And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Award winning documentarians latest film is called last days of vietnam. Her father was robert kennedy, and part of his bid for the presidency was to get this country out of that war. Her new documentary which is playing in limited release before airing here on pbs next year is already garnering qualified praise from influential media outlets. I was the first one into the embassy and my only mission at this time this was early in the afternoon was to bring the ambassador out. It was actually a mission called embassy snatch. I land and said to the people im here to get the ambassador. Not quite. The ambassador refused to leave until he could get as many vietnamese on as many choppers as possible. Im on book tour as we speak well, im talking to you. Im on tour on a book written about dr. King and the one question i get asked is why another book on dr. King. I will ask you what i get asked everywhere i go. Why to your mind do we need another piece on vietnam . I tell you, when i first came up with the idea with mark samuels at pbs to do this film, i had the same reaction. I thought do we really need another film about vietnam . Can i add anything new to the equation . What i found was that what was true for me in that instance, i think, is true for a lot of people who have not seen the film is that we think we know a lot about what happened during those final days but really i think what most of us are familiar with is the iconic image of the helicopter leaving from what we think is the embassy. It is not the embassy. That is one thing that you will learn in watching this film. There is so much incredible events that happened during that last 24 hours. I mean its really an extraordinary phenomenon. Its a chapter of American History that almost nobody knows about. And so, im so thrilled to be able to share this film and, you know, what we uncovered in researching the film and developing it further was that as these events took place and it got very chaotic. The american in washington said we just need to get the americans out of the country and leave the vietnamese behind. Our story focuses on heroic acts to go against american policy to get the vietnamese out of the country. Two or three things i want to ask. The first thing is what do you hope . Let me ask this question and we will go deeper into the film. What do you hope the take away is for those of us who will see this about what happened in that last 24 hours . Well, i think there are a lot of insights that we can and lessons to be learned. Part of my interest in making this film when we started developing it a couple year ace go is we were on the brink of getting out of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. What it tells me is one of the lessons i have learned is when you get to this point where you havent won the war and arguably lost, certainly that was the case with vietnam, there are very few good options available. You know, its a little bit like what powell said. You break it, you fix it, and you own it right . Then there is a responsibility to the people on the ground. And i hope one of the things this film reminds people of is the human cost of war. There is no narrator in our film. No experts looking back. It is really documenting the people who were directly affected and impacted who were on the ground or in washington making the policies. Thats an important reminder as we are getting out of these wars. There are images while we are getting out of iraq where families are desperately trying to get on American Helicopters and it feels like saigon where vietnamese are trying to get on helicopters. Whether its the translaters who worked with us or the agents or the people in the field, the secretaries, the housekeepers, they all are much more vulnerable now that america is leaving and they are associated with america. So i think this film raises the question indirectly what is our responsibility to these people . Lets take that question, what is our responsibility to these people. How then should we read kissinger saying we have got to get the americans out and the vietnamese are on their own . How do we read that . I guess what i feel, they thought it was going to take two years to get to saigon. This is in 1975 where there are no longer troops. We dont have an american troop presence. We signed the peace corps in 1973. There were about 6,000 americans in the country at that time. So he really felt that north had come in and they thought it would take two years and it took four months. You know, because the americans were not there in part, the country fell like a house of cards. It happened much quicker than anybody anticipated. So they went to the fourth and last option which was a Helicopter Air lift. Helicopters cant fit that many people and we had less than 24 hours before the north was going to come into the country. He didnt have that many choices. Thats why i say at this point, the wave of history was upon us. And what is so inspirational about this story is that these men on the ground despite that wave of history. They missed their lives and went against u. S. Policy. In the embassy, people were filling helicopters with vietnamese. They knew once the last american left they would stop sending the helicopters. They filled them as many as possible and maybe put one or two americans on each helicopter going out of the country. What was happening is there was a fleet, the u. S. Fleet was out in the South China Sea and the helicopters were going from the fleet to the embassy. What happened was the the south vietnamese pilots were still there. And so were their helicopters. They were getting in their helicopters, filling them with their family. Can you imagine the risk of putting your family. The fleet and the ships out at sea called those helicopters down. Come on down. Without authorization from washington, they didnt know if it was enemy, who they were, what was going on, but they called them down. Thats why you see some people are familiar with the images of helicopters being pushed. They didnt have room for the helicopters. They just dumped them in the ocean . They said lets bring the next group down and throw the helicopters in the ocean. There is a great story in our film about richard armitage, who along with his vietnamese counter parts saved 30,000 vietnamese. They had this whole ship going from vietnam to the philippines with 32 ships filled with 30,000 vietnamese, totally unauthorized. Didnt get approval for that. There is really extraordinary stories of heroism and i think in a moment that, you know, people in this country are not particularly proud of the abandonment of the vietnamese and losing the vietnam war, there is a moment that really makes you proud of this handful of americans. Are there take aways to your mind in this film . Are there statements in this film about the mistake that we made to get into vietnam in the first place . Im wondering if there are images that we see, if there are things that we see in this film that really make us sort of rethink as we watch why we got in this mess in the first place . You know, our film really is about the end of the vietnam war. So it really starts with 1973, and the peace being signed and the truth leaving. I think, and we stay in that. We stay in that moment. And the film ends, you know, the events, the most dramatic events is april 29, 1975. And our film ends on april 30th. Its very contained within that story. I think that to watch the film, its hard not to make associations with whats happening today in our country and as we are on the brink of getting into further engagements with isis and syria to see the connection between what happened. And of course its also hard to watch the film without asking questions about how we got involved in vietnam in the first place. And you know, this larger idea of once you get to this place, you do have very few options. The place when you have control is entering these conflicts. And once you enter them, you lose control. Uhhuh. Potentially. So there is a high risk. And you know, so then you really, i think we need to demand of our leaders an understanding of what the strategy is, what the long term goals are. What the cost is going to be not just financially but in human lives. As big of a mistake, my assessment as vietnam was, would you say, having done this film that this represents the proudest moment that we have as a takeaway from the vietnam war . You know, these folks really did extraordinary things and i think one of the things the film helps us understand, i think we are more sophisticated than we were 40 years ago is distinguishing between the policies put in place by our government and the people who are on the front lines fighting these wars. And you know, there is a difference between the two. And you really see that and feel that over the course of this film. A lesson worth remembering given what were doing right about now. Rory kennedy has done it again. Thanks for coming on and congratulations on a wonderful project. Thank you so much for having me. Great talking to you. You, too. Coming up, grammy nominee singer kem. Stay with us. Two grammy nominations, number one album and three gold records to his credit. Once homeless and a recovering addict, sober now for 24 years. His fourth album is out. Its called promise to love. It pays tribute to the power of love and how it kept him on track. Here is kem singing, its you from the new cd. When you walk on set, i love the fact that every project you put out you number it. This is album number four. Counting them down. I like that. Where did that concept start . It started with album one. What gave you the notion to number your albums . Chemistry was the first album. And album two came from a lack of a name. It was the second album. So this one is about promise to love. Im not amazed at this because the subject of love is so inexhaustible. Im not amazed by it but im impressed by the fact that so many artists then now and into the future find different, new ways to talk about this subject. Love is the universal language and being expressed through another universal language. Music. Its been a treat to be able to form a wish list of the things i hope for in relationship. To testify. You know, my music is a testimony. Its a wish list. You know, i take pride in crafting a great love song. There is no greater topic. Yeah. So the longer you write about love, this is project number four. Does it get easier . Does it get more difficult . Do these songs flow out of you or are you struggling . Im a song writer first. I have been influenced byjrg6kn of great names. Yeah. Yeah. If you are a song writer first, when did you add or when did you know that you had the voice to actually sing your stuff . I kept trying to get singers to sing my songs right. You thought i may as well do this myself, huh . I may as well. And for you. Set your modesty aside. For you, singing a kem song right means putting what into it . Melody is king. Uhhuh. Melody is king. It used to be. It is in your stuff. In my house it still is. It has disappeared everywhere else, though. To vocally to vocally take care of those words and that melody. And evoke them in a way that reaches the heart. I tell, you know, i was telling someone the other day. Im trying to melt your heart. Im trying to get in there and affect you. And it has to mean something to you. Who better, you know, to sing these words that i have penned than me . You have melted a whole lot of hearts. How did you find your way back into my life . You melted a whole lot of hearts. It is typically, at least in my mind, its typically a compliment when someone says the minute they hear your voice, thats kem. You have created your own sort of song styling that people know its you when they hear it. It occurred to me for the First Time Ever in this broadcast career of mine that that could be seen as a negative, which is to say that when people hear you on one or two notes and they know its you that your stuff is getting to be pretty typical and that they hear it and you havent really gotten out of that particular box. Im not talking about you per say. Does the flip side of that ever bother you that people know you so well that it coerces you to think of a different way to present your music . No. I think that with each record, with each album, with each song i have evolved as a singer and song writer. But i want you to know its me. Thats the effect that i want to have. I have had the privilege of working with patty. Patty labelle. I need to say. That. Patty is awfully good. And having a conversation with ryan, man, ron, to me is like dude when your voice comes on, thats it. You know . I and to know that i am that i am moving in the same direction, in the same direction, you know . Thats everything. Ron is ron is getting more and more krchronologically gift every day and yet his upper register is still there. It amazes me. Its incredible. If they were to put a time capsule together and had to drop one record in there from one artist, in my mind it would be ron. High compliment. Ron returned the favor that you did for him. Thats impress iive. Johnathan, i grabbed the cd. I know my eyes are getting bad. But i looked and i looked and i looked. What i thought i saw, i was seeing track number three is a song called downtown and it features on a kem record some guy named snoop dogg. I love snoop, fo shizle my nizle. But how did you and snoop hook up on a kem project . Im not a rapper but i feel like i have the right to rap on my own music like i did with ron. On this song, downtown, i was also going to perform the rap. Actually the rap was written and it had already been performed and it was ready to go until somebody sent me a youtube clip of snoop and two chain singing i cant stop loving you. They were singing your stuff on youtube . On youtube. And the lightbulb went off. First of all i was honored that my music lives in places that i wouldnt immediately expect it to. And i have been a fan of his for years, man, and hes classic. You know, hes vintage. Hes an icon. And so, you know, if youre going to rap on a record, why not get a real rapper . You know . At the top of my list would be snoop. I said many times, this is how you start a barroom brawl by saying on national tv who you think has the coldest flow. His flow is just so cold. Its hard to beat snoop for flow. Obviously you put it on record. How do you think he did . Oh, it was incredible. Its on the record. It made the cut. Yeah. It made the cut. Did he give you any tips about how to rap better on your next project . No. But im very grateful that he graced us with his presence on this record. That track that snoop was singing on youtube, i cant stop loving you, is to my mind all your stuff is wonderful. But if i had to list my top three all Time Favorite kem tracks, thats in the top three. Really . Cant stop loving you . Im not mad at that. I assume you must get that in concert. Even at this point in your career, there are a few things that you have to sing before you get off stage or you going to get something thrown at you. I have to sing cant stop loving you. Its on the list. And the way its set up in the show and it has been for close to a decade now is that is a segment of the show where i give testimony. I cant not do the show and not sing the show. Its one of my favorites. I suspect you would never get tired of acknowledging this but you had a rough past . Homelessness . Addiction . 24 years sober and yet every time i see you on this stage or in concert, you proudly tell that testimony. Absolutely, man. My faith and the principles that i have learned to navigate my recovery and my life . Thats my foundation. You know . And this music is really built upon that. You know, the songs that you heard on my first album, chemistry, a lot of those songs and melodies and progressions were fashioned in the middle of my addiction, you know what i mean . I think when we are allowed to overcome and go through something, we learn some things that i think we have a responsibility and privilege to let the world know so that the next cat, the next musician can, or whoever can be encouraged and inspired to overcome whatever they may be dealing with. How much touring you doing for this one . We going to do a lot of touring. A lot. You going to be out for the rest of the year . Yes. We start in november and we have dates in 2015 with uncle charlie and fantasia. I was on a plane the other day and walked on. I looked up and i was sitting next to charlie. And we talked all the way across the country. I love charlie. That was a wonderful chance. Yeah. I cant wait to read the story of his life. I know some of it. Talk about addiction in an amazing journey. Uncle charlie has an amazing story, too. What is so beautiful about charlie is charlie did everything he could to destroy his instrument and god protected it anyway. His whole range is still there. The new project from kem, album four, is called promise to love. You can catch him on tour starting in november. He will be everywhere and i know the lines will be out the door. Good to see you, kron gr congratulations. Thats our show tonight. As always, keep the faith. For more information on todays show, visit tavis smiley at pbs. Org. Hi, im tavis smiley when we talk to ed harris next time. Well see you then. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. The following kqed production was produced in high definition. [ music ] its all about licking your plate. The food was just fabulous. I should be in psychoanalysis for the amount of money i spend in restaurants. I had a horrible experience. I dont even think we were at the same restaurant. And everybody