01.00.00

Bastille Day military

parade

NATSOT - marching bands

00.19

Attali interview

Super: Jacques Attali

Former Presidential

Advisor

I'm against tests but I think it would be a disaster for

France if he changed his mind because that means

such a decision was taken without a strong will and

therefore there'd be a feeling that France was a

weak nation.

I think that's why this is a disaster. Because it is

impossible for him to change his mind.

00.40

V/O Reporter

Dominique Schwartz

Chirac arriving in

jeep down the

Champs

NAT SOT - band music from Bastille Day

The French are very big on appearances.

And none more so, than the recently elected head

of state, Jacques Chirac.

This former military man would like nothing better

than to be remembered as the strong-willed and

independent leader who put France back on centre-

stage in world politics.

His decision to resume nuclear testing has certainly

done that.

01.16

Vox Pop man

VIO

Vox Pop - woman

VOX POP - YELLOW TIE

France needed to reestablish itself as a world

nation. I think it's good

But for every French national who supports Chirac's

decision, there are now three who would have it

reversed.

VOX POP YOUNG WOMAN

We think it's disgusting. We saw a report on

television on Hiroshima. It was horrible. It's

shameful the tests continue.

01.40

military parade - flypasts,

tanks, marching

soldiers -

NATSOT - flypast

01.47

Verdun cemetery

DOM VO

To understand how Chirac can

forge ahead in the face of world

anger, one needs to understand

France's nuclear history.

A history of defeat.

02.03

Dom PTC - tilt up from rose and DOMVIC

Gravestone

SUPER: Dominique Schwartz

(10:22:44) The losses suffered

during the two world wars

have left their mark not only

on the French countryside but

on the French psyche. Here on

the rolling hills of Verdun 400-

thousand french soliders lost

their lives in the longest and

bloodiest battle of world war

one. France vowed it would

never again be subject to such

devastation. But within 24

years it had, once more, fallen

to the enemy (10:23:17)

archival of World War Two

(bombing, troops, people

fleeing)

- off ABV-ABN de Gaulle tape

NATSOT - need to create sound

- perhaps put a siren

underneath the lot?

02.44

if you want, put last par over

pic of de Gaulle walking into

building and then sitting

outside with Allied leaders

DOM VO

The Nazi occupation of France

during World War Two left the

nation crushed and humiliated.

The French desperately needed

someone to believe in. A hero.

They found him in General

Charles de Gaulle.

de Gaulle procession down

Champs

NATSOT - cheering

03.03

Hiroshima bomb being dropped

Hiroshima/ Nagasaki

devastation

de Gaulle launching French sub

1966 nuke test at mururoa

(from Four Corners - "Alliance

Francais", C95/341)

instrument spinning, man

counting down

NATSOT

DOM VO

The devastating success of the

atomic bomb in winning the

war convinced de Gaulle the

only way forward was nuclear.

NATSOT?

DOM VO

He threw his energy into

creating a powerful and

independent nuclear industry.

One which would safeguard

France's liberty.

And one which post-war French

leaders, like Chirac, have done

their utmost to nurture.

03.45

explosion

NATSOT- explosion

03.56

Sanguinetti walks into frame,

gets books out of shelf

sits down, CU at desk

DOM VO

Admiral Antoine Sanguinetti

has participated in seven

nuclear tests.

NATSOT

DOM VO

Retired - but not the retiring

type - this former head of the

French Marines says further

tests are not needed -

Except for political reasons.

04.20

Sanguinetti interview -

SUBTITLES

SANGUINETTI INTERVIEW

(1:23.10) There are a few

reasons for the President's

decided to resume nuclear

testing. The first one is, I

suppose, the desire to appear

like Charles De Gaulle -

to take

on the whole world (1:23.25)

The second reason is perhaps to

provide a financial service to

the armaments and nuclear

industry in return for support

during the electorate

campaigns, (23.48)

DOM VO

Jacques Attali, like Sanguinetti,

knows only too well the

economic and political power of

the nuclear lobby.

05.09

Attali interview

SUPER: Jacques Attali

ATTALI INTERVIEW

The fact is that this whole

group of people civil and

military - are absolutely vital for the French development,

economic development

attali interview

Attali was senior adviser to

Francois Mitterand

- the former

president who, in 1992,

suspended nuclear tests.

It was not an easy decision.

05.28

EDIT

It is the tool of French virility

in a certain sense and therefore

to weaken it would be a form of

castration

05.42

a transitional shot into the

countryside

NATSOT

Dom P TC – in front of nuke

installation

CUT OPENING OF PTC and

substitute with VO

DOM VO

In France today the nuclear

industry is big business.

It

supplies almost half of the

world's nuclear reactors

and generates 80 percent

of the country's electricity

• making France the most

nuclearised western state.

06.05

DOM PTC

(overlayed) Here Virtually

every region has either a

civilian or military nuclear

installation; a nuclear reactor

or a nuclear waste and storage

facility.

(IN VISION) Sites like this in

the Rhone Valley are as much a

part of the French landscape as

Chateaus and vineyards.

People here are used to them,

and very few ask any questions

about them (29: 1 1)

06.29

Pierrelatte waterhole

Bathers, then reveal to show

nuke reactor (either pan shot at

2:17:54 or tilt shot at

swimmers, windsurfers

VO shortened

NATSOT

DOM VO - shorter

On a hot day, in Pierrelatte,

Too Long Waterhole is the place

to be....

As long as you don't mind

cooling off in the shadow of the

Tricastin nuclear complex.

Tricastin plant - G Vs

(Tapes 4 and 5)

It's the backbone of the region's

economy. Here uranium is

enriched for both industrial and

military purposes.

07.06

Tricastin water outflow

The site's outflow runs into the

waterhole

sign prohibiting swimming

where - perhaps

coincidentally - swimming is

prohibited by council order.

WS fisherman

But there are no thoughts here

of possible contamination or

radioactive leaks.

dom reverse

DOM REVERSE

Aren't you concerned about

fishing so close to a nuclear

installation?

07.30

dom reverse

fisherman

interview

FISHERMAN

no..etc...people swim here all

the time

scientists unloading and

launching boat

Michelle giving directions to

Christian from shore (around

3:24:27)

DOM VO

Some scientists are not so

trusting.

NATSOT - MICHELLE

. ...collect algae, sediment, blah,

blah

redo

VO

For pronunciation

DOM VO

Michelle Ravisi works for CRIIRAD a group which

carries out independent

research on radioactivity.

07.50

michelle talking

to camera

NATSOT - MICHELLE

(around 3:24:44) ...we don't

know why it's forbidden to

swim so we are doing tests on

algae, sediment etc....

christian collection samples,

man with artificial leg in

background

DOM VO

They’ve not tested at Too Long

Waterhole before.

if you want - power lines and

towers around waterhole

Elsewhere, however, their trials

have found unacceptably high

levels of radioactivity.

But in France, Ravisi says, the

bad news rarely filters through

michelle interview

MICHELLE INTERVIEW

we have created the CRIIRAD

because there is this sort of

mafia in nuclear - mafia in the

French govt, mafia in

Administration EDIT

And this is the situation in

France.

dom reverse

DOM REVERSE

Do you believe radioactive

levels are too high in France

and that there are health

problems created by this?

michelle interview

MICHELLE INTERVIEW

I am sure. Nuclear power is not

clean. It is wrong to say to the

population that nuclear power

are clean.

CRIIRAD Laboratory. Sludge is being

spooned into plastic container.

At CRIIRAD laboratory, Bruno Cherion is busy

collating the proof.

Typing at computer.

He's examining sediment taken from the water

hole, looking for caesium, one of the tell tale

signs of radio activity.

Bruno.

Question.

Bruno.

Question.

Bruno.

"The surface of the peak is quite huge which

means that you have a lot of caesium in this

sediment sample.

"Could this caesium be produced naturally?"

"No caesium is fission product, it means that it's

created by a nuclear reaction whether they are

growing in a nuclear plant or during a bomb

testing. So this is an attificial nuclide. '

"And what does caesium do to the body?"

"Well, the problem that will occur with caesium is

the problem which will occur with all kinds of

radio nuclides. You get an increase of cancer risk

and increase of risk of genetic abnormalities for

your offsprings. "

Adults and children sitting by and bathing

in a river. Industrial funnels in distance.

In France, there's a culture of complacency

about things nuclear. Here the so called safe

level of radioactivity is 5 times above

international norms. Trying to change

perceptions is difficult.

Outside the fence of Tricastin Plant.

The nuclear industry is shrouded in secrecy. The

Tricastin Plant is classified non-secret. But when

we tried to film from a public road, first we were

watched ... then our number plate is taken.

Security guard taking car registration

number.

"Filming is prohibited here. "

vo

Security demands authority to film, a nonsense

even under French law.

Reporter.

"You have no signs that say that this is not

allowed I can't understand why it's a problem. "

Security man reaches for his car radio.

Finally, on what happens to be the tenth

anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing,

Security calls the Police.

Gendarmes arrive.

When the Gendarmes arrive, they take us into

custody for three hours. They instruct us not to

film, but they can find no charges to lay.

Gendarme.

Reporter.

Gendarme.

Translator for TV crew.

'Your identity papers ?"

"Can you tell us what the problem is?"

'Your identity papers ?"

"Could you say what the problem is and why you

are asking for our identity papers?"

Sanguinetti interview

sanguinetti interview

SANGUINEITI INTERVIEW

(1 :11.44)

Nobody in the French

armament industry is

accountable (11.51) and even

this is never discussed in

Parliament.

SANGUINETTI INTERVIEW

(1;14.44) They are not outlaws,

since the law allows them to do

what they want. (14.52)

Atomic Energy Commission

(AEC) Mururoa Tape - shows

atoll, people playing cards

DOM VO

And what the nuclear club

wants now, is one last series of

tests at Mururoa Atoll

and then a nuke explosion

NATSOT - (possibly translation

of what is being said)

French subs??? Any footage?

DOM VO

The plan is to test the warhead

that Chirac has said will arm

France's submarine fleet

a small warhead

the TN75

which is between one and

forty times more powerful than

the bomb dropped on

Hiroshima.

11.23

AEC Simulation Tape - high tech NATSOT

machines, men in jump suits,

computer graphics simulating DOM VO

explosions etc.

The warhead has already been

extensively tested.

But Chirac says more actual

explosions are needed, so

scientists can collect data to

simulate tests in the future.

And this is where the

arguments begin

11.41

attali

interview

ATTALI INTERVIEW

...it has been said by the

experts some years before, two

years before, that this same

class of weapon was already

perfect and totally manageable

so that either it was wrong two

years ago or it was wrong

today.

DOM VO

Jacques Attali says any

simulation data still needed

could be bought from the

United States.

The tests, he believes, reflect a

push to develop smaller - offensive

nuclear weapons

12.08

Attali interview

ATTALI INTERVIEW

As I said before miniaturisation

is a dream of scientists or

industrialists but if you

miniaturise weapons means you

create tiny weapons which can

be used within the battle field

not as a deterrent but as an

element of battle

12.31

sanguinetti

interview

DOM VO

It's a view also held by Admiral

Sanguinetti

SANGUINETTI INTERVIEW

According to the last three

years development (there) is a

radical change of doctrine in

the use of nuclear weapons.

Whereby we would no longer

use it as a threat in an

offensive but as a right of first

strike

rannou

interview

RENNOU INTERVIEW

No. The answer is a clear no.

FADE DOWN...

DOM VO

General Jean Rannou is the

assistant chief of staff of the

French armed forces.

rannou

interview

RANNOU INTERVIEW

What we are going to do are

experiments in physics,

different from the tests we did

in the past. And these

experiments will help us to

perfect the simulation system.

Not at all to develop a new

weapon.

DOM REVERSE

(17:03:09) How do you respond

to claims that these weapons

are not for dissuasive use, but

for a first strike capability -

they are offensive?

RANNOU INTERVIEW

(approx 1:1:12) Since the

beginning of the sixties our

defence policy has been based

on nuclear deterrence and

nuclear deterrence means how

to prevent war, and we want to

retain this defence policy.

13.40

DOM VO

But, according to Admiral

Sanguinetti, if France only

wants a nuclear deterrence - it

only ever needed one test.

Sanguinetti interview

SANGUINEITI INTERVIEW

(approx 1:40:14) You are

dissuasive because you say you

have nuclear arms and once

you have done one test it

proves the point. You don't

need to do any more. Nobody

takes the risk to see if your

bomb is working or not (30:41)

Optional CUT

(31:11) And when the

French President addresses

the world saying that

nowadays in order to

ensure the safety, the

reliability and the safety

of his weapons he has to

carry out new tests, he is

telling the world that his

actual weapons don't work.

It is contradicting the

policy of dissuasion.

(31:31)

14.09

Greenpeace demo

First round clash with

the police

NATSOT – siren

Around the world, pressure is mounting on Chriac to

call off the nuclear tests.

Not only on environmental grounds, but because

they jeopardise international treaties aimed at

reducing the world's nuclear arsenal.

Most protests Chirac can afford to ignore - but not

those on his home turf.

And certainly not here in Strasbourg - the home of

the European Parliament - France's main

international forum.

14.54

Greenpeace demo -

people being

dragged away from

truck, or taken to

paddy van

NATSOT

Emotional protest - no matter how widespread or

heartfelt - is not enough to change Chirac's mind.

His decision was political and at home the politics

haven't changed.

15.23

As far as Chirac is concerned, it's business as

usual.