September 25, 1992

STATEMENT:

"The major issue of discussion at the Allied Air Forces Reunion in Toronto this weekend is the opposition to a CBC-TV documentary in "The Valour and the Horror" series titled "Death by Moonlight."

This statement was made today by Cliff Chadderton, Chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations and Chief Executive Officer of the War Amps, who has made submissions to the CBC Ombudsman and CRTC requesting a review of the controversial CBC series.

Copies of the submissions critiquing the series by Cliff Chadderton and Don Elliott, of the RCAF POW Association, are being made available to the participants attending the Allied Air Forces Reunion, September 25-27, at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

"The purpose of this is to encourage study of the facts regarding this controversy, which has raged since the series was first shown in January of this year," Chadderton said. "The producers of the film, Brian McKenna and Arnie Gelbart of GalaFilm Montreal, have consistently said that their research is "bulletproof," he added.

A number of thoroughly researched briefs, some running as much as 70 pages, have been prepared for submission to the CBC Ombudsman and the CRTC, and possibly to a Senate Sub-Committee at a later date. The briefs cite many significant errors backed up by knowledgeable researchers, and attack a number of the points put forward in the CBC documentary. Some of the errors are listed at the end of this release.

The 22nd Allied Air Forces Reunion will bring together approximately 1,500 airmen from across Canada who served their country during World War II. The group was angered by the Death by Moonlight segment of "The Valour and the Horror" calling it "that ghastly and insulting distortion of history".

"The purpose of making these submissions available," Chadderton stated, "is to provide an opportunity for these airmen who took part in the Allied bombing campaign to judge for themselves." He added that those asking for a review of the series have used their own funding and resources.

"The CBC showed the series twice, and their spokespeople have had access to media and apparently, considerable funding to justify this program," Chadderton said. "On the other hand, contrary to the suggestions from Brian McKenna, the National Council of Veteran Associations, and the War Amps and RCAF POW Association which are members of NCVA, have had to raise their own funds to produce material which can lead to public dialogue," he added.

Chadderton pointed out that accusations of censorship have been unwarranted and have deflected attention from the main issue. "In responding to charges from spokespeople for the CBC and the NFB which, along with Telefilm of Canada financed the documentary to the extent of approximately $4 million, we have not asked that the film be banned," Chadderton said. "Instead, we have asked that the legislatively-mandated bodies established to review television programming examine the series, and if it contains serious misrepresentations, that steps be taken to correct them," he added. "Patrick Watson, Chairman of the CBC, has stated publicly that the Corporation would make corrections if necessary," Chadderton said. "If the CBC Ombudsman should fail to condemn the film, however, the last resort would be the CRTC which, under the Broadcasting Act, has authority to issue the necessary order to bring about corrections," he concluded.