News `treasure trove` resurrected

history and cultures#topic

A comprehensive archive of some 20,000 film cans containing 3,500 hours of international news from the 1960s and 1970s has been unearthed from former US President Dwight D Eisenhower's wartime bunker in central London.

The "treasure trove" of footage contains never-before-seen images of seminal moments from the period, such as coverage of a young Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro and Richard Nixon as well as footage from Vietnam and Elizabeth Taylor's 40th birthday party.

The "time capsule" footage was resurrected after 40 years from the bunker which was used as Eisenhower's safe-house during the Second World War.

The film reels were the legacy of news agency United Press International Television News, which was later purchased by the Associated Press in 1998.

The films are now being restored to be transferred onto high definition videotape for professional use as well as being digitised for online viewing via aparchive.com.

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