- 6/20/2025
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00:05:22We have spent more than $2 billion on the greatest scientific gamble in history.
00:05:30And we have won.
00:05:32And we have won.
00:05:42The 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.
00:05:52Having found the atomic bomb, we have used it.
00:06:06We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan's power to make war.
00:06:16Only a Japanese surrender will stop us.
00:06:18Only a Japanese surrender will stop us.
00:06:24It is an awful responsibility which has come to us.
00:06:26We thank God that it has come to us instead of to our enemies.
00:06:32And we pray that he may guide us to use it in his ways and for his purposes.
00:06:50Captain Behan, what was your most outstanding experience on this historic flight?
00:06:55I suppose it was when the clouds opened up over the target at Nakisaki.
00:07:01The target was there pretty as a picture.
00:07:03I made the run, let the bomb go.
00:07:07That was my greatest thrill.
00:07:09There was no atheist in a box hole
00:07:21And men who never prayed before
00:07:25Lifted tired and bloodshot eyes to heaven
00:07:31And begged the Lord to end that awful war
00:07:37They told him of their homes and loved ones
00:07:42They told him that they'd like to be there
00:07:47I believe the bomb that struck Hiroshima
00:07:52Was the answer to a fighting for his prayer
00:08:01Say, did you see that city where the first atomic bomb was dropped?
00:08:04Yes, Fred. We flew over Hiroshima for about half an hour.
00:08:08It was a shambles, huh?
00:08:10A shambles?
00:08:11It looked like Ebbets Field after a double header with the Giants.
00:08:13The group had been told to select some targets in Japan that had not been bombed.
00:08:23In 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.
00:08:30The group had been told to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to make bomb blast studies or bomb damage studies on the strikes …
00:08:40… the reason behind it was that they wanted to be able to make bomb blast studies on virgin targets once the bombs were used.
00:08:47They wanted to be able to make bomb blast studies or bomb damage studies
00:08:50on virgin targets once the bombs were used.
00:08:58They were definitely military targets.
00:09:01There was no question about that.
00:09:03And they offered such a, well, you could almost say a classroom experiment
00:09:11as far as being able to determine later the bomb damage.
00:09:17So close to the upper level.
00:09:26Take a look.
00:09:38That was gonna happen.
00:09:39I have been subjected many times to criticism.
00:09:57I have been accused of being insane, being a drunkard, being everything that you can
00:10:06imagine a derelict to be as a result of a guilty conscience for doing this.
00:10:12And as I say, no one's ever come to my defense in that regard.
00:10:17I look at it this way, that my part in this thing may well have been something that later
00:10:24or now that the U.S. government might be looking at somewhat with a guilt complex.
00:10:31And the feeling could be that the less said about it by the U.S. government, the better.
00:10:38The U.S. government, the better.
00:10:45The U.S. government, the better.
00:10:50The U.S. government, the better.
00:10:57The U.S. government, the better.
00:11:04The U.S. government, the better.
00:11:10The U.S. government, the better.
00:11:16The U.S. government, the better.
00:11:29June 30th, 1946.
00:11:32Almost time.
00:11:35Another five seconds.
00:11:37Two.
00:11:39Five-thirty.
00:11:41A spuming column of smoke nine miles into the sky, blinding light stronger than the sun.
00:11:51Bikini Atoll, present site of Operation Crossroads and the fourth atom bomb explosion.
00:11:57Bikini Atoll, where 200 warships will be anchored, 140 planes, 200 goats, 200 pigs, 4,000 rats.
00:12:08How will this fourth bomb affect you?
00:12:12What do you know of this atom bomb?
00:12:15The 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.
00:12:29It will not blow out the bottom of the sea and let all the water run down the hole.
00:12:34It will not destroy gravity.
00:12:37I am not an atomic playboy, as one of my critics labeled me, exploding these bombs to satisfy my personal whim.
00:12:43And thus the natives express to the people of the United States their welcome, despite the fact that the attle of Bikini may be utterly destroyed come July the 1st.
00:13:06But to the natives, in their simplicity and their pleasantness and their courtesy, they're more than willing to cooperate.
00:13:15Although they don't understand the world of nuclear energy any more than we do.
00:13:20And though they have no way of understanding what the test is all about.
00:13:27Scene 26, take two.
00:13:29All right, Commodore.
00:13:31Go ahead, James.
00:13:33Tell them that the Commodores explained the atomic bomb for you.
00:13:38All right, James.
00:13:50Will you tell them that the United States government now wants to turn this great destructive force into something good for mankind?
00:14:00And that this experiments here at Bikini are the first step in that direction.
00:14:07Now they have heard of our plan for their evacuation.
00:14:25Will you ask King Judah to get up and tell us now what his people think and if they're willing to go?
00:14:35Well, you tell them and King Judah that everything being in God's hands, it cannot be other.
00:15:04It cannot be other than good.
00:15:06American officials discussed plans with the Bikini natives for the evacuation of the atoll.
00:15:11The islanders are a nomadic group and are well pleased that the Yanks are going to add a little variety to their lives.
00:15:19And here, by the way, you hear them singing their Marshallese version of You Are My Sunshine.
00:15:27And I have just been interrupted.
00:15:29That's the voice of the control strip marking the seconds remaining. The final switches have been thrown.
00:15:34No one can stop it. The atomic bomb is about to explode.
00:15:49How it will sound, we do not know how it's going to sound, but 42,000 men here are watching.
00:16:05All of the observers.
00:16:08Ten seconds.
00:16:09All of the observers ships are in position in the open sea. We're about ten miles away.
00:16:13Five, seven, four, three, two, one.
00:16:20Ten seconds.
00:16:32One, ten, six, eight, ten.
00:16:35One, two, three, two, three, one.
00:17:47And the independence of its nations.
00:17:52Gone was the spirit of wartime unity that reached its peak on that historic afternoon in April 45 at the Elbe River in Germany.
00:17:59Here, two worlds actually met, but this coalition was to be torn asunder.
00:18:06Already an iron curtain had dropped around Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria.
00:18:16Ah, but this is Europe, you say.
00:18:21But let's see what can happen elsewhere in, say, the small town of Mawsony, Wisconsin.
00:18:26Peaceful, isn't it?
00:18:27But the red crunching falls and the chief of police is hustled off to jail.
00:18:32Next, public utilities are seized by fifth colonists.
00:18:35Watch carefully what happens to an editor who operates under a free press.
00:18:40He goes to jail, too, and his newspaper is confiscated.
00:18:44Exit freedom of thought.
00:18:46Yes, this is life under the Soviet form of government.
00:18:49The little town of Mawsony made this experiment for 24 hours, a public service to all America.
00:18:55It can't happen here.
00:18:57Well, this is what it looks like if it should.
00:19:25Fortunately, we can move the clock back.
00:19:34The time is not yet.
00:19:38Let us pray that it never happens in our country.
00:19:42Before we meet the members of the American Legion Post 279 who helped make this picture possible,
00:19:48I'd just like to say that it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to represent two outstanding shopping centers
00:19:54in California, the shopping hub of the San Gabriel Valley in West Arcadia,
00:19:59and the Whittier Quad Shopping Center in Whittier, California,
00:20:02because they are concrete expressions of the practical idealism that built America.
00:20:09When you visit these two fine shopping centers, you'll find more than four score beautiful stores,
00:20:15the sparkling assortments, an attractive atmosphere,
00:20:19and, of course, plenty of free parking for all the cars that we capitalists seem to acquire.
00:20:26Who can help but contrast the beautiful, the practical settings of the Arcadia shopping hub
00:20:32and the Whittier Quad with what you'd find under communism?
00:20:35It's not safe to hope for the best without preparing for the worst.
00:20:42Our object is not aggression.
00:20:44We need not become militaristic.
00:20:46But we must keep our army, our navy, our air force at ready strength.
00:20:52We must back up our team for security.
00:21:00Well, I guess there's nothing for us to worry about.
00:21:02We're the ones that have the bomb.
00:21:03The atom bomb explodes again in the headlines of the world.
00:21:18In Washington, the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy,
00:21:22Senator Brian McMahon, gives his reaction to Russia's possession of the bomb.
00:21:26This is no time for hysteria.
00:21:30This is no time for panic.
00:21:32This is no time for a calm reflection on the political and military implications
00:21:39of this transcendent event.
00:21:42Everybody's worried about the atomic bomb, but nobody's worried about the day my Lord will come
00:22:00when he'll hit great God almighty like an atom bomb.
00:22:03When he comes, when he comes, when he comes.
00:22:07While the suit is made of this material, inside this layer is a shredded lead, a resistance against atomic rays.
00:22:20Okay, Richard, on your way to the air, Richard.
00:22:23Everybody's worried about the atomic bomb, but nobody's worried about the day my Lord will come.
00:22:34One immediate effect of the announcement of Russia's atom blast is to tighten security regulations at all atom installations.
00:22:41At Hanford, Washington, where $200 million is being spent in the ever-expanding atomic government empire,
00:22:51the door is being locked, but tight.
00:22:54Ground guards are kept on their toes by constant target practice,
00:22:57and they have orders to shoot to kill at any suspicious stranger.
00:23:00A highly trained and well-equipped North Korean army swarmed across the 38th parallel
00:23:21to attack unprepared South Korean defenders.
00:23:24Caught off guard, they were all but overwhelmed
00:23:26until the United Nations took its historic vote to intervene.
00:23:30The end of the war seemed in sight as the Allies pushed north toward the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
00:23:44Then it happened.
00:23:46The Chinese Red Armies, numbering hundreds of thousands,
00:23:49swarmed over the frontier against thinly held United Nations positions.
00:23:53Confronted by overwhelming numbers, UN armies were forced into inevitable retreat,
00:23:57while men wondered whether Red China would touch off World War III.
00:24:05Would the atom bomb be the answer to the Chinese hordes?
00:24:08President Truman said that it was under consideration.
00:24:11If the United Nations yields to the forces of aggression,
00:24:15no nation will be safe or secure.
00:24:18If aggression is successful in Korea,
00:24:21we can expect it to spread throughout Asia and Europe and to this hemisphere.
00:24:26We are fighting in Korea for our own national security and survival.
00:24:31It's time for the launching chronoscope.
00:24:47Our distinguished guest for this evening is the Honorable James E. Van Zandt,
00:24:51United States Congressman from Pennsylvania.
00:24:54It's my opinion that we should fight the war to win in Korea,
00:24:59rather than try to settle it at the diplomatic table,
00:25:03which is impossible when you're dealing with Russia.
00:25:06Would you extend your will to win so far as to include the atomic bomb?
00:25:11Very definitely, Dr. Peterson.
00:25:13I've always been a firm believer that we should use the atomic bomb,
00:25:16not only in Korea, but north of the Yalu River in Manchuria.
00:25:20Does that mean that you believe that it could be effectively used as a weapon in the Korean theater?
00:25:26Yes, I think that there are several targets in northern Korea we could use.
00:25:33That is, we could destroy them with the atomic bomb.
00:25:35We could destroy them and contaminate them.
00:25:37And then, of course, there are targets in Manchuria that should be destroyed.
00:25:50This is the destructive power we pray God we will never be called upon to hurl at any nation.
00:26:08But should it become necessary, let us not hesitate,
00:26:11because it is foreign to our nature to use the power which has been given us.
00:26:15I propose the President of the United States advise the commander of the North Korean troops
00:26:22to withdraw his forces beyond the 38th parallel within one week,
00:26:28or use that week to evacuate civilians from a specified list of North Korean cities
00:26:34that will be subjected to atomic attack by the United States Air Force.
00:26:39There will soon be an end to this cold and wicked war
00:26:45When those hard-headed communists get what they're looking for
00:26:50Only one thing that will stop them, and they're a ferocious fund
00:26:54If General MacArthur drops an atomic bomb
00:26:59They'll be fired just in the middle, flying all around
00:27:03And the radio activity will turn into the ground
00:27:08If there's any commies left, they'll be all on the run
00:27:13If General MacArthur drops an atomic bomb
00:27:17I ask you, the American citizen,
00:27:25to let your congressman know how you feel about this proposal.
00:27:33Well, I really don't know what to do.
00:27:38But you do feel the Korean situation affects us more than anything else.
00:27:42Yes, I feel that our boys, that we should get our boys home.
00:27:46They've been over there long enough, and there doesn't seem to be any end to the situation.
00:27:51Listen to what my mom said about how bad things are back home.
00:28:12Everybody's hoarding.
00:28:13Profiteers are getting fat contracts.
00:28:16Neighbors say politicians are using the war to their own advantage.
00:28:19All our chief atomic scientists are spies.
00:28:23And a lot more.
00:28:26I'll just take it with a grain of salt.
00:28:29Let me tell you how the commies plant propaganda back home.
00:28:34Some time ago, Mac, Johnny, and I managed to get our last leave together in a big city.
00:28:39We'll do away in timing with weapons like the atom bomb.
00:28:49These poor boys will shed their innocent blood in a war that this country is provoking.
00:28:55Get a load of that.
00:28:56Asiatic people all want the peaceful establishment of native regimes
00:29:01without the interference of United States troops.
00:29:05Communists don't want war.
00:29:08War would be world suicide.
00:29:10Only communist countries can guarantee you peace.
00:29:14Why don't you go live in a communist country, then?
00:29:17If you blow your top in a street corner there,
00:29:19you look pretty well off, sister,
00:29:20to be tearing down the country that gives you freedom of speech.
00:29:23We're living in a country that's the finest place on earth
00:29:27But some folks don't appreciate this land that gave them birth
00:29:31I hear that up in Washington they're having an awful fuss
00:29:36Cause communists and spies are making monkeys out of us
00:29:40The question is, have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?
00:29:46You refuse to answer that question, is that correct?
00:29:48I have told you that I will offer my beliefs, my affiliations, and everything else
00:29:53to the American public, and they will know where I stand
00:29:55as they do from what I have written
00:29:57Stand away from the stand
00:29:58I have written a book for Americanism for many years
00:30:00Stand away from the stand
00:30:02I have written a book for Americanism for many years
00:30:04I have written a book for Americanism for many years
00:30:05The bureaus and departments have been busy
00:30:09Night and day
00:30:11They're figuring out just how we gave our secrets all away
00:30:15And Congress has appointed a committee
00:30:18So they said
00:30:19To find out who's American
00:30:22And who's a low down red
00:30:24I am holding in my hand a microfilm
00:30:26of very highly confidential secret State Department documents
00:30:30These documents were fed out of the State Department
00:30:34over ten years ago
00:30:36by communists who were employees of that department
00:30:40and who were interested in seeing that these documents were sent to the Soviet Union
00:30:44where the interests of the Soviet Union happened to be in conflict with those of the United States
00:30:49I'm no communist
00:30:52and I'll tell you that right now
00:30:54I believe a man should own his own house and car and cow
00:30:58I like this private ownership
00:31:00and I want to be left alone
00:31:02Let the government run its business
00:31:05and let me run my own
00:31:07Our education is proceeding apace as to how Russia operates
00:31:18and how they got the atom bomb
00:31:21Not by independent research
00:31:23but from America
00:31:25from traitors within our own ranks
00:31:29The Romanians
00:31:47The Romanians
00:32:56He walked in slowly.
00:32:59He was preceded by a rabbi who was chanting the 23rd Psalm, which everyone knows very well.
00:33:07He proceeded immediately over to the chair.
00:33:10He didn't say a word to anyone, hardly glanced at anyone.
00:33:14He sat down in the chair.
00:33:16The straps were applied.
00:33:18And the first jolt of electricity was sent through his body at 8.04 tonight.
00:33:23She died a lot harder.
00:33:28When it appeared that she had received enough electricity to kill an ordinary person and had received the exact amount that had killed her husband,
00:33:37the doctors went over and pulled down the cheap prison dress, a little dark green printed job,
00:33:45and placed the stethoscopes, stetha, I can't say it, placed the stethoscopes to her and then looked around, looked at each other rather dumbfounded
00:34:01and seemed surprised that she was not dead.
00:34:05Believing she was dead, the attendants had taken off the ghastly strappings and electrodes and the black belts and so forth.
00:34:18And these had to be readjusted again, and she was given more electricity, which started again that kind of a ghastly plume of smoke that rose from her head
00:34:34and went up against the skylight overhead.
00:34:41After two more of those jolts,
00:34:47Ethel Rosenberg
00:34:52had met a maker.
00:34:56She'll have a lot of explaining to do, too.
00:35:01Immediately after the execution, of course, the bodies were taken away.
00:35:06There is nothing much further to report at this particular time.
00:35:09There have been no demonstrations.
00:35:12The heat has been extremely intense here.
00:35:14There's a heavy fall, and there has been an air of deep tension about this whole proceeding up here.
00:35:20But it is now all over.
00:35:21The newsmen have dispersed, and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg have gone to the electric chair.
00:35:28That was an on-the-spot report on the execution tonight at Sing Sing Prison of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
00:35:37Now, the Great Day Show.
00:35:39As we join Red Benson and the gang at the Marine Barracks in Brooklyn Navy Yard, the program is already in project.
00:35:45The question before us is this, should the hydrogen bomb be built?
00:36:08All the world knows we Americans are constructive, not destructive.
00:36:15However distasteful this may be to us, there is no choice in the matter.
00:36:20Let us build a bomb.
00:36:21It is my decided opinion that the United States of America should immediately begin the construction of the H-bomb.
00:36:28I feel we must make the H-bomb.
00:36:31It is my personal opinion that we should manufacture and produce the H-bomb in quantity.
00:36:36The Russians will try it anyhow.
00:36:39And should they learn the secret of its manufacture before we do, the life and security of all freedom-loving people will be in danger.
00:36:47I would like to add, however, that the United States of America should not necessarily use this bomb,
00:36:55but rather look upon it as a peaceful guardian and protector of the basic American doctrines of liberty and democracy
00:37:03against the obstacles of red fascism's materialistic and atheistic philosophy.
00:37:09If the communist bloc does attack, our radar sites and observers will sound the alert.
00:37:19Giant bombers will take to the air.
00:37:23Jet fighters will scream aloft.
00:37:26Fighters will account for some of the enemy, but some will get through to your home.
00:37:39In 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,
00:37:50when he knows that something is wrong but doesn't know what, when he feels himself a pawn,
00:37:56in times like these, most men become highly suggestible.
00:38:00They listen eagerly for any voice which sounds authoritative.
00:38:04They listen eagerly for anyone who can tell them what is wrong and what to do to right it,
00:38:10who can diagnose their trouble and prescribe a cure.
00:38:13We love the sunshine of your smile.
00:38:37We'll see your future in your eyes.
00:38:41I don't mean to say, and no one can say to you, that there are no dangers.
00:38:58Of course there are risks if we are not vigilant.
00:39:00But we do not have to be hysterical.
00:39:03We can be vigilant.
00:39:04We can be Americans.
00:39:05We can stand up and hold up our heads and say,
00:39:09America is the greatest force that God has ever allowed to exist on his footstool.
00:39:14As such, it is up to us to lead this world to a peaceful and secure existence.
00:39:21And I assure you, we can do it.
00:39:23Now, if we first take a look at the strength of America.
00:39:32You and I know that it's the most productive nation on earth.
00:39:37That we are richer by any standard of comparison than is any other nation in the world.
00:39:42We know that we have great military strength, economic, intellectual.
00:39:52But all in all, this total strength of America is one of those things we call,
00:39:58and the world calls, unbelievable.
00:40:00America is one of those things we call, and the world is one of those things we call.
00:40:30America is one of those things we call, and the world is one of those things we call.
00:40:39Now, why then, with all this strength, should we be worrying, at times, about what the world is doing to us?
00:40:48Actually, we see threats coming from all angles, the internal and external,
00:40:53and we wonder what's going to happen to us individually and as a nation.
00:40:58Now, perhaps, I can illustrate some of the reasons for this concern of today.
00:41:05Now, only a year ago,
00:41:07the hydrogen bomb was exploded in the Pacific.
00:41:11Last month, another series of these was undertaken.
00:41:19Now, 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.
00:41:36They rather indicate how far the advances of science have outraced our social consciousness.
00:41:43How much more we have developed scientifically than we are capable of handling emotionally and intellectually.
00:41:56So, that is one of the reasons that we have this great concern of which the hydrogen bomb is merely a dramatic symbol.
00:42:09symbol.
00:42:28Dad, I'm finished.
00:42:29Okay, okay.
00:42:30Me too.
00:42:31The new purple.
00:42:32Where is it?
00:42:33On my bookcase.
00:42:34Oh, thanks, Daddy.
00:42:47Kenny, let's have some news.
00:42:48It's about that time.
00:42:49Come on, Dad.
00:42:50You can watch that show some other time.
00:42:52Okay.
00:42:53Thanks.
00:42:54Anyone 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, a war would be, a third world war would be a catastrophe for all mankind.
00:43:09And then finally, and this is quite significant, about 60% of the American people revealed in a 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.
00:43:23Well, 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.
00:43:30That 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.
00:43:40We must learn to live in a world where we have the hydrogen bomb and the enemy of freedom has the hydrogen bomb.
00:43:59It can destroy any city.
00:44:00It can destroy any city.
00:44:02That means Fort Worth and Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Amarillo, El Paso, yes, Johnson City.
00:44:12Every dollar I make goes for taxes and bills.
00:44:17Perhaps they've discovered the cure for my ills.
00:44:21Oh, I hope the hydrogen bomb, bless it all, oh, let it fall.
00:44:28Oh, I hope the hydrogen bomb, oh, God have mercy on me.
00:44:35The 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.
00:45:04The 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.
00:45:26The wind failed to follow the predictions but shifted south of that line and the little islands of Ronjalap, Ronjeric, and Uteric were in the edge of the path of the fallout.
00:45:39The task force commander promptly evacuated all the people from these islands.
00:45:44They were taken to the island of Kwajalein where we maintain a naval establishment and there placed under continuous and competent medical supervision.
00:45:53I visited them there last week.
00:45:56Today, 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.
00:46:10The 236 natives appeared to me to be well and happy.
00:46:17The survey aircraft carefully searched the area and reported no shipping.
00:46:22A 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.
00:46:39At the time of the explosion, the tuna ship had been sailing far outside the designated safe area of a 75-mile radius.
00:46:52Three hours after the H-bomb had been detonated, a downpour of radioactive ash descended on the fortunate dragon and its crew of 23.
00:46:59None of them knew the nature of the deadly snow.
00:47:02It was three days more before the ship and its contaminated crew and fishing catch sailed into port.
00:47:07By that time, the men suffered from the beginning symptoms of deadly radiation poisoning.
00:47:12By the time their illnesses had been properly diagnosed, the hot fish brought back in their holes had been sold into markets all over Japan.
00:47:19A panic ensued. Midnight burials of recent catches in the vicinity of the H-bomb explosion took place all over Japan.
00:47:26The 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.
00:47:33Another 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.
00:47:48Hot 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.
00:47:59Final conclusion, the tea's radioactivity is within safety limits. Not too hot to handle.
00:48:05The tea's radioactivity is within safety.
00:48:11Warm.
00:48:12Yeah. June and January, that's what I say. If you ask me, I think it's because of those atom bombs.
00:48:18Yeah?
00:48:19Yeah. They've done some cock-eyed things to the world. I think they've knocked us south of the equator.
00:48:24Just like I keep saying, uh, well, everybody's so uncertain about everything, they don't seem to know what's gonna happen. Bourbon.
00:48:43Straight.
00:48:44Well, as I was saying, I wouldn't worry nearly as much about the atom bomb if it were to kill you right out.
00:49:00What scares me is that awful gas that deforms you.
00:49:04Yeah. That would be bad.
00:49:06Yeah.
00:49:08Here's the drink that you don't pour. Now when you take one sip, you won't need any more. As small as a beetle, as big as a wick.
00:49:29Boom! Atomic cocktail.
00:49:38Boom!
00:49:41Up!
00:49:42He's gone!
00:49:44Boom!
00:49:45It's so hot!
00:49:48He's gone!
00:49:49He's gone!
00:49:50He's gone!
00:49:51Who's out?
00:49:52Oh!
00:49:53The theme song is hero.
00:49:56I'll have to be the king of the tank.
00:49:57Oh, I'll have to get the kind of a secret.
00:50:02Let's go!
00:50:37Corporal, could you give me your name and hometown address?
00:50:40My name is Corporal George Molan and I'm from Elmhurst, Illinois.
00:50:43I'm Tech Sergeant George Portell from Dorchester, Massachusetts.
00:50:47Jerry Snyder from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
00:50:48Sergeant Weaver.
00:50:50Where are you from, Sergeant Weaver?
00:50:51Columbus, Georgia.
00:50:52Where are you from, Rogers?
00:50:53Portland, Oregon.
00:50:54Where are you from?
00:50:55New York City.
00:50:56Louisville, Kentucky.
00:50:57Liberal Kansas.
00:50:58Jefferson City, Missouri.
00:50:58St. Paul, Minnesota.
00:50:59Portrait of Arizona.
00:51:00Kenney, Kansas.
00:51:01Leesburg, New Jersey.
00:51:04Gentlemen, I want to welcome you to Camp Desert Rock.
00:51:07This will be your last briefing before you go out to the port area and take part in an atomic detonation.
00:51:15The tactical situation behind Troop Test Smokey is this.
00:51:20The mythical enemy, which has landed on the coast of California, has made a deep penetration
00:51:25close to supply, special weapons storage, and missile launching installations in the vicinity
00:51:30of Las Vegas and Hoover Dam.
00:51:32The tactical commander decided at this point to use an atomic weapon in his assault on
00:51:38the enemy.
00:51:39The mission of these men is to move as quickly as possible into the blasted area and exploit
00:51:45the breach in the enemy lines.
00:51:46You are here to participate in an atomic maneuver.
00:51:53This is not a haphazard maneuver.
00:51:57Careful planning for it started months back.
00:52:01Watched from a safe distance, this explosion is one of the most beautiful sights ever seen
00:52:06by man.
00:52:08You're probably saying, so it's beautiful.
00:52:11What makes it so dangerous?
00:52:12Basically, there are only three things to think about.
00:52:18Blast.
00:52:22Heat.
00:52:25And radiation.
00:52:32Radiation.
00:52:33This is the one new effect obtained by the use of an atomic weapon.
00:52:38Truthfully, it's the least important of the three effects, as far as the soldier on the
00:52:44ground is concerned.
00:52:46You can't see radiation, feel it, smell it, or taste it.
00:52:52Film badges and dosimeters issued to you enable the radiological safety monitor in your unit
00:52:59to read the amount of your exposure.
00:53:01The radiation level may be high, but if you follow orders, you'll be moved out in time
00:53:08to avoid sickness.
00:53:10Finally, if you receive enough gamma radiation to cause sterility or severe sickness, you'll
00:53:16be killed by blast, flying debris, or heat anyway.
00:53:23Well, that's the story.
00:53:25Don't worry about yourselves.
00:53:27As far as the test is concerned, you'll be okay.
00:53:30Well, we knew now exactly where we'd be for the big show.
00:53:36All we had to do was wait.
00:53:38Now that it's so close, it makes you feel kind of restless.
00:53:43You wonder if everything's going to turn out all right.
00:53:46It filled your mind no matter what you were doing.
00:53:50What seems to be the trouble, soldier?
00:53:52You look a little bit worried.
00:53:54Well, I am, chaplain.
00:53:56Just a little bit.
00:53:56Actually, there's no need to be worried, as the Army has taken all of the necessary precautions
00:54:02to see that we're perfectly safe here.
00:54:05Sir, have you ever been out at one of these shots before?
00:54:08Yes, I've had the opportunity to see a number of the atomic tests.
00:54:12I feel that, as a chaplain, it is my responsibility to be with my men.
00:54:18What's it like, chaplain?
00:54:20First of all, one sees a very, very bright light,
00:54:24followed by a shockwave, and then you hear the sound of the blast,
00:54:28and then it seems as though there's a minor earthquake.
00:54:31And then you look up, and you see the fireball as it ascends up into the heaven.
00:54:38It's a wonderful sight to behold.
00:54:5030 seconds.
00:54:5130 seconds.
00:55:0515 seconds.
00:55:1010 seconds.
00:55:165, 4, 3, 2, 1.
00:55:21The blast shock passes in a matter of seconds,
00:55:50and the heat and blast effects you can see and feel.
00:55:54You cannot sense the presence of nuclear radiation effects.
00:55:58Alpha and beta particles, because of their low penetrating power,
00:56:02are stopped by most surfaces.
00:56:04Even a soldier's skin.
00:56:06They are a hazard only when materials emitting these particles
00:56:10get into the body through breaks in the skin,
00:56:13or through the nose or mouth.
00:56:15Did you keep your mouth shut, or did you get a mouth full of dirt?
00:56:20I got a mouth full and a face full of dirt.
00:56:22How about all that smoke and dust and radiation, would you?
00:56:30I couldn't see.
00:56:31I couldn't see for a fight or spell.
00:56:33Just a, hey, uh...
00:56:34Very young, did you wear any type of protective clothing,
00:56:45or just what did you wear?
00:56:47No, just regular GI white clothing.
00:56:52We see, pinned on your lapels here,
00:56:54this white badge, can you tell me what that is?
00:56:56That's a film badge to determine to detect the amount of radiation you've received in the area.
00:57:02And they can tell from that if you've received a lethal dose.
00:57:05That's right. That's right, they can.
00:57:26If you were driving from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City on U.S. Highway 91,
00:57:51you'd pass through St. George, Utah,
00:57:55just a short way from the Nevada test site 140 miles to the west.
00:58:06Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this program to bring you important news.
00:58:12Word has just been received from the Atomic Energy Commission
00:58:15that due to a change in wind direction,
00:58:19the residue from this morning's atomic detonation
00:58:21is drifting in the direction of St. George.
00:58:25It is suggested that everyone remain indoors for one hour
00:58:29or until further notice.
00:58:31There is no danger.
00:58:33This is simply routine Atomic Energy Commission safety procedure.
00:58:37Parents need not be alarmed about children at school.
00:58:40No recesses outdoors will be permitted.
00:58:43And as the people at St. George took cover,
00:58:46it was natural that some of them had questions about atomic tests.
00:58:51What is the atomic bomb?
00:58:53Why do we have to test bombs?
00:58:56How little an amount of radiation will cause how many mutations?
00:59:02Never before have so many known so little
00:59:04about a subject so big and so important.
00:59:08The capabilities of most weapons are pretty well understood.
00:59:11But when it comes to atomic explosions,
00:59:13the guessing game starts.
00:59:16All right, let's take a few minutes right now
00:59:18and get acquainted with an A-bomb.
00:59:22Meet Test Able.
00:59:28A submarine bomb exploded in a harbor
00:59:31might affect a city.
00:59:33The affected area would be a poor picnic site.
00:59:36But might be entered briefly
00:59:38or passed through quickly
00:59:39with a varying degree of risk.
00:59:42Risk is something the military doesn't have a corner on.
00:59:46Occupational hazards are accepted
00:59:48in a matter-of-fact manner in civilian life.
00:59:51Risk is part of the pattern of daily routine.
00:59:54Some of the falsehoods circulated about radiation effects
01:00:05are trivial but upsetting.
01:00:07They're beamed right at one's self-esteem.
01:00:11And will eventually result
01:00:13in a race of bald-headed people.
01:00:16Just imagine it.
01:00:18Imagine yourself with no hair.
01:00:20They'll call you old skinhead.
01:00:25Old chrome dome.
01:00:27And that's not all radioactivity will do.
01:00:30It will...
01:00:31Enough exposure to radiation
01:00:33will cause loss of hair.
01:00:35The treatment, if you'd insist,
01:00:37would be symptomatic.
01:00:38A toupee.
01:00:40But the condition would only be temporary.
01:00:42Your hair would come back.
01:00:44Same color, same cowlick.
01:00:45Which puts the finger squarely
01:00:47upon one of the major fallacies
01:00:49in the public attitude toward atomic weapons.
01:00:52It's the fallacy of devoting 85%
01:00:55of one's worrying capacity
01:00:56to an agent that constitutes
01:00:58only about 15%
01:01:00of an atomic bomb's destroying potential.
01:01:03And that's unsound.
01:01:05Doesn't fit.
01:01:06There are those few
01:01:09who loudly maintain
01:01:10that there is no actual threat
01:01:11to the free world at all.
01:01:13Certainly none that can justify
01:01:14either nuclear testing
01:01:15or nuclear armament.
01:01:18The opposite viewpoint holds
01:01:19that the development
01:01:20of our nuclear power
01:01:21has been an absolutely necessary protection
01:01:23against communist hostility
01:01:25and nuclear threats.
01:01:26In this view,
01:01:28the fallout casualties, if any,
01:01:30will be seen as those
01:01:31of unidentified soldiers
01:01:33in the service of humanity.
01:01:34Unknown soldiers
01:01:36in a war which has not struck.
01:01:46We're going to be talking
01:01:47about nuclear energy
01:01:49and the kinds of things
01:01:51that could happen
01:01:52with an atomic emergency.
01:01:54And we do this not to worry you
01:01:57or frighten you,
01:01:59but really we've got to admit
01:02:01we live in an atomic age.
01:02:02There is an atomic bomb.
01:02:04So we have to be aware of this
01:02:06and know what to do
01:02:07in case an emergency happens.
01:02:10If there will be a need
01:02:11to spend two weeks
01:02:12in a fallout shelter,
01:02:13we have packed our survival kit.
01:02:15For the food supply,
01:02:17pack a variety of fruits,
01:02:19soups,
01:02:22evaporated milk,
01:02:24vegetables,
01:02:26napkins.
01:02:26The purpose of our demonstration today
01:02:30is to show you
01:02:31the actual preparation
01:02:33of one of the meals
01:02:34which was prepared
01:02:35in a modern-day cave.
01:02:38One new meal
01:02:39consisted of the following foods.
01:02:42Canned chicken,
01:02:45peas,
01:02:47Irish potatoes,
01:02:48tomato juice.
01:02:51Tomato juice.
01:03:04My poster's on the defenses
01:03:06against fallout.
01:03:07And if you're caught outside
01:03:09during a nuclear explosion,
01:03:12decontamination may be necessary.
01:03:14You have to burn
01:03:16or bury all your clothes and food.
01:03:18And afterwards,
01:03:19you should wash thoroughly.
01:03:20John, let me interrupt you here
01:03:22just a moment.
01:03:23I have some film here
01:03:24that I think will describe
01:03:25what might happen.
01:03:26And we'll describe
01:03:27a little about the atom.
01:03:28So, Joey,
01:03:29why don't you catch the lights
01:03:30and we'll try it.
01:03:31Okay?
01:03:31Good.
01:03:34Dump, dump.
01:03:35Deedle, dum, dump.
01:03:37Deedle, dum, dump.
01:03:38There was a turtle
01:03:40by the name of Bert.
01:03:42And Bert the turtle
01:03:43was very alert.
01:03:45When danger threatened him,
01:03:47he never got hurt.
01:03:49He knew just what to do.
01:03:52He'd duck,
01:03:52shh,
01:03:53and cover.
01:03:55Duck,
01:03:56shh,
01:03:56and cover.
01:03:57Now, you and I
01:03:59don't have shells
01:04:00to crawl into
01:04:01like Bert the turtle,
01:04:02so we have to cover up
01:04:04in our own way.
01:04:05Paul and Patty know this.
01:04:07No matter where they go
01:04:08or what they do,
01:04:09they always try to remember
01:04:11what to do
01:04:11if the atom bomb
01:04:13explodes right then.
01:04:15It's a bomb.
01:04:16Duck,
01:04:16and cover.
01:04:17Here's Tony
01:04:18going to his Cub Scout meeting.
01:04:21Tony knows the bomb
01:04:21can explode
01:04:22any time of the year,
01:04:23day or night.
01:04:25Duck,
01:04:25and cover.
01:04:25Atta boy, Tony.
01:04:28That flash means
01:04:29act fast.
01:04:31Sundays,
01:04:31holidays,
01:04:32vacation time,
01:04:33we must be ready
01:04:34every day,
01:04:35all the time,
01:04:36to do the right thing
01:04:38if the atomic bomb
01:04:39explodes.
01:04:40Duck,
01:04:41and cover.
01:04:42That's the first thing
01:04:43to do.
01:04:44Duck,
01:04:44and cover.
01:04:45First,
01:04:46you duck.
01:04:47Then,
01:04:48you cover.
01:04:49You duck,
01:04:50and cover.
01:04:51Tight,
01:04:51duck,
01:04:52and cover
01:04:52under the table.
01:04:53It's a bomb.
01:04:54Duck,
01:04:55and cover.
01:04:55Duck,
01:04:56and cover.
01:04:57Duck,
01:04:58and cover.
01:04:59Duck,
01:04:59and cover.
01:05:00Duck,
01:05:01and cover.
01:05:02Duck,
01:05:02duck,
01:05:03and cover.
01:05:03And cover.
01:05:04Duck,
01:05:05and cover yourself.
01:05:06Duck,
01:05:07and cover.
01:05:08Duck,
01:05:08and cover.
01:05:09Duck,
01:05:09and cover.
01:05:11He did what we all
01:05:13must learn to do.
01:05:15You,
01:05:15and you,
01:05:16and you,
01:05:17and you,
01:05:18and you,
01:05:19and you,
01:05:20and you,
01:05:21and you,
01:05:22and you,
01:05:23and you,
01:05:24Remember what to do, friends.
01:05:33Now tell me right out loud.
01:05:34What are you supposed to do when you see the flash?
01:05:37Love and cover!
01:05:47Question.
01:05:48Yes?
01:05:49How far do you have to be from the blast to live through it?
01:05:52Well, let's take a 20 megaton surface burst.
01:06:00You would have a good chance of surviving if you were more than 12 miles from the point of detonation.
01:06:07A bomb equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT would cause an intense fire called a firestorm
01:06:15in an area of about 2,000 square miles around the center of the blast.
01:06:21And in such an area, it would be futile, desperately futile, to construct what are called fallout shelters.
01:06:29This man, like thousands of others around the country, is suffering from a dread disease called
01:06:37nuclearosis.
01:06:39The symptoms?
01:06:40Nuclear blindness.
01:06:41All he can see is a mushroom cloud.
01:06:44He is blinded from the fear of it, deaf from the sound of it.
01:06:48There is a short circuit in his brain.
01:06:50He can only think of the awfulness of the nuclear bomb.
01:06:54We ought to learn something from the Second World War in this respect.
01:06:58And the bombing there, even by Second World War bombs in Hamburg and Tokyo and in other cities,
01:07:04showed that shelters became centers for incinerating or asphyxiating the people who were in them.
01:07:10A fallout shelter in your basement will give adequate shielding from radioactive fallout.
01:07:17Ah, he's finally getting the message.
01:07:21Are you?
01:07:23A new housing development near Denver, Colorado, shows the nation's first model homes with built-in
01:07:30fallout shelters.
01:07:31The room is designed with an atomic war in mind.
01:07:34But behind each eight-inch thick reinforced concrete wall, it may prove to be just what
01:07:39the harried housewife is looking for when life with the kids gets too hectic.
01:07:43You don't think that shelters are a deterrent to a nuclear war either?
01:07:49On the contrary, I believe that psychologically, they will push both us and the Russians into
01:07:55thinking more of having a war.
01:08:07There are some instances where you may be ahead of us.
01:08:12For example, in the development of the thrust of your rockets for the investigation of outer space.
01:08:19There may be some instances, for example, color television, where we're ahead of you.
01:08:24But in order for both of us to benefit, you never can see anything.
01:08:32We wish you, it means success, in that, that you show the actual possibilities of America.
01:08:45And we will be able to say, here are the possibilities of America.
01:08:49How long does it exist?
01:08:52How many years?
01:08:53300?
01:08:54300?
01:08:55150 years of independence?
01:08:57Then we will say that America exists 150 years.
01:09:00Here is its level.
01:09:01We are 42 years, not quite.
01:09:03Another seven years and we will be on the same level as America.
01:09:07Then in the future, we will go ahead and we might overtake you at the crossroads.
01:09:10This increase in communication will teach us some things, and it will teach you some things, too.
01:09:22Because after all, you don't know everything.
01:09:27If I don't know everything, then I would say that you know absolutely nothing about communism.
01:09:35Nothing except fear of it.
01:09:37Let's say you've got your family in your shelter, the attack is on.
01:09:50A question might come up of admitting anyone over and above the number for whom the shelter is designed.
01:09:55I'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.
01:10:02But 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.
01:10:12And then that final point.
01:10:14Can 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?
01:10:23I'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.
01:10:38All right, you've been down there eight to ten days.
01:10:48You come out and you find that half or three quarters of Los Angeles has been destroyed.
01:10:53Well, how are you going to continue to live?
01:10:55Well, the first thing we have to recognize is that if half of Los Angeles is destroyed, maybe 80, 90 percent of the people will be dead and there will be fewer mouths to feed.
01:11:05And those of us who will survive will have more water and food to divide up.
01:11:09Last night I was dreaming, dreamed about the H-bomb, where the bomber went off and the high was caught.
01:11:25I was the only man on the ground.
01:11:28There was a 13 women and only one man in town.
01:11:3413 women and only one man in town.
01:11:39And as funny as it may be, the one and only man in town is me.
01:11:45But 13 women be the only man around.
01:12:02I had two girls every morning.
01:12:05Instant rye.
01:12:06Seeing that I was well fed.
01:12:08Cornflakes.
01:12:08Dried foods.
01:12:10Dried foods.
01:12:11While another one burning my brown.
01:12:13Cheese.
01:12:15Macaroni.
01:12:18Instant potatoes.
01:12:19Mmm.
01:12:24Something exploded down inside.
01:12:28And Roy's tears up in my eyes.
01:12:31Oh, yes.
01:12:32Oh, yes.
01:12:33I have that funny feeling.
01:12:36I guess it's my atomic love for you.
01:12:44Our 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.
01:13:03It's just...
01:13:05It's just...
01:13:05On the steps of the nation's capital, the bell announcing the opening of Mental Health Week is rung by Vice President Nixon and Senator Smathers of Florida.
01:13:19Characterizing 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.
01:13:28By all means, provide some tranquilizers to ease the strain and monotony of life in a shelter.
01:13:56A bottle of 100 should be adequate for a family of four.
01:14:02Tranquilizers are not a narcotic and are not habit-forming.
01:14:06And by the way, do you know exactly what your family would do if an attack came?
01:14:13Say at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
01:14:17It's a good question, isn't it?
01:14:26As they were meant to, dearest.
01:14:35George.
01:14:36I drink this toast to my bride-to-be.
01:14:39Darling.
01:14:42Darling, and I toast the most wonderful man in all the world.
01:14:46Why, Lucy, your eyes are filled with tears.
01:14:53My heart is filled with gladness.
01:14:55Oh, look.
01:14:56The orchestra's getting ready.
01:14:59Dance with me, George.
01:15:07George, I wonder if we've thought this through.
01:15:10I'm afraid for you, George.
01:15:11Oh, nonsense, my silly imp.
01:15:14Yes, George, afraid.
01:15:16My fiancé, Luther Marshall.
01:15:18We interrupt our normal program in the interest of security and civil defense measures as requested by the United States government.
01:15:24Attention.
01:15:25Attention.
01:15:26This is an official civil defense warning.
01:15:29This is not a test.
01:15:31The United States is under nuclear attack.
01:15:34Take cover immediately and you carry a fallout shelter.
01:15:37Repeat, the United States is under nuclear attack.
01:15:46This is an official civil defense broadcast.
01:15:50Enemy aircraft are over Canada and headed this way.
01:15:54Normal broadcasting has been discontinued until after this emergency has passed.
01:15:58Enemy aircraft are over Canada and headed this way to the United States.
01:16:28The United States is under nuclear attack.
01:16:31Take cover immediately and you carry a fallout shelter.
01:16:36We repeat, the nation is under nuclear attack.
01:16:40This is an extreme emergency.
01:16:42You are urged to remain calm.
01:16:44Proceed to your designated shelter without delay.
01:16:47This is an official civil defense warning.
01:16:51This is not a test.
01:16:53The United States is under nuclear attack.
01:16:56Take cover immediately and you carry a fallout shelter.
01:16:59Repeat, the United States is under nuclear attack.
01:17:03Take cover immediately and you carry a fallout shelter.
01:17:06Now, children, I want you to sit down here against the wall.
01:17:18That's it.
01:17:19Now, crouch tight up against it.
01:17:22Now, listen, kids.
01:17:23If they're dropping an atomic bomb, it may go off any second now.
01:17:29Whatever happens, I'll give the signal when it's all right for us to get up.
01:17:33If there's an explosion, we'll wait about a minute after it's all over.
01:17:37Then we'll go upstairs and take a look around.
01:17:39See if it's all right for us to clean up.
01:20:43Children, you'd better clear up the broken glass and all this debris.
01:21:07All in all, I'd say we've been very lucky around here.
01:21:10Nothing to do now but wait for orders from the authorities and relax.
01:21:15The sun goes down and leaves me sad and blue.
01:21:30The iron curtain falls on this cold war with you.
01:21:41Though you won't speak and I won't speak, that's true.
01:21:51Two stubborn people with a cold war to go through.
01:22:00Oh, why, oh, why should love ever come to couples like you and me?
01:22:15Whose cold, cold wars are never done and whose hearts just can't be free.
01:22:25Oh, let's do right or let's just say we're through.
01:22:32I just can't stand another cold, cold war with you.
01:22:43I just can't stand another cold, cold war with you.
01:23:06Oh, why, oh, why should love ever come
01:23:34To couples like you and me
01:23:39Whose cold, cold wars are never done
01:23:45And whose hearts just can't be free
01:23:49Now let's do right
01:23:53Oh, let's just say we're through
01:23:57I just can't stand another
01:24:04Cold, cold wars with you
01:24:08I just can't stand another
01:24:38Cold, cold wars with you
01:24:43I just can't stand another
01:24:48Cold, cold wars with you
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