The Trinity test had been executed in New Mexico.
The people from Trinity
had arrived in the Marianas
and they had with them at that particular time
color photographs of the Trinity explosion,
so we got the gang together
and we show them.
We didn't use the words "atomic bomb",
we did not use that, but we said:
Okay now, this is the bomb,
this is what will happen
when we make our flight tomorrow
and release it, this is what we're gonna see.
So with this preliminary indoctrination
we got into the airplane and took off.
Once through we're ... in the air
I then left the pilot seat of the airplane
and I crawled back into the back,
where the enlisted men were.
I got them all together back,
then we pour some coffee out of the thermos jug
and I told them actually what we were doing,
what we are carrying at that time,
and the weather being clear at our primary,
which was Hiroshima, there was no decision left,
I mean, we were on the way to the primary,
so that part of it was perfectly routine,
as we came in from our initial point
to the bomb release point,
it was again routine.
There we were bothered not in the least
by any kind of either opposition, no flag.
We didn't see anything that causes any concerns,
so we're able to concentrate
strictly on the bombing problem.
The bomb was released.
We executed a turn around as we had been directed.
The bomb blast hits us.
It hits us in two different shockwaves,
first being the stronger.
This essay was a perfectly unexciting
and routine thing up until the point
of taking a look at the damage we had been done,
that was kinda a little bit hard to realize,
it was kinda inconceivable
as to what we were looking at there.
We pass comments back and forth in the airplane,
we took pictures and by the time we had done that
I became concerned that
we better quit be in sight seers
and get out of there.
We were gone and off to the coast
in a matter of about 20 minutes
from the time that the bomb was released.
We have spent more than two billion dollars
on the greatest scientific gamble in history,
and we have won.
The Navy Department says that it's too early yet
to tell what effect the atomic bomb
will have on Japanese morale
and that we may have to destroy 4 or 5 cities
before they actually believe we have such a bomb.
Having found the atomic bomb, we have used it.
We shall continue to use it
until we completely destroy Japan's power
to make war.
Only a japanese
surrender will stop us.
It is an awful responsibility which has come to us.
We thank God that it has come to us
instead of to our enemies,
and we pray that He may guide us
to use it in His ways and for His purposes.
Captain Beahan,
what was your most outstanding experience
on this historic flight?
I suppose it was when the clouds
don't pull out over the target, at Nagasaki,
so it was pretty as a picture.
I made the run, let the bomb go.
That was my greatest thrill.
There was no atheists in the hole
and men that had never prayed at all
at the time they watched at the heaven
and beg the Lord that ended up the war
They told Him of their mothers on the homeland
They told Him that they wanted to be there
I think the bomb that stroke Hiroshima
was the answer to our boys' prayers.
Hey, did you see that city
where the first atomic bomb was dropped?
Yes, Fred. We flew over Hiroshima
for about half an hour.
- It was a shamble down. - A shamble?
It looked like Evans field
after a doubleheader with the Giants.
The group had been told to select
some targets in Japan that had not been bombed.
In other words, they wanted virgin targets,
and the reason behind it,
even though not given to the group at that time,
the reason behind it was that they wanted
to be able to make bomb blast studies,
or bomb damage studies on virgin targets
once the bombs were used.
There are definitely military targets,
there was no question about that,
and they offered such a...
Well, you can almost say a classroom experiment,
as far as being able to determine later
the bomb damage.
I have been subjected many times to criticism,
I have been accused of being insane,
being a drunkard,
being everything that you can imagine
a derelict to be,
as a result of a guilty conscience for doing this,
and as I said, no one's ever comes to my defense
in that regard.
I look at it this way: that my part in this thing
may well have been something that later or now
the U. S. government might be looking
at someone with a guilt complex,
and their feeling could be that the less said about it
by the United States government the better.
June 30 1946, almost time.
Another five seconds...
two...
17.30.
A spewing column of smoke 9 miles high in the sky,
blinding light stronger than the Sun.
Bikini Atholon, present site
of Operation Crossroads,
and the fourth atom bomb explosion.
Bikini Atholon, where 200 warships
will be anchored, 140 planes, 200 goats,
200 pigs, 4,000 rats.
How will this fourth bomb affect you?
What do you know of this atom bomb?
The bomb will not start
a chain reaction in the water,
converting it all the gas,
letting all the ships on all the oceans
drop down to the bottom.
It will not blow out the bottom of the sea
and let all the water run down the hole.
It will not destroy gravity.
I am NOT an atomic playboy,
as one of my critics labeled me,
exploding these bombs
to satisfy my personal whim.
The natives expressed to the people
of the United States their welcome,
despite the fact that the Atholon of Bikini
may be utterly destroyed on July 1.
But the natives, in their simplicity
and their pleasantness and their courtesy,
they're more than willing to cooperate,
although they don't understand
the world of nuclear energy
anymore than we do,
and all they have no way of understanding
what the test is all about.
Scene 26, take 2.
Well, James, tell them that the commodore
will explain the atomic bomb.
All right. Now, James, will you tell them
that the United States government
now wants to turn this great destructive force
into something good for mankind,
and that this experiments here at Bikini
are the first step in that direction.
Now, they have heard of our plan
for their evacuation.
Will you ask King Judah to get up and tell us now
what his people think,
and if they're willing to go.
Yes, very good, they are willing to go
and everything is in God hands.
Well, you tell them and King Judah
that everything being in God's hands,
it cannot be other than good.
American officials discuss plans
with the Bikini natives
for the evacuation of the atholon.
The natives are nomadic groups,
and are well pleased that the yanks are going
to add a little variety to their lives,
and here, by the way, you hear them singing
a Marshallese version of "You are my sunshine".
They are in time.
I just have been in the ...
The boys in the control seat...
The pilot have it under his control.
No one can stop it,
the atomic bomb is about to drop.
20 seconds.
42,000 men are here watching.
All the observers, ten seconds!
All the observer ships in position in the open sea,
were about 10 miles away.
Three... two... one...
In the background was the growing struggle
between two great powers
for shape the post-war world:
Soviet Russia was expansively stabbing westward,
knifening the nations left empty by war.
For orders from the Kremlin,
Russia had launched one of history's most drastic
political, moral and economic wars:
a cold war.
The United States was obliged to help Europe
safeguard its traditional freedoms
and the independence of its nations.
Gone was the spirit of wartime unity
that reached its peak on that historic afternoon
in April 45 at the Elbe River in Germany.
Here two worlds actually met,
but this coalition was to be torn asunder.
Already an Iron Curtain had dropped around
Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria.
"But this is Europe", you say.
But let's see what can happen elsewhere,
in the small town of Mosinee, Wisconsin.
Peaceful, isn't it?
But the red punching falls
and the chief of police is hauled off to jail.
Next, public utilities are seized
by fifth columnists.
Watch carefully what happens to an editor
who operates under a free press.
He goes to jail too and his newspaper
is confiscated. Exit freedom of thought.
Yes, this is life under
the Soviet form of government.
The little town of Mosinee made this experiment
for 24 hours of public service to all America.
It can't happen here?
Well, this is what it looks like if it should.
Fortunately we can move the clock back.
The time is not yet.
Let us pray that it never happens in our country.
Before we meet the members
of the American Legion Post 279,
who helped make this picture possible,
I just like to say that gives me
a great deal of satisfaction
to present two outstanding
shopping centers in California,
Shopping Hub of the San Gabriel Valley
in West Arcadia
and the Whittier Quad Shopping Center
in Whittier, California,
because they are concrete expressions
of the practical idealism that built America.
When you visit these two fine shopping centers,
you will find more than four score
beautiful stores, the sparkling assortments,
an attractive atmosphere, and of course
plenty of free parking for all the cars
that we, capitalists, seem to acquire.
Who can help but contrast the beauty
of the practical settings
of the Arcadia Shopping Hub
or the Whittier Quad
with what you'd find under communism.
It's not sane to hope for the best
without preparing for the worst.
Our object is not aggression.
We need not become militaristic,
but we must keep our army, our navy,
our air force at ready steam.
We must back up our team for security.
Well, I guess there's nothing for us
to worry about.
We're the ones that have the bomb.
The atom bomb explodes again
in the headlines of the world.
In Washington, the chairman
of the Joint Congressional Committee
on Atomic Energy, senator Brian McMahon,
gives his reaction to
the Russia's possession of the bomb.
This is no time for hysteria,
this is no time for panic,
this is a time for a calm reflection
on the political and military implications
of this transcendent event.
Everybody is worried
about the atomic bomb
but nobody's worried
about the day my Lord will come
when He hit, the Lord Almighty,
like an atom bomb
when He comes, when He comes
This suit is made of this material.
Inside this layer is a shredded led
that resists against atomic rays.
Okay, Richard, go with this antirray jumper.
Everybody is worried
about the atomic bomb
but nobody's worried
about the day my Lord will come
One immediate effect of the announce
of the Russian atom blast
is the tight of security regulations
of all atom installations.
At Hanford, Washington, where 200 million dollars
have being spent in the ever expanding
atomic government empire,
the door is being locked, but tight.
The guards are get on their toes
by constant targets practices,
and they have orders to shoot to kill
at any suspicious thing.
A highly trained, well equipped North Korean army
swarmed across the 38th paralell
to attack unprepared South Korean defenders.
Caught off guard they were all overwhelmed,
until the United Nations
took its historic vote to intervine.
The end of the war seemed in sight
as the Allies pushed north towards
the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
Then it happened.
The Chinese Red Army starts bring
hundreds of thousands, swarmed over the frontier
against thinly held United Nations positions.
Confronted by overwhelming numbers,
UN army were forced to an inevitable retreat,
while men wondered whether Red China
detach off World War Three.
Will the atom bomb be the answer
to the Chinese hordes?
President Truman said that
it was under consideration.
If the United Nations ... to the forces of agression,
no nation will be safe or secure.
If the agression is successful in Korea
we can expect it to spread
throughout Asia and Europe
and to this hemisphere.
We are fighting in Korea for our own national
security and survival.
It's time for the Longines Chronicle.
Our distinguished guest for this evening
is the honorable James E. Van Zandt,
United States congressman from Pennsylvania.
It's my opinion that we should fight the war
to win in Korea, rather than try to settle
at the diplomatic table, which is impossible
when you're dealing with Russia.
Would you extend your will to win so far
as to include the atomic bomb?
Very definitely, dr. Peterson.
I've always been a firm believer
that we should use the atomic bomb
not only on Korea,
but north of the yellow river in Manchuria.
Does that mean that you believe
that it could be effectively used as a weapon
in the Korean theater?
Yes, I think that there are several targets
in Northern Korea we could use,
that we could destroy with the atomic bomb,
we could strong contaminate them.
And then, of course, there are targets
in Manchuria that should be destroyed.
This is the destructive power we pray God
we will never be called upon
to hurt at any nation,
but should if become necessary.
That it's not hesitate,
because it is foreign to our nature
not use the power which has been given us.
I propose the president of the United States
invite at the commander
of the north korean troops
to withdraw his forces beyond the 38th parallel
within one week, or use that week
to evacuate civilians from a specified list
of North Korean cities
that will be subjected to atomic attack
by the United States air force.
There will soon be uneven
to this cold an wicked war
when those hard headed comunists
had got what they're looking for
Only one thing that will stop then,
and their outrageous fun,
if General MacArthur
drops the atomic bomb.
There'll be fire clouds and metal
flying all around
and radioactivity will burn until the ground
If there's any commies left in
...
if General MacArthur drops the atomic bomb.
I ask you, the American citizen,
to let your Congressman know how you feel
about this proposal.
I really don't know what to do.
But do you feel the Korean situation
affects us more than anything else?
Yes, I feel that we should get out our boys home,
they've been over there long enough
and it doesn't seem to be
any end to this situation.
Hear what my mom said about
how bad things are back home.
"Everybody's hoarding.
Properties are getting fat contracts.
Neighbors say that politicians are using
the war to their own advantage.
All our chief atomic scientists are spies."
And a lot more.
I just take it with a grain of salt.
Let me tell you how the commies
plant propaganda back home.
Sometime ago Mack, Johnny and I
managed to get our last leave
together in a big city.
We must get rid from that atom bomb!
These poor boys will shed their innocent blood
in a war that this country is provoking!
Get a load of us.
Asiatic people all want
the peaceful establishment of native regimes
without the interference
of the United States troops.
Communist don't want war.
War would be world suicide.
Only communist countries can guarantee you peace!
Why don't you go live
in a communist country then?
You're going to talk on a street corner there?
You look pretty well, sister,
to be tearing down the country
that gives you freedom of speech.
We're living in the country
that's the finest place on Earth,
but some folks don't appreciate
this land that gave them birth
I hear that up in Washington
they're having an awful fuss
'cause communist spies
are making monkeys out of us.
The question is:
have you ever been a member
of the Communist Party?
You refuse to answer that question,
is that correct?
I have told you that I will always ... my beliefs,
my affiliations and anything else...
to the American public,
and they will know where I stand,
as they do from all my writings.
The witness stay away!
I wrote of Americanism for many years, and I...
Stay away from the stand!
...for the Bill of Rights you are destroying.
Stay away from the stand!
The bureaus and departments
have been busy night and day
They're figuring out just how
we gave our secrets all away
and Congress has appointed
a committee, so they said,
to find out who's American
and who's a low down red
I'm holding in my hand a microfilm,
a very highly confidential secret
State Department documents.
These documents were fed out
of the State Department over ten years ago,
by communists who were employees
of that Department, and who were interested
in seeing that these documents were sent
to the Soviet Union, when the interests
of the Soviet Union happened to be
in conflict with those of the United States.
I'm no communist, I tell you that right now!
I believe a man should own
his own house and car and cow
I like this private ownership
and I want to be left alone
Let the government run its business
and let me run my own
Our education is proceeding a pace
as to how Russia operates
and how they got the atom bomb,
not by independent research, but from America,
from traitors within our own ranks.
This is a special broadcast
on the scene as Sing Sing prison,
where the Rosenbergs have just been executed.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
have gone to the electric chair.
The first to go into the death chamber
was Julius Rosenberg.
He walked with an impassible
expression on his face.
He walked in slowly.
He was preceded by a rabine
who was singing the 23rd salm,
which everyone knows very well.
He proceeded immediately over to the chair.
He didn't say a word to anyone,
he didn't see to anyone.
He sat down on the chair, straps were applied,
and the first jolt of electricity
was sent through his body at 20.04 of the night.
She died a lot harder.
When it appeared that she had received
enough electricity to kill an ordinary person,
and have received the exact amount
that killed her husband,
the doctors went over
and pulled down the cheap...
prison dress a little dark green
pulled the ... and place the steps...
the steples... I can say it,
place the stethoscope... to her
and then looked around, looked at each other
rather dumbfounded and seemed surprised
that she was not dead.
Believing she was dead,
the attendants had taken off the ghastly
strappings and electrodes and black belts.
These had to be readjusted again,
and she was given more electricity,
which started again and a ghastly plume of smoke
that rose from her head
and went up against the skylight overhead.
After two more of these jolts,
Ethel Rosenberg had met her Maker.
She'll have a lot of explaining to do to.
Immediately after the execution,
the corpses, the bodies were taken away.
There is nothing much to report
at this particular time.
There's don't be no demonstrations.
The heat here has been extremely intense
with a heavy fog in there,
and had been a bit tension
about this whole proceeding up here,
but it is all over,
the news men had been left first,
and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
have gone to the electric chair.
That was an on-the-spot report of the execution
tonight at Sing Sing prison
of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
Now The Great Day Show,
as we join Red Benson and The Gang
in the marine barracks in Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The program is already in fact.
The question before us is this:
should the hydrogen bomb be build?
All the world knows we Americans
are constructive, not destructive.
However distasteful this maybe to us,
there is no choice in the matter:
let us build the bomb.
Is my decided opinion
that the United States of America
should immediately begin
the construction of the H bomb.
I feel we must make the H bomb.
Is my personal opinion that we should manufacture
and produce the H bomb in quantity.
The Russians will try it anyhow,
and should they learn the secret of its manufacture
before we do, the life and security
of all freedom loving people will be in danger.
I would like to add however
that the United States of America
should not necessarily use this bomb,
but rather look upon it as a peaceful guardian
and protector of the basic American doctrines
of liberty and democracy
against the obstacles of red fascisms,
materialistic and atheistic philosophy.
If the communist blocK does attack,
our radar sites and observers will sound the alert.
Giant bombers will take to the air.
Jet fighters will scream aloud.
Fighters will account for some of the enemies,
but some will get through to your home.
In times of social crisis and tension,
in times when changes come so thick and fast
that the individual can no longer
place himself in his group,
when he knows that something is wrong,
but doesn't know what,
when he feels himself a pawn,
in times like these,
most men become highly suggestible.
They listened eagerly for any voice
which sounds authority.
They listen eagerly for anyone
who can tell them what is wrong
and what to do right,
who can diagnose their trouble
and prescribe a cure.
Eisenhower, the man of the moment
Ike, Ike, we like Ike!
Ike, Ike, we want Ike!
We like the shine of your smile
We see the future in your eyes
You led our men to victory
You are the one we idolize.
I don't mean to say, and no one can say to you,
that there are no dangers.
Of course there are risks if we are not vigilant,
but we do not have to be hysterical.
We can be vigilant, we can be Americans,
we can stand up and hold up our heads and say:
America is the greatest force
that God has ever allowed to exist.
As such, it is up to us to lead this world
to a peaceful and secure existence,
and I assure you: we can do it.
Now, if we first take a look
at the strength of America,
you and I know that is
the most productive nation on Earth,
that we are richer, by any standard of comparison,
that any other nation in the world.
We know that we have
great military strength, economic, intellectual.
But all in all, this total strength of America
is one of those things we called,
and the world calls, unbelievable.
Now, by then, with all his strength
should we be worrying at times
about what the world is doing to us?
Actually we see threats coming from all angles,
the internal and external, and we wonder
what's going to happen to us
individually and as a nation.
Now, perhaps I can illustrate some of the reasons
for this concern of today.
Now, only a year ago
hydrogen bomb was exploded in the Pacific.
Last month, another series of ...
Now this transfer of power, this increase of power
from the musket and the little cannon
all the way to the hydrogen bomb
in a single lifetime is indicative of the things
that have happened to us.
They'd rather indicate how far
the advances of science
had outrace our social conscience.
How much more we have developed scientifically
than we are capable of
handling emotionally and intellectually.
So that is one of the reasons
that we have this great concern,
of which the hydrogen bomb
is merely a dramatic symbol.
- Dad, I finished. - Ok, ok.
Me too. The new puzzle, where is it?
- In my bookcase. - Thanks, daddy.
Kenny, put the news, it's about that time.
- Oh, dad. - You can watch that show tomorrow.
- Ok. - Thanks.
Anyone of intelligence and information
is hoping and praying that we won't have
a third world war,
because in this age of atomic weapons,
war would be... a third world war
would be a catastrophe for all mankind,
and then finally, and this is quite significant,
about sixty percent of the american people
reviewed in the study which we made
through the University of Michigan a year ago,
that they believed that the military could stop
the atomic bombs from falling
upon the United States.
Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you
that the military will tell you that today
they cannot stop a successful Russian attack.
That can be corroborated rather dramatically
and we didn't plan it this way, governor,
but the floor manager has just handed me
a bulletin saying that the Russians
had just exploded a hydrogen bomb.
We must learn to live in a world
where we have the hydrogen bomb
and the enemy of freedom has the hydrogen bomb.
It can destroy any city, that means Fort Worth
and Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Amarillo,
El Paso, yes, Johnson City.
Every dollar I make goes for taxes and bill
Perhaps they've discovered the cure for my ill
Ho, hai, ho, the hydrogen bomb
God bless it all for let it fall
Ho, hai, ho, the hydrogen bomb
Oh, God, have mercy on me
The problem this time is especially acute
because this entire area of the Pacific
is subject to radiological fallout,
and this area is inhabited by some 20,000 people.
The meteorologists had predicted a wind condition
which should had carried the fallout to the north
of a group of small atollons
lying to the east of Bikini.
The wind failed to follow the predictions
but shifted south of that line,
and the little islands of Rongelap, Rongerik
and Utirik were in the edge of the path
of the fallout.
The task force commander rapidly evacuated
all the people from these islands.
They were taken to the island of Kwajelin,
where we maintain a naval establishment,
and there they've placed under continuous
and competent medical supervision.
I visited they there last week.
Today, a whole month after the event,
the medical staff on Kwajelin have advised us
that they anticipate normalness,
except, of course, diseases which may be
hereafter contracted.
The 236 natives appeared to me
to be well and happy.
The survey aircraft carefully searched the area
and reported no shipping.
A Japanese fishing trawler
appears to have been missed by the search,
but based on a statement
attributed to their skipper,
that in effect he saw the flash of the explosion
and heard the concussion six minutes later,
it must have been well within the danger area.
At the time of the explosion
the tuna ship had been sailing far outside
the designated safe area of a 75-mile radius.
Three hours after the H bomb had been detonated,
a downpour of radioactive ash
descended on The Fortunate Dragon
and it's crew of 23.
None of them knew the nature of the deadly stole.
It was three days for before the ship
and it's contaminated crew and fishing catch
sailed into port.
By that time the men suffered
from the beginning symptoms of deadly
radiation poisoning.
By the time their illnesses
have been properly diagnosed,
the hot fish brought back in their holes
had been sold in the markets all over Japan.
A panic ensued.
Midnight burials of recent catches
in the vicinity of the h-bomb explosion
took place all over Japan.
The bottom had dropped down the fish market,
and the Japanese people chose to do
without the staple food
for a long time after the tragic affair.
Another byproduct of the stupendous
mid-Pacific blast unfolds in San Francisco,
where tuna fish, supposedly
made radioactive during the tests,
are scrutinized by federal agents
armed with Geiger counters,
for signs of contamination.
Hot tea anyone?
That's not an invitation, it's a problem
for the Coast Guard and customs
by the arrival in Brooklyn of a cargo
of japanese tea slightly radioactive.
Final conclusion: the tea's radioactivity
is within safety limits, not too hot to handle.
Warm.
Yeah. June in January that's what I say.
If you ask me, I think
it's because of those atom bombs.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
They've done some cockeyed ... of the world.
I think they got the south in the Equator.
Just like I keep saying,
everybody's so uncertain about everything.
They don't seem to know what's gonna happen.
Bourbon, straight.
Well, as I was saying,
I wouldn't be very eager as much
about the atom bomb.
if it were to kill you right out.
What scares me is that awful gas
that deforms you.
- Yeah, that would be bad. - Yeah.
It's the drink you don't pour
Now when you take one soup
you won't need involved
You're small as a beetle or big as a whale
Bum... atomic cocktail
Corporal, give me your name and hometown address.
My name is corporal George Morland,
I'm from Elmhurst, Illinois.
I'm tech sargent George Portell
from Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Jerry Snyder, from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Sargent Weaver.
Where are you from, Sargent Weaver?
Columbus, Georgia.
- Where you from? - Portland, Oregon.
- Where are you from? - I'm New York City.
Little Rock... Kansas City... Missouri... New Jersey...
Gentlemen, I want to welcome you
to Camp Desert Rock.
This will be your last briefing
before you go up out to the firing area
and take part of an atomic detonation.
The tactical situation behind
troop test "Smokey" is this:
the mythical enemy, which has landed
on the coast of California,
has made a deep penetration close to supplys,
special weapons storage
and missile launching installations
in the vicinity of Las Vegas and Hoover Dam.
The tactical commander decided at this point
to use an atomic weapon
in this assault on the enemy.
The mission of these men is to move
as quickly as possible into the blasted area
and exploit the breech in the enemy lines.
You are here to participate in an atomic maneuver.
This is not a hap hazard maneuver.
Careful planning for it started months back.
Watched from a safe distance,
this explosion is one of the most beautiful
sights ever seen by man.
You're probably saying: So it's beautiful.
What makes it so dangerous?
Basically there are only
three things to think about:
blast,
heat...
and radiation.
Radiation: this is the one new effect
obtained by the use of an atomic weapon.
Truthfully, it's the least important
of the three efects,
as far as the soldier on the ground is concerned.
You can't see radiation,
feel it, smell it or taste.
Film badges and dosimeters issued to you
enable the radiological safety monitor
in your unit to read the amount of your exposure.
The radiation level may be high,
but if you follow orders, you'll be moved out
in time to avoid sickness.
Finally, if you receive enough gamma radiation
to cause sterility or severe sickness,
you'll be killed by blast,
flying debris or heat anyway.
Well, that's the story.
Don't worry about yourselves.
As far as the test is concerned, you'll be okay.
Well, we knew now exactly
where we'd be for the big show.
All we had to do is wait.
Now that it's so close
it makes you feel kind of restless.
You wonder if everything's gonna turn out alright
and filled your mind
no matter what you were doing.
What seems to be the trouble, soldier?
You look a little bit worried.
Well, I am, caplain, just a little bit.
Actually there's no need to be worried
as the Army has taken
all of the necessary precautions
to see that were perfectly safe here.
Sir, have you been on one of these shots before?
Yes, I've had the opportunity to see
a number of the atomic tests.
I feel that as a chaplain,
it is my responsibility to be with my men.
What's it like, chaplain?
First of all, one sees a very, very bright light,
followed by a sharp wave,
and then you hear the sound of the blast
and then it seems as there's a minor earthquake,
and then you look up and you see the fireball
as it ascends up into the heaven.
It's a wonderful sight to behold.
30 seconds.
15 seconds.
10 seconds.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
The blast shock passes in a matter of seconds
and the heat and blast effects
you can see and feel.
You cannot sense the presence
of nuclear radiation effects.
Alpha and beta particles,
because of their low penetrating power,
are stopped by most surfaces, even a soldier skin.
They are a hazard only
when materials emitting these particles
get into the body through breaks in the skin
or through the nose or mouth.
Didn't keep your mouth shut
and you get a mouthful of dirt.
I got my mouth filled with dirt.
Hey, young, did you wear any type
of protective clothing or just what did you wear?
None, just the regular war cloth.
We see on your lapels here this white badge.
Can you tell me what that is?
That's a tin badge to determine or to take
the amount of radiation you received in the area.
They can tell commander
if you received a lethal dose.
That's right.
If you were driving from Los Angeles
to Salt Lake City on US Highway 91,
you would pass through St. George, Utah,
just a short way from the Nevada Test Site
140 miles to the west.
Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this program
to bring you important news.
Word has just been received
from the Atomic Energy Commission
that due a change in wind direction
the residue from this morning's atomic detonation
is drifting in the direction of St. George.
It is suggested that everyone remain indoors
for one hour or until further notice.
There is no danger, this is simply routine
Atomic Energy Commission safety procedure.
Parents need not be alarmed
about children at school.
No recesses outdoors will be permitted.
And as the people of St. George took cover,
it was natural that some of them
have questions about atomic tests.
What is the atomic bomb?
Why do we have to test bombs?
A little of the amount of radiation
will cause how many mutations?
Never before have so many know so little
about a subject so big and so important.
the capabilities of most weapons
are pretty well understood,
but when it comes to atomic explosions
the guessing game starts.
Alright, let's take a few minutes right now
and get acquainted with the A bomb.
Mean Test Able.
A submarine bomb exploded in the harbor
might affect the city.
The affected area would be a poor picnic site,
but might be able briefly to pass through quickly
with a varying degree of risk.
Risk is something the military
doesn't have the monopoly.
Occupational hazards are accepted
in a matter of fact manner in civilian life.
Risk is part of the pattern of daily routine.
Some of the falsehoods circulating
about radiation effects
are trivial but upsetting.
They've being drive to one self esteem
and will eventually result
in a race of bold headed people.
Just imagine it. Imagine yourself with no hair.
They'll call you all skinhead, all cone dome.
And that's not all radioactivity will do.
It will...
Enough exposure to radiation
will cause loss of hair.
The treatment, if you insist,
would be symptomatic: a toupee.
But the condition would only be temporary.
Your hair would come back,
same color, same quality.
Which puts the finger squarely
upon one of the major fallacies
in the public attitude toward atomic weapons:
it's the fallacy of devoting
eighty-five percent of one's worrying capacity
to an agent that constitutes
only about fifteen percent
of an atomic bomb destroying potential,
and that's unsound, doesn't fit.
There are those few who love to maintain
that there is no actual threat
to the free world at all,
certainly none that can justify
either nuclear testing or nuclear armament.
The opposite viewpoint holds that
the development of our nuclear power
has been absolutely necessary protection
against communist hostility and nuclear threats.
In this view, the fallout casualties, if any,
will be seen as those of unidentified soldiers
in the service of humanity,
unknown soldiers in a war which is not started.
We're going to be talking about nuclear energy
and the kinds of things that could happen
with an atomic emergency,
and we do this not to worried you,
nor to frighten you, but really we've got admit
that we live in a atomic age,
so exist an atomic bomb,
so we have to be aware of this,
and know what to do in case an emergency happens.
If there will be a need to spend
two weeks in a fallout shelter,
we have had our survival kit.
For the food supply packed variety of croods,
soups, evaporated milk, vegetables, napkins.
The purpose of our demonstration today
is to show you the actual preparation
of one of the meals which was prepared
in a modern day key.
One new meal consists of the following food:
canned chicken, peas, dry potatoes, tomato juice.
My poster treats defenses against fallout,
and if you're far outside
during a nuclear explosion
decontamination may be necessary.
You have to burn or bury all your clothes and food
afterwards you should wash thoroughly.
John, let me interrupt you here just a moment.
I have some film here that I think
would describe what might happen,
will describe a little about the atom,
so John, why don't you catch the lights
- and we'll try? - Good.
There was a turtle by the name of Burt
and Burt the Turtle was very alert
When danger threated him,
he would never get hurted
He know just what to do
He duck and cover
Duck and cover
Now, you and I don't have shells
to crawl into like Burt the Turtle,
so we have to cover up in our own way.
Paul and Patty know this.
no matter where they go or what they do,
they always try to remember what to do
if the atom bomb explodes right then.
It's a bomb! Duck and cover!
Here's Tony going to his cub scout meeting.
Tony knows the bomb can explode
anytime of the year, day or night.
Duck and cover!
Atta boy Tony, that flash means "act fast".
Sundays, holidays, vacation time,
we must be ready every day all the time
to do the right thing
if the atomic bomb explodes.
Duck and cover!
And that's the first thing to do: duck and cover.
First you duck, then you cover.
You duck and cover.
Duck and cover under the table.
It's a bomb! Duck and cover! Duck and cover!
Duck and cover yourself.
He did what we all must learn to do
you and you and you and you
Duck and cover
Remember what to do, friends.
Now tell me right out loud,
what are you supposed to do
when you see the flash?
Duck and cover!
- Question. - Yes?
How far we have to be from the blast
for get through it?
Well, let's take a 20 megatons surface burst.
You would have a good chance of surviving
if you're more than 12 miles
from the point of detonation.
A bomb equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT
would cause an intense fire, called a firestorm,
in an area about 2,000 square miles
around the center of the blast,
and in such an area it would be futile,
desperately futile,
to construct what are called fallout shelters.
This man,
like thousands of others around the country,
is suffering from a dread
disease called "nucleorosis".
The symptoms: nuclear blindness.
All you can see is a mushroom cloud.
He's blinded from the fear of it,
deaf from the sound of it,
and there is a short circuit in his brain.
He can only think on the awful threath
of the nuclear bomb.
We ought to learn something
from the Second War World at this respect.
The bombing there,
even by Second World War bombs,
on Hamburg, on Tokyo and on other cities,
showed that such shelters became
centers for incinerating or asphyxiating
the people who are in them.
A fallout shelter in your basement
will give adequate shielding
from radioactive fallout.
Finally getting the message.
Are you?
A new housing development near Denver,
Colorado, shows the nation's first model
homes with built in fallout shelters.
The room is designed with an atomic war in mind,
but behind each eight inch
thick reinforced concrete wall
it may prove to be just what
the herring housewive is looking for:
one life with the kids gets too hectic.
You don't think that shelters are deterrent
to a nuclear war either?
On the contrary, I believe that psychologically
they will push both us and the Russians
into thinking more of having the war.
There are some instances
where you may be ahead of us,
for example in the development of your...
the thrust of your rockets
for the investigation of outer space.
Maybe in some instances,
for example the color television,
we are ahead of you.
In order for both rise...
No, in rockets we've passed you by...
We'll show you our success
in you show the actual possibilities of America,
and we will be able to say:
"Here are the possibilities of America".
How long does it exist? How many years?
Three hundred years?
150 years of independence?
Then we will say that America exists
150 years and this is its level.
We are 42 years not quite.
Another seven years we'll be
in the same level of America.
Then in the future we will go ahead
and wait for you in the crossroad.
That increasing communication
will teach us domething,
and it will teach you some things too,
because after all you don't know everything.
Yes, I don't know everything
and I would say that you know
absolutely nothing about communism,
nothing except fear of it.
Let's say you've got your family in your shelter,
the attack is on.
A question might come up of admitting
anyone over and above the number
for the home shelter was design.
I'd say we should rely
on the best prudential judgment
that the father,
or the one responsible for the shelter,
can make under circumstances,
but I say let him think twice
before he admits the needy stranger
if admitting the needy stranger
is going to cut down the chances of survival
of the group it's already there.
And then that final point:
can a man have protective devices
in order to protect his family
once they are in the shelter
from, let's say, strangers that try to use
a crowbar to get in?
I'd say from what I have been talking about,
the matter of self-defense.
It would be wise for a man to at least
consider the possibility of putting
some protective devices in the shelter
together with the other elements
of the survival kit.
Alright, you've been down there eight to ten days.
You come out and you find
that half or three quarters of Los Angeles
has been destroyed,
but how you going to continue to live?
Well, the first thing we have to recognize
is that half of Los Angeles is destroyed,
maybe eighty, ninety percent of the people
will be dead and there will be
fewer mouths to feed, and those of us
who'd survive, we'll have more water and food
to divide out.
Last night I was dreaming
dreaming about the H bomb
Well, the bomb went off and I was caught
I was the only way on the ground
There were 13 women
And only one man in the town
13 women at all
And only one man in town
And as funny as it may be
The one and only man in town was me
Thirteen women
and me the only man around.
I had two girls every morning
Seeing if I was well fed
And believe you me, one sweetened my tea
While another one buttered my bread
Cheese, macaroni, instant potatoes...
Something exploded down inside
and rushed tears up in my eyes
Oh, yes, I hava that funny feeling
I guess it's my atomic love for you
Our artillery and our Tactical Air Force
in the Pacific, are now equipped, at this moment,
with atomic explosives which can
and will be used on military targets
with precision and effectiveness.
It's just...
On the steps of the nation's Capitol
the bell announces the opening
of Mental Health Week.
It's rung by Vice President Nixon,
and the Senator Smathers of Florida.
Characterizing mental health
as the nation's number one problem,
the Vice President says
that the ringing of the bell
throughout the nation
will be a reminder of suffering Americans.
Atom bomb baby, little atom bomb
I want her in my wigwam
She's just the way I want her to be
They're gonna live live live in my fallout shelter
It was a 50 megatons atom jump
Like a radioatomic bomb
By all means provide some tranquilizers
to ease the strain and monotony
of life in a shelter.
A bottle of 100 should be adequate
for a family of four.
Tranquilizers are not a narcotic,
They're not habit formers.
And by the way, do you know exactly
what your family would do if an attack came,
say, at ten o'clock tomorrow morning?
It's a good question, isn't?
- There were meant, dearest. - George.
I make a toast to my bride-to-be.
Darling.
Darling and I toast the most
wonderful man in all the world.
Why, Lucy, your eyes are filled with tears.
My heart is filled with gladness.
Oh, look, the orchestra's getting ready.
Dance with me, George!
George, I wonder if we thought this too.
I'm afraid for you, George.
Oh, nonsense, my silly.
Yes, George, afraid.
My fiancée, Luther Marshall...
We interrupt our normal program
in the interest of security
and civil defense measures
as requested for the United States government.
Attention, attention!
This is an official Civil Defense warning.
This is not a test.
The United States are under nuclear attack.
Take cover immediately
in your nearer nuclear shelter.
Repeat: the United States
are under nuclear attack.
This is an official Civil Defense broadcast.
Enemy aircrafts are over Canada
and headed this way.
The United States are under nuclear attack.
Take cover immediately
in the shelters of your area.
We repeat: the nation is under nuclear attack.
This is an extreme emergency.
You must stay in calm.
Go to your designated shelter without delay.
This is an official Civil Defense broadcast.
This is not a test.
The United States is under nuclear attack.
Take cover immediately
in the nearer fallout shelter.
Repeat: the United States
are under nuclear attack.
Take cover immediately
in your nearer fallout shelter.
Now children, I want that you sit down
here against the wall.
That's it.
Now go get against it.
Now listen, kids:
If they'll drop an atomic bomb
it may take off any second now.
Whatever happens, I'll give the signal
that's all right for us to get up.
If there's any explosion,
we'll wait about a minute after's all over,
then we'll go upstairs and took a look at all.
See if all's right to clean up.
Children, you better clean up the broken glass
and all these debris.
All an all, let's say we've been
very lucky around here.
Nothing to do now but...
wait for orders from the authorities and relax.
The sun goes down
And leave me sad and blue
The iron curtain falls
On this cold war with you
'Cause you won't speak
And I won't speak, that's true
Two stubborn people
With a cold war to go through.
Why, oh why, should love ever come
To couples like you and me
Whose cold, cold wars are never done
And whose hearts just can't be free?
So let's do right
And let's just say we're through
I just can't stand another
Cold, cold war with you.
Why, oh, why should love ever come
To couples like you and me
Whose cold, cold wars are never done
So let's be right
And let's just say we're through
I just can't stand
Another cold, cold war with you.