The controversy over the cbc televised series on the Second World War,The Valour and the Horror, erupted almost immediately after it was broadcast in early 1992. Both the cbc and the National Film Board (which had commissioned the series from Galafilm, Inc.) had had previous experience with public controversy over their offerings, but nothing quite like this. Indeed, the public debate overThe Valour and the Horrorwas without precedent, since the quarrel appeared to be over the interpretation of an aspect of Canada’s immediate past. Canadians are not usually disposed to debate their history, and especially not those...

In a letter to me of 24 June 1992 enclosing vhs cassettes of the three episodes ofThe Valour and the Horror, as well as transcripts of the post-production scripts, the Ombudsman expressed the hope that I would “be able to form [my] main impressions and judgments as far as possible from viewing what was actually broadcast before turning to the transcripts for ease of reference.” That is the procedure I have followed, viewing each of the episodes in turn, beginning with “Savage Christmas: Hong Kong 1941,” and concluding with “Death by Moonlight: Bomber Command,” before checking my impressions against...

There is a fundamental difference between a documentary film which attempts to tell the story of a historical event and the event itself.

When a film-maker takes on the role of historian, he/she essentially embarks on an enterprise that is not fundamentally different from the writing of a history. A problem must first be posed, a plan of research is designed, research materials are gathered, and those materials are woven together in an intelligible fashion to tell a story which answers the question posed in the first place.

Professional historians know that history can never be written as it actually...

Gérard Veilleux

6 November 1992

President

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Ottawa

Dear Mr. President:

I initially wrote to you on September 26, 1992, in response to your request that, in light of all the material we had discussed, I should prepare a final written summary of the full review I have conducted for you on the program seriesThe Valour and the Horror. Since then we have received further representations and material from the producers and program makers of the series. I have reviewed what has been made available and, where appropriate, have made adjustments. Virtually all of what follows is...

The purpose of this document is to answer the points raised by the cbc Ombudsman in his November 10 report.

We believe that the cbc Ombudsman’s process has been a miscarriage of justice. This purported Ombudsman did not follow most of the generally accepted procedures of an Ombudsman review. He did not advise us of the rules and parameters of his inquiry, in spite of repeated requests. He never questioned us about many of the allegations levelled against us. He did not allow us a proper opportunity to respond in writing to complaints he made against the films.

The Ombudsman...

Sir,

16 November 1992^*

The public debate on the television series “The Valour and the Horror” revolves around three issues: the propriety of the Senate subcommittee investigation of these broadcasts; the process followed by the cbc Ombudsman; and the attack on the professional integrity and competence of the historians whose report formed the basis of the Ombudsman’s report, published in your newspaper on 12 November.

My opinion on the Senate hearings is not relevant here. With respect to the Ombudsman’s Report, I can only say that instead of discussing process, we should be debating substance, and that will not happen...

There was no miscarriage of justice, as claimed by Galafilm. The normal procedure of Provincial Ombudsmen in this country is simply to receive a public complaint, and, in instances where it is deemed appropriate, conduct an investigation privately and then report a finding to the complainant. For a variety of legal reasons, Provincial Ombudsman processes are not public ones.

In this particular case the Ombudsman was asked by the President of cbc to conduct a full review ofThe Valour and the Horrorfor him. Mr. Veilleux encouraged the Ombudsman to consult qualified military historians and asked that the very...

The central contention of “Savage Christmas,” the first ofThe Valour and the Horrorprograms, was that the two-battalion Canadian force dispatched to Hong Kong in the late fall of 1941 was knowingly sent into a war zone without adequate training. It hangs on the assumption that either Britain or Canada knew, or ought to have known, that Japan was about to launch a full-scale war in the Pacific. That assumption is central to the thesis because if Britain (and Canada) did not know or did not suspect Japan’s intentions, it might have been perfectly reasonable at that time to...

Dr Bill McAndrew, author of the following article, has chosen not to confront directly the historical issues raised byThe Valour and the Horrorin its treatment of the role of the Canadian Army in the Battle of Normandy. Instead, he has decided to concentrate on Operation Spring, the failed Canadian attempt to dislodge German forces from their positions on Verrières Ridge, the centrepiece of the episode entitled “In Desperate Battle.” His essay brings out the immense complexity of this operation and provides a sharp contrast with the simplicities ofThe Valour and the Horror. McAndrew discusses the ambivalent nature...

The central contention of the “Death by Moonlight” episode ofThe Valour and the Horrorseries was that the strategic bombing campaign against Germany during the Second World War was both immoral and ineffectual. Since many thousands of Canadians served as aircrew in Bomber Command of the Royal Air Force, either in raf squadrons or in 6 (Canadian) Group of the command, it follows that these airmen were complicit in a monstrous crime against humanity and a purposeless one, since the bombing campaign brought mass murder and devastation but not victory. At the same time, some attempt is made by...