16 JANUARY 1971, Page 30

Palmer Bash

Sir: Mr Tony Palmer's pre- occupation with the Underground leads him to ignore what is taking place on the surface.

I refer to his claim that 'the communications men have re- mained frequently indifferent (to the plight of primitive South American Indians). A Sunday Times colour magazine two years ago, one television film by Adrian Cowell and a song by Paul McCartney ... and that's about the lot.' Not to put too fine a point on it, such a claim is rubbish.

I speak here for only one BBC Tv Unit: the story of the work of the Villas Boas brothers and the decimation of Amazonian Indians had its very first airing in this country on BBC TV over ten years ago (which incidentally gave Adrian Cowell his first chance as a film-maker) with The Lost Indians transmitted in 1959. Since then the anc Travel and Exploration Unit have made over a dozen film documentaries on various aspects of the condition of South American Indians, the latest having been broadcast not two months ago under the title of The Fury of Orinoco.

What Mr Palmer has missed through his ostrich-like behaviour includes, among others, The Lost Indians 1959, Incident in the Mato Grosso 1963, The Destruction of the Indian (three films), 1965, The Devil in the Backlands (three films), 1966, Jivaro 1968, River of Death 1969, The Noble Savage 1969, and the already mentioned The Fury of Orinoco 1970. If Mr Palmer can cock an eye above the surface tomorrow (17 January, Bac-2 8.15 pm) he might like to glance at the repeat of The Noble Savage which ptits the whole Indian/Villas Boas story in a nutshell.

Brian Branston Editor, Travel & Exploration Unit, British Broadcasting Corpora- tion, Kensington House, Richmond Way, London w14