 The latest weapons, coupled with the fighting skill of the American soldier, stand ready on the alert all over the world to defend this country. View 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. During the month of June in 1863, the scattered forces of General Robert E. Lee were moving toward Cash Town, Pennsylvania, where they were to meet and regroup. Because many of his men were barefoot or shot only in rags, General Lee diverted part of his army to capture a nearby shoe factory, a shoe factory located in a town named Gettysburg, and there, through a chance encounter, his forces unprepared, the main body of his cavalry miles away, General Lee was brought prematurely to battle, all for the want of some shoes. That was in 1863. Today the American soldier is the best shot, the best equipped fighting man in the world. Much of the credit for this must go to the Quartermaster Research and Development Center in Natick, Massachusetts, where the very latest discoveries of science and industry are used in designing and testing modern military equipment. Everybody talks about the weather. Well, we'd like to introduce you to Willie, a civilian volunteer who is helping army scientists do something about the weather. For Willie is a copper guinea pig, whose job it is to try out newly developed clothing and equipment under test conditions which might prove risky for mere humans. The host of delicate instruments under his metallic skin are providing new and valuable information about Mother Nature's bag of tricks. Willie's home is here at Natick, where the Quartermaster's newest installation has brought together 1,200 scientists to develop the tentage, clothing and military gear which will serve American soldiers best in any part of the world under any conditions. In a fight against rain that soaks, ice that jams, mud that clogs, it's the job of these scientists to make the army weatherproof. It is in the research laboratories that the basic work is done. Here 17 different branches of science have joined in the greatest research program in military history. Because a soldier's foot gear is his most important equipment next to his rifle, research in this area has been stressed. Here is a dissected section of a new insulated boot. The rubber separated layers of wool will provide perfect insulation. This principle of sealed insulation makes these boots lighter, more comfortable and warm at temperatures down to 60 degrees below zero. Of course there's no test like actual use, but there's no need to wear out some poor soldier when scientific ingenuity can exactly duplicate a man's walking movement. Laboratory planning and theoretical calculations, however, are only the first step for Natick scientists have developed a new way of testing experimental clothing and equipment. They have built two climatic chambers in which it is possible to duplicate weather conditions found anywhere in the world. The South Pole is just across the hall from the South Seas. Switzerland a few steps from the Sahara Desert. This man is one of a team of army volunteers being wired before he enters the Arctic chamber. Precise measuring devices will record his heart rate, sweat loss, oxygen consumption and internal and external temperatures during the period of testing. The team will be trying out new experimental Arctic clothing designed to be lighter and less bulky than the heavier clothing currently in use. It is in tests like this one that Willie is most useful, for he doesn't mind risking a frostbitten nose or ear. And he can remain exposed to extremes of temperature for long periods without injury. When the thermometer drops, these men know that Willie's a friend indeed. The great advantage of this program is that the new equipment can be tested in completely controlled conditions where scientific observation is perfect. From the locker room to the Arctic chamber, a drop in temperature of over 100 degrees. From the control room, it is possible both to see and speak with the men inside. A new piece of clothing or equipment will be submitted to several different tests within the chamber to make sure it contains no flaws. In this test, the temperature is 20 degrees below zero with a wind of 10 miles an hour. These volunteers don't like the cold. Instead, they prefer to enjoy temperatures of over 120 degrees. The reactions of the men being tested will be automatically recorded. Every heartbeat, every second by second change will be clearly shown on charts like this one. Over 120 degrees. And these men volunteered. Because the mental attitudes and psychological reactions of the men are extremely important, observers often remain within the chamber taking on the spot notes. These studies of intense heat and high humidity are helping develop the clothing and equipment best for hot weather conditions. During these tests, periodic checks are made of the volunteers to prevent excessive strain or heat exhaustion. Often, great endurance is required. While most of these tests are relatively short, on a few occasions, volunteers have been asked to live in the Arctic chamber for as long as six weeks to test a man's ability to maintain body temperature during prolonged exposure to cold. And this is where Willie chips in. Here, he is simulating a sick soldier in a study of body heat loss during a period of enforced inactivity. But it is 150 miles north of Natick and 12,000 feet up on the top of Mount Washington that the final phase of the quartermaster's research and development program takes place. Here, in one of several field testing stations, experimental equipment is actually tried out. Rugged members of the Army's mountain troops live up here in a year-long bibwack where the climate is officially characterized as cold wet and winds have been measured up to 231 miles an hour. The Mount Washington Test Station is one of the few places in the Army where men are encouraged to subject their gear to the hardest possible abuse. Here, a small testing unit prepares to move out. Their job is to try out a new type of snowshoe. It will take many trips of cross-country marching during all kinds of rugged weather before these shoes will be approved or rejected. And here's a test company of ski troops. In general, the skis used by the American Army are somewhat shorter and wider than those used by other armies. The slight sacrifice and speed is more than compensated for by the game and maneuverability. And still another team is going out to walk on ice to test crampons. Special devices designed to permit infantry troops to cross icy country without slipping or falling. Yes, here on a remote mountain top is a never-ending test for the best. The men selected for these teams are not expert skiers. As a result, they punish their equipment harder, one way of proving if test items can really take it. Note this example of scientific testing. For this program, willing men with both brains and muscle are needed. Men who are willing to hike under any conditions and then bivouac overnight to test tents, sleeping bags and other field equipment. While these teams seldom stay away from their main camp for more than a few days at a time, it is part of their job to go out when the weather promises to be worse. Bad weather makes good testing. Hundreds of items are tested yearly. These are the crampons mentioned earlier for walking on ice. Long snowshoes. A new type of ski harness. Short snowshoes. Day after day, all year long, testing goes on regardless of the weather. Want to go for an early morning dip? No, these aren't members of an Army Polar Bear Club. They're a special team trying out the quartermaster's new cold bar suit. Cold bar, developed at Natick, is a synthetic material resembling sponge rubber. Within seconds, its high insulation value enables the wearer's body to generate sufficient heat to withstand the icy water. Acting as advisor in this particular demonstration is a specialist in arctic clothing. Famed explorer, Sir Hubert Wilkins. Sir Hubert was one of the first men to fly over the Antarctic and charted some 80,000 miles of that continent. In contrast, here's a dramatic illustration of another quartermaster development. This fireproof clothing will one day be standard issue. Valuable protection against incendiary warfare. But the quartermaster research and development center is concerned with a wide variety of research projects, in addition to those we have already seen. Consider the common housefly. Not only a dangerous disease-carrying pest, but a formidable enemy, capable of building up resistance to ordinary insecticides such as DDT. Army entomologists are working steadily on an insecticide which will defy these flies' power of resistance. Another aspect of the Army's war against pests is seen in their efforts to develop a satisfactory cockroach poison. These nasty little fellows are hearty souls and difficult to deal with. But Army scientists, working on the principle of Cherché Le Femme, which freely translated means the female is deadlier than the male, think they have found a solution. The female cockroach exudes a sort of perfume in order to attract the male. By mixing this perfume substance with poison, Army scientists think they will be able to successfully lure male cockroaches to their deaths. As you can see, there seems little doubt that these males are attracted. In still another laboratory, the mechanical engineering division analyzes the strength of different pieces of equipment. Here a universal testing machine is determining the load that can be born by a particular trailer coupling. Another aspect of the work at NADIC is in the plastics division. There is a need for plastic to be used at extremely low temperatures without becoming brittle or hard. Here a chemical engineer works with a new plastic designed to remain supple at below zero temperatures. This piece of white rubber is a newly developed alloy suitable for use at extremely high temperatures. The black rubber is the older commercial type. Note that the black rubber when removed from the oven is brittle, while the new white rubber has remained flexible and elastic. Yes, it is under the guidance of men like these that the work goes on continuously. Today at NADIC, the greatest research and development program in quartermaster history is dedicated to maintaining the position of the American fighting man as the finest equipped soldier in the world under any conditions. In recent years, in addition to providing the best possible training and equipment, the American Army has been placing increased emphasis on the mental preparedness of its men. Should any American soldier fall into enemy hands, he must be psychologically ready. He must know how to act, what to do. In order to help prepare the individual soldier, a new code of conduct has been drawn up. This code, based on the highest ideals, is being stressed throughout the Army today. The code of conduct. The fighting man's pledge to defend his country against all odds. A new pledge, but one as sacred as that which we make to the flag of the United States. Recently, a group of artists, members in good standing of the Society of Illustrators were asked to submit sketches for some new posters to illustrate the fighting man's code. There are about 700 illustrators in this famous organization, including Hardy Gramatki here, at present engaged in doing his 18th watercolor of the House Across the Street. He and Alex Ross, and several other highly successful members of the Society, live in an artist's colony up at Westport, Connecticut. Tom Lovell's in the neighborhood too. You've seen the work of these men on the covers of magazines, as well as inside them illustrating the stories. Harold Von Schmidt is an old timer in the field. He and his friends were quick to volunteer to work on sketches interpreting the code. Steve Dohanus, familiar to everyone for his Saturday evening post covers. Out of the hundreds of poster designs that would be submitted by members of the Society all over the country, six would be finally selected to be reproduced and distributed wherever members of the armed forces are stationed throughout the world. Steve Dohanus is a genial, easygoing type who is deeply serious about pictures and people. We asked Steve what part of the code he intended to illustrate. Well, the first idea I had was a pain that I had done some time ago, which I thought would very well illustrate the sixth part of the code. I will trust in my God and in the United States. This picture shows a serviceman in church with his family. His mother, his father, his girlfriend. And to me it exemplifies in one picture all of the beliefs and principles he's fighting for. But actually the painting I'm finally doing is based on the first oath about the fighting man being prepared to give his life in the defense of our country and our way of life. To best express this in a painting, I'm showing the serviceman at the rail of a troopship overlooking the harbor. This is a moment that to me dramatizes his willingness to serve his country and all its people. I want to have on his face an expression of I'm ready. Also, I want to include the nearness of the shoreline as he leaves. And in the background, the Statue of Liberty symbolizes the freedom he's fighting for. I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense. Watercolor is the medium in which Hardy Gramatke feels most at home. And he enjoys using it out of doors. A fine artist, a member of the National Academy. Hardy is enthusiastic about life in general and that house across the street which he's painted in all seasons and in all kinds of weather. Hardy was roughing out a sketch for the second article of the code. To me, the message of Article 2 is an extremely powerful one. I will never surrender of my own free will. As long as he has the power, it is the duty of the fighting man to resist. Here's the way I visualize it. With this drawing in his rough stage, here you have men on a raft down by an enemy plane. I want to show you that even with the odds all against them, they still have that will to resist and in the end of evading the enemy. Here's the basic design I have in mind. The men on the raft are like a coil spring. This dark area is the enemy and it seems like it might win. But with this shape, you know for certain it can spring back. I hope the poster when it's finished will say that even when it looks as though you're lost, you're not. With that attitude of never surrender, you can always spring back. I will never surrender of my own free will. Harold Von Schmitt calls his studio a junk shop. Everybody comes to borrow things here, including a uniform that belonged to his grandfather, a Lieutenant Colonel of Engineers during the Civil War. Von is great on scenes of action. Here he portrays a Navy landing party helping the survivors of an army patrol escape from a quarry and beach. Von likes to work big to see the idea before he pins it down. As an artist and as a man, you couldn't find a more genuine type anywhere in the world. I'm interested in a part of the code that deals with resisting the enemy by all means available. The first thing that came to my mind was someone in our own history, one whom we all know was arrested, continued to resist. Nathan Hale, you remember his famous statement? I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. That's a perfect statement, 21 years old when he died. Yet this was what he was willing to do. Put him in mind of what someone said. He who dies for his country has lived long enough. I suppose I chose this oath because resistance, American prisoners, is not something new. Just because it's been the headlines. It goes way back a long time. And Hale was perhaps the first American prisoner to die for what he believed. If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. A real illustrator can do any number of subjects well, says Tom Lovell, and the varied content of his pictures seem to prove that he is a real illustrator and more. For one thing, he's been a marine, and these historical pictures show that he knows something about pride and loyalty. He enjoys bouncing from one subject to another, says it helps him keep a fresh point of view. He came up with some pretty strong illustrations of the fourth and fifth articles. First, I'd like to show you some work I'm doing on number four. To me, the key thought in paragraphs four lies in the words, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I show a soldier being questioned by the enemy, represented by hand, pad, and pencil. In the background, we see his fellow prisoners, and we know he's keeping faith with them. Because the pad is blank, he's given the enemy nothing. Also, I have tried another meaning, and having this one figure stand out ahead of the others. He symbolizes the need for strong leadership among prisoners of war. Right now, I'm working on a poster for article five about giving no information except name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I haven't put his face in yet. I've shown his dog tags clearly, but the enemy wants to know much more about this man. This is what they will get, and nothing more than this. A blank face with only name, rank, service number, and date of birth. If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am bound to give only name, rank, service number, and date of birth. Lastly, Alex Ross, with practically no formal art training, with far more ambition as a youngster to become a trapeze artist than a fine artist, Alex has gone right to the top of the class in the illustration world. An artist paints best what he likes best. Alex has five kids. He sees in many of his subjects simplicity, purity, all the wonder of the world in a child's face. He brightens everything he touches. In this church scene he did for a Christmas car, the light sparkles right off the canvas. Alex interpreted the last oath. I chose the sixth article of the code because I think to any man it has the most meaning. You're caught in a tough spot, and certainly being caught in the prisoner of war camp would be a tough spot. All you have is your faith and prayer. In thinking out a way of putting this message across, I've tried to simplify the idea of religion in general. I've tried to work out a design that blends all our religions. In this poster, working out a symbol that encompasses the star of David and the cross. Then in the background, I'm going to work in the flag so that these symbols will best convey the idea of God and country. The figure of the prisoner in the poster has his hand over his heart, which is a sort of natural gesture symbolizing loyalty. Well, this is my particular interpretation of a part of the code. And I hope my poster and the others my friends are working on will have some effect. We'll help to deepen everybody's understanding of the Fighting Man's code. I will never forget that I am an American Fighting Man, responsible for my actions and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America. So the Army is ready equipped with the best tools armed with the highest ethical standards. Now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen inviting you to be with us again next week for another look at your Army in action on 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 Army Pictorial Center, presented by the United States Army in cooperation with this station. You too can be an important part of The Big Picture. You can proudly serve for the best equipped, the best trained, the best fighting team in the world today, the United States Army.