 a timely big picture report on Alaska, the 49th state. Picture, an official report produced for the armed forces and the American people. Now to show you part of the big picture, here is Sergeant Stuart Queen. Not since the year 1912 has a new state been admitted to the Union. It was then that Congress accepted Arizona and New Mexico. Today, nearly half a century later, the big picture focuses its cameras on the land, the people, and the military position of our newest state, Alaska. Ever since Alaska was acquired by the United States nearly a century ago, the American public has thought of the area in terms of sub-zero temperatures and Arctic winds, of crushing ice and constant snow. This picture of our newest state is true, but only in part. Alaska is considered a rugged land and rightly so. Like saw's teeth, two lofty mountain ranges span its length from north to south, the Pacific and the Rocky Mountain Systems. The face of Alaska is as varied as it is large. Steep mountain faces fall away to rivered valleys and sweeping plains. During the warmer months of the year, melting snows flood countless inland waterways. Though much of Alaska is rocky slope or barren tundra, there are nevertheless nearly a million acres of fertile land. Alaska's coastline, longer than that of the earlier 48 states, has waters teaming with fish and fur-bearing animals. The best known of Alaska's big game animals are the bears, which are found in greater number here than in any other area of the world. For many inhabitants, reindeer and caribou are the sole source of food and clothing. Alaska's more than 1 half million square miles constitute an area one fifth the size of the continental United States. Russian Orthodox churches are a reminder today that until 1867, Alaska was populated by Russian settlers. Orthodox religious services such as these are most common in the Aleutian islands and in the southeast part of the mainland. 1855, the Russians first tried to sell this territory to the United States. But the transaction was not made until 12 years later when Secretary of State Seward urged the Congress to purchase the area. The territory cost over $7 million and was known as Seward's Folly or Seward's Ice Box. A major general in the United States Army served as the American commissioner for the transfer. In those early days, Alaska's greatest known wealth lay in the firs sought by trappers. Discovery of gold on the Klondike in the late 1890s caused the famous gold rush and stampede to the territory for sudden riches. No new wave of settlers of any size appeared until the 1930s when men and their families from the United States moved north to try their luck at farming under a homestead program sponsored by the federal government. Not until World War II when Japanese forces invaded Atu, the western most of the Aleutian islands, did Americans again take an active interest in this northern outpost. American military forces were quick to throw out the invaders here at Atu, Agatou, and Kiska were the only scenes of land combat in North America during the war. In most of Alaska's principal cities today, there is little to mark them as different from many of the communities in the other 48 states. Suburban homes look very much like those found farther south in Washington and Oregon. In general, Alaskans today are a sturdy pioneer breed of people who are independently minded and democratic in spirit and practice. Totem poles, the distinctive work of Alaskan Indians, are graphic reminders of the new state's close cultural ties with the past. About one fourth of the population is made up of Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts. The Eskimos compose the most numerous native group. They are a friendly, helpful people if their customs are respected. They are very loyal American citizens as their wholehearted support during World War II so clearly demonstrated. Influences from the older states of the Union have been many and strong among most of the Eskimos. Nevertheless, their ancient traditions and customs are preserved today by the tribal elders to be passed on to succeeding generations. Eskimos are amazingly adept at developing mechanical skills. Today, they perform many jobs that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. Eskimos play a large share in helping to meet the demands of the labor market in this largest and most underpopulated state. Much of the credit for helping to develop the natural mechanical abilities of Alaska's original population groups goes to the vocational schools where young men from remote villages with not too much formal schooling are taught the skills of a particular trade. All but those Alaskans living in the most remote areas have schools readily available to them. The majority of schools in the state today are rural. Every city of any size has a high school. Most are modern buildings with all the facilities found in the better public schools in other American cities. Teachers in Alaska's school system compare favorably and ability with their counterparts in our other states. High school students after graduation may go on to the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Anchorage is soon to have its own university. Alaskans celebrate all American holidays and a few of their own when sports like Eskimo blanket tossing are enjoyed. Most sports and spectacles from basketball to stock car racing are typically American. Any lover of the sound and sight of motor, roar, and battered radiator from New England to California would be right at home here. The younger generation is as car-minded as their junior contemporaries hundreds of miles to the south. But at such annual festivals as the Anchorage Fair Rendezvous, Alaskans enjoy sports events rarely seen in our older states. In many parts of Alaska, dog sleds even today provide the fastest and most efficient means of transportation. Fishing is Alaska's principal industry bringing in $80 to $90 million a year. Of the numerous market fish taken from Alaska's offshore waters, salmon are by far the largest catch, accounting for approximately 90% of the value. The fishing industry, both catching and canning, is the source of livelihood for approximately 30,000 people. Alaskans today are working to help the salmon industry regain its former strength. Agriculture in Alaska is an industry of great interest and the subject of constant study. Alaskans today must import more than 95% of their food, chiefly dairy products, meats, and fresh vegetables. Alaska and agriculture continues to expand. But there are several basic problems to be overcome before it becomes a satisfactory industry in the state's economy. More land studies and financial help for farmers are needed. The unusual length of the summer days in Alaska helps produce some remarkable vegetable specimens. Because of its isolation and the high cost of transportation, Alaska's farmers get good prices for their produce. Mining, for many years, Alaska's second largest industry virtually stopped during World War II. Since then, it has not regained its former stature. Production thus far in Alaskan mines has been chiefly of high value, low volume minerals such as gold and platinum, which can be turned into marketable form under frontier conditions. United States paid Russia a little more than $7 million for Alaska. More than $700 million has been mined in gold alone. Exploration and drilling went on for years before 1957 when oil in promising commercial quantities was discovered in the Kenai Peninsula not far from Anchorage. Within two months after the discovery well came in, more than 8 million acres of land were leased for continued oil prospecting and exploitation. Black gold may prove to be one of Alaska's most valuable natural resources. Among Alaska's mineral assets, coal runs a close second to gold in value mine today. Bass deposits are known. Transportation is the major drawback to the industry's development. Alaska's commercial timber is contained in two great national forests, the Tongass in the southeastern part of the state, and the Chugach near Anchorage. Because the demand for Alaska's timber products exceeds production each year, great opportunity for expansion exists in lumbering. For Alaska's private and industrial interests is the Alaskan Communication System, established in 1900 by Congress as part of the mission of the United States Army Signal Corps. The system provides complete telephone and telegraph service within Alaska and also beyond Alaska to almost any other area of the world. The worst bottleneck in the development of Alaska's vast natural resources is the lack of land transportation. A little more than 5,000 miles of roadway exists, and less than half of that is considered first class. The Alkan Highway, built during World War II by Army engineers, is the only land link with the rest of the United States. In all year, all-weather highway it runs from British Columbia in Western Canada to Fairbanks in the heart of Alaska. Alaskans and all those interested in Alaska's future know that adequate ground transportation to and within the state is greatly needed. Alaska's only railroad is owned and operated by the United States Department of the Interior. It furnishes year-round freight and passenger service to all points along the line between the cities of Coastal Seward and inland Fairbanks. In America's newest state, air transportation is the big thing. Because of its vast size, rugged terrain, and primitive nature, air transportation alone covers the entire state. Air miles traveled per person are higher in Alaska than anywhere else in the world. Passengers in freight travel in hundreds of private and commercial aircraft. Almost one out of every three planes in Alaska is a sea plane. And of all the sea planes in the world, one quarter are found here in Alaska. The air routes of Alaska were pioneered by the United States Army in the 1920s. Alaskans today are particularly air-minded because of their geographical position. In this day of missiles and long-range aircraft, Alaska finds itself in a uniquely strategic position. With only 56 miles between them, Alaska is truly next door to the Soviet Union. Ever since the communists came into power in Russia, the leaders of the Soviet Union have turned their eyes to the East as an area for many ambitious projects. Often the Tchukotsky Peninsula, with its Kalimsky mountains, can be seen from Alaska. Eastern Siberia today is of great interest to these Soviet scientists as more than a good place for prison camps. There is little doubt that the communists have recognized the military potentials of this area. This close by Soviet territory is a logical one from which to launch air and missile attacks against the United States. Several new military air bases are known to have been built here. With so much of the Soviet Union lying within the Arctic Circle, the communist military machine has a large manpower pool supplying fighting men familiar with the Arctic snow and bitter cold. To provide early warning of any attack against the United States, all three military services work together, manning our detection network. Many different types of radar-equipped ships of the Navy constantly patrol the Bering Sea between the coast of the Soviet Union and the shores of Alaska. Outposts of the Dew Line, the distant early warning network, anchor the western end of a line guarding our half of the Arctic Circle. All air traffic in the Alaskan area shows up on the radar scopes. Every aircraft, friendly or unknown, is spotted and followed on the plotting boards by the men of our air defense teams. Every unidentified plane approaching this continent is intercepted and challenged. And at regular intervals, simulated attacks are made to test the response and fighting readiness of Air Force jet interceptor squadrons stationed in Alaska. Each military service in Alaska contributes to the nation's total defense in ways it is best qualified. In addition to helping maintain our radar detection network, the Navy provides logistical support for Army and Air Force units in Alaska. With only one railroad serving the entire state, much of the burden of supplying our military forces is carried by the Navy. Once assured, the bulk of the supplies are moved by the Army in whatever vehicles best suit the terrain. Snow trains are frequently the only means of transport supporting the men stationed in remote Arctic and subarctic outposts. Lessons learned in World War II and the Korean War showed that the Army's capabilities for combat were weakest in cold weather climates. These experiences showed that men and equipment must be extensively trained and tested in northern latitudes to provide combat-ready cold climate forces. Long-ranging patrols are carried out by Army combat units of different sizes to provide living and working experience under difficult weather conditions. While these patrols are carried out chiefly for training purposes, they frequently prove to be the most reliable and often the only source of information concerning the remote regions of the new state. Operating in Alaska too is the United States Army Test Board manned by officers and men from all branches of the Army. It conducts Arctic and subarctic tests of both standard and experimental weapons and equipment. Of a combat-ready Army to fight in all types of war is the chief concern of the men who guard our northern outposts. Members of the Alaska National Guard are welcome comrades in arms. These units composed of Eskimos and Indians are unique. Members of these battalions are scattered among the native villages along the northern and western edges of Alaska. They are organized into units varying from squad to platoon strength. Their native ability to operate in remote and extremely cold areas makes them particularly well-suited for their mission of reconnaissance, surveillance, and patrol in the areas assigned to them. In addition to gathering information, the members of the Alaskans' scouts could act as herring forces in the event of an enemy invasion. Their presence in the remote areas would give valuable time for regular forces to move up to the front from inland bases. To many of these men, the mythical enemy of this tactical problem is quite real. Alaska has a higher percentage of enrollment in the National Guard than any other state in the Union. The fact that Alaska was the only part of North America invaded during World War II may well be largely responsible for this dedication to preparedness. Army II shares in the air defense job in Alaska. Today, Nike Hercules missiles which can carry atomic warheads are being inspected in the area for the protection of our chief military establishments throughout the state. In addition to sharing in the air defense of the area, the Army is also responsible for land defense, the protection of cities and missile sites, of deep water ports, and airfields. Regularly scheduled maneuvers provide realistic training for men stationed in Alaska. They also test the combat readiness of these troops and give commanders a chance to examine their plans of defense and counterattack under artificial combat conditions. Here, mock aggressor forces are launching an invasion of the plateau north of the Alaska mountain range. The news of the invasion is received. Two battalion combat teams, closest to the point of attack, are sent out to engage the aggressor forces and to destroy them. The part of aggressors, these Army paratroops are learning their jobs against the day when they begin to jump into these same hills to counter a real enemy airborne landing. Where the nearest railhead is hundreds of miles away, where even rudimentary roads are non-existent, the fastest and frequently the easiest method of supply is by air. Alaska has been mapped, but only about one-fiftieth of its vast area has been surveyed. Should an enemy try to take over our air and missile bases after a knockout attempt through the air, he would be met by seasoned foot soldiers familiar with the terrain and accustomed to surviving at the far end of a long logistical chain. In joint maneuvers such as these, members of neighboring Canadian Army units frequently participate. The importance of Alaska from a military standpoint was realized during World War II. Today, in an era of guided missiles, supersonic planes, and new concepts of strategic areas, there is little doubt of the size and gravity of the job being used by the men who maintain our northern ramparts. Alaska has also been regarded as America's last frontier, a land that has long held the imagination of pioneers and empire builders who sought and found opportunities here. Our newest state, it also offers the greatest extremes. On the one hand, many of its principal cities are as modern and as typically American as those to be found anywhere in the Union. On the other hand, the raw materials of the United States are as modern as the Union. On the other hand, the raw frontier is never far. For here in the shadow of shops and office buildings lies the boundary of virgin wilderness. In rivers fed by icy mountains of melting mountain snow, the fish are as big and as plentiful as any in the grandest dreams of seasoned fishermen or hopeful boy. Unquestionably, Alaska is the last great land frontier of the United States. With the opportunity for those seeking new worlds to conquer, there is vast wilderness to tame, great distances to bridge, uncounted resources to locate and use. At one time or another, Alaska has attracted all kinds of people, fur trappers and gold hunters, adventurers and gamblers and later explorers, scientists, farmers and businessmen. Many who came soon left, but the real pioneers stayed on and today more and more people are finding this a land of promise and opportunity. Alaska, our outpost of democracy and the 49th of our United States. Alaska today is a vast and potentially wealthy area. From a military point of view, Alaska did not come into its own until World War II. But now in this age of long-range missiles and aircraft, the polar concept leaves little doubt about the magnitude of the possibilities of our armed forces in Alaska. The guardians of our northern frontier. Now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen, your host for the Big Picture. The Big Picture is an official report for the armed forces and the American people. Produced by the Army Pictorial Center. Presented by the Department of the Army in cooperation with this station.