead of employing more appropriate tools. frequent appeals to the battalion commander had thus far produced no result. with targets in place and the lecture phase completed, johnston let a company commander detonate the mine. something was wrong. it failed to detonate. johnston quickly improvised a field expedient method, removing the batteries and teaming up

with him to make manual contact. early in january 1963, two companies of the first battalion moved from the hpwa sugar mill to a village where a major and regimental commander was on hand to greet johnston and captain kahn. a c.p. was set up in the village pagoda. the tiger on the sign is a religious symbol. the other two companies remained at or near the sugar mill to help the self-defense corps company take over the first battalion's security mission. it was at this time that first lieutenant joe mchlt clement

from georgia joined as assistant to captain johnston. sergeant dock helped orient clement on the surrounding terrain. shortly after that master sergeant jones of baltimore, maryland arrive and served as the first enlisted adviser. the primary reason to move the two companies to hpwa was to help maneuver a strategic hamlet. since it was in the heart of viet cong country johnston never went anywhere without his rifle, keeping it by his side even when he slept. his chief duty at this time was to advise captain kahn on providing security for workers constructing the hamlet as well as planning patrols and company size operations. this battalion soldier was captured and killed by the viet cong while guarding the

construction site at night. there was another basic reason for the battalion's move to duke roy. this was so it could provide security for a road reconstruction project. rendered impassable by the viet cong in 1959 repair of this road would provide a shorter route from duke roy to saigon. captain johnston went over it carefully so he could advice the commander of plans and construction cruels. actual reconstruction was done by civilians who were paid for their labor by the vietnamese government. a.r. vin engineers lent support with bulldozers, other equipment, and personnel. during the entire project, johnston maintained liaison with u.s. engineer advisers. despite security measures the

viet cong dug up rare sections at night and subjected workers to harassing fire. on this occasion, sergeant jones spotted a guerrilla force while -5 johnston after several refusals persuaded the company commander to call for mortars. he also found time to reassure an anxious mother whose son was being interrogated as a suspect that he would not be mistreated. in addition to their basic duty duties duties, the three u.s. advisers concerned themselves with basic more real. these palm froms were for the roof of the bare racks that johnston had recommended and lieutenant clem meant had been delegated to supervise. even though johnston expected to be reassigned to the united

states before it was constructed, he had not hesitated to recommend his construction. he could count on lieutenant clement to follow through on the project. at johnston's suggestion, clement and sergeant jones with sergeant dock aiding assisted activity by presenting residents of duke roy with books, pamphlets, and calendars. because duke roy was located near the yore entall river and closer to many access canals the first battalion was given its most important mission to date. produce from this rich agricultural area and from the even more productive south was transported by boat to roads which led to saigon and other cities north of the delta. however river and road traffic was frequently intercepted by viet cong who terrorized the farmers if they were incooperative.

the first battalion was assigned the mission of clearing the area southeast of duke roy, and the constructing of a self-defense corps post at the canals near a veg. upon receipt of the order captain johnston and his counter party formulated a plan for the post selecting a decision that would command both canals and afford the best route for reinforcements. kahn's planning impressed johnston convincing him advising could work both ways for he was getting many good ideas from his counterpart. the plan included preparation of materials. and movement of the first and second companies from sugar mill area. two platoons would be left to secure the c.p. and lieutenant clement would remain with them. as the men split bamboo to

transport down river, johnston saw that he'd won a minor but significant victory. they were using machetes instead of bayonets. his appeals to kahn and the men had taken effect and miss yoous of bayonets had apparently ended. as they prepared to move down river, men of the battalion were deeply concerned about something, and it wasn't the prospect of back-breaking work in 120-degree heat or the almost certain casualties they would get. tet, their version of chinese new year was two weeks away. unless they completed the post before then, 30% would miss leave time at home and the rest around the feet and festivity at duke roy. at a nearby port on the oriental river the equipment was loaded on lc m's. responding to requests through

command and advisory channels, the navy had responded to assignedassign ed four landing craft in support of the battalion's mission. johnston was on hand to watch the lcms pull out. manned by navy personnel the craft would transport the equipment by river and by canal to the construction site. meanwhile the battalion paralleled the river on foot. its immediate plan to clear the area of viet cong. walking with them were johnston and the battalion commander. they cleared villages and searched huts along the populated route to the sdc post. johnston and his counterpart found all adult males had left confirming their belief that most of the population were viet cong. at neemt hut, last-moment escape

by v.c. was indicated by food still being cooked. despite all precautions, an ambush resulted in the wounding of two men.despite all precautions, an ambush resulted in the wounding of two men. on the river, the navy was having its own taste of the viet cong, receiving harassing fire from the thick jungle. in return, they opened up with their .20 millimeter cannon. as soon as the battalion arrived at the site of the sdc post, they started digging in to set up the perimeter on johnston's recommendation. he explained some of his other recommendations to the regimental commander and kahn, realizing it wasn't enough to say this is the way the american army did things. following a conference they burned the brush to uncover many traps laid by the