# BALLISTIC MISSILE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM ATOMIC BOMB CIVIL DEFENSE 54404

This 1950s Cold War propaganda film opens with hurried scenes of New York City and life in suburbia interspersed with images of a ballistic missile streaking across the sky until a massive explosion and mushroom cloud fills the screen at mark 01:07 . “This is the threat,” the narrator grimly announces. The answer: “Ballistic Missile Early Warning System” — which also serves as the film’s title. Presented by RCA Defense Electronics Products Missile and Surface Radar Division, this color film was made in connection with the US Air Force “to inform the public about one of our vital defense programs.” As bombers lift off from airfields (mark 02:05 ), the narrator explains how “aggressors” will rely on sneak attacks to catch the US off guard, requiring the country to develop early warning systems. At mark 02:50 , the viewer is given specifics regarding the BMEWS project, consisting of radar sites in Alaska, Greenland, and England. The radar systems are designed to detect the launch of enemy missiles, illustrated starting at mark 03:10 , and would enable the US to launch a retaliatory strike “at full force.” As the film continues we see RCA engineers and military personnel meeting to discuss the project’s development and explains the roles of some of the 9,000 large and small businesses considered participants. There are various scenes at industrial plants (mark 06:00 ) as workers are shown constructing some of the necessary equipment, including massive radar components and…

- Kind: Film
- Genres: Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/54404BallisticMissilesEarlyWarningSystem)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/54404BallisticMissilesEarlyWarningSystem?play=1)