The Vietnam War was the most intensely mediated war ever. However, next door in neighbouring Laos, the longest and largest air war in human history was underway, which eventually made Laos the most bombed country on earth. What's more, outside of Laos no one knew. The Secret War was the largest operation ever conducted by the CIA, yet to this day, hardly anyone knows anything about it. During the Secret War, 2.1 million tons of bombs fell onto this small landlocked South East Asian nation altogether, more than on Europe and the Pacific theatre combined during World War II. Former CIA agents, American pilots, Laotian fighters and American journalists take us on a journey into the physical heart of the conflict: Top secret Long Cheng. Long Cheng was an almost uninhabited valley deep in the jungles of central Laos, where the CIA built its headquarters in 1962. Yet, the area was never marked on any official map. Candid interviews with past and present players combined with previously unseen footage from the war as well as from the current struggle in Laos tell a story that hasn't been documented in history books. As we journey into Long Cheng for the first time after the end of the war in 1975, the film reconstructs the gripping story of the operation and illustrates its relevance to current American military conflicts.
The Most Secret Place On Earth - The CIA’s Covert War In Laos
Current Affairs / Politics and Economy
- Title: The Most Secret Place On Earth - The CIA’s Covert War In Laos
- Original title: Amerikas geheimer Krieg in Laos - Die größte Militäroperation der CIA
- Film by: Marc Eberle
- Format: 52', one-off
- Production: Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion with NDR / ARTE / WDR
- Year of production: 2010
- Language / subtitle version: German, English, French
