[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 105 (Thursday, July 30, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




``VIETNAM: THE LAND WE NEVER KNEW''--GEOFFREY CLIFFORD'S PHOTO EXHIBIT 
                         ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT WAR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 1998

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to call to the 
attention of my colleagues the work of an exceptional Bay Area 
photographer, Mr. Geoffrey Clifford. In an exhibit of his photographs--
``Vietnam: The Land We Never Knew''--he shares with us his images of 
the people of Vietnam. I believe that it would be helpful for all of us 
to view Mr. Clifford's beautiful pictures, to obtain a greater 
understanding of the innate beauty of Vietnam, its ancient culture and 
its strong people. Those photographs are on display this week in the 
Cannon Rotunda here on Capitol Hill, and I urge my colleagues to stop 
for a moment to enjoy this outstanding exhibit.
  Geoffrey Clifford first arrived in Vietnam not as a photographer, but 
as a soldier. He served his country as a helicopter pilot for 10\1/2\ 
months during the early 1970's, flying combat assaults and supply 
missions from bases in Chu Lai and Da Nang. He experienced Vietnam 
during its greatest turmoil, when its citizens were divided and its 
communities and landscapes ravaged by war.
  Upon his return to the United States in 1972, Mr. Clifford built a 
career and started a family. But he never forgot Vietnam, and his 
inescapable memories led to his return many years later. As he wrote in 
the introduction of his stirring book ``The Land We Never Knew'' (San 
Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1989):

       I was never able to wander along Vietnam's back roads, 
     experiencing life as it might be in that country; never able 
     to see, feel, smell, touch or taste what I wanted; and most 
     frustratingly, never able to make friends with the 
     Vietnamese, to share common feelings in conversation with 
     innocent people. . . . Vietnam was a trauma that had been 
     lingering inside me for more than a decade. Photography 
     allowed me to return and assemble a body of work that might 
     benefit our progress. My sincerest wish is that this book, 
     this ``work in progress,'' will aid others with their 
     perceptions of Vietnam and help guide us away from future 
     tragedies.

  ``The Land We Never Knew'' has achieved tremendous critical success, 
as Clifford's pictures are skillfully laid out and beautifully 
complemented by the poetic and thoughtful text of John Balaban, a 
professor of English at Pennsylvania State University. The brilliance 
of this book reflects years of diligent effort by these men; of the 
10,000 photographs taken by Clifford over a period of several years, 
only the finest 200 made it into the book. Wrote the Los Angeles Times: 
``His handsome pictures celebrate the beauties of the land and the 
resilience of its people.'' Since ``The Land We Never Knew'' was 
published, Clifford's work has appeared in Life, Travel and Leisure, 
Fortune, and the New York Times Magazine.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, the House will debate the future of our 
relationship with Vietnam. Trade, security, and POW/MIA issues may be 
discussed. Regardless of one's position on these important matters, I 
believe that it would be of great benefit to each and every one of my 
colleagues to view this exhibit, as the true beauty of Clifford's 
pictures rests in its apolitical content.
  In contrast to most of the Vietnam images that we have seen over the 
past half-century--war, destruction, bloodshed, assassination--the 
theme of ``The Land We Never Knew'' is one of resilience. Despite 
decades of destruction to the culture and communities of Vietnam, we 
see in Clifford's photographs a people that refuse to allow a legacy of 
three millenniums collapse in a heap of napalm, bombing, and death. We 
witness in this beautiful book landscapes that reflect this 
irrepressibility--beautiful forests, river villages, and lotus ponds 
that display a pristine radiance seemingly unaffected by years of 
military strikes and counterstrikes. ``The Land We Never Knew'' is 
about the Vietnamese nation, not the Vietnamese government. It is about 
the people of Vietnam, not the Vietnam War.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in praising Geoffrey 
Clifford, who so ably uses his wondrous talents to communicate a 
greater understanding and appreciation for Vietnam. I strongly urge my 
fellow Members to admire his exhibit this week in the Cannon Rotunda.

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