Operation Doorstepshows the Upsh

[Music] [Music] The destructive force of 15,000 tons. tons of TNT. A mass of rubble. Yet less than a mile from ground zero, a human being in a shelter should have survived. That was the end. Here was the beginning. These the characters in this drama of survival under the Abomb program being conducted by federal civil defense, the atomic energy commission and the department of defense to show the nation the effects of atomic blast on homes, home type shelters and automobiles. A variety of passenger cars, old and new, loaned by the dealers and manufacturers of America. The time, March 1953. The scene, Las Vegas, as the caravan sets out for the site of AEC's Nevada proving grounds. There, the test will be held in connection with a shot in the Atomic Energy Commission's developmental series. Yaka Flat, a barren area of desert, sage brush, and Joshua trees, now suddenly comes alive with activity. On each car, instruments to measure excessive temperature increases. Also a film badge for detection of gamma radiation. The vehicles identified by number are stationed at various ranges from ground zero. Into each car go these lifelike department store mannequins donated by private sources to help determine the effect of atomic blast. And here one of the two typical American frame dwellings to be tested. This one 7,500 ft from ground zero. Each home is to reveal effects of atomic blast only. Indoors are no utilities that might cause fire. Venetian blinds on windows facing the blast help keep out heat flash. They are not supposed to resist blast. Within the house, scenes typical of the American family at home. First floor living room, firstf floor dining room. Children at play unaware of approaching disaster. A sick bed upstairs. Yes, a family unprepared without this simple boxtype shelter shown here in a model. In such a shelter, a family has prepared and awaits the bomb. Soon to explode from this 300 ft tower nearly a mile and a half away. House number one 3,500 ft from ground zero. 1,450 ft away. This outdoor shelter of reinforced concrete entrances to other outdoor shelters to be tested. Here a model provides an interior view of a basement exit type home shelter. One of these was only 1250 ft from ground zero. Meanwhile, at Las Vegas, newsmen and photographers arrive from all over the nation to cover an event that has a direct bearing on the welfare of every American family. this way to a general briefing by officials of the Atomic Energy Commission, Defense Department, and Civil Defense. Then out to Yaka Flat. Here, just before dawn, for the first time in our history, American homes will be exposed to atomic blast. Arriving are civil defense observers, representatives of all the nation's news media. Today, Main Street of every American city and town. House number two is inspected as preparations continue for detonation of the bomb at 5:20 next morning. 200 a.m. Our troops move into trenches 2 miles from ground zero. With them is Federal Civil Defense Administrator Val Peterson. In the darkness of News Knob, 7 and a half miles from ground zero, nearly a thousand observers gather, civil defense officials from all over the nation, news reel, radio and television crews, newsmen and magazine writers ready to bring to the families of America this drama of survival under the Abomb. The hours slowly tick away. Then the minutes. 10 seconds to 5:20 a.m. 5 seconds. 4 3 2 1 zero. House number one. As the blast hits it, unused knob. Civil defense observers witness effects of the blast and the tremendous glare of the fireball. Here again is house number one collapsing shown now in stop motion. First an intense light. The heat flash strikes charring the outer surface of the house without causing fire. Foaming blackened particles of whitewash are forced upward by the heat flash. In the right corner of the screen, smoke rises from the wooden base of the metal flood light pole. The scene darkens as the blast wave brings heavy clouds of dust. The forward part of the roof is snapped upward like a lid crashing into the rear yard. Now the blast wave gets inside and the house under tremendous pressure blows apart. Remember what you have seen here in detail happened in just two and 1/3 seconds. Within minutes after the blast, our troops move into no man's land as part of their own test exercise. Civil defense teams could have moved in just as quickly to rescue the injured. In the cold light of dawn, television cameras on news knob make the threat of the mushroom cloud a dark reality in homes across the nation. First to arrive from the forward area is Federal Civil Defense Administrator Val Peterson. Escorted to NewsNob, the top FCDA official reports his experience in the trench with our troops only 2 miles from ground zero. He suffered no effects from blast, heat, or radiation. Information about test results is given by Dr. Alvin C. Graves, Atomic Energy Commission test director. Radiological safety teams begin checking the forward area to determine the level of radiation. House number two, farthest from ground zero, badly damaged but still standing. On house number two exterior, blown out windows, sashes, and frames. Remember this family? They did not take shelter. Their living room after the blast. Mannequins thrown about, clothing cut, plaster bodies pockm marked by flying glass. Remember this dining room group again? Effects of an atomic blast in the house farthest from ground zero. Injury, perhaps death in a tangle of debris. The result of being unprepared. Second floor bedroom, plaster and windows damaged. Roof sprung. Rafters broken. House number one, nearest ground zero. Almost complete destruction. A mass of rubble and debris. The roof blown into several sections. Now you enter house number one. First floor disintegrated. Second floor collapsed. No protection for this family trapped in debris. Note the pushedback wooden girdters blocked the stairway into the basement. Part of the kitchen and dining room have fallen into the basement. Yet in this lean-to shelter, you discover indications that a human being might have survived the blast with simple protection. In house number two, a cracked beam above the basement box-type shelter. But within this family, which was prepared, was neither moved nor harmed. Outdoors at various ranges from ground zero, nearly every car driven into the area could be driven out again under its own power in spite of damage. Headlines brought the Operation Doorstep story into the homes of 30 million families, left them wondering how they might be affected. Engineering research goes on. Other civil defense test will be held, but already we know these facts. An outdoor shelter provides the best chance for survival from atomic blast. Second safest, a basement lean to or boxtype shelter. Your local civil defense office can provide construction data for these simple inexpensive home shelters. Today, there is no second best for family civil defense. the urgent need to prepare now against the threat of atomic warfare. Or will you, like a mannequin, just sit and wait. [Music]