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
colored photographs of the Trinity explosion,
so we got the gang together and we showed them.
We didn't use the word "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 we were airborne and 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 there,
then we poured some coffee out of the thermos jugs
and I told them actually what we were doing
and what we were 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 fighter opposition, no flak.
We didn't see anything to cause us any concern
so that we're able to concentrate
strictly on the bombing problem.
The bomb was released.
We executed our turn away as we had been directed.
The bomb blast hit us.
It hit us in two different shockwaves,
the first being the stronger.
This, as I say, was a perfectly unexciting
and routine thing up until the point
and then it was kinda...
It was a little bit hard to realize,
it was kinda inconceivable
as to what we were looking at there.
We passed 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 being sightseers
and get out of there.
And we were gone and off for 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 four or five 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
opened up over the target, at Nagasaki,
the target was there pretty as a picture.
I made the run, let the bomb go.
That was my greatest thrill.
J there was no atheist in a foxhole I
j and men who never prayed before
j lifted tired and bloodshot eyes to heaven j
j and begged the lord fo end that awful war j
j they told him of their homes and loved ones j
j they told him that they'd like to be there j
j I believe the bomb that struck Hiroshima j
j was the answer to our fighting boys' prayers jj
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 shambles, eh? - A shambles?
It looked like ebbets 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.
They were definitely military targets,
there was no question about that,
and they offered such a...
Well, you could 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 say,
no one's ever come 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
that the U.S. government might be looking at somewhat
with a guilt complex,
and the feeling could be that the less said about it
by the United States government the better.
June 30th 1946, almost time.
Another five seconds...
Two...
5:30.
A spuming column of smoke nine miles into the sky,
blinding light stronger than the sun.
Bikini atoll,
present site of operation crossroads,
and the fourth atom bomb explosion.
Bikini atoll,
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 to gas
and 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.
And thus the natives expressed to the people
of the United States that they're welcome,
despite the fact that the atoll of bikini
may be utterly destroyed come July the first.
But to 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 any more than we do,
and though they have no way of understanding
what the test is all about.
Scene 26, take two.
All right, commodore.
Go ahead, James,
tell them that the commodores explain the atomic bomb to them.
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, everything good, and they're willing to go,
and everything is in god's 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 atoll.
The islanders are a nomadic group,
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
their Marshallese version of "you are my sunshine."
Firing time.
- And I have just been in the... - Thirty seconds.
At the voice of the control set,
marking the seconds remaining.
The final switches have been thrown.
No one can stop it,
the atomic bomb is about to explode.
Firing time,
20 seconds.
We do not know how it's going to sound,
but 42,000 men here are watching.
All of the observers... =ten seconds!
All of the observer ships are in position in the open sea.
We're about ten miles away.
Five seconds, four,
three, two, one...
In the background was the growing struggle
between two great powers
to shape the post-war world:
Soviet Russia was expansively stabbing westward,
knifing into nations left empty by war.
On 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.
"Ah, but this is Europe”, you say.
But let's see what can happen elsewhere,
in, say, the small town of mosinee, Wisconsin.
Peaceful, isn't it?
But the red trenchant falls
and the chief of police is hustled off to jail.
Next, public utilities are seized
by fifth columnists.
Watch carefully what happens fo 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,
a 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'd just like to say that...
It gives me a great deal of satisfaction
to represent two outstanding shopping centers in California,
the 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 beautiful, the practical settings
of the arcadia shopping hub and the whittier quad
with what you'd find under communism?
It's not safe 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 strength.
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 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.
J everybody's worried
about the atomic bomb j
j but nobody's worried
about the day my lord will come j
- & when he'll hit j - ; Great god almighty j
j like an atom bomb j
j when he comes, when he comes j
well, this suit is made of this material.
Inside this layer is shredded lead,
a resistance against atomic rays.
Okay, Richard, on your way to the air raid shelter.
- Whoa. - Let's go.
J everybody's worried
about the atomic bomb j
j but nobody's worried
about the day my lord will come jj
one immediate effect of the announcement
of Russia's atom blast
is to tighten security regulations
at all atom installations.
At hanford, Washington,
where $200 million is being spent
in the ever expanding atomic government empire,
the door is being locked, but tight.
Twelve guards are kept on their toes
by constant target practice,
and they have orders to shoot to kill
at any suspicious stranger.
A highly trained and well-equipped north Korean army
swarmed across the 38th parallel
to attack unprepared south Korean defenders.
Caught off guard, they were all but overwhelmed
until the united nations took its historic vote
to intervene.
The end of the war seemed in sight
as the allies pushed north toward
the north Korean capital of Pyongyang.
Then it happened.
The Chinese red armies,
numbering hundreds of thousands,
swarmed over the frontier
against thinly held united nations positions.
Confronted by overwhelming numbers,
un armies were forced into inevitable retreat,
while men wondered whether red China
would touch off world war ill.
Would the atom bomb be the answer
to the Chinese hordes?
President Truman said that it was under consideration.
If the united nations yields to the forces of aggression,
no nation will be safe or secure.
If aggression 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 chronoscope.
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 it 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
but north of the yalu 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 if we could destroy them with the atomic bomb,
we could destroy them and 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 hurl at any nation,
but should it become necessary,
let us not hesitate
because it is foreign to our nature
to use the power which has been given us.
I propose the president of the United States
advise 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.
J there will soon be an end
to this cold and wicked war j
j when those hard headed communists
get what they're looking for j;
j only one thing that will stop them
and their atrocious fun j
j if general MacArthur drops the atomic bomb j
j there'll be fire, dust, and metal
flying all around j
j and radioactivity will burn into the ground j
j if there's any commies left, they'll be all on the run j
j if general MacArthur drops the atomic bomb jj
I ask you, the American citizen,
to let your congressman know how you feel
about this proposal.
Well, I really don't know what to do.
But you do feel the Korean situation
affects us more than anything else?
Yes, I feel that we should get our boys home.
They've been over there long enough
and there doesn't seem to be any end to the situation.
Listen to what my mom said about how bad things are back home.
"Everybody's hoarding.
Profiteers are getting fat contracts.
Neighbors say politicians are using the war
to their own advantage.
All our chief atomic scientists are spies."
And a lot more.
Now 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 do away entirely with weapons like the atom bomb!
These poor boys will shed their innocent blood
in a war that this country is provoking!
Get a load of that.
Asiatic people all want
the peaceful establishment of native regimes
without the interference of United States troops.
War would be world suicide.
Only communist countries can guarantee you peace!
Why don't you go live in a communist country then?
Would you blow your top on a street corner there?
You look pretty well off, sister,
to be tearing down the country
that gives you freedom of speech.
J we're living in a country
that's the finest place on earth j
j but some folks don't appreciate
this land that gave them birth j
j I hear that up in Washington
they're having an awful fuss j
j 'cause communists and spies are making monkeys out of us j
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 offer my beliefs,
my affiliations, and everything else...
To the American public,
and they will know where I stand,
as they do from what I have written.
Have written for americanism
- for many years, and I shall... - Stand away from the stand!
Fight for the bill of rights which you are trying to destroy.
Take this man away from the stand.
J the bureaus and departments
have been busy night and day
j they're figuring out just how
we gave our secrets all away j
j and congress has appointed
a committee, so they said j
j to find out who's American
and who's a low down red jj
I'm holding in my hand a microfilm
of 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,
where the interests of the Soviet union
happened to be in conflict with those of the United States.
J I'm no communist,
and I'll tell you that right now j
j I believe a man should own his own house and car and cow j
j I like this private ownership and I want to be left alone j
j let the government run its business
and let me run my own j
Our education is proceeding apace
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.
Here is a special broadcast
on the scene of sing sing prison,
where the rosenbergs have just been executed.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
have gone to the electric chair.
First to go into the death chamber
was Julius Rosenberg.
He wore an impassive expression on his face.
He walked in slowly.
He was preceded by a rabbi
who was chanting the 23rd psalm,
which everyone knows very well.
He proceeded immediately over to the chair.
He didn't say a word to anyone,
hardly glanced at anyone.
He sat down on the chair, the straps were applied,
and the first jolt of electricity
was sent through his body at 8:04 tonight.
She died a lot harder.
When it appeared that she had received enough electricity
to kill an ordinary person,
and had received the exact amount
that had killed her husband,
the doctors went over and pulled down the cheap...
Prison dress, a little dark green printed job,
and placed the steso... "Stethocopes"...
"Stetho," I can't say it.
Placed the stethoscopes, uh,
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 the black belts and so forth.
And these had to be readjusted again, and...
And she was given more electricity,
which started again a...
Kind of a ghastly plume of smoke that Rose from her head...
And went up against the skylight overhead.
After two more of those jolts...
Ethel Rosenberg had met her maker.
She'll have a lot of explaining to do too.
Thank you.
Immediately after the execution, of course,
the bodies were taken away.
There is nothing much further to report
at this particular time.
There have been no demonstrations.
The heat has been extremely intense here.
There's a heavy pall,
and there has been an air of deep tension
about this whole proceeding up here,
but it is now all over,
the news men have dispersed,
and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
have gone to the electric chair.
That was an on-the-spot report on 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
at the marine barracks in Brooklyn Navy yard.
The program is already in progress.
The question before us is this:
Should the hydrogen bomb be built?
All the world knows
we Americans are constructive, not destructive.
However distasteful this may be to us,
there is no choice in the matter:
Let us build the bomb.
It 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.
It 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 bloc does attack,
our radar sites and observers will sound the alert.
Giant bombers will take to the air.
Jet fighters will stream aloft.
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 listen eagerly for any voice
which sounds authoritative.
They listen eagerly for anyone who can tell them what is wrong
and what to do to right it,
who can diagnose their trouble
and prescribe a cure.
J eisenhower, the man of the hour j
j eisenhower, the man of the hour j
j ike, ike, we like ike j
j ike, ike, we want lke j
j we love the sunshine of your smile j
j we see our future in your eyes j
j you led our men to victory j
j you are the one we idolize j
j I'm gonna give my vote to you jj
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 on his footstool.
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 it's
the most productive nation on earth,
that we are richer, by any standard of comparison,
than is 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, why then, with all this strength
should we be worrying at times
about what the world is doing to us?
Actually we see threats coming from all angles,
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
a hydrogen bomb was exploded in the pacific.
Last month,
another series of these was undertaken.
Now this transfer of power,
this increase of power
from the mere 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 rather indicate how far the advances of science
have outraced our social consciousness.
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. - Okay, okay.
Me too.
The new puzzle, where is it?
- On my bookcase. - Thanks, daddy.
Kenny, let's have some news, it's about that time.
Come on, dad. You can watch that show
some other time.
Okay.
Thanks.
Anyone of intelligence and information
is hoping and praying that
we won't have a third world war,
because in this age of the atomic weapon,
war would be... a third world war
would be a catastrophe for all mankind,
and then finally, and this is quite significant,
about 60% of the American people revealed,
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 as of 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 have 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.
J every dollar I make goes for taxes and bills &
j perhaps they've discovered the cure for my ills
j ho, hai, ho, the hydrogen bomb j
j bless it all, oh, let it fall »
j ho, hai, ho, the hydrogen bomb j
j oh, god, have mercy on me jj
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 have carried the fallout to the north
of the group of small atolls
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
promptly evacuated
all the people from these islands.
They were taken to the island of kwajalein,
where we maintain a naval establishment,
and there placed under continuous
and competent medical supervision.
I visited them there last week.
Today, a full month after the event,
the medical staff on kwajalein have advised us
that they anticipate no illness,
barring, 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 her skipper,
to the effect that 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 its crew of 23.
None of them knew the nature of the deadly snow.
It was three days more before the ship
and its 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
had been properly diagnosed,
the hot fish brought back in their holds
had been sold into 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 out of 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 brewed
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 things to the world.
I think they've knocked us south of the equator.
Just like I keep saying,
well, 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 worry nearly 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.
J it's the drink that you don't pour j»
j now when you take one sip,
you won't need any more j
j you're small as a beetle or big as a whale j
j boom, atomic cocktail j
Corporal, could you give me your name and hometown address?
My name is corporal George morland
and I'm from elmhurst, Illinois.
I'm tech sergeant George portell
from Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Jerry snyder from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Sergeant Weaver.
And where are you from, sergeant Weaver?
Columbus, Georgia.
- Where you from, Rogers? - Portland, Oregon.
- Where are you from? - New York City.
- Louisville, Kentucky. - Liberal, Kansas.
- Jefferson city, Missouri. - Saint Paul, Minnesota.
- Fort huachuca, Arizona. - Wakeeney, Kansas.
Leesburg, New Jersey.
Gentlemen, I want to welcome you
to camp desert rock.
This will be your last briefing
before you go out to the forward area
and take part in 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 supplies,
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 his assault on the enemy.
The mission of these men is to move
as quickly as possible into the blasted area
and exploit the breach in the enemy lines.
You are here to participate
in an atomic maneuver.
This is not a haphazard 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 effects,
as far as the soldier on the ground is concerned.
You can't see radiation,
feel it, smell it, or taste it.
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 all right.
It 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, chaplain, 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 we're perfectly safe here.
Sir, have you ever been out
oh 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 shockwave,
and then you hear the sound of the blast
and then it seems as though 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.
Five, four, three, two, one.
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's 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.
Did you keep your mouth shut
or did you get a mouthful of dirt?
I got a mouthful and a face full of dirt.
How about all that smoke and dust and radiation?
What did you... =i couldn't see.
I couldn't see for quite a spell.
Just a haze.
Private young, did you wear any type
of protective clothing or just what did you wear?
No, just regular gl work clothes.
We see pinned on your lapels here this white badge.
Could you tell me what that is?
That's a film badge to determine,
detect the amount of radiation
you've received in the area.
They can tell, commander,
if you received a lethal dose.
That's right, that's right, they can.
If you were driving from Los Angeles
to salt lake city on us highway 91,
you would pass through Saint 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 to a change in wind direction
the residue from this morning's atomic detonation
is drifting in the direction of Saint 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 at Saint 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?
How little an amount of radiation
will cause how many mutations?
Never before have so many known 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.
All right, let's take a few minutes right now
and get acquainted with an a-bomb.
Meet test Abel.
A submarine bomb exploded in a harbor
might affect a city.
The affected area would be a poor picnic site,
but might be entered briefly
or passed through quickly
with a varying degree of risk.
Risk is something the military
doesn't have a corner on.
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
circulated about radiation effects
are trivial but upsetting.
They're beamed right at one's self-esteem.
And will eventually result
in a race of bald-headed people.
Just imagine it.
Imagine yourself with no hair.
They'll call you old skinhead, old chrome 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 cowlick.
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's destroying potential,
and that's unsound, doesn't fit.
There are those few who loudly 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 has not struck.
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 worry you,
but, uh... or frighten you,
but really we've gotta admit
we live in a atomic age,
there is 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 packed our survival kit.
For the food supply,
pack a variety of fruits,
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 cave.
One new meal consisted
of the following food.
Canned chicken.
Peas.
Irish potatoes.
Tomato juice.
My poster's on the defenses against fallout,
and if you're caught outside
during a nuclear explosion,
decontamination may be necessary.
You may have to burn or bury
all your clothes and food,
and afterwards you should wash thoroughly.
John, let me interrupt you here just a moment.
I have some film here that I think
will describe what might happen
and will describe a little about the atom.
So, Joey, why don't you catch the lights and we'll try it?
- Okay? - Good.
J there was a turtle by the name of Burt
j and Burt the turtle was very alert
j when danger threatened him, he never got hurt j
j he know just what to do j
j he'd duck and cover j
j duck and cover j
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
any time 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!
That's the first thing to do:
Duck and cover.
First you duck, then you cover.
You duck and cover tight.
Duck and cover under the table.
It's a bomb! Duck and cover!
Duck and cover!
Duck and cover yourself.
Duck and cover!
J he did what we all must learn to do j
j you and you and you and you j
j duck and cover jj
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 do you have to be from the blast
to live through it?
Well, let's take a 20 megaton 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 "nuclearosis."
The symptoms: Nuclear blindness.
All he can see is a mushroom cloud.
He is blinded from the fear of it,
deaf from the sound of it,
there is a short circuit in his brain.
He can only think of the awfulness
of the nuclear bomb.
We ought to learn something
from the second world war
in this respect.
And the bombing there,
even by second world war bombs,
in Hamburg, in Tokyo,
and in 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.
Ah, he's 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 harried housewife
is looking for
when life with the kids gets too hectic.
You don't think that shelters are a 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 a war.
There are some instances
where you may be ahead of us,
for example, in the development
of your... of the thrust of your rockets
for the investigation of outer space.
There may be some instances,
for example, color television,
where we're ahead of you.
But in order for both of us to...
For both of us to benefit...
You see, you never concede anything.
We wish you supreme success in that...
That 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?
3007? 300?
150 years of independence?
Then we will say that America exists 150 years,
here is its level.
We are 42 years, not quite.
Another seven years and we'll be
on the same level as America.
Then in the future we will go ahead
and we might overtake you at the crossroad.
This increase in communication
will teach us some things
and it will teach you some things too,
because, after all, you don't know everything.
If I don't know everything,
then 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 whom the shelter is designed.
I'd say we should rely
on the best prudential judgment
that the father,
or the one responsible for the shelter,
can make in the 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 that'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 weigh the possibility
of putting some protective devices in his shelter
together with the other elements
of his survival kit.
All right, 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.
Well, how are you going to continue to live?
Well, the first thing we have to recognize
is that if 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 will survive
will have more water and food to divide out.
J last night I was dreaming,
dreamed about the h-bomb j
j well, the bomb went off and I was caught j
j I was the only man on the ground j
j there was-a 13 women and only one man in town j
j 13 women and only one man in town j
j and as funny as it may be j
j the one and only man in town was me j
j well, 13 women and me the only man around j
J I had two girls every morning j
- instant rice. - ; Seeing that I was well fed j;
corn flakes.
J and believe you me,
one sweetened my tea j
dried foods.
J while another one
buttered my bread jj
cheese.
Macaroni.
Instant potatoes.
J boom j
j something exploded down inside
and rushed tears up in my eyes j
j oh, yes, I have that funny feeling j
j I guess it's my atomic love
for you j
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 announcing the opening
of mental health week
is 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.
J atom bomb baby, little atom bomb j
j I want her in my wigwam j
j she's just the way I want her to be jj
j helter-skelter j
j they're gonna live, live, live
in my fallout shelter jj
j it was a 50 megaton hydro jump
j like a waiting atomic bomb j
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
and are not habit forming.
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 it?
As they were meant to, dearest.
George.
I dunk this 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 through.
I'm afraid for you, George.
Oh, nonsense, my silly.
Yes, George, afraid.
My fiancé, Luther Marshall...
We interrupt our normal program
in the interest of security
and civil defense measures
as requested by the United States government.
Attention, attention!
This is an official civil defense warning.
This is not a test.
The United States is under nuclear attack.
Take cover immediately
in your area fallout shelter.
Repeat: The United States
is under nuclear attack.
This is an official civil defense broadcast.
Enemy aircraft are over Canada
and headed this way.
Normal broadcasting has been discontinued
until after this emergency has passed.
Repeat, the United States
is under nuclear attack.
Take cover immediately
in your area fallout shelter.
We repeat, the nation is under nuclear attack.
This is an extreme emergency.
You are urged to remain calm.
Proceed to your designated shelter
without delay.
This is an official civil defense warning.
This is not a test.
The United States is under nuclear attack.
Take cover immediately
in your area fallout shelter.
Repeat, the United States
is under nuclear attack.
Take cover immediately
in your area fallout shelter.
Now, children, ll... l want you to sit down here
against the wall.
That's it.
Now crouch tight up against it.
Now listen, kids,
if they're dropping an atomic bomb,
it may go off any second now.
Whatever happens, I'll give the signal
when it's all right for us to get up.
If there's an explosion,
we'll wait about a minute after it's all over,
then we'll go upstairs and take a look around,
see if all's right for us to clean up.
Children, you better clear up the broken glass
and all this debris.
All in all, I'd say we've been very lucky around here.
Nothing to do now but wait for orders
from the authorities and relax.
J the sun goes down
and leaves me sad and blue j
j the iron curtain falls
on this cold war with you j
j oh, you won't speak
and I won't speak, that's true j
j two stubborn people
with a cold war to go through j
j oh, why, oh, why, should love ever come
to couples like you and me j
j whose cold, cold wars are never done
and whose hearts just can't be free? J
j so let's do right
or let's just say we're through j
j I just can't stand another
cold, cold war with you j
J oh, why, oh, why should love ever come
to couples like you and me j
j whose cold, cold wars are never done
and whose hearts just can't be free j
j so let's do right
or let's just say we're through j
j I just can't stand
another cold, cold war with you I'l