Introduction
Felix Greene (21 May 1909—June 15, 1985) was a British-American journalist who chronicled several Communist countries in the 1960s and 1970s.
He was one of the first Western reporters to visit North Vietnam when he traveled there for the San Francisco Chronicle in the 1960s. Some of his material has been reproduced for A-Level history, within the Vietnam War topic.
Born in England, Greene first visited China for the BBC in 1957. He later produced documentary films, including One Man's China, Tibet, Cuba va!,, Vietnam! Vietnam! and Inside North Viet Nam. These films have been accused of giving a very rosy and one-sided view of Communist society. Some have argued that Greene purposely hid negative information about the extent of starvation in China. He can be seen as a Fellow traveler.
In the 1970s, Felix Greene came to in Dharamsala to visit the 14th Dalai Lama who recalled that after 3 days of discussion, Greene's attitude had changed.
Greene was a cousin of the author Graham Greene. He lived in the San Francisco area for twenty years. He died in Mexico of cancer.
Books
- The Enemy: What Every American Should Know About Imperialism. Vintage Books, New York, 1971.
- VIETNAM! VIETNAM! In Photographs and text. 1966, Palo Alto, California: Fulton Publishing Company, LCCN: 66-28359
- A Curtain of Ignorance, Cape 1965. Details of how Communist China was reported in the USA in the 1960s.
- The Wall Has Two Sides. A Portrait Of China Today, The Reprint Society, 1963.
Felix Greene's films and photos are distributed by Contemporary Films Limited - www.contemporaryfilms.com