GBH Openvault
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Bigger Bang for the Buck, A; Operation Alert
Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.
07/15/1957
100 cities across the country are hit by simulated atomic air raids in the 4th annual nationwide civil defense drill. In Washington, President Eisenhower is evacuated from the White House by helicopter, and in key "target" cities, streets are deserted as hundreds of millions take shelter.
License Clip
- Series
- War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
- Program
- Bigger Bang for the Buck, A
- Program Number
103
- Title
Operation Alert
- Series Description
The first atomic explosion in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, changed the world forever. This series chronicles these changes and the history of a new era. It traces the development of nuclear weapons, the evolution of nuclear strategy, and the politics of a world with the power to destroy itself.
In thirteen one-hour programs that combine historic footage and recent interviews with key American, Soviet, and European participants, the nuclear age unfolds: the origin and evolution of nuclear weapons; the people of the past who have shaped the events of the present; the ideas and issues that political leaders, scientists, and the public at large must confront, and the prospects for the future. Nuclear Age highlights the profound changes in contemporary thinking imposed by the advent of nuclear weapons. Series release date: 1/1989
- Program Description
For the destructive power they deliver, nuclear weapons are cheap and efficient. In the 1950’s the United States begins to rely on nuclear, rather than conventional, weapons for its defense.
As nuclear policy evolved during the Eisenhower Administration, three factors combined to produce a new American reliance on nuclear weapons: pressure to control the federal budget (the “bigger bang” argument); competition as each branch of the American military adapted nuclear weapons to its mission; and Soviet bluffs that fueled American fears about a “bomber gap” and later a “missile gap.” On October 4, 1957, Sputnik, the Soviet satellite that was the first to orbit Earth, shocked Americans and delighted the Soviets. A month later, the Soviets launched Sputnik 2 with a dog on board. Both the Soviets and the Americans knew that a booster capable of carrying a dog into space could also deliver a nuclear warhead across a continent in 30 minutes.
- Duration
00:01:39
- Asset Type
Stock footage
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- Nuclear warfare
- Civil defense
- Fallout shelters
- Genres
- Documentary
- Topics
- Science
- History
- War and Conflict
- Global Affairs
- Rights Summary
In perpetuity ; Public Domain Rights Holder: NARA
- Citation
- Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Bigger Bang for the Buck, A; Operation Alert,” 07/15/1957, GBH Archives, accessed December 22, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_69EF209B6D3349C0AE97DC1DE15E4AC9.
- MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Bigger Bang for the Buck, A; Operation Alert.” 07/15/1957. GBH Archives. Web. December 22, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_69EF209B6D3349C0AE97DC1DE15E4AC9>.
- APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Bigger Bang for the Buck, A; Operation Alert. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_69EF209B6D3349C0AE97DC1DE15E4AC9