1950STHE BIG PICTURE

[Music] state's 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 in these days the safety of our nation and that of the entire free world depends upon american military strength one of the main sources of our military strength lies in the constant development of newer and better tools of warfare today the big picture reveals such a tool one of the most unique and versatile devices now being used by your army you are looking at one of the most recent additions to your army's stockpile of special devices now being used to protect the nation a television camera to the millions of american families familiar with the daily entertainment which it provides television has fast come to be taken for granted already dependable means to an evening's diversion or a comfortable front seat at the ball game [Music] but as far back as world war ii when television was nothing more than a rumor to the people who would soon be watching it our military leaders were already considering television as a valuable addition to our arsenal of special tools the big question was just where and how could they best apply television to military use to find the answers signal core laboratories at fort monmouth new jersey soon began tailoring a tv outfit for the army monmouth engineers added a few rugged twists of their own to standard commercial equipment and their research resulted in the development of the signal cores mobile television system [Music] this unit a mobile self-powered and self-contained television system was launched on a series of exploratory exercises under the guidance of the army signal corps pictorial center the idea was to use this unit initially to define the areas for best military application of television so that time and money for further research and development could then be concentrated in those areas showing the most promise in general there were considered to be three broad fields of military application as a tactical aid television could assist combat units in the completion of their missions with a minimum expenditure of lives time and money as a training medium television could incorporate or be incorporated into present methods of training [Music] and as a technical tool television could be used for viewing objects in inaccessible places or where direct contact would be dangerous [Music] during 1953 the mobile unit visited eleven different military posts one of the many possibilities pointed up by their initial surveys was the desirability for using television as a supplementary film production facility to this end at the signal core victoria center in new york city production headquarters of the army's vast training film program construction was begun on a television studio [Music] primarily this tv studio is equipped to provide an additional relatively inexpensive means of producing certain types of training films many training requirements now exist for films of a specialized nature which are particularly susceptible to production by television and which when recorded on film can be shown later to thousands of widely scattered servicemen in army installations throughout the country yes training films while you wait thanks to the instantaneous magic of television and to see how this is done we need only look to the control room where signal core tv personnel prepare to record a new film a special illustration of the various uses to which the army is putting the american tax dollar these men are all skilled technicians formerly with private industry men trained and familiar with the highest standards of commercial television [Music] this production set up in the courtyard adjoining the studio waits for word from the control room to begin camera one high up on a special lift lines up on the opening picture camera two gets set for a closer look camera three meanwhile is ready at the next shot the stage is set and the director passes the word 10 seconds the opening picture is brought into focus on the monitor screen the 10 seconds are up and we're on we try to save dollars wherever we can but defense means spending it means maintaining communication systems in places like alaska civilian relief and war-torn korea training a strong and ready reserve force in case of aggression but the biggest items in the army budget are for men and machines accounting for some 10 billions of dollars for the expensive machines of modern warfare like this and for the equally expensive soldier the television cameraman must be quick and accurate whether he is shooting a slick recoilless rifle a fully equipped ambulance a miniature wrist radio or the radar controlled sky sweeper each picture must tell a clear and immediate story a story being carried with the speed of light to the most observant witness of them all the film recorder focal point in the making of television training films thus what you have seen in the courtyard below the television recording captures permanently on film for later presentation [Music] the wrist radio receiver dick tracy of the army and the newest in the field of combat communications its development cost two thousand dollars its weight complete just two and five eight ounces an expensive arm of the army at seven hundred and sixty dollars an ounce but some things are measured in terms other than dollars and cents the health and well-being of the army's men [Music] an army ambulance the weapon of mercy one of thousands which follows the army wherever it goes millions of dollars for items that can't be bought or sold the lives of our fighting men guarded not by radio waves or electric eyes but the quality of mercy and the skill of our medical corps and so as television prepares to teach our servicemen the lesson of survival it is serving also through special military programs carried directly over commercial networks to bring the army closer to the american people by combining technical know-how and human imagination with the electronic magic of television the army is employing one of the most direct and effective methods yet devised for keeping the soldier and the civilian well informed through television it can produce images with greater meaning than often meets the eye images that represent a complete idea or a symbol of strength images woven together on a single screen to create a clearer and more powerful picture of our military might [Music] but these are the real weapons the all-important and secret weapons of the army foot soldier doughboy slagging infantryman calling what you will the american army's gi he costs five thousand two hundred dollars to a year to feed pay and maintain but on his shoulders and in the arms of his brother services lies the safety of our nation [Music] in october of 1953 the signal corps mobile television section moved into camp gordon georgia to begin a study of the comparative training effectiveness of television instruction and instruction in which television is not used it was decided that this evaluation should be based upon the army's eight weeks basic training course [Music] this area represents one of the biggest army investments in training time and effort the large number of soldiers undergoing this instruction provided a good sample for the study [Music] from the eight weeks course fourteen hours of representative instruction were chosen to be presented by television these programs originated at the fully equipped studio of the southeastern signal schools television branch which assisted the mobile unit in this study the operation of this branch is comparable to that of many small commercial stations televising many hours a week of instruction on intricate signal core equipment in a conventional classroom students would find it difficult to see what this instructor is doing but with television each student can observe and follow the slightest adjustment being made merely by watching a television screen in front of him [Music] this televised instruction is sent directly to classroom receivers throughout camp gordon either by cable or by means of a microwave transmitter high above the studio roof at the television classrooms signal core trainees are closely observed to determine the teaching effectiveness of television [Music] throughout this study students were matched according to their iqs and both types of instruction were made as similar as possible the training aids used in this non-television classroom were the same used for tv the lessons were kept the same length instructors who taught over television also taught these regular classes [Music] straightforward instruction was given at all times and no attempt was made to insert any production values or special gimmicks into the televised presentations 56 hours of television and similar non-television instruction were given over a period of two months psychologists from the human resources research organization of george washington university conducted a series of seventy thousand tests involving approximately ten thousand students [Music] the results of these tests showed that in no instance did instructions suffer when presented by television and in most cases learning was superior when television was used this was particularly noticeable in certain types of instruction namely the how to do it type such as the assembly or disassembly of a weapon all right now you'll notice that right in the center of our bolt located right at the end of the pointer we have the firing pin now this firing pin moves forward when the hammer strikes the firing pin tanning the firing pin strikes the primer of your cartridge now you're probably wondering what the primer of your cartridge is well i'll show you this is not an actual cartridge but this is a model of what a cartridge looks like or instruction incorporating the cue and response technique such as used with the phonetic alphabet e easy that's just what it is easy this phonetic alphabet's easy so i hope you are memorizing e easy ready now sound off e easy one very important fact that was demonstrated in this phase of the study was the effectiveness of television in teaching the different iq groups it was found that in the upper fifty percent there was little difference in the learning effectiveness between live and tv instruction however with the lower fifty percent the degree of difference in favor of television was considerable in certain types of instruction this is particularly important because the more difficult training problem is presented by the lower iq groups the second phase of this study is now underway and has three definite requirements one to extend television instruction to other subject matters and to develop future uses of television as a training medium two by changes in viewing and studio equipment to come up with a small compact outfit capable of handling most training problems yet an outfit that lends itself easily to expansion or modification to meet specialized requirements [Music] and three to determine whether tv can be used to decrease the time devoted to training military personnel the research psychologists from george washington university have proved by their preliminary comparisons that time can be saved by eliminating such common items as walking from one training aid to another and writing on the blackboard their results have shown that by using tv cameras and eliminating these factors the army has in certain types of instruction reduce class time by as much as 40 percent [Music] as another part of this study the signal core has been conducting tests on the use and application of tv film recordings such as these made at the camp gordon television studio and dealing with some of the basic training subjects like the light machine gun remember watch me first is to raise our front sight simply raise it up to the vertical position all right everyone raise your front sight just raise it up to the vertical position when you've completed the step put your hands bound in your lap and leave the weapon alone the use of contour lines in map rating and here you'll see these contour lines the way they would look on the actual mound itself you see here that these lines run completely around the hill or mound going completely around not having any starting point or any ending point you also see the contour interval in this case being 20 feet starting from zero or sea level going to 20 feet 40 60 80 and the top of this hill would be approximately 100 feet you see the shape of the hill the way the contour lines would look if you could see them now and there you do see them right on your screen and also if i could take and slice this hill up along these contour lines as i'm doing right now you'll be able to look at the top of it and see the actual shape of the top of this hill and also the brown x which is right on the very peak of your drawing showing us the very top or the highest point of elevation of this hill but whether the subject is basic or highly technical the signal core mobile television section along with the southeastern signal schools television branch is continuing to demonstrate that teaching by television will be here to stay at the army's aberdeen proving ground in maryland still another facet in the versatile range of television's military application is being explored many sensitive operations are being carried on in these buildings at the proving ground [Music] a valuable aid in these operations is the use of television as a technical tool by army experts engaged in the dangerous occupation of handling sensitive and highly explosive material this dud has a stake in the fuse that must be drilled out a hazardous operation at best even when performed by an expert but currently even these experts can avoid the taking of chances now the television is being employed to eliminate the danger [Music] where previously a man had to stand by inside during the delicate surgery today he can leave the bay and still watch the entire process safely behind 36 inches of reinforced concrete thanks to the television camera and a few convenient buttons which operate the drill by remote control he can observe and conduct the entire dangerous proceedings with practically all of the former hazards removed if something goes wrong in any of these bays the camera may take a terrible beating in spite of the thick metal casing which protects it but these men watching at the monitors will be assured of coming through the operation unharmed one more example of how your army is putting the talents of television into play upon the problems of safety efficiency and speed they're also bringing these talents to bear upon the field [Music] you are looking at an aggressor the battlefield is the state of north carolina in a large scale maneuver known as exercise flash burn these troops are simulating an enemy invasion of the united states to meet this threat paratroopers of the friendly forces are loaded aboard the big c-119 troop carriers [Music] and are hastened aloft toward the infiltrated area to engage the enemy [Music] simultaneously our newest weapons are ready for action weapons like this 280 millimeter atomic cannon like the corporal a long-range guided missile [Music] and the honest job a powerful new rocket also readied for action is the signal cores mobile television section here to determine if television can supply a broader and more satisfactory means of briefing official maneuver observers exercise flash burn one of the most important maneuvers ever staged incorporating the modern weapons of modern warfare [Music] while a maneuver director lieutenant general a.r pauling briefs army chief of staff general matthew b ridgeway on-the-spot observers receive a first-hand view of the massive operation [Music] several miles away other observers are also getting a first-hand view of exercise flash burn as it is being televised at the scene of action [Music] this mobile camera designed for field use as well as studio production sends an immediate picture of the paratroopers to a receiver van several miles away here this picture is monitored and transmitted to the adjoining building the war room here high-ranking observers can follow the detailed progress of the maneuver on their television screen [Music] meanwhile a tactical problem is developing at the front aggressor troops have moved into an advanced heavily wooded sector immediate reconnaissance of the area is needed tactical television will be used to supply the picture high over the battlefield a special plane circles waiting unaware of the new developments on the ground but not for long a two-way radio makes contact with the plane passing on the request for a tactical television mission [Music] immediately the plane heads for the infiltrated area this is part of the tactical television team a plane equipped with a television camera specially constructed for aerial reconnaissance as it approaches the aggressor sector an antenna on the ground picks up the signal from the plane over the area the plane begins televising a picture of aggressor movements below sending it directly to troop commanders on the ground who thus receive accurate and instantaneous information of the battlefield situation many miles away based upon the information obtained by the use of airborne television reconnaissance friendly troops are ordered into the area to meet the aggressor along with them goes the second half of the signal course interim tactical television team the combat television cameraman these cameramen are equipped with hand-held lightweight television cameras ideal for following the infantryman right into the thick of battle here again television supplies an instantaneous picture of the battle situation to troop commanders behind the line from the camera the picture is relayed to a control vehicle which guides the cameraman by radio monitors and controls the picture and relays it up to distances of 10 miles to the receiver station located near command headquarters here the frontline pictures are transmitted to troop commanders who formerly had to depend upon slower and less accurate means of obtaining battlefield reports this maneuver indicated that tactical television might well become a valuable addition to the combat team serving to protect the lives of our fighting men by supplying accurate and instantaneous information of battle situations to the officers responsible for making decisions of life or death decisions that mean the difference between victory and defeat army television a powerful force for information and education an invaluable teacher of the lessons necessary to modern warfare a life-saving device to protect our friends or a new tool with which to combat our enemies army television preparing for a day of sudden mobilization when television may have to train millions of men simultaneously or be called upon to guide them safely through battle or serve as protection in dangerous scientific research [Music] and that is the big picture the picture of your army looking forward to the future security of the nation through the eyes of television the military possibilities of television are many and promising some as you have seen have already proven themselves others are yet to be tested whatever the possibilities the army will continue to explore all avenues open to it by military television this is sergeant stuart queen inviting you to be with us 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 you