each week, american history america" brings you archival films that will provide context for today's public affairs issues. "the power of decision" is a 1958 film made by the u.s. air force for the strategic air command. it simulates a quick strike response to a surprise soviet nuclear attack against the united states and europe. in the nuclear conflict as depicted, millions of americans, russians, japanese, and european die. probably used for training, this 54-minute film was made public by george washington university's national security archives in 2011.

>> at this moment, you are in the central part of the united states, over 100 feet below the surface of the earth, surrounded by thick, reinforced concrete. in the event of an attack, this entire structure can be sealed, protected against a radioactive fallout. through those doors and around the corner is the operations control room of the long-range air offense force.

>> thank you, sergeant. >> from this room, the force throughout the world is controlled and monitored 24 hours a day in peace as it would be in war. this force is a combat ready offense force. it is a deterrent force dedicated to the prevention of war, any war, large or small. this offense forces commented by the joint allied early warning offense control. >> offense control, colonel dawes. good. recheck the weather in that area. the last check indicated thunderstorms. right. gentlemen, from this room, we control the entire long-range air offense force of 3000 and bombers, tankers, and sport aircraft.

in the joint chiefs of staff's force that is poised and ready to strike targets from anywhere in the world, from bases in the united states and overseas. it is the most powerful military force in world history. we are in contact with this force through the most advanced communications system ever built. it affords practically instantaneous communication with over 100 bases in the united states and our many bases overseas. closed-circuit television provides immediate information to the senior officers of the staff, enabling them to make final decisions instantaneously. the transmit these decisions, we have this red phone alert circuit. this circuit allows us, by merely dialing 10 digits, to sieze or override all other lines and set up a conference call to the control centers on all our bases. all such conversations are

recorded on these tape recorders here. sitting over there are the controllers. for effective control of the long-range offense force, the world is divided into three areas. each man controls the aircraft in a given area. this is a deterrent force with a primary mission of keeping a global war from starting. if we are to be successful in this mission, we have to have plans. plans of all kinds, detailed blueprints that have been worked out far in advance. plans and can be changed to meet any contingency. let's have a look at some of the displays. andy, take a look over here,

will you please? we call this the big board. these panels show missions in progress throughout the world. some forces are being deployed, some are being shifted, some are special missions to improve combat effectiveness. these missions are going on 24 hours a day and averaging the high activity periods with the lows high activity of ways. outweighs. an aerial refueling operation takes place every 3.5 minutes. see the clocks here? never before in military history has time been so important. but of course, our true mission here is to control this offense force. as i have said, it's a deterrent force. it is a force which we control in readiness to perform

airstrikes against an enemy. in the event of war, one would make the strikes. sergeant, let's see plan "war dance." >> yes, sir. >> war dance is a typical war plan for our heavy units. the fate of a nation may well be determined on such a board of this. this plan of force application may be adjusted depending on the world situation. all the information needed to control the force is here. this board and other boards behind it fixate routes, refueling points, target areas, return points, and all the other things necessary to make plan work. if the button is ever pressed,

we are all set to go. you'll notice this ring of bases encircling the enemy. everyday we are running exercises in and around these bases with no formal pattern. some of these exercises follow good tactics, but always we mix in many bad tactics which we would never actually use. thus, we keep the enemy of forming any ideas of our plans and therefore from making his own plans to meet us. butnows we use these bases, he has no idea which will use today, tomorrow, or if a war should start. and he knows we can launch our attack without them. during the time period of 1958 through 1960, the united states as an offensive strikeforce sufficient to deter war. it is an effective intercontinental nuclear air force. secure as we can make it with our resources. a sizable portion of it is secure from destruction by the enemy, regardless of what offenses and defense of action he takes against it.

the size, composition, and alertness of the offense force is such that the enemy realizes that an attack on the united states would likely mean committing national suicide. a substantial portion of this force is maintained on constant alert, ready to begin taking off within a few minutes after receiving the order to launch. this means that even with no more warning, the map provided by our early warning radars, a force of hundreds of long-range nuclear bombers would be on their way towards vital targets in the enemy heartland before their bombers could reach our bomber bases. this constant combat readiness is the surest way to prevent war. this massive capability is the deterrent of wars. the more we disperse, the larger the portion of the force that can be launched in a few minutes notice, and the more difficult it is for the enemy to convince

themselves of his ability to destroy it. the enemy cannot prevent the takeoff of these bombers on alert. and the enemy cannot prevent our penetration into his heartland as long as we maintain our relatively stronger deterrent force. but the enemy could someday gain greater strength and surpass our deterrent force. this must never happen. nobody wins in nuclear war because both sides are sure to suffer terrible damage. nevertheless, it is imperative we make sure the enemy can never impose his will upon us by military force. despite our efforts to deter them, the communists may resort to general war. this is not considered likely to happen before the year 1960. if they start a war, this is what will happen.

the early morning air defense network in the united states and our allies would pick up the first sign of enemy aircraft. >> offense control. urgent. >> this is air defense. >> go ahead, air defense. >> we have a large number of unidentified aircraft coming in from the north. our television camera covers our board at this moment. >> roger, air defense, we see them. sergeant williams, standby to establish a conference call to all bases. general larson, please. >> this is general larson. go ahead. >> sir, would you turn on your screen? a large number of unidentified aircraft have just appeared. >> right. >> go ahead, air defense. >> this is air defense. large groups of unidentified aircraft have been reported

at prince of wales island and bass island and near banks island. reports from alaska indicate unusual activity in the northeast siberia. we are considering reclassifying these unidentified aircraft as hostile because of the unusual numbers and tracks. >> air defense, this is general larson. is your commander there? >> this is general ryan, go ahead. jim, how does this look to you? >> i'm sure this is it based on indications from general intelligence last night. more reports keep coming in all the time. we just talked with our people in alaska and to the canadians. both are picking up tracks. my crews are on five-minute alerts. our antiaircraft missiles are on alert, ready to launch. >> how much time to get our aircraft off the ground? >> our first check of their speed indicates you have about two and a half hours for the bases in the northern united states.

that's a rough estimate, and i we getfine it soon as a better estimate. >> that is close enough. i am getting my people moving right away. >> we will have 1/3 of our force launched within 20 minutes. they will be in strike configuration, but will not proceed without further orders. please keep us advised. >> will do. thanks, jim. >> pentagon, get me the joint chiefs. >> build, the alert force can go right now under plan quick strike. how much we can say it depends on how soon i can give the execution. what are your orders? >> the president and joint chiefs are with me in the command post. implement quick strike. repeat, implement quick strike. i will forward the release the minute a decision is made. good luck. >> thanks.

>> this is general larson. put plan quick strike into effect. make sure the crews understand they are to stand by for the proceed to target order. i want the first aircraft airborne in five minutes from now. have 1/3 of our force on the way in 15 minutes. let me know every 15 minutes what percentage of the remaining force is in minimum condition for takeoff, and what percentage fully loaded and combat operational. also, how soon can we have a strike backup capability for the alert force? and another item. the evacuation is automatic with operation quick strike. notify our people in the far east the supreme allied commander europe we are taking off. we are authorized to proceed. all our strikes will be coordinated on target. that is all. >> yes, sir.

thank you. this is colonel dawes. offense force headquarters. all units implement plan quick strike. h hour is 16:45 z. repeat -- h hour is 16:45 z. ensure the proceed to target order is understand by all crews. i say again, be sure all crews understand the proceed to target order. dependent evacuation is automatic with this order. repeat, dependent evacuation is automatic. authentication is mulberry. all stations acknowledge at the count of five. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. [siren]

>> the order for quick strike has reached all offense force bases around the globe simultaneously. [sirens] [alarms]

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>> with a portion of our bombers on the strip alert force airborne within 15 minutes, and anti-sabotage measures in effect, the rest of the offense force in the united states and overseas is moving into position, ready for takeoff.

a key part of this offense force is the b-52, with its crew of six highly-skilled men. all the hard, rugged years and 15-hour practice sessions are -- often from arctic areas -- are now going to pay off. ♪ >> also part of this massive strikeforce is the b-58.

the routes of all these aircraft, the b-47's, the b-52's, and the b-58's, have been carefully timed to take advantage of optimum tactics. the c-135 tankers are launching with them from their secure home bases. at some point, hundreds of miles from the home bases and high above all the clouds, the kc-135

will deliver fuel to one or more of the bombers. it is this fuel that will get a the bombers to their targets and will bring many of them back home after the attack. all the planes, all the elements fit into a plan to make the force operate as a precision instrument. while the alert force has been thrown into action, it can still be recalled, returned to home bases is the report of hostile aircraft proves false. these procedures ensure that the nation's offense force need not be held on the ground until the

enemy attack develops. half an hour has passed since the first report of unidentified aircraft. in the control room, reports of the takeoffs and positions are being tabulated for the command staff under the supervision of the director of operations. >> general larson, this is turner. >> go ahead. >> sir, departure reports are being called in now. the alert force is airborne. we had a few takeoffs late by several minutes, and one accident shortly after takeoff. with the exception that one, they are all off now. >> what about the rest? >> excuse me, general. >> sir, an enemy missile report just in. >> just a moment, sir. just received a missile report. a missile believed to be ballistic detonated three 10 miles southeast three minutes ago. no damage to the base reported. this must still be confirmed.

>> all right. what about that accident on takeoff? >> a b-47 in the 16th wing exploded shortly after takeoff. >> do they suspect sabotage? is the commander checking the rest of the aircraft? >> how about the rest of the force? we are better off than i hope because of the message sent last night. 25% of our remaining forces capable in evacuating the present bases. half of these are ready to strike. weapons loaded, fuel loaded. the tanker-bomber ratio looks good. >> get general ryan at air defense. >> i will be right in. >> yes, sir. air defense, this is general turner at offense control. is general ryan there? general larson with our to look andd like to talk to him look at your board. >> this is general ryan. there is a camera. we are switching over. >> jim, what is the latest on those unidentified aircraft?

>> we have positive information that they are soviets. we just had a report from a canadian interceptor who made contact with six of them. we picked up 75 on our radar screens, and i think we can expect a lot more. we estimate they should get to your bases in about two hours. was the status of your force? >> the alert force has taken off. i am holding off the rest as long as i can to build up the maximum strikeforce. we got an unconfirmed report of a missile attack near lockport. do you have anything on it? >> we picked that up on one of our recorders. also two in michigan and one in colorado. >> is there any particular pattern in the bomber attack yet? except they seem to be spreading out as a yet further south. there is no concentration in any one area. how long are you going to be at headquarters? >> we will stay until the bomber attack pattern is determined. the amount likely to hurt us here with a ballistic missile. have you spotted anything faster? >> nothing except those ballistic missiles. >> general, the base commander

will be in our headquarters. he is on his way. we will have to give the soviets credit for picking this place as an important target for launching several bombers against it. i don't doubt that they can hit it. please keep me informed. i will let you know when i leave. >> sure will do. good luck. >> dutch, what is the status of our move to headquarters? >> the aircraft and all personnel except your key people are standing by. >> good. >> yes? >> general? an orbiting aircraft reported advanced space blue jay was hit by an enemy missile. extensive damage appears to have been done to the two kc-97 squadrons there. six other advanced bases report missile explosions, but no hits. >> those tankers weren't supporting alert, were they?

>> no, sir. they were part of the post-strike pull for the deep 52 strike. >> it means at least 10 less b-52's will make it home. >> so the pattern is beginning to unfold. launching a surprise air attack. still not knowing the enemy's intentions, our offense force can be ready to hit back. by giving up the initiative, the west must expect to receive the first blow. 50 minutes have elapsed since the unidentified aircraft were picked up on the north american radar screen. the vice commander is en route to an alternate headquarters to take over operation of the offense force in the event at -- that headquarters is hit before it can be evacuated. meanwhile, general larson remains in command at headquarters. >> get air defense and find out if there is a pattern yet. >> urgent. repeat, this is zebra control europe. urgent. urgent. turn on your screen. >> go ahead, zebra.

>> we have just received reports that large groups of soviet aircraft have been cited over sighted over germany, france, denmark, the netherlands, and belgium. our initial reports show that bombs have been dropped on airfields near hamburg, frankfurt, as well as amsterdam, brussels, and tule. reports are still coming in showing extensive damage. >> this is x-ray, urgent, urgent. >> hold it, zebra. i just got an urgent from x-ray. i am cutting off. go ahead, x-ray. >> nuclear weapons have been dropped on osaka, okinawa, yokohama and tokyo. more information to follow. >> that does it. call air defense and see if they have an established pattern of attack yet on north america. standby for a conference call to all our bases. >> air defense, this is defense control.

>> go ahead defense control. ,>> we just received a report from supreme allied commander europe and from x-ray in the far east. the soviets have just dropped the atomic bombs on allied airfield in western europe and the far east. do you have any further information yet on the pattern of attack on this continent? >> no, nothing. we have made several widely dispersed interceptions, but the pattern of attack still unknown. they are not firing blanks. unless you have something else, i'm switching off. >> no more, out. >> general turner. yes, sir. general larson. the command post is calling. >> this is larson, go ahead. >> this is brooks. the president has authorized the joint chiefs to give the auto order for your forces to proceed to target. release quick strike. repeat, you are authorized to

give the order to proceed to assigned target. release quick strike. that is all. >> acknowledge. >> roger. >> release quick strike and proceed to target. acknowledged. >> release quick strike. have all alert force aircraft proceed to assigned targets. launch all available missiles. on these proceed to target orders, make sure you get the word everyone. i don't want anyone turning back because we couldn't contact them. >> yes, sir. are you ready on the conference call? this is general turner. all units, all quick strike aircraft proceed to assigned targets. i say again, all quick strike aircraft proceed to assigned targets. attention missile sites, fire at will on designated targets. repeat, fire at will on designated targets. >> the offense force has

launched a double punch. planes and missiles. all coordinated by the senior control room and his staff under the direction of the commander. give me your attention here, please. we have now released plan quick strike. repeat, we have now launched released plan quick strike. our missiles are launching at will. brief you,ring brie bring you up to the minute. an hour ago the alert force execution order was issued.

15 minutes later, this force within the air headed for its target. 10 minutes ago, we canceled recall procedures and released these aircraft to carry out their full mission. the remainder of the force has been prepared for evacuation. it is now being placed in strike configuration and will be committed as part of the follow-through strikeforce as soon as orders are given. the bulk of the alert force took off from these bases in the united states to carry out their full war plan missions. these were the takeoff areas for the forces of the united states, the rest were launched from overseas. most of the aircraft already deployed to forward operating bases are tankers. bombers tookedium off from intermediate basis. and from the united kingdom, north africa, alaska, and the far east. these aircraft well rendezvous with their refueling tankers in

the designated areas. refueling reports should be coming in within the next hour. those aircraft taking off from forward bases will approach the soviet early warning radar net , shown here by the dotted line, in less than one half hour. the lead aircraft with these other attacking forces will reach the outer limit of the net at the same time. meanwhile, forces from these bases are also approaching the net. at designated h hour, lead aircraft of all these forces will penetrate the net and

launch a simultaneous attack. >> sergeant, make sure the weather people are standing by. when this briefing is over, i want a complete recheck of the basis. in all refueling es. >> the main attack will consider the effort and strike all elements of his airpower. one hour after penetrating the net, the lead aircraft will be at the position shown at this line. remember, this is a bomb-as-you-go concept. targets are bombed progressively. choose targets first with a strike continuing to deeper targets. this enhances the penetration capability of succeeding waves. this pattern is essential because we are playing the soviet's game. he picked the time of day, he

knows we are coming, we must use every trick to overwhelm him. this line shows the positions of lead aircraft two hours after the first penetration. targets in these areas will come under attack from the succeeding waves. in the third hour, after crossing the early warning net, the leaders of the first penetration will have progressed to these positions and will go on to strike targets in this last area. withdrawals are generally along shortest routes to friendly post -strike bases or refueling areas. we will start getting strike reports within three hours. and we will continue to get those reports for an additional 10 hours. this will be the critical time in the control room and i want all reports posted as fast and as accurately as possible. this concludes the briefing. >> offense control, this is air

defense, over. >> go-ahead, air defense. this is offense control. hostiles are beginning the pattern of attack. there appears to be three main thrusts. one in the northeast, one east of center, and one in the northwest. we are throwing everything at them, fighters and missiles. we estimate there will be enemy bombers in as little as 45 minutes. you may have less time with the help of the jet stream. that is all. >> what is the status of the rest of the force? >> we can launch 345 more bombers now. with code to strike follow-through. >> launch them immediately. then give the execution order for all remaining aircraft in the air. when you have acknowledgments, pass control to hillbilly. >> yes, sir. >> set up a conference call. >> yes, sir. >> also, call operations. have my plane ready in 15 minutes. >> yes.

>> some of our bombers are equipped with weapons that can be launched several hundred miles from the target. >> 30 seconds to go. all sets check. bombs away.

>> bombers of our air defense force are fanning out across the length and breadth of the aggressor nation. retaliating against soviet airpower and other warmaking and war-sustaining resources.

>> 20 hours have elapsed. the commander and his staff have alternate headquarters. most have landed at their post-strike bases. either at intermediate or advanced stations or back at their home base in the united states.

now to reports from those who have been over their targets. future actions, future strikes, and the war itself. in the control room of the alternate headquarters, controllers are busy tabulating the reports. from them, the planning staff will determine additional targets to be struck in subsequent attacks. >> mike, what are the latest totals on aircraft return? the board shows only about 25% of your aircraft have recovery bases. >> that is right. >> 10 of the 14 bases have been bombed, which forces the aircraft to land at other bases. we have strike reports of 2/3 on quick strike but less than one half on follow-through. >> keep trying to find out where they are. >> will do. >> all right. let's have a situation report. we are having some difficulty getting information.

what we have may change as more reports come in. sergeant, uncover the report. >> total overall results so far, aircraft scheduled 1545. aircraft airborne 1517. three target aborts 62. strike reports according to group estimates, 1219. aircraft retrieved at recovery bases, 971. no losses enemy territory as of two hours ago, 93. missing, 49. major battle damaged aircraft requiring three days to repair, 62. the difference between the sum of these two figures and this airborne total is 453.

of these 453 unaccounted for aircraft, sir, there should be 53 b-52's still airborne. the missing figure is high because service communications in europe and northern africa have broken down. we are waiting for a group of bombers, crews who may not realize many of their reports are not being forwarded. >> thank you, sergeant. a report from zebra. 43 b-57's and 15 b-52's were on the ground six hours ago. we have previous reports from there. that might reduce the missing number to 342. but of course we will have to check the b-52 tail numbers to be certain. >> what action have you taken with the crews on enemy territory? >> we have reports on the way with sufficient aircraft. >> they have been sending reports in every two hours.

>> tell them i don't want reports. i want my crews picked up. >> yes, sir. next, general, is the airbase status. go ahead. >> in operation so far, we have used 121 bases in the united states. 42 of the available bases overseas. communications to the overseas areas are bad, but these are the figures we have. available bases in the united states is 72. in overseas areas, 67. bases in use in the united states is 72. overseas 37. bases damaged and united states in the united states is 20. overseas 20, this figure includes all missile sites. bases destroyed in the united states, 46. in overseas areas, 16 known damaged. i beg your pardon, 16 known

destroyed includes all irbm sites. our overseas data is unreliable, but we do know there are two bases in north africa, three in the united kingdom, three in alaska, five in the northeast area, and two in the far east. we are sure there are more, but that's all we can back up with reports. >> how many tankers are operating from the canadian base? >> 73, sir. >> let's not schedule anymore from there. they will be looking for cripples for sure. pass that on. what's your latest total on aircraft losses? >> in addition to the 93 lost on over enemy territory, we know we have lost 387 bombers, 297 tankers on the ground. some of these had just returned from their missions.

258 of these bombers were b-52s. 's. >> that's bad. but it is a lot better than it might have been. >> sir, if there are no other questions, intelligence is now ready to brief. >> go-ahead. >> sir, we have 625 strike reports in and 182 debriefing reports, but our evaluation is limited. this is a summary of the majority of targets we have attacked on our quick strikes and follow-through strikes. 33 missile sites, 12 long-range air army headquarters, 18 atomic weapons stored site, 57 fighter and tactical air control centers them a 48 government control centers, and 12 enemy transport centers.

we are waiting for the strike photos to compute the actual destructions but we do have the bond damage assessment missile photo for target n. this is the map of the target. the initial point here and the aiming point here. this is the radar prediction in which the crew was briefed. here is the outline of the lake , which is on the map. this is a blowup of a picture of the radar scope as the bomb detonated. >> i know all that. where did the bomb hit? >> within 300 feet of the aiming point. the target was destroyed, according to our first estimate. >> never mind the rest. get me the analysis when you get it. >> did we get the airfield complexes? >> yes. we have full reports on both of those. >> good, brief me later on those in my office. >> i want enemy air targets we are not sure of rescheduled as quickly as possible. >> what are the effects of the soviets attacking the united states? >> sir? plotted overse

here. >> sir, we have failed in our primary mission -- deterrence. however, our secondary mission of destroying the enemy is apparently fulfilled. catastrophic damage has been inflicted on the united states, . we only have spasmodic communications with the most highly-affected areas. most of these were through isolated ham radio operators. other information has been these together from visual observation by bombing crews. total personnel casualties are estimated to exceed 60 million. this includes approximately 20 million wounded. as we expected, they threw the bulk of their bombers and their best weapons against the defense force. however, they threw a strong effort against the control centers.

the new york, pittsburgh, detroit, chicago, and los angeles industrial areas were completely destroyed. boston, buffalo, richmond, knoxville, st. louis, omaha, denver, salt lake, seattle, and san francisco suffered severe damage and high casualties. their effort reaches as far south as ft. worth, dallas, and miami. it will be sometime before we have a complete report. our contacts with civil defense are only spasmodic. you will receive a complete report as soon as the facts are available. the president and the joint chiefs of staff are safe. and they are at the alternate command post. there appear to have been two waves of enemy aircraft separated by about four hours.

oddly enough, the only identified aircraft over the out few hours have turned to be friendly. >> thanks. sergeant, let's have a look at foxtrot, please. >> sir, we are operating under plan foxtrot. the next attack is scheduled for takeoff in seven hours. it includes 172 aircraft, 52 support missions for europe and the far east. >> where are the remaining 71? >> eight new airfield targets and five new weapon storage sites which were picked up during quick strike. we have two bombers committing to each. the remainder are divided. 25 against airfield targets we missed during quick strike and follow-through, and 20 other control centers we did not schedule.

>> reassesses those control centers right away. we will attack only those you consider imperative. >> yes, sir. >> double the attack on the airfields and revert to positive recall. get me the joint chiefs of command post. >> yes, sir. >> what are you planning after foxtrot? >> operation clean sweep. that calls are about 200 bombers 24 hours after foxtrot. >> sir, the joint chiefs of staff are on the line. >> bill, i am sending out some cleanup in seven hours. i have a feeling after the next strike, we may have control of the air. the next 24 hours to tell. in any event, i am not going after industry for 31 hours. all future attacks will have positive recall procedures. does the cia have anything? yes, we have sufficient weapons for at least three days' operations. please keep me advised.

>> in war for survival, how soon can a nation surrender? when its military power is destroyed and communications and government centers shattered, we must give him every chance, take every precaution to ensure that no bomb falls after he acknowledges defeat.

>> so the nation strikeforce, its first attack completed, follows up its offensive. the main effort concentrated against soviet air power, airfields. already, more destructive power has been delivered than has been expended in all the wars in the history of man.

the time is now d-day plus four. four days after the first attack. >> sir, we now have definite indication of our success. in the air offensive. during the past 36 hours, no nuclear weapon has detonated outside of the ussr. our attacks have reduced the soviet air force to handful of aircraft operating from substandard bases. these bases are being located an d attacked by our reconnaissance bombing force. here is the bomb damage from the first strike effort. 100 enemy air base attacks, 94 completely destroyed, and six heavily damaged. only four bombers have been lost. these are believed to have been operational rather than combat losses. central intelligence agency reports that 18 unofficial requests for cease-fire had been received by radio. the supreme allied commander

reports almost complete disintegration of resistance by surface forces. >> they have no other choice. we have the air, we have the power. and they know it. ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]