Recently I received a large partial inventory list of thousands of Defense Department motion picture films and videotapes. I have selected a tiny sampling of these films that seem interesting for some reason or other, or have remained classified for years despite evidence of some public interest in their contents. This is just a personal selection; please keep that in mind. There are thousands and thousands other films out there waiting to be viewed.
The source of these film titles and catalogue numbers are the film transfer lists and proposed transfer inventories held by the National Archives and DVIC.
Forthcoming lists of films in various subject areas will contain the addresses at the bottom rather than at the top.
Most of these films are either restricted in distribution or are still marked as classified, either confidential or secret, as noted. However, most of these films have not been reviewed for declassification or public release in many years, or even decades. You can request a copy of any of these films by writing to the following two addresses and requesting a copy of the film under the Freedom of Information Act. All of these films will be available and under the authority of one or both of the following two addresses.
The first address is the Department of Defense [DoD] FOIA Office. Note: in your request letter to DoD, you may wish to mention that these films are or were under the responsibility of the Defense Visual Information Center, DVIC, but that FOIA requests to DVIC are processed by the DoD FOIA Office.
WARNING: The DoD FOIA Office does not like to process requests for audio-visual materials such as motion picture films, because they are much more troublesome than requests for paper records. Nor do they have a very good track record in regard to processing such requests. Just keep careful track of your requests, and send in an inquiry if an excessive amount of time has gone by. You may need to send an appeal letter if too much time goes by.
The second address is the National Archives office that has accessioned some of these films--it is not entirely clear which films were accessioned and which remain at DoD. One or both of these offices have all of these films.
Freedom of Information Act Director telephone: (703) 697-1160 Directorate for Freedom of Information 1155 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301
William G. Lewis, Archivist Motion Picture, Sound and Video Branch National Archives at College Park 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001
Half a Loaf: Evaluation of an Anti-Crop Weapon - SECRET chemical and biological warfare against food crops Film Number PIN 1000500 DF, Film 0949
Mustard Spray Tests with Multiple Planes - CONFIDENTIAL - Old - Film Number FB 163
Biological Warfare Film Number OD-CD TVSP7
Tactical Employment of Chemical Troops in Attack Film Number TF 3-10
Identification of U.S. Chemical Ammunitions Film Number TF-3-2658
ABCR [Atomic Biological Chemical Radiological] Warfare Decontamination, Eglin Field, Florida, 9 March - 11 May 1953 Film Number USAF 21572 - CLASSIFIED
Riot Control Munitions - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number PIN 20769 DF, Film FR 759
The U.S. Crime of Bacteriological Warfare - The Evidence a 1950s Chinese Documentary??? Film Number USAF 38216 - CONFIDENTIAL
Chemical/Biological Weapons Development, Equipment and Components USAF, early 1960s Film Number Illegible - SECRET
Medical Defense Against Biological Warfare, Part 1 Navy, Film Number Illegible - CONFIDENTIAL
Medical Defense Against Biological Warfare, Part 2-B Film Number PIN 1011349 DN, Film MN 08549B - CONFIDENTIAL
Medical Defense Against Biological Warfare, Part 3-B Film Number PIN 1011349 DN, Film MN 08549C - CONFIDENTIAL
Biological and Chemical Air Launched Weapons Film Number WEPS 1-65 - CONFIDENTIAL
Medical Aspects of NBC: Latest Developments of Chemical and Biological Warfare [HAPMB 528] - SECRET Film Number MED 28-65-A
Biological and Chemical Warfare - SECRET Film Number MN 09170-A
Riot at Thu Duc Prison - Prisoners, Gia Dinh Province, Vietnam, 18 Oct. 1970 Film Number LC 56236 - CONFIDENTIAL
Rebuilding Khe Sanh Firebase Khe Sanh Firebase Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, 29 Feb. 1971 Film Numbers LC 56252 and LC 56253 - CONFIDENTIAL
NVA Invasion, 1972 Kontum, South Vietnam, 28 April - 7 May 1972 - CONFIDENTIAL Film Numbers LC 56913 and LC 56914
US Troop Withdrawals, Koreans Take over Security Functions DMZ Korea, 21-23 April 1971 - CONFIDENTIAL Film Numbers LC 56265, 56266, 26267 and 56268
Mayaguez Control: Operation Rescue - Mayaguez Film Number VR-FS01/508 - CLASSIFIED
Recovery of the USS Mayaguez Film Number VR-FS01/509 - CLASSIFIED
SS Mayaguez Recovery - 1975 Film Number VR-FS01/511 - CLASSIFIED
Ice Cream Anyone, Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam September 1967 Film Number USAF 43600 - UNCLASSIFIED
[please note that most of these films have never been seen outside of the DoD, and thus have never been used for any television documentaries]
Inflatoplane - Seaplane Version [1202-169] Film Number 945-X - CONFIDENTIAL
*Microjet* - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number USAF 33303
Reconnaissance Parasite Aircraft Film Number USAF 19661
XC-99 - Worlds Largest Land Plane Film Number USAF 19738
Convertiplane Test at Wright Patterson AFB, Aug. 1952 Film Number USAF 20772
XV-1 Convertible Airplane, McDonnell Aircraft, Aug. 1955 Film Number USAF 24123
Transcendental??? Convertible Plane Film Number USAF 24324
XFV-1 Progress Report [weird Navy Plane] Film Number USAF 21984
XV-3 Convertiplane Film Number USAF 22691
Horton Wingless Aircraft [WW2 era German Flying Wings] Film Number USAF 22259
Northrop Research Flying Wing Aircraft and XP-56 Film Number USAF 24262
MB-1 High Card Ding Dong Documentary 1955-56 Film Number USAF 23268A
The MB-1 Air to Air Rocket - SECRET Film Number PIN 1000425 DF, Film FR 27
MB-1 Documentary 1955-56 - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number USAF 29521
Big Buster, the F-89J, MB-1 Bomb System - SECRET Film Number PIN 27458 DF, Film TF 1-5335
Ryan X-13 Vertijet Film Number USAF 23711
X-13 Vertijet, Edwards AFB, CA, May 1956 Film Number USAF 25816
X-13 Transition Phase Film Number USAF 25817
Second F-100D Piloted Zero Length Launch, 11 Apr. 1958 Edwards AFB, CA Film Number USAF 25873
LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin, Friedrichshafen, Germany 1928 Film Number USAF 24056
Early Helicopter and Autogiro Tests Film Number USAF 25516
First Helicopters for the Army Film Number USAF 25516A
25th Anniversary of the USAF Helicopter Film Number PS 104-9/50-1
The B-70 Weapon Introduction System - CLASSIFIED Film Number USAF 26350
XB-70 Progress Report 1963 Film Number USAF 36374
The B-70 Weapon System - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number USAF 26997
B-70 Film Progress Report - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number USAF 28149
B-70 Joining Concept - SECRET Film Number USAF 27514
SR-71, June 1966 - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number USAF 41332
SR-71 Project, Beale AFB, April 1966 - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number USAF 43370
RS-71 Air to Air Footage Film Number USAF 38289
The Story of the 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing [U-2 and later SR-71 aircraft] Film Number SFP 2144, PIN 26750 DF - SECRET
100 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing - SECRET Film Number USAF 47207
C-5 Galaxy Aircraft Model Ditching Investigation 1968 Film Number EC-13-68
Dyna-Soar Wind Tunnel Tests [Dyna Soar was a 1960s Air Force space shuttle design] Film Number USAF 27224
USAF Presents a Report on the Dyna-Soar Progress, April 1960 - June 1961 Film Number USAF 29561
Dyna-Soar Mockup Inspection Film Number USAF 29993
Dyna-Soar Program - CLASSIFIED Film Number USAF 31246
X-20 Dyna-Soar - April 1962 - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number USAF 33060A
Human Downward Ejection Tests Film Number EC-30
Space Ship Take Off; A Technical Fantasy [A Seized German WW2 era Film???] USAF 28533
MiG-25 Foxbat - SECRET Film Number PIN 47236, FLV 13-0013, videotape
MiG-25 Foxbat - SECRET Film Number VT-D0365/807CH
Operation of System 119-L - SECRET [an intercontinental reconnaissance balloon mid-air recovery program] Air Force Film Number Illegible
Avrocar I Flying Disk Aircraft Progress Report, Feb. 1958 - May 1959 Film Number USAF 29668
Flying Disk Aircraft Classified Film - CLASSIFIED Film Number USAF 29669
Avrocar Flying Disk Aircraft Progress Report Film Number USAF 29670
Avrocar Flying Disk Aircraft Progress Report Film Number USAF 29671
Avrocar Vehicle Manufacture Film Number USAF 29672
Avrocar Flying Disk Aircraft Progress Report Film Number USAF 29673
Avrocar Flying Disk Aircraft Progress Report Film Number USAF 29675
Avrocar Flying Disk Aircraft Progress Report Film Number USAF 29676
Avrocar Flying Disk Aircraft Progress Report Film Number USAF 31347
Advanced Pyewacket Progress Film Number USAF 28520
F-105B Incident, September 1958 Film Number USAF 27567
Atlas ICBM Blows Up On Pad Film Number USAF 29764
B-52 Crack Up, Yuba City, Colorado, Broken Arrow Incident, 14 Mar. 1961 - SECRET Film Number USAF 27815
U-2 Salvage Operation, Key West Naval Station 23 November 1963 - SECRET Film Number USAF 35853
Broken Arrow B-52 Crash Near Cumberland, MD 1-13-64 Film Number USAF 36970 - SECRET
Broken Arrow Near Cumberland, Maryland, 14-15 Jan 1964 Film Number USAF 36052 - SECRET
Disaster Control, B-52 and KC-135 Team Operations, Palomares, Spain, 1966 Film Number USAF 40730B - SECRET
Midair Collision, B-52 / KC-135, Camp Wilson, Spain 6 and 7 February 1966 Film Number USAF 40730C - SECRET
B-52 Crash at Thule, Thule AFB, Greenland Jan./Feb. 1968 Film Number USAF 43765 - SECRET
Broken Arrow Nuclear Accident - Date/Location Unknown Film Number USAF 50655 - SECRET
B-52 Landing Incident, Edwards AFB, CA, early 1955 Film Number USAF 24401
C-123B Crash, Thailand, April 1963 - CLASSIFIED Film Number USAF 36721
Nuclear Training - Emergency Nuclear Weapons Evacuation Film Number PIN 28091 DF, Film TF 6578 - SECRET
Intelligence Operations - Air Sea Land Exfiltration Film Number TF 30-3514-B - CONFIDENTIAL
Intelligence Operations - Air Sea Land Infiltration Film Number TF 30-3514-A - CONFIDENTIAL
ALSOS Mission, Colonel Pash Reports, 1941-1948 [ALSOS targeted WW2 German nuclear and chem/bio research] dec. file supplemental file 210.68 16 mm film at Record Group 319.0004 - STILL CLASSIFIED!
A Day in the USSR - CLASSIFIED Film Number USAF 20844
Taiwan Alert, September 1958 - CLASSIFIED Film Number USAF 26819
Recognition Training - Sino Soviet Aircraft Film Number FS 3187 - CLASSIFIED
Aircraft Recognition - Soviet Jet Aircraft Recognition Film Number PIN 1011004 DN, MN 06898-D - CONFIDENTIAL
Aircraft Recognition - Soviet Jet Aircraft Recognition Film Number PIN 1011005 DN, MN 06898-E - CONFIDENTIAL
Communist Defeat in Malaya Film Number USAF 36343
The Thrill of it All - National Security Seminar Film Number USAF 36388 - CLASSIFIED
Reporting Espionage, Sabotage, Terrorism and Subversion Film Number VR-D1-569/508CH
Interview With Soviet Pilot - SECRET Film Number USAF 50791
Defector: A Soviet Pilot - SECRET Film Number PIN 51187 DF, Film AVR 239
Defector: A Chinese Pilot - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number PIN 51337 DF, Film TS 1471
Conrolled Counter-Intelligence Assets - SECRET Film Number PIN 47600 DF, Film TF 6312
Red Flag 78-5: Quick Look - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number PIN 50276 DF, Film TS 0992
Red Flag 79-2 Quick Look - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number TS 1334
Blue Flag SAM/TAC Air ECM Confrontation Film Number PIN 48139, Film TS-1172 - SECRET
So You Think You re Secure? - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number PIN 28059 DF, Film TF 6502
The Third Man is Listening - SECRET Film Number AVA 145
Countering Vehicular Kidnapping - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number TS 723
Responsibilities for Latin America, Jan. 1963 Film Number Illegible - SECRET
HUMIT Film Number USAF 49637 - SECRET
Protection of the President Film Number PIN 21019 DF, Film FRV 1029
Skyjacking Film Number FS 3262
TAC Intelligence Briefing Nicaragua TIP-83-21 - SECRET Film Number PIN 600660 DF, RB DF3
TAC Intelligence Briefing - People's Republic of China - SECRET Film Number PIN 600661 DF, RB DF3
TAC Intelligence Briefing - Poland TIP-83-22 - SECRET Film Number PIN 600664 DF, RB DF3
TAC Intelligence Briefing - Soviet Assault Helicopters - SECRET Film Number PIN 600665 DF, RB DF3
OPSEC in Action - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number PIN 11273 DF, Film TF 6651 - videotape
Target Intelligence In Action - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number PIN 26249, Film SFP 661
Deception: Methods Soviets Use to Deceive US Aircrews Film Number PIN 48124, FLV 04-0020 - SECRET
Worldwide Security Police Symposium - The Threat Videotape - SECRET Film Number PIN 50691 DF, Film AVR 148
RX for STINFO - scientific & technical information Film Number FR 0541
USAF Counterinsurgency Course: British Tactics for Counterinsurgency Film Number TF 1-5542-F
Naval Intelligence - The Intelligence Cycle Film Number MN 10889B - CONFIDENTIAL
Informants - CONFIDENTIAL Film Number MA 98560 or MN 9850
Enemy Territory, USA - SECRET Film Number MN 11018
Naval Intelligence - The Naval Scientific and Technical Intelligence Center Film Number MN 10889D - SECRET
Naval Intelligence - Naval Reconnaissance and Technical Support Center Film Number MN 10889E - SECRET
Naval Intelligence - Intelligence and You Film Number MN 08279B
Communication Discipline - videotape - SECRET Film Number PIN 52745 DF
Communication Security Briefing - the ALPHA 3 Story Film Number PS 99-1/C - CONFIDENTIAL
OSI Source System - Contact and Sources Film Number TF 6492 - CONFIDENTIAL
AND ALSO SOME AUDIO TAPES
The U.S. Army Intelligence Command seminar briefing, speaker B/G William Blakefield February 20, 1969, 7" Tape Reels 1, 2 and 3 - CONFIDENTIAL Accession number Record Group 319.009, 319.010, and 310.011
The US Intelligence Command, speaker B/G William Blakefield, April 10, 1969, Accession Number Record Group 319.012 CONFIDENTIAL, 7" Tape Reel
Command Readiness presentation to Chief of Staff, June 17, 1966, accession number Record Group 319.013 CONFIDENTIAL
Intelligence Command briefing by B/G William Blakefield, October 12, 1967 in Bell Hall Auditorium, Record Group 319.015 - CONFIDENTIAL
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