Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER 1: Now stay tuned for a live CBS special presentation.

ANNOUNCER 2: Coming to you live from CBS, your host, Mr. Walter Cronkite.

Ladies and gentlemen, you're at an opening night.

Tonight, television takes a giant step.

For the next two hours

this network will be presenting

the first feature-length story

to be broadcast live on CBS in 39 years.

Tonight's show, Fail Safe,

is based on the best-selling novel

by Eugene Burdick and Harry-- Harvey Wheeler

and written for the screen by Walter Bernstein.

You're tuned to CBS.

The clocks are turned back,

and our story begins in just one minute.

[♪]

[ALARM CLOCK BUZZING]

[BUZZING STOPS]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

What time is it?

Too early.

The Secretary's bringing some...

muckamuck to lecture to all us brass.

Taking the train?

No, I'll fly down.

Back in time for dinner.

That'll be fine.

I'll take the children into Manhattan.

We're going to see My Fair Lady.

She's in New York?

The movie.

[CHUCKLES LIGHTLY]

You had that dream again, didn't you?

[SIGHS]

Blackie.

Maybe I should quit my job.

The dream's related, I know.

Why don't you come with us to see My Fair Lady?

Audrey Hepburn.

And leave Swenson and General Stark

in a room alone?

No?

Uh...

No.

Let's take that vacation, Blackie.

Get you away from all of this.

Soon.

How did I get so lucky to stumble onto you?

Come home early.

So how long have you been stationed

here at Omaha, Colonel Cascio?

Three years, congressman.

Gentlemen, this is the control center

to the War Room.

How far down are we?

Six stories.

That seems a little extreme,

even for the War Department.

Yes, sir. I'm sure it does.

CASCIO: What we're seeing here is the naval situation in the Pacific.

Those white ones are our surface vessels

and our submarines.

And those are Russian submarines.

So close to our shoreline?

International waters, sir.

Anyone's got a right to be there.

KNAPP: The Russians aren't just anyone, colonel.

What are they doing out there,

or is that a foolish question?

Same thing we're doing to them over there, Mr. Knapp.

General.

Surveillance. Don't worry, Mr. Knapp.

We keep a close eye on them. Thanks to you and your company.

Oh, we just make the computers, general.

You people do the important work.

Congressman. General.

Follow me, gentlemen.

BOGAN: Your computers are the best in the world, Mr. Knapp.

KNAPP: Thank you, sir.

RASKOB: They oughta be. They cost enough.

KNAPP: This is about more than just money.

RASKOB: I got elected to watch the dollars, Mr. Knapp.

Like Mr. Jefferson said,

"Patriotism is the last refuge of the profligate."

Or was that Will Rogers?

Where you from, colonel?

New York City, sir.

New York City.

Your congressman's Sam Noonan, right?

I wouldn't know. I'm in the Air Force.

[LAUGHS]

Congressman. Uh, give me the polar projection, please.

MAN: Yes, sir.

What we're seeing now is a projection

of the Northern Hemisphere.

It's like looking down at the Earth

from the North Pole

at an altitude of about 100 miles.

Those are our bombers

patrolling the Russian perimeter.

Shortly, they'll be returning to their base in Alaska,

but they'll be replaced by other bombers

with fresh crews.

Men chosen very carefully, sir.

The cream of the cream.

JACK: He's got a good arm.

His fielding skills

are a little suspect, but...

He's 10, Jack. No, I know.

We'll see. Next spring.

He can hit. I could never hit.

Stands in there, puts the bat on his shoulder,

looks the pitcher right in the eye, takes his cuts.

MAN: Five minutes to ready planes.

The other kids duck when the pitch comes in.

He doesn't flinch.

Brave little-- Got that from his mom.

Yeah. She was something.

Hey...

How's he doing? [PHONE RINGS]

Better. Good.

Tommy?

TOMMY: How long is this one gonna be?

Shouldn't be too late. Are you sure?

I'm positive.

Only fools are positive.

Are you sure? I'm positive.

[CHUCKLES]

Hey, Dad? Yes, Sport.

You know that chameleon you got me?

I know him well. We talk about you all the time.

MAN [OVER PA]: Four minutes to ready planes.

TOMMY: Can you get me another one?

Why, you think he needs a friend?

No, it's... just that he's dead.

He was alive yesterday. What happened?

He got cooked.

You cooked the chameleon?

Not me, the sun.

You know how we're supposed to keep the shade down

so the sun doesn't get on him? Mm-hm.

I kinda forgot, and he got cooked.

Well, when I get home, we'll give him a proper burial.

You mad at me, Dad?

'Course not. First thing this weekend--

Tell Tommy I said hey. Hey, Flynn's here.

He says hey. I'm flying with him today.

Is he flying number six?

Hey, are you flying number six?

[CHUCKLING] I gotta go.

I'll be home soon, Sport.

You sure? I'm positive.

Only fools are positive.

I'll see ya. I'll see ya, Dad.

MAN [OVER PA]: Three minutes to ready planes.

RASKOB: They're armed with nuclear bombs.

Two kinds of bombs, sir.

Air-to-air missiles for use against enemy planes

and two 20-ton hydrogen bombs

designed to detonate over land targets.

Each one more powerful

than what we dropped on Hiroshima.

No comparison.

And you guys are the finger on the trigger.

Well, I think I know

what you're worried about, congressman.

Somebody goes nuts in here, those bombs go off

and the whole world blows up.

No way. We've got checks upon checks.

We've got fail-safe procedures--

That don't depend on humans.

That's the scariest thing I've heard since I came in here.

What Colonel Cascio meant

was that we bypass human error.

Even the best people make mistakes.

Believe me, we've got the very best.

They get tired, angry, their minds can wander.

Uh, we've compensated for all that.

Thanks again to Mr. Knapp and his systems.

We make them as foolproof as we can, general.

Well, maybe you oughta come up with a "fool safe" procedure.

Protect us from all the fools in the world.

I'd sleep a hell of a lot better.

So would I, sir, unfortunately--

[BUZZING]

Excuse me.

RASKOB: Yes, sir.

[MAN COUGHS]

[CHATTERING]

RASKOB: What's going on, general?

BOGAN: We've come up with an unidentified flying object.

Until we know what it is for sure,

we consider it hostile.

RASKOB: So, what do you do about it?

Well, we've gone to Condition Blue.

That's our lowest level of readiness. Ahem.

As you saw, we, uh--

We always have a certain number of bombers in the air.

They've been informed that we're at Condition Blue

so now they'll now fly to their Fail Safe points.

Put that up for me, please. MAN: Yes, sir.

BOGAN: Different for each group, changes from day to day.

The Fail Safe is a fixed point in the sky

where the bombers orbit

till they receive a positive order to go in.

Without that order, they turn around and come home.

No bomber can proceed on its own discretion.

RASKOB: They get that order by radio, right?

BOGAN: But not verbally.

That is of course highly classified.

The attack order is transmitted

to a small box on the aircraft

that we call the Fail Safe box.

This box is operated by a code which can function only

at the express order of the president.

MAN [OVER PA]: Seven minutes to Fail Safe.

That's a recorded voice, gentlemen.

We go to Condition Blue, it goes on automatically.

At seven minutes, starts a countdown.

It's nothing unusual.

Why don't you just give them a direct verbal yes or no

and save yourselves all this trouble?

Well, voices can be imitated, Mr. Raskob.

Enemy comes up on the same radio frequency,

imitates the voice of the president--

Ah, they can send whatever message it wants.

No, there can't be any interference

with the Fail Safe box.

Uh, we've seen to that.

So there's nothing unusual about Condition Blue?

Hell, no. This is standard operating procedure.

Look.

BOGAN: We've sent fighter aircraft up

to identify the bogey.

You said it could be hostile?

Well, we have to regard it as hostile, Mr. Knapp.

That doesn't mean that it is.

Doesn't mean that it isn't.

This happens five or six times a month around here, gentlemen.

BOGAN: After Condition Blue,

we still have to go to Condition Yellow,

Condition Green

and then Condition Red.

And Condition Red is?

War.

[CHATTERING]

Maybe this time it's a real UFO.

From outer space? I wouldn't mind that.

Give us something to worry about beside the Russians.

I, uh, read your memo on counterforce credibility.

I don't think that's what Groteschele

is going to talk about today.

You mean you don't want me to bring it up.

Maybe not today.

Someone's got to talk about it.

This whole policy of overkill,

piling bombs on top of bombs,

figuring even if they hit us first,

we can still destroy them.

It's crazy.

Well, it's a crazy world, Blackie.

MAN: Good morning, gentlemen.

ALL: Good morning, Mr. Secretary.

Please be seated.

I think you all know Mr. Groteschele, here.

He's been gracious enough

to give us even more of his valuable time

on a subject we're all naturally concerned about.

So, Mr. Groteschele,

floor's all yours.

[CLEARS THROAT]

Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

I shall try not to waste any of your valuable time, sir.

Gentlemen, the subject today is nuclear war.

More specifically, "Winning a Nuclear War."

We all know that in a full-scale exchange

between the Soviets and Americans,

100 million people, more or less, would be killed.

One hundred million or more?

Yes, Mr. Secretary.

Now, that would be nothing but a tragedy,

nobody here denies that.

But in every war, even a thermonuclear war,

you must have a victor and you must have a vanquished.

History tells us

that the culture which is best prepared

has the best retaliatory policy, and the strongest defense

will have an ancient and classical advantage.

To be victorious?

Yes, General Black. It would be the victor in that

it would be significantly less damaged than its enemy.

We would be the victor.

GROTESCHELE: Well, that would be our hope.

Groteschele,

your argument doesn't recognize that thermonuclear war

is not the extension of policy,

it is the end of everything:

people, policy, institutions--

My argument, General Black, is that if only one of us

is to survive a nuclear exchange,

I prefer that it be our culture and not the Soviets'.

Wouldn't you?

Culture?

Now, now, I-I don't think--

With most of its people dead?

Its vegetation burned off?

Do you really think that the world you describe

is a culture?

The idea of war has changed

since the advent of the Bomb.

Yes, but war's function remains the same, Blackie.

Whether it is a spear thrown or a nuclear bomb dropped.

War is still the resolution

of economic and political conflict.

In these times, in any possible war

the overwhelming majority of citizens

are going to be killed.

Does this still suggest to you

that war is a resolution of conflicts?

Yes, general. The situation is no different today

than it was 1,000 years ago. There were primitive wars

in which entire populations were wiped out.

The point remains: Who will be the victor

and who will be the victim? Exactly.

Short of disarmament, for which you seem to be arguing

and to which I doubt the Soviets would agree,

what shall we do? These weapons exist.

We can face that or we can close our minds to it.

Groteschele,

this world is no longer man's theater.

Man has been made into a spectator.

We define policy by discussing the possibility

of a winnable nuclear exchange.

Once one knows where he wants to go,

he can collect a great amount of logic and fact

to support his argument.

My fear is that both we and the Soviets

are settled on mutual destruction.

We are now rallying our different logics

to support our identical conclusions.

And if we are not careful, gentlemen,

we will both get the results that we want.

[PHONE HANGS UP] General Bogan,

General Bogan, UFO at angels 30, speed 525, heading 196.

That means the unidentified aircraft

is flying at 30,000 feet,

speed of 500 miles an hour

on a compass heading of 1-niner-6.

Heading right for Detroit.

You're pretty cool about it, general.

Ah, my guess is a commercial airliner

that's off-course.

MAN [OVER PA]: One minute to Fail Safe.

Damn thing's disappeared.

Where'd it go?

Into the grass, Mr. Raskob.

Under our radar where we can't see it.

RASKOB: What do we do now? Go to Condition Yellow.

MAN: Condition Yellow.

Put our bombers up there MAN: Yes, sir.

BOGAN: Bombers are heading for Fail Safe points.

Go in closer. MAN: Yes, sir.

Thirty seconds to Fail Safe.

BOGAN: Once they get there,

they'll orbit till we call them back.

KNAPP: What are those other planes?

BOGAN: That's fighter support for the bombers.

It's also automatic under these circumstances.

[BUZZING]

Twenty seconds to Fail Safe.

Nineteen, eighteen...

Early warning system indicates it's not an air breather.

What the hell is that? ...fourteen...

BOGAN: Jet aircraft create turbulence when they suck in air

through their engines.

We got a warning system

that can pick that up.

If that plane lost power, we couldn't do that,

even though we know it's there.

It could also be a Russian rocket

coming in under our radar. ...two, one.

All groups at Fail Safe point.

All groups at Fail Safe point.

Right on the money.

I told you, Mr. Raskob, our people are the best.

How we doing, Jimmy?

Everyone in orbit, sir.

Let's keep her there. Slow and easy.

So...

So let's say that Dr. King

sits down with the powers that be... Mm-hm.

...and he says:

"Mr. President, I want it to be equal."

And in a very polite way

the president says, "Dr. King, I can't do it."

Well, as long as it's polite, sir.

Are you saying just because it's difficult we shouldn't try?

That's not what I'm saying. In the Army--

The Army's different.

I'd take the Army.

There's a class system there, true,

but it's based on seniority.

So fine, let's do it that way.

Everyone in the country will get paid equally

according to their age.

Let's say all men age 40 will make a better salary

than all men age 35.

MAN: What about women?

What about women?

[CHUCKLES]

KNAPP: What's happening now?

BOGAN: Any word on identification?

CASCIO: Not yet, sir.

KNAPP: What the hell's going on?

Let's go to Condition Green.

MAN: Condition Green.

Can you tell us why you're going to Condition Green?

No. Cascio, let's get our two visitors outta here. Gentlemen.

The hell with that. Wait a minute.

That's an order, Mr. Raskob.

General.

The way I read the situation,

we are one minute away from going to war.

Unless you can get me back to my family and them,

I'm gonna stay right here and see what happens.

You really don't wanna throw me outta here.

There it is.

[BUZZING]

[ALARM RINGING]

That's it, gentlemen.

I'm sorry we alarmed you.

Have all parties stand down.

CASCIO: Stand down. All parties stand down.

Stand down, Anderson.

Sergeant Anderson, Sergeant Collins,

you need to take a look at this.

Okay, we need a new indicator switch.

This one's faulty. Right, chief.

Put in the report that at 1047 hours

we replaced one PK 30 indicator switch

in the number-three bank.

Right away, chief.

[BEEPING]

Sir, the Fail Safe box.

JACK: I see it.

Check Omaha by radio. Somebody screwed up.

Yes, sir.

[MACHINERY HUMMING]

Try another band.

Try them all. [CLICKING]

[SIGHS] It's the Russians.

They're jamming our signal, trying to keep us

from getting the go-ahead. They're too late for that.

It's gotta be a mistake.

Request permission to verify, sir.

Permission granted.

I read it as "CAP 811."

I concur your reading is Charlie-Alpha-Poppa 811.

We will now both open our operational orders.

[PAPER TEARING]

Last year, on a flight from Hamburg

we lost an engine over England.

Just one, but it was a heart stopper,

but to lose two--

RASKOB: General Bogan.

Why is that group of planes up there headed for Russia?

Even in the case of a surprise attack,

some people still advocate a return to manned bombers

for a first-strike retaliation rather than missiles.

Why? They're slower and can be recalled. Missiles cannot.

They provide a maximum reaction time

for thought, evaluation, the detection of error,

perhaps even a peaceful resolution.

I find this point of view

dangerously old fashioned, gentlemen.

I say we must speed up in this circumstance,

not slow down.

Time is a, uh...

Colonel Purnell, get me Omaha.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

Colonel.

Colonel Cascio.

Sir.

Get me the president.

[DIALING PHONE]

Tell Peter not to even hint to the press

that there's an emergency. Call the vice president,

tell him what's happened. He'll know what to do.

Hello, Buck. We met at your office a while back.

Yes, sir. I'm the Russian translator.

Yeah, well, I hope there won't be any use for you today.

Nothing personal. No, no, no. Uh...

They're gonna get wind of this, they always do.

Tell Peter to tell the press that it is urgent.

It's not a backbreaker.

Not yet. And, uh, off the record, no leaks.

Any leaks on this one, the guy and his paper are dead,

now and forever. Okay?

I'll tell him in just those words.

And what about the Pentagon meeting,

there's supposed to be a list?

Right here, Mr. President. Give it to Buck.

And I think that'll be all for now. Stay close.

Right outside, sir.

Sit down, Buck.

You know what's happened? No, sir.

One of our bomber groups got the wrong message,

went off to attack Russia.

Eh, the whole thing may...

get settled down in a couple of minutes.

Probably will.

Bombers will realize their mistake and turn back,

or we'll contact them by radio and recall them.

But if things do get serious

then I may have to speak to the Kremlin,

which is where you come in.

I'll do my best, sir. I know you will.

Who's on that Pentagon list? I want them in on this.

Secretary of Defense, uh,

Chiefs of Staff,

Professor Grot-- Grotish--

Groteschele.

Runs a very expensive think tank.

Mmm. Pentagon likes him. He says what they wanna hear.

Is there a General Black on that list?

Yes, sir.

That's Blackie. I'm glad he's there.

We went to school together.

He's very, very smart, and I trust him.

Get me General Bogan in Omaha, please.

We have a little time.

Not much, but some. You can relax.

[CHUCKLES]

Easier said than done, huh?

[RINGING]

BOGAN [OVER PHONE]: General Bogan, sir.

Yes, General Bogan.

Group 6 is about 260 miles past Fail Safe

and continuing on an attack course.

Do we know what the hell happened?

No, we do not. Now, there's an outside chance

they made a navigational error and they'll swing back.

Has that ever happened before, that big an error?

No, sir.

Well, then let's rule it out.

And why haven't we been able

to contact these people by radio?

I don't know. We've tried all frequencies.

We can't make contact.

The Russians may be jamming their radio reception.

Why would they do that?

I don't know, sir.

Well, if we do manage to reestablish radio contact

will they respond to an order to return?

No, sir.

Not even from me?

Their orders are to disregard all voice transmissions

even your voice can be imitated, Mr. President.

Once they get past a certain point,

they are not to obey any verbal command.

Are they past that point?

Yes, sir. They're quite a ways past it.

What's the target?

Moscow.

All right. standard operating procedure.

What's the next step?

Well, we got fighter planes in the air.

SOP is that we send them after the bombers

with orders to raise them visually and divert them.

Will it work?

Sir, these men have been trained

to ignore all visual signals.

They've been taught that the Russians

could send up a decoy to try to divert the bombers.

Well, that leaves us with what alternative, general?

To shoot them down.

And who gives that order?

You do, Mr. President.

All right.

Order the fighters to try to catch up to the bombers.

Tell them to hold fire

until they get a direct order from me.

Is that clear?

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

I need Mr. Swenson in the Pentagon, please.

Colonel Cascio.

Contact the fighters.

Tell 'em to go after Group 6.

We can't shoot down our own men.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION, PHONE RINGING]

Yes, Mr. President.

Uh, may I call you back?

Thank you, sir.

Gentlemen. Gentlemen!

The president may have to order our fighters

to shoot down Group 6.

He would like our advice before issuing that order.

I oppose it, sir, on the grounds that it's premature.

Our fighters have not yet reached Soviet airspace.

BLACK: We must do it. They're hundreds of miles away.

And do it at once, now! We've got no alternative.

There are always alternatives. Always.

This minute, the Russians are watching Group 6,

trying to guess what we're doing.

You can be damn sure once our bombers

get into their airspace,

they're going to want a good explanation.

And want it fast.

We have to prove to them that this is a mistake.

By shooting down our own planes?

If it has to be.

Mr. President, it is our, uh...

It is our unanimous view that the fi--

The fighters should be ordered in.

Thank you.

General Bogan, order the fighters in.

If necessary, shoot down the bombers.

BOGAN: It will be necessary, sir.

I know that, general. Order them in.

Yes, sir.

Colonel Cascio. Sir.

Order the fighters to attack Group 6.

Sir, they won't be able to catch them. You know that.

They've been flying in the opposite direction.

Tell them to go to afterburners.

And use up all their fuel.

So even if they do succeed, they couldn't make it back.

They're gonna go down in the Arctic Ocean.

You heard the order, colonel.

You're sealing their deaths-- Colonel!

Give the order immediately.

Give me Tangle-Able-One.

So we're going to shoot down our own men.

We are in voice communication with Tangle-Able-One.

You can talk to 'em on Channel 7.

Single-side band.

Do I tell them in code or in the clear?

In the clear.

What if the Russians overhear us?

Isn't that what we want?

MAN [OVER RADIO]: This is Tangle-Able-One,

I read you five by five at last transmission.

Tangle-Able-One,

this is Colonel Cascio of the Omaha staff.

I'm here with General Bogan.

Listen closely.

Group 6 has flown beyond the Fail Safe point.

It is on an attack course towards Moscow.

It is a mistake. I repeat, it is a mistake.

Jesus!

You are to go to afterburners

and overtake Group 6.

If you cannot communicate with them visually,

shoot them down.

Roger. Go to afterburners and if cannot communicate,

shoot them down.

Over and out.

Leave it on.

MAN 1: You heard the order. Any suggestions?

MAN 2: Yeah. Why don't they get their heads examined?

We got about as much chance of catching those bombers--

MAN 3: We-- We only got a 50-mph edge on them,

and they're halfway to Moscow. Who's kidding who?

MAN 1: Cut the chatter. On the mark, go to afterburners.

Five. Four.

Three. Two. One. Mark.

[HUMMING OVER RADIO]

Turn it off.

Turn it off!

[RADIO TRANSMISSION STOPS]

Did you think they wouldn't do it?

How did General Bogan sound to you, Buck?

Sir?

He sound worried?

I'd say a little worried, sir.

He's an old-time flyer. He's a good man.

[SIGHS]

If he's worried, I'm worried.

You know Mr. Swenson, the Secretary of Defense?

No, sir.

He gives us any advice, we take it.

Get me the Pentagon and the Omaha War Room, please.

WOMAN [OVER PHONE]: Right away, sir.

Ready, sir.

Mr. Swenson,

if our fighters manage to shoot down these bombers,

the worst will be over.

But I want your people to start thinking about what'll happen

if we can't shoot them down. I've got Omaha on the line.

Please limit this discussion to two subjects:

What happened? And what will we do about it?

MAN: Right, sir.

Back in Omaha, we have General Bogan.

Mr. Knapp of Universal Techtotics.

And Congressman Raskob of Nebraska.

They have my permission to listen and comment

on whatever they want.

In my opinion, only two things could've happened:

a compound mechanical failure,

or someone in Group 6 went berserk.

Double mechanical failure?

You know the odds against that, sir?

BOGAN [OVER RADIO]: Mr. Secretary.

Yes, General Bogan.

Mr. Knapp here knows as much

about the electronic gear as anyone.

He-- He's a little reluctant to talk, but he understands

how important this is.

Mr. Knapp.

Look, it's just that the more complicated

these electronic systems are,

the more accident-prone they become.

SWENSON: How does that apply to our situation?

Well, sir, in this way:

If you pile all these electronic systems

one on top of another

sooner or later you're going to get a faulty transistor

or a damaged rectifier,

and then the whole thing just shuts down.

Even computers suffer fatigue.

They become erratic, they break down,

just like overworked people. Excuse me.

But you're overlooking one important factor:

Humans control those machines.

Humans can see an error and correct it.

KNAPP: I'm sorry, sir. But you are misinformed.

The fact of the matter is that these machines are so complex

and these mistakes they made are so subtle

that in a real war situation you might not know

whether the computer was in error

or telling you the truth.

May I say something, general?

This is Colonel Cascio of my staff.

I-I don't think it's mechanical failure,

and I don't think anyone went berserk.

I think it's a move by the Russians.

SWENSON: What kind of move, colonel?

CASIO: Sir, I think they found a way

to mask the real position of Group 6.

They have the capacity, we know that.

Group 6 is probably on their way home now

with their radio jammed.

What we see now heading towards Moscow

is actually a group of Russian bombers,

up there for one reason:

to make us believe that we've launched

the first strike against them.

We can think as much as we want that it's accidental.

It's still an excuse for them to retaliate.

If they wanted to,

wouldn't need an excuse, they'd just attack.

But you see, this way, they've made us commit a group

of our fighter planes, our first line of defense.

And made us kill our own men.

I disagree with Colonel Cascio's analysis.

We have to believe this is our mistake and not the Russians'.

Absolutely, I agree.

This is General Stark. Project the Russian air defense.

The Russians have seven bomber groups

in the air at this moment.

All are following hold patterns with--

Inside Soviet airspace. Next map, please.

Their fighter groups have an abnormally large number

of fighter planes in the air.

Which means?

Which means we know they must have seen

Group 6 cross the Fail Safe point.

That's why they scrambled all those fighters.

And I think they're waiting.

Just as we would.

If they see our fighters shooting down American planes

they'll understand that we're sincere.

If not-- If not,

I'll tell you what I believe.

The Russians will take no action at all, whatever we do.

Even if we cross their borders--

If our bombers get through, the Russians will surrender.

SWENSON: Would you explain that, please?

GROTESCHELE: Sir, the Soviets believe that history is based

on a series of non-human events

which will eventually assure the victory of communism

if the Soviet Union is left reasonably intact.

They know that a war

would leave the Soviet Union utterly destroyed.

Therefore, they would surrender.

But that would leave capitalism the winner.

They wouldn't see it that way, sir.

In fact, many of them believe

that capitalism must be allowed to play itself out

to its inevitable historical defeat

before communism can really succeed.

So, what do you suggest we do?

Nothing.

Nothing?

The Russians will surrender.

The threat of communism will be over.

Forever.

Mr. Secretary.

Mr. Secretary, pardon my language,

but I think that's a lot of crap.

Don't kid yourself.

There's gonna be three or four Russian generals

who will react the same way that I would react.

The best defense is a good offense.

They'll attack.

They won't give a damn what Marx or anybody else said.

GROTESCHELE: You're giving too much credit to the military mind, general.

The Russian leaders are not like you and me.

That's my point. These are Marxist fanatics.

They're not motivated by emotions like rage or hate.

These are human calculating machines, believe me.

Yes, they know if they hit us, they can do terrible damage.

They also know that our second strike

will completely destroy them.

They will look at the balance sheet

and see that they can't win.

Mr. Secretary, I'm convinced of it. This is our chance!

I never would have made the first move deliberately.

But Group 6 has done that for us by accident.

Now, we must take advantage of it, sir. History demands it.

We must advise the president

that no effort be made to recall those planes.

Our fighters are firing.

He's out of fuel.

He's going down.

CASCIO: They're too far away.

Mr. President, our fighters have failed.

SWENSON: They've all crashed into the sea.

What are the chances of some of our bombers

actually getting through to Moscow?

We've done the calculations a thousand times.

One or two of the six will get through.

Even with the entire Soviet defense apparatus

concentrated on them?

Our bombers are too fast. The Russians won't have time.

Thank you.

Okay, Buck. Tell you what we're gonna do.

I'm gonna speak to the Soviet premier.

You're gonna tell me what he says, and he'll have

his own translator to tell him what I'm saying.

You got that? Yes, sir.

I want something more.

I want you to tell me what he's thinking.

As much as you can sense.

Anything you can pick up that'll give me some clue

to his thoughts. You think you can do that?

I can try, sir.

Well, that's all anybody can do. Yes, sir.

Okay.

Let's talk to Moscow.

BUCK: They're on the line.

Mr. Chairman.

This is the president of the United States

calling on a matter of great urgency.

[MAN SPEAKING RUSSIAN OVER PHONE]

"Does it have to do with the aircraft

flying towards Russia from the Bering Sea?"

Yes, sir, that's why I'm calling.

Your tracking and radar devices must have detected

a somewhat unusual pattern.

"They reported it to me 15 minutes ago.

"I presume you are calling to inform me

"that this is another one of your off-course

reconnaissance flights." No, no, no!

"I've warned you that your constant flying of armed--"

This is a serious mistake.

[MAN SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"All right, tell me. Tell me the mistake."

A group of our bombers,

flying at speeds of 1,500 miles an hour,

each containing two 20-megaton bombs,

is right now flying towards Russia.

"We shall watch with great interest while you recall them.

If, indeed, that is what you intend doing."

Well, I said that this was a mistake.

But so far we have been unable to return these planes.

"Are they being flown by madmen, Mr. President?"

I wish I could be sure.

My best guess is mechanical failure.

What I can tell you is that it's a mistake.

It is not part of a plan to provoke war.

This is not part of any general attack.

"And how am I to believe that?"

Because I'm telling you--

"How do I know that you do not have hundreds of planes

coming in so low that our radar cannot pick them up?"

Because I hope to prove to you

that we regard this as a serious mistake

and that we take responsibility for it,

and we are trying to correct it.

"Go on."

You... You already know.

You have the same detection devices that we do.

You saw that we sent fighters up to try to catch our bombers.

The fighters had orders to shoot them down.

"American fighters to shoot down American bombers?"

Yes, sir.

"And who gave that order?"

I did.

Four of those planes have already run out of fuel

and gone into the sea.

And this is not a question of belief, Mr. Chairman.

Those men are dead already.

"We saw your planes fall into the sea.

"I believe they were making an effort to do as you ordered.

"I wanted only to hear your explanation.

"And to know who gave the order.

"It is a difficult thing to order men

to their certain death, is it not?"

It is.

[MEN ARGUING IN RUSSIAN]

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

"Full retaliation at once. Strike back."

"Full power."

"Mr. President, my advisors are convinced

"this so-called accident is a trick.

"They want to strike back at once.

You realize, in their place I would probably feel the same."

But you don't.

"Soviet airspace has not yet been invaded.

"But if it is, we will be forced to shoot down your bombers.

"And then we will come to a full alert

and prepare all of our missiles and planes."

I understand that, and I hope you will be able

to shoot down our bombers.

But I urge you not to take any steps that are irrevocable.

I give you my word, sir, that this is a mistake.

But you must know, if you start to launch missiles,

we will have to do the same.

And then-- Then there will be very little left of this world.

"I understand."

I have arranged a second conference line to be opened up

between our Air Force headquarters in Omaha

and your similar officers in the Soviet Union.

We will give you any information you request

that will help you shoot down these bombers.

"Mr. President, we are perfectly capable

of defending our country."

Mr. Chairman, I would think--

"We do not need your assistance."

Sir, of course this is your choice, but you must know

we have new masking techniques.

My experts tell me that no matter what you do,

some of our planes will get through to the target.

"What is the target?"

Moscow.

"I will call you back when I see how the fighters do."

[HANGS UP PHONE]

You can get up and walk around if you'd like, Buck.

No, sir, I'm fine. Thank you.

How far to their border?

Two minutes 20, sir.

Radio still jammed?

[RADIO BUZZING]

Yes, sir.

All right, here we go.

Lose the horse, lose the buggy.

Attention, Group 6.

We can't penetrate in tight formation.

They'd get two for the price of one.

So we're gonna spread out.

Number six in the lead. Flynn?

Yes, colonel.

You're the one with the decoys.

Use them when we cross the border.

Roger.

Good luck.

Project the Soviet border. SOLDIER: Yes, sir.

[ALARM BUZZING]

Dear God.

Well, Buck,

we have invaded Russia.

We are now in a technical state of war.

One hour, 38 minutes to target.

[WHISPERING] Go after the decoys. Go! Go!

Go! Go after the decoys. BOGAN: Wipe out the decoys.

I just want to see their planes and ours.

MAN: Yes, sir.

KNAPP: They're still going after the decoys. MAN: Good.

Get it. Get it.

CASCIO: Get it. Get it! Get it!

Get it. Get it!

[ALL CHEERING]

Knock it off!

This isn't some damned football game.

They found one of our planes.

The Soviets have a very slow missile

which compensates by having a greater range

than we thought they had.

But the slowness

made our missile calculate that they must be decoys

so it ignored them and went after the fighters.

That made the bomber vulnerable.

Things are gonna get worse before they get better, general.

Yes, Mr. Raskob, they're gonna get much worse.

There goes another one.

Well, that's two bombers gone.

Those Soviet fighters shape up a bit, maybe there's still hope.

Hope? We lose six bombers, eighteen good men

and you think maybe there's still hope?

Nobody wants to lose those men.

What about the hundreds of millions

of people around the world

walking around in total ignorance

of the fact they might be killed?

Think about them, Colonel Cascio, and hope.

[INTERCOM BUZZ]

SECRETARY: The chairman is on the line, sir.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

"Mr. President, there is very little time left.

How should we use this time?"

What luck have you had in shooting down the bombers?

"Luck? No luck at all.

"We have shot down some of them,

"but your decoys have been very successful.

"Many of my experts think that they are not decoys at all,

"that they are real.

There is pressure to retaliate."

Why haven't you?

Why haven't you counter-attacked?

"I am gambling that you are sincere."

Then you must also gamble that we can help you

shoot down these planes.

Please set up that second line.

We'll give you any information that you need.

"I'll be giving the order to have it set up."

Fine.

Mr. Chairman,

we have been unable to contact our planes

because of a jamming of the radio frequency.

Are you and your military involved

in jamming the radio signal?

[MEN SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

They're arguing again.

"Don't give out the information. It's too secret. It's a trick."

[MEN SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"The answer is yes.

"We have done research on your Fail Safe system.

"We wanted to be able to disrupt your communications

"in case of a true attack.

"When your system failed, it was interpreted as an attack

and we immediately began jamming your radios."

Will you lift the jamming now?

If I can contact the group commander,

maybe I can get him to return.

"Will he return on your command?"

Well, there's always a chance.

"I will give the order."

Very good. Please stay on the line.

General Bogan, put me through to Group 6.

Sir, we can't get

through to Group 6.

PRESIDENT: You can now.

What's the group commander's name?

Grady, sir.

SOLDIER [OVER PA]: One hour, 15 minutes to target.

Try Group 6 again. Colonel Cascio, pick it up.

Turkey 6, this is Ultimate 2.

Turkey 6, this is Ultimate 2. Can you hear me?

Turkey 6, this is Ultimate 2. Come in. Come in.

Turkey 6, this is Ultimate 2.

They've stopped jamming us.

Come in. Turkey 6, this is Ultimate 2.

This is Turkey Six. We are not allowed to receive--

Colonel Grady, this is the president

of the United States.

Your mission has been triggered by a mechanical failure.

It's a mistake. I repeat, it is a mistake.

I am ordering you and your group

to return to base at once.

We are not allowed to receive tactical alterations--

Colonel, your authorized go code is C-A-P-8-1-1--

I can no longer receive

tactical alterations.

Your primary mission target is Moscow.

What you're asking, I've been directly ordered not to do!

Colonel, this is an order from the president--

Damn.

Bogan, can we get him back?

Well, sir, if he follows procedure

he'll make radio contact when he's in sight of the target.

What kind of man is this Grady?

First class, sir.

He flew in two wars, won the DSC in both of them.

Is he married? Is he a family man?

His wife recently died of cancer.

One child, a boy, must be about 10 now.

Find his son.

I'll get right on it, sir.

Mr. Chairman, I think it would be wise of you

to remove yourself from Moscow at this time.

That way we will be able to continue negotiations,

even if the worst happens

and some of our bombers get through.

"Those arrangements have already been made."

[WHISPERING] He sounds very different, very determined.

"Unfortunately, Moscow cannot be evacuated, there is no time.

"And if Moscow is destroyed,

"am I then supposed to come hat in hand to where?

"Geneva? To set up peace talks on the ruins of Moscow?"

There are still ways that we-- "There are facts, Mr. President.

Your bombers will get through."

We will help you shoot down these--

[CLICK, SILENCE]

[MAN SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"I will return to you when I am safely out of Moscow."

Mr. President.

MAN [OVER PA]: One hour to target.

One hour to target.

Well, that's three down.

Yes, and three more to go.

--the Russians as escalating these forces.

Excuse me, but sir.

Every minute we wait works against us.

The president has to send in a full strike.

He has to. There's nothing else that he can do, sir.

Now. Now is the time,

before the Russians are on full alert.

We don't go in for sneak attacks,

Mr. Groteschele.

That's what the Japanese did at Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese, sir, were right to do that.

From their point of view, we were their mortal enemy.

As long as we existed, we were a deadly threat to them.

Does anyone here not believe that communism

is our mortal enemy?

The enemy of capitalism?

Sir, the only mistake the Japanese made,

they failed to finish us off at the start.

They paid for that mistake with Hiroshima.

We're in the process of making the same mistake, gentlemen.

You can't erase history, but you can learn from it.

You've learned so well, Groteschele,

that there's no difference between you

and what you want to kill.

Destroy Russia? For what?

To preserve what?

Democracy, general!

We have here a God-given opportunity--

To kill?

Why are you in the military, sir, if not to kill?

Yes, Mr. President.

Blackie, do you remember the Old Testament?

A little.

The Sacrifice of Abraham.

Old what's-his-name used it in chapel,

maybe twice a month.

I remember, sir.

You better keep that story in mind

for the next few hours, Blackie.

I need your help. I want you to get out

to Andrews Field as soon as you can.

Orders will be waiting for you there.

Are Betty and the kids at home?

She's in New York with them.

I may be asking a great deal of you, Blackie.

I'll do whatever you say.

Good luck.

SECRETARY: Yes, sir.

Contact our ambassador in Moscow

and the Soviet delegate to the United Nations.

Patch them in to this line

so they can hear the chairman when he comes back on.

Right away, sir.

And what about that second conference line

between Omaha and Soviet headquarters?

Ready and waiting, sir.

General Bogan, you are now hooked up to Soviet Command.

Will you test

the line, please?

When it's working

patch me in, and put me on the intercom

so that everyone can hear.

BOGAN: Yes, sir.

This is General Bogan, Strategic Air Command, Omaha.

This is the translator for Marshal Nevsky,

Soviet Air Defense Command.

Marshal Nevsky sends his greetings.

BOGAN: Same to him.

NEVSKY: Our reception is five by five. How do you read us?

BOGAN: We read you five by five.

I have no instructions on what we are to discuss.

NEVSKY: Neither have we.

Only that we should set up communications with you.

BOGAN: Just a minute, please.

Mr. President, we're all hooked up.

Thank you.

This is the president of the United States.

Whatever orders I may give to American personnel

are to be considered direct orders

from the commander in chief.

They are to be obeyed fully and without reservation.

PRESIDENT: Gentlemen, we have to do everything we can

to prevent these planes from reaching Moscow.

The Soviet premier has behaved as I hope I would

under similar conditions.

He has delayed retaliation.

And I think he sincerely believes

that this is a mistake.

But we have to convince him

and his chief advisers

that this is, in fact, so.

Therefore, I am ordering all American personnel

to cooperate fully with Soviet officers

in shooting down our invading bombers.

You are to give them whatever information they request.

Any hesitation.

Any, any, any hesitation of any kind

will cause the most dreadful consequences.

I cannot emphasize that too strongly, gentlemen.

I expect you all to behave as patriots.

And I wish you success.

NEVSKY: General Bogan,

a number of our fighter planes

have been destroyed by a missile

that seems to home not on the infrared source

but the radar transmitter.

Is that possible?

Colonel Cascio will answer your question.

Answer the question, colonel.

That is a direct order.

An order, colonel.

Just a minute.

Major Handel. General Bogan.

Sergeant Collins.

Sir!

You're the backup man to Cascio?

Yes, sir.

Get over here!

General Bogan, we must-- Sergeant Collins,

do the missiles on our bombers have both an infrared

and a radar-seeking capacity?

Yes, sir. Louder. That is a direct order.

Yes, sir.

The Soviets are listening.

I want this loud, and I want it clear.

It has both capacities, sir.

Can the radar-seeking mechanism be overloaded

by increasing the strength of the signal?

Tell them!

Yes, sir, it can be overloaded

by increasing the transmission power output

and sliding through the radar frequencies as fast as possible.

The firing mechanism reads higher amperage as proximity

to target and then detonates the warhead.

Thank you, General Bogan.

We will get back to you.

Thank you, sergeant. That's all.

What the hell was that all about?

We just told them how to destroy all our missiles

and all our planes.

They're getting close.

Tell me something I don't know.

All right, It's getting too hairy up here.

Send out the code. We're going down below the radar.

Roger.

RASKOB: Have they gone down? I didn't see it.

No they're trying to avoid the fighters by going in

under their radar.

Will that work? God only knows.

MAN [OVER PA]: Forty-five minutes to target.

I'm sorry, general. I just couldn't do it.

Everything just went...

I-I don't know, blank.

I'm okay now.

Forget it, colonel, it could happen to anyone.

General,

I-- I do think there's Soviet entrapment.

We know they've been fooling around

with our Fail Safe signal.

I-I think they wanted this to happen.

We have to tell the president it's a trap.

Colonel, I-- They're using this time

to get their missiles ready

and fly their bombers into position.

We have no evidence they're moving bombers.

Could be flying them in the grass.

They could have missiles in orbit where we cannot detect.

General Bogan. I'm not reporting anything

I don't know for a fact. We should recommend

a full-strength strike immediately.

That's not our decision, colonel.

That-- That's the Pentagon's or the president--

Those people don't know the situation

the way we know it.

An enemy that'll try every trick in the book...

They're in the political game, we know what to do.

If we act now, we can get enough bombers in the--

That's enough!

Colonel, you're talking mutiny.

Now, you keep this up,

I will have you removed from the War Room.

MAN: The Russians are back on the line, sir.

Yes, Marshal Nevsky.

Can you give us the longitude and latitude

of your two planes left in the air?

Sergeant Collins.

Yes, I can do that.

I can't give you their altitude.

We're getting distorted signals.

Will you please give us the position of the two planes?

We can fly fighters at different altitudes.

Yes, I will.

Sergeant Collins, give the Russians

the longitude and latitude of our bombers.

Yes, sir.

7880 north.

5850 east.

On a heading of 205 degrees.

[INTERCOM BUZZ]

SECRETARY: The ambassador and the Soviet delegate are on, sir,

and have been briefed.

Thank you.

Jay, where are you?

On the top floor of the embassy in Moscow, Mr. President.

Where are you, Mr. Lentov?

In the UN building in New York.

Whatever happens

I want you both to remain exactly where you are

until I release you, or the chairman releases you.

Is that clear?

Yes. Yes, sir.

Chairman's on.

"Mr. President, I assume there is a reason

for these other people to be joining us."

Yes, sir, there is.

"Then let us hear your reason."

[WHISPERS] Not tough. Like he's ready.

"In a few minutes, the bombs may be falling.

"I have brought our forces to full readiness.

"Without satisfaction, I must release those forces.

"So what do you propose, Mr. President?

"My experts tell me that one or two of your bombers

"will probably get through to Moscow.

Mr. President, have you made a decision?"

Yes, sir, I have.

It is my decision, and I take full responsibility for it.

Mr. Swenson, are you on the line?

Yes, Mr. President.

General Bogan?

Yes, sir. We're here.

This is what will happen,

if even one of the bombers gets through.

It will drop two 20-megaton bombs on Moscow.

Our ambassador will probably hear the sound of engines

a second or two before the bombs are released.

PRESIDENT: He will certainly hear

the sound of the defensive missile systems going off.

A moment or two after that,

the bombs themselves will explode.

I am told that what we will hear

is a high, shrill sound.

That will be the ambassador's telephone

melting from the heat of the fireball.

When we hear that sound, the ambassador will be dead.

Jay, you understand you are to stay exactly where you are?

I...understand, sir.

[MAN SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"Is this your plan?

To sacrifice one American life for five million Russians?"

No! Listen to me. "Do you really think--?"

Listen to me!

Listen.

I have ordered one of our bombers

into the air from Washington.

In a few minutes,

it will be circling New York City.

It is carrying two 20-megaton bombs.

When I know that Moscow has been hit

I will order those bombs released.

Ground zero will be the Empire State Building.

When we hear the shriek of Mr. Lentov's telephone melting,

we will know that he is gone...

and with him, New York.

Holy mother of God.

How can he do that?

What else can he do?

Five million people.

This, Mr. Knapp,

is where we've always been headed.

There is no other way, Mr. Chairman.

Unless, of course, you feel...

that the offer itself is enough.

Showing good intentions.

[SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

BUCK: "Would you think it was enough

"if Russian planes were flying against New York?

Could you accept only my good intentions?"

No.

[SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"I would like to say that your action is unnecessary.

Unfortunately, I cannot."

Well, let's hope that I won't have to do it.

Colonel Grady, we're at 900 feet.

Pierce? What do you see out the window?

Lights.

Village lights, I suppose.

Movement on the roads?

Yeah, cars. A...few trucks.

But no blackout?

No, everything looks normal.

You'd think they'd be in their bomb shelters by now.

GRADY: How far from Moscow are we?

Thirty-eight minutes to target, sir.

How many planes left?

Just us and number six. They got the rest.

Flynn?

FLYNN [OVER RADIO]: Still here, Grady.

What's your condition?

Um...

Got some slight wing damage from shrapnel.

All that's done is reduce our speed,

down to 1350 an hour.

Drag even.

Still have any of those decoys left?

A few.

Well...

We've got the bombs, you don't.

I'll need you to take those fighters off my tail.

Whatever you say.

Thanks, Billy.

No sweat.

You take care, now.

You too.

NEVSKY: General Bogan?

Yes, Marshal Nevsky.

Why has one of your planes appeared again?

That's number six, the decoy plane.

It's-- It's just trying to draw your fighters

away from the plane that's carrying the bombs.

I see.

It's not armed, Marshal.

You don't have to worry about it.

Thank you.

We shall try for a kill in any case.

You-- You pull your fighters away,

the other bomber will slip through.

You'll never catch it.

There are-- There are no bombs aboard that plane.

It's of no danger to you!

You're-- You're letting the other bomber through!

Jesus!

Jesus! We--

[MEN ARGUING IN RUSSIAN]

TRANSLATOR: Excuse me.

[ARGUING IN RUSSIAN]

Excuse me, one moment. One--

[ARGUING IN RUSSIAN]

There has been...

[ARGUING IN RUSSIAN]

There has been...

Marshal Nevsky--

Marshal Nevsky has collapsed.

[ARGUING IN RUSSIAN]

It appears...

I...

I don't-- I don't know... I--

[SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

General Koniev...

General Koniev is now in command.

General Bogan.

Nevsky sent his fighters after-- After a plane that has no bombs.

That means the other bomber

will almost certainly get through to Moscow.

You can't recall them?

There's no time. Our-- Our bombers are--

Are very fast.

Nevsky realized it too late. It was too much for him.

KONIEV: General Bogan, this is General Koniev.

Do you have the remaining plane on your screen?

No, we do not.

We are unable to pick it up on radar,

and it's flying so fast

that our anti-aircraft is almost useless.

I must assume your plane will get through.

Yes.

We have only one chance left.

I intend to concentrate all our remaining rockets

in the estimated path of your plane

and fire them simultaneously.

Our hope is to set up

an impenetrable thermonuclear ceiling.

It has a chance.

MAN [OVER PA]: Thirty minutes to target.

KONIEV: You know, general, we almost met once.

In a most unlikely place.

Yes?

In Persia, during the war.

Khorramshahr, on the gulf.

You were delivering planes to us,

and I was there to accept them.

But our paths never crossed.

I just remember the heat.

Yes.

It was unbearable.

Like being in a steam room.

And your pilots...

I remember your pilots.

The way they took off in those planes we gave 'em--

Just lift up their wheels

before they were off the runway.

Never saw anything like it.

They were in a hurry to get the Germans.

Tell me, general, what is your location?

Are you in Moscow?

No, I was ordered to leave.

Your-- Your family...

It's a hard day, general.

Yes, a hard day.

Goodbye, comrade.

Goodbye, my friend.

They're gonna fire off all their rockets at once.

[BLASTS]

Colonel Grady, sir?

Yes, Jimmy?

The indicator shows a large number of rocket engines

have been ignited ahead of us.

They should show on the radar screen in a moment.

What do we know about them?

They're designed to home in on heat-producing engines,

like an airplane.

They can't be aiming at us, we're too low.

They'd blow themselves up.

What are they doing with them? What else do we know?

Well, if they're like ours, they don't work at low altitudes,

only when they get up high.

That's it, then. They're gonna explode 'em on top of us

and hope to knock us down with the blast.

They can do it too.

Would those rockets go after missiles?

I don't see why not. A missile produces heat.

How many air-to-air missiles do we have left?

JIMMY: Two, sir.

All right.

The second you see their rockets,

you fire those missiles

for maximum elevation, straight up.

Straight up, sir?

Straight up.

With any luck,

the rockets will home in on our missiles.

Give 'em just enough extra boost to keep 'em at least...

2500 feet above the rockets. JIMMY: Yes, sir.

Colonel, we have to report in. No time for that.

They're expecting it, sir.

It's standard operating procedure.

We're in range. We have to report in.

[SIGHS] Keep an eye on that scope.

Ultimate 2, this is Turkey 6.

Ultimate 2, this is Turkey 6. Can you read me?

PRESIDENT: Colonel Grady, this is the president.

[SIGHS] Keep receiving.

Do you understand me?

Whatever you hear, keep receiving.

TOMMY: Dad?

Dad, it's me, Tommy.

I'm okay and there isn't any war.

It's a big mistake. It's a mistake!

JIMMY: Is that really your son?

PIERCE: No. I don't-- I don't know--

No, no, that-- That's not your son, colonel.

They're just imitating his voice.

That's not really your son.

I'm sure, Dad. Do you hear me?

I'm sure. Say it, Dad.

You know what comes next, say it.

Are you-- Are you positive?

Only fools are positive. Do you see?

Nobody else knows that.

PRESIDENT: This is not a trick, Grady.

There is no war.

I wanna see you again, Dad.

PRESIDENT: Listen to him. Nobody could fake this.

I can't. JIMMY: Here come the nukes!

[TOMMY CRYING]

PRESIDENT: For the sake of your son!

PIERCE: Fire one. JIMMY: Fire one!

You promised me.

Fire two. Fire two.

Keep them at 2,500 feet above the rockets.

TOMMY: There is no war.

18,000 feet now. Higher.

We're 20,000. Higher, go after 'em.

Thirty thousand, 40,000. Hard as you can.

We gotta get 'em high. Dad!

Turn it off, colonel. Sixty thousand feet.

I love you. Come home. Colonel, we can't trust it.

Eighty thousand. Daddy.

Ninety. Colonel, we are too low.

That blast is gonna slam us. Gotta get altitude.

We're leveling out. I love you, Tommy.

One thirty. You're my boy.

One thirty-five.

Remember that, I love you so much.

Sir, turn it off.

GRADY: Hang on!

We're going up.

JIMMY: The nukes are catching up.

Stand by for a ram.

We're gonna catch some of it!

Hang on!

[GRUNTS]

[SCREAMS]

[SCREAMS]

[GRUNTING AND PANTING]

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

[SIGHS]

We'll make it now.

How far to Moscow?

Seventeen minutes, sir.

We have only one decision left to make,

and then our job is done.

We decide from what height to drop the bombs.

We've already taken on enough radiation

from the blast that...

at best we'd last a couple of days.

I intend to take us in at 900 feet,

and when we're over the target, climb to 5000 feet.

The bombs are set to go off at 5000 feet.

We'll go with the bombs.

What the hell.

There's nothing to go home to anyway.

May God forgive us.

CASCIO: Get me an outside line to New York City.

MAN [OVER PA]: Fifteen minutes to target.

Mom? Mom-- Mom, listen to me, I--

We don't have much time. I-- I want you and Dad...

M-Mom, listen.

What--? What do you mean?

Oh, where is he?

Oh, I-I-- I forgot about the Red Sox.

Is Francis there?

Oh?

So-- So you're alone?

Oh, uh... Mom, wait, uh...

Just...

I will.

Just-- Just stay on the phone with me.

Just stay with me.

Are there any--

Any papers or documents in New York

absolutely essential to running the United States?

SWENSON: General Stark?

STARK: Uh, no, sir.

Important documents, but none absolutely essential.

MAN: Will-- Will there be any time to warn people?

With a little time, we could save a lot of lives.

SWENSON: On this short notice,

all you'd produce is panic.

MAN: What about this?

Maybe he doesn't know.

The First Lady is-- Is in New York.

He knows.

Dear God.

Gentlemen, we are wasting time.

I've been making a few rough calculations

based on the effect of two 20-megaton bombs

dropped on New York City

in the middle of a normal workday.

I estimate the immediate dead at about three million.

I include in that figure

those buried beneath the collapsed buildings.

Doesn't make any difference, General Adams,

if they reached a shelter or not.

They would die just the same.

Add another million or two who'll die

within about the first five weeks. Now...

Even though there may be

no irreplaceable government documents in those buildings,

many of our corporations keep their financial records

in New York City.

I believe that fortune

has actually smiled upon us there, gentlemen.

Because paper is a wonderful insulator,

it's possible, it's even probable,

that these records will have survived.

Our first priority should be of excavation, sir.

Not of the dead.

Of these records. Our economy depends on this.

Economy depends on them.

[INHALES]

Are you married, Buck?

No, sir. Not yet.

We've, uh, been going steady for a while,

but we haven't set a date or anything yet.

Is she in the government?

State Department.

She's a translator like me.

Spanish, French and Italian.

We met in translator school, and uh...

Heh. When she gets mad she can curse in four languages.

You did good today, Buck.

You did good.

You didn't freeze up.

A lot of other men would.

You're the one who didn't, sir.

If you're going to get married,

you oughta do it soon.

Yes, sir.

Use the time...

Goes fast.

Yes, sir.

[BUZZING]

SECRETARY: The chairman is on the line, sir.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

[SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"Mr. President, I have activated

only those parts of our defense

that still have a chance of shooting down your bomber.

Our long-range missiles have already begun

to stand down from the alert.

But we think we do not have much of a chance."

I agree.

[SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"And yet who can be blamed? Can you blame a machine?"

Well...

Men built those machines, Mr. Chairman.

[SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"Men are not perfect, Mr. President."

Men are responsible

for what they do.

Men are responsible for what they make.

We built those machines, Mr. Chairman.

Your country and mine, we put them in place.

Two great cities will be destroyed.

Millions of innocent people will die...

because of us.

What do we say to them?

[CHUCKLES]

"Accidents will happen"?

I can't accept that.

What do we do, Mr. Chairman? What do we say to the dead?

[SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN]

"We must say that this will not happen again.

But do you think that that is possible?"

JAY: Mr. President.

Yes, Jay.

I can hear the sound of explosions

coming from the northeast.

The sky is very bright, like a--

A long row of skyrockets.

It's...all lit up. Very--

[HIGH-PITCHED BEEPING]

[BEEPING STOPS]

Blackie.

BLACK: Yes, Mr. President.

Moscow has been destroyed, Blackie.

Release your bombs according to plan.

I understand.

You've all been briefed on this mission,

so there's nothing more to say.

I have only one last order.

No one else is to have anything to do

with the release of the bombs.

I repeat.

I will fly the plane and launch the bombs.

The ultimate act will be mine.

Is that clear?

On course, sir.

Approaching the target.

We'll count down from 10. Give me the signal.

MAN: On a heading of 56 degrees south.

Winds northwest at eight miles an hour.

Altitude, 26,000 feet.

Ground Zero set at 1,000 feet.

The lob point is in 10.

BLACK: Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

[SQUEALS]

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Mark.

BOY 1: Who's it? BOY 2: You're it!

[PANTING]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

[SNIFFS]

ANNOUNCER: Richard Dreyfuss as the president.

Noah Wyle as Buck.

Brian Dennehy as General Bogan.

Sam Elliot as Congressman Raskob.

James Cromwell as Gordon Knapp.

John Diehl as Colonel Cascio.

Hank Azaria as Professor Groteschele.

Norman Lloyd as Secretary Swenson.

William Smitrovich as General Stark.

Don Cheadle as Lieutenant Pierce.

George Clooney as Colonel Jack Grady.

And Harvey Keitel as General Black.

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]