In 1951, my 12-year old brain knew the Chinese hordes would soon be swarming over our little mountain town. Never mind the big peaks to the west. After all, hadn't these same hordes just a year before forced our best fighting force, the Marines, into headlong retreat in Korea. Only one thing could stop them-: we had the bomb, so let's use it. Better a nuclear war than Chinese hordes.
Seeing the movie now, 65-years later, is somewhat painful. I never saw the short then since we didn't have TV. But my cousins in Denver told me about getting down and covering. My surmise now is that govn't was more interested in conditioning us than in actually preparing us. After all, how much good would D&C do in an actual radioactive explosion. About that, the short says little. It does imply an effectiveness beyond just going through the motions. I'm glad I didn't see it then as it would have only added to my foolish beliefs.
I wish I could laugh at the cartoon silliness now, but I can't. For younger folks, there remains the idea of what hung heavy over many of us of the time. But more importantly, the dangerous nonsense still has lessons for our own nuclear age.
Seeing the movie now, 65-years later, is somewhat painful. I never saw the short then since we didn't have TV. But my cousins in Denver told me about getting down and covering. My surmise now is that govn't was more interested in conditioning us than in actually preparing us. After all, how much good would D&C do in an actual radioactive explosion. About that, the short says little. It does imply an effectiveness beyond just going through the motions. I'm glad I didn't see it then as it would have only added to my foolish beliefs.
I wish I could laugh at the cartoon silliness now, but I can't. For younger folks, there remains the idea of what hung heavy over many of us of the time. But more importantly, the dangerous nonsense still has lessons for our own nuclear age.