Seconds for survival.

[Music] la seconds for survival that makes you think of wars and surprise attacks and our means to defend ourselves and retaliate but seconds for survival is also a human story in 1953 recognizing the threat of surprise attack over the North Pole the governments of the United States and Canada decided to construct the DU line the distant early warning line across the northern boundaries of Alaska Canada Greenland and Iceland Western Electric was assigned to supervise in a land so remote that in some areas no human had ever walked before all over the country telephone men journeyed to the far north as part of an organized team thousands of tons of equipment and Provisions had to be brought into the Frozen Wilderness by plane ship and tractor train any way you could get it there but eventually the supplies were there and the job could move [Music] ahead for The Men Who Built the D line it was a time of unbelievable hardships in bitter winds that blew across the Arctic wastes in freezing cold and through long months of lonely isolation but despite blizz and icy Gales the builders somehow persevered and eventually station by station the D line became a reality a living electronic system that can give us precious minutes of warning time if an air attack should come from the north today from stations clinging to Wild and remote Cliffs radar antennas probe deep into the skies above the top of the world Vigilant Sentinels that never close their eyes providing reliable Communications in this wild North Country was quite a problem in the land where many people had looked to the dog sled and the bush pilot for their only contact with civilization telephone men used a new kind of transmission to construct not only the D line but the Alaskan Communication System known as white Alice and the silent land became electronically alarmed life huge antennas designed by Bale scientists beam powerful microwaves over the horizon to be received and relayed by other antennas today white Alice ties together our Alaskan military outposts and connects with the D line to complete our Communications Network across the top of the continent if enemy planes should try to fly in across our Northern borders the du line antennas would spot them and Men on duty would observe their tracks on radar Scopes the information would flash to NORAD to me NORAD symbolizes the cooperation between the armed services of two countries the United States Air Force Army and Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force jointly operate this key headquarters NORAD is a busy place information Flows In by wire and radio from many different radar detection posts in addition to radar stations at strategic points along our coastlines many others far out at Sea give us extra minutes of warning time if attack should come from across the oceans NORAD has the whole continent in its control through Communications facilities with which enable offices in one room in Colorado Springs to see at an instant an entire battle situation so that they can plan and execute the Strategic Defense wherever an aircraft moves anywhere across or near our continent the chattering teletype machines will deliver the information to be instantly marked on the map NORAD then coordinates the overall defense passing information to combat centers throughout the country while many inside the Strang looking concrete buildings of sage would control individual segments of the battle Sage combat centers can calculate the speed altitude and course of enemy planes and direct the defense in their area through communication circuits they can send jet interceptors into the sky toward the enemy bring them at supersonic speeds to the correct position for attack and electronically fire their rockets for the kill all this from a command position hundreds of miles away through special signals flowing over telephone lines Sage also directs the launching and flight of surface to air missiles to strike swiftly across the skies at speeding enemy planes [Music] meanwhile from Strategic Air Command headquarters located deep underground in Omaha Nebraska The Men Who command one of the mightiest Air Forces ever assembled would alert The Fleets of InterContinental jet bombers based all over the world sack crews are always ready to fly the big nuclear armed bombers within minutes of a warning signal whatever these bases are in Africa Europe or the Middle East Communications facilities tie them into a unified instrument of command if our continent were attacked this red telephone would be lifted from its cradle and instantly sack bases and aircraft in Flight all over the world would be alerted and upon command from the White House the United States would launch the greatest Counterattack in history from sack headquarters commands would also go to the control rooms of our newest longrange weapons the ballistic [Music] missiles the giant missiles would Thunder into the sky toward their targets thousands of miles [Music] away an enemy who would dare attack us would feel the punishment of devastating retaliation from points all over the globe and at home Communications would help protect us all through an extensive warning Network operated right from NORAD headquarters this Communications Network known as the national warning system connects to 400 cities throughout the United States and is linked with Canada's civil defense system civil defense Personnel at NORAD would send the warning over this [Music] network it would be fanned out further over state and local civil defense networks to alert the people across the country up to now we've seen the vast defense network America has built to defend against attack by nuclear bombers and we must continue to guard against that threat as long as any potential enemy has bombing planes but today we Face an even more terrible danger the intercontinental ballistic missile this is a threat our leaders know we must meet but it poses almost unbelievably complex problems for one thing you have to find the missile in time to take defensive action to do this the United States is building the largest radar antennas in the world in Greenland and Alaska with another planned in Great Britain these giant radar antennas are the eyes of bmuse the ballistic missile early warning system which will be able to see an enemy missile more than 2,000 M away but beuse will have more than eyes it will have voices too circuits that carry information back to nor these circuits are of the most vital importance to the system for in a missile attack time time for survival is the essential [Music] Factor scientists are studying other methods of detecting enemy missiles including the possibility of placing a series of satellites in orbit they would keep a constant Lookout and flash a warning the moment an enemy rocket engine fired up on its launching Pad but even if an ICBM attack were detected it would require the most fantastic weapon of them all to defend against it an anti-missile missile which must be able to launch itself high in to space within seconds search out its Target moving over 15,000 mph and destroy it while still far from our Shores because of its reputation in the design of military Weapons Systems Bell Laboratories was asked by the Army to develop a system which could defend against the ICBM a fantastic assignment but the Nike Zeus anti-missile system could become the weapon of tomorrow in almost all of its aspects defense today is a venture into Miracles living electronic miracles in which the dreams of Alexander grah and Bell emerged with the visions of missile and weapons Engineers to build a wall of shelter around this continent time time for survival is the essential factor and Communications makes it possible it was almost two centuries ago that George Washington said if we desire peace it must be known at all times that we are ready for war on Pearl Harbor Day the American people had caused to regret that they had all but forgotten Washington's advice but what about next time will we once again be caught unprepared will the seconds for survival take away until time has run out for us all suppose the next time the enemy strikes with jet bombers from three sides from the east from the west and from the north and with ballistic missiles in one coordinated attack how would we cope with it radar at distant dine stations will detect the farmers while they are still hundreds of miles away from our Shores I've got two pick them up at 035 picket ships far out at Sea will track them on their [Music] Scopes contacts at 265 early warning aircraft on patrol will keep the planes under surveillance 052 2 [Music] tracks in this crisis Communications will be needed as never before when our very existence will depend on getting the information through to defense headquarters all we know is they're not ours call you right back they're coming in low altitude considerable numbers Speed 500 indicates no change our estimate is at least 25 aircraft heading 85° altitud 38,000 speed they are unknown positions at 05 1 05 report The Heading is now 280° Hotel Alpha 21 reports 40 unknowns yes North altitude 41,000 speed 600 plus unknown kilo Zulu whiskey heading unchanged 278 no further word you're say jig 4og we can't be certain until then foxr GF 42 that's all we have on them seem to be spr I want to check on that GE right away checking several reports nothing further in Alpha 321 Fox Easy's Airborne the whole Continental defense system Springs into a state of instant Readiness for war Airborne aert Force standby for proceed to Target refuel at Ru Mar what percentage loed com operation 5 minute alert Delta [Music] 30 interceptors [Music] [Applause] [Music] Airborne attention all warning points this is eer to copy [Music] warning baring [Music] 265° Charlie November 31 we expect to close with them in 10 [Music] minutes we've made contact with them contact with six Bandits they Bandits that is all surface evacuation of dependence hostile confirmed [Music] hostile must be understood by all bases no hits put through the conference Al ECHL imp quick strike on full alert and ready to launch positive information they are hostile sir your conference call is ready put them on please the White House by order from the White House you are authorized to proceed the decision is made we strike back [Music] [Music] [Music] attention missile sites fire on designated targets you may fire when ready [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] wipe the skies clean of enemy planes [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] it is strength such as this which our leaders hope will discourage an aggressor and help to bring lasting peace but if peace is to come it can be attained only through vigilance through readiness the men and women of your telephone company will continue to contribute in every way they can to the defense of our continent in an age when seconds can mean survival and strength can mean what we all pray for peace [Music]