 to Germany from Alaska to Puerto Rico all over the world the United States Army is on the alert to defend our country you the American people against aggression this is the big picture an official television report to the nation from the United States Army now to show you part of the big picture here is sergeant Stuart Queen the threat of atomic attack hangs over America and these times of lukewarm peace an enemy can choose his time and place there will be no warning our only defense is to be ready this week the big picture will show you the steel ring the complicated defense lines of radars and guns which surround our country and cities Alaska 56 miles across the Bering Strait from the Soviet Union is the American territory closest to the communist empire here started a chain of events which until recently was one of the best kept secrets of the Cold War the time the 16th of April from Nunivak Island off the Alaskan coast vapor trails at high altitude are cited heading for the west flank of America no time is lost in bringing word of the strange aircraft from the Baron outpost to the nearest communication center perhaps this is a soviet strategic air reconnaissance mission of our borders but it could mark the start of a much more ominous flight from the remote radio outposts news of the planes is immediately flashed to the Alaskan communications headquarters in Fairbanks where it is relayed to Washington D.C. almost simultaneously word is received from early warning radar stations guarding our eastern coast that five unknowns are coming in north of Presque Isle main added to this information is a previous intelligence report indicating a possible air attack on the United States there is no time to take chances at this point orders for full air defense readiness go at once to all the nation's key defense centers the switch is pulled for every branch of our military forces radar stations are keenly alert searching the skies to determine the whereabouts of the unidentified planes every anti-aircraft operation center in the nation is poised for immediate action every detail of the aircraft's behavior will be recorded flight path speed and altitude all will be portrayed on the radar scope when the planes pass beyond the reach of an individual station another radar unit is ready to pick up the trail instantly giving the quarry no chance to elude the invisible net below now when the unknown intruders swing into view of the radar's electronic eye and appear determined to follow their unauthorized course the last doubt is gone this is a full-scale emergency 18 angels one nine critical distance zero six uncle 18 angels two one critical distance zero two attention all units attention all units this is professor six two with change of condition condition of readiness is battle attack this is not an exercise i repeat this course in the range of the unknown sky riders are computed by electronic brains their target pinpointed by radar the gunners are ready to fire actively immediately at the unseen planes for alaska disappear somewhere over the pacific and on the eastern seaboard the unknowns coming in over main are finally properly identified several commercial airliners forced far off course by a strong wind across the country tension gradually eases the army anti-aircraft defense post slowly unwind from the combat attack status but the feeling of relief which naturally follows the realization that this has been a false alarm does not breed complacency if anything it makes doubly clear just how vulnerable is the united states to sneak attack it is a matter of grave concern to all thoughtful americans flying the polar air routes across the top of the world a potential enemy is but a few hours away seattle can be reached in eight hours flying time traveling at speeds in excess of 400 miles an hour an enemy turboprop bomber could reach denver colorado in just half a day mosco is closer to chicago than to russia's eastern border with vastly increased range today's soviet planes are capable of making the round trip from central europe to new york city with frightening ease in quantity to the soviet union belongs the world's largest pool of air power this is the air force of the past today the aviacea dalnevo at the skieva the russian strategic air command now possesses the tug 75 a turboprop bomber able to make the round trip from berlin to boston at speeds over 400 miles an hour to equal the soviet fighting forces now in existence man for man and tank for tank the united states would have to double the number of dollars spent for defense because power not a better way of life for the people is the sole aim of the russian rulers all but a minimum of soviet production can be and is channeled to increase russia's military strength but half a world away from mosco's red square in towns like elizabeth new jersey strong countermeasures are being taken to thwart a sudden attack by any aggressor the scene of enormous guns lumbering through the heart of town is being reenacted today in a thousand cities and towns across the nation in the pre-atomic era america was invulnerable to attack but our size and remoteness no longer serve as shields today every city is a potential battlefield every citizen a potential target to provide the steel ring of defense the arms and armor must enter the domain of civilian life in elizabeth a vacant lot near mauve lock manner offers an ideal gun sight a calm residential neighborhood finds an atmosphere of combat readiness the change goes deeper than the transforming of an unused field an appreciation of the precarious balance of the cold war is brought home to the residents of this area anti-aircraft defense today is a far cry from the methods used in past wars no longer do the gunners need to see the target electronic devices do the seeing for them safeguarding the lives and homes of all americans is the primary goal of every anti-aircraft installation the new home of able battery of the army anti aircraft artillery protecting the american people from any kind of air attack is an enormous responsibility no effort is too great no safeguard too stringent for the importance of complete success is without parallel in history to assure maximum protection for our cities gun sites are placed at strategic locations in and around the suburbs unlike other soldiers on duty within the continental limits of the u.s. anti-aircraft crewmen must be at their post 24 hours a day the schedule of a military post on combat duty does not match that of the civilian living just on the other side of the fence times like this it is exceedingly easy to forget that the disturbance is directly related to your well-being somebody's got to put a stop to this kind of thing a few more untimely risings that you won't have any further need for anti-aircraft protection they'll be taking you away in a straitjacket though as a conscientious citizen you feel obliged to speak for yourself and your neighbors you confront the proper authorities someone has got to take the reins in his hand is there no other way to route the men out of bed is this whistle really necessary you're a reasonable man but after all the gun crews and their civilian neighbors have to learn to live together they succeed by learning each other's problems military procedures are modified to meet local conditions civilians are encouraged to come and learn what this defense business is all about as the defense picture is explained people get a better understanding of the importance of their gun site and why it must be located where it is gradually the understanding that the guns are not a threat to real estate values but are actually a protection for their property and themselves replaces the old fears and resentments atomic bombs are weapons of mass destruction they are used most efficiently on large targets with high concentrations of population and industry the united states of the 20th century is a country of large cities nearly half our population lives within 67 critical target areas although they comprise less than three percent of the total area of the nation it is these key cities and their suburbs then which need the greatest concentration of anti-aircraft defense no quarter of the united states is without its critical target area in world wars one and two the united states turned back aggressors because of our overwhelming production superiority in the past a combination of american ingenuity resources and production capacity have poured forth an irresistible flood of weapons for the battlefield but to send one interceptor plane into the air to put one submarine to sea or to establish one anti-aircraft battery demands parts and equipment from hundreds of different factories scattered throughout the nation our production centers would be a primary target the factories and the workers who live in the industrial area the steel ring stretches from the heart of the us to the very edges of the iron and bamboo curtains from new york to berlin from san francisco to korea radar nets are spread to intercept any enemy who might launch a sudden attack hundreds of land-based radar stations are augmented by radar equipped patrol planes and naval vessels radar anti-aircraft artillery and today guided missiles all play a carefully interwoven part in our complicated but deadly efficient air defense system radar electronic eyes capable of seeing through overcast skies can pinpoint objects miles high and in seconds give their exact location networks of high-powered radar stations form a barrier along our borders ready to give early warning alarm should an attacker strike further from home a web of screening devices stretches from asia through the arctic circle to the heart of europe every radar post is manned on around the clock basis a great new addition to our transworld communication system is radio jim creek located at arlington in the state of washington most powerful in the world the jim creek radio station can send messages halfway around the globe without relay from one central point u.s forces can now be alerted simultaneously no matter how remote their stations by the ships of the navy our radar barrier is pushed far beyond the continental limits of the u.s floating radar stations patrol the skies and see day and night far from any land they keep their constant vigil monitoring the comings and goings of sky traffic clocking the scheduled flights of military and commercial airlines whenever an unscheduled plane appears flying on an undesignated course the alarm is flashed back to the nearest intelligent center from all corners of the world are sent the coded messages telling our air defense centers the state of the nation's security on guard two as an integral part of the nation's air defense network are the thousands of civilians who comprise america's ground observer corps organized in 1950 as a volunteer civilian component of the united states air force the ground observer corps job is to man 14 000 observation posts and 49 filter centers along probable air approaches to vital centers in the united states basic in the training of the ground observer volunteers is a course designed to acquaint them with all models of u.s aircraft at present warning when any foreign plane is spotted can be disseminated from the air defense control centers to all key points throughout the country within two minutes time unfortunately the number of ground observer volunteers is far short of the half million enrollment needed to adequately cover our observation posts around the clock and in the army's anti aircraft command men stand by 24 hours a day for the alert to battle stations night and day the direct communications line connecting the gun batteries to the operation center is wide open an unidentified plane is reported an immediate alert is sounded search and find mission is probably a friendly plane off course but it could be the first sign of genuine danger and the guns lock on target synchronized and interlocked into one great interception force the individual gun batteries monitor the flight of the unknown plane and stand ready for instant action while the unknown is given a chance to identify itself the guns on the ground trace its course until a plane gives the proper identification our anti aircraft defense stands ready to blast it instantly from the sky such as the life of the men who man our gun sites their routine is a routine of constant interruption their daily living is fixed around the frequent calls to battle stations though stationed in the united states the gun crews of the army anti aircraft command are officially on combat status even in peace they must maintain a wartime schedule and no member of the battery may be more than 20 minutes away from his gun day or night weekends included they must be within running distance of their weapons theirs is the long watch for the men who live with the big guns as constant companions the weapons have long since lost their true identity they are as familiar and as prized as the infantrymen's rifle but today the standard anti aircraft artillery pieces are being augmented by remarkable new defense weapons the first a gun called the sky sweeper is a radar controlled automatically fired rifle which means certain destruction for any aircraft flying within its range complex in design sky sweeper is simple in execution the gun does everything but load itself at army anti aircraft command posts around the country officers and men in increasing numbers are fast learning to man these new weapons efficiently the approaching aircraft is picked up on the weapons attached radar receiver electronically the plane's speed and exact location are computed this information is fed into the gun's mechanism which in turn elevates the barrel to the correct height and tracks the moving target all within a matter of seconds perhaps even more remarkable than the sky sweeper in its deadliness is the guided missile called nike nike is the nation's first combat ready surface to air guided missile to be put into use in the air defense of the united states nike is the product of years of experimentation and exhaustive tests by civilian and military scientists and technicians nike named after the greek goddess of victory its sleek warhead appearing with increasing regularity in strategically located areas in all parts of the united states nike stands today as a potent safeguard to the nation's security and well-being operating regardless of weather conditions and visibility nike is able to track down and destroy any existing type of aircraft once detected no plane can fly too fast nor too high to escape nike with amazing speed and deadly accuracy nike pinpoints a plane's position tracks it electronically and directs the missile to the target at supersonic speed signal of time will be x minus 20 seconds mark x minus 20 seconds 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 an exhaustive test nike today he had been stronger and with eternal vigilance the nation will remain secure there is still much to be done to augment and strengthen the steel ring it may never be foolproof but our army is doing everything in its power to provide protection against any aggressor in the air as well as on the ground now this is sergeant steward queen inviting you to be with us again next week for another look at the big picture the big picture is a weekly television report to the nation on the activities of the army at home and overseas produced by the signal core pictorial center presented by the u.s. army in cooperation with this station you can be an important part of the big picture you can proudly serve with the best equipped the best trained the best fighting team in the world today the united states army