Fail-Safe Page #3

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you had on the 24s?

Jews, Italians, all kinds.

You could tell them apart.

They were people.

These kids... You open them up,

you'll find they run on transistors.

- They're good kids.

- Sure.

You know they're good at their jobs,

but you don't know them. How can you?

We get a different crew

every time we go up.

That's policy, Grady.

It eliminates the personal factor.

Everything is more complicated now.

Reaction time is faster.

You can't depend on people

the same way.

Who do you depend on?

All right, gentlemen.

The sky awaits.

You know something, Billy?

I like the personal factor.

Those are Vindicator bombers

of the Strategic Air Command...

on routine patrol.

Each one of those planes carries

four Bloodhound air-to-air missiles...

armed with nuclear warheads.

Those are for use

against attacking enemy planes.

In addition, each plane carries

two 20-megaton hydrogen bombs...

designed to detonate

over enemy targets.

At any given moment, night or day,

those airplanes are in the air...

in case of any surprise attack

on our bases.

You can see some

of the other groups...

- Who controls them?

- We do.

This room is the nerve center,

Mr. Raskob.

These machines are constantly receiving

information from all over the world.

And above it.

Mr. Knapp's company did the electronic

work on the Argos satellite.

Would you like to see what

it's photographing right now? Colonel.

This picture you're about to see

is being taken now...

by a camera 300 miles in the sky

traveling 20,000 miles an hour.

Can you give us tighter scale on this?

Colonel?

Those are the rocket sites

from 300 miles up.

- I'm impressed.

- We'll get it sharper soon.

Be able to see the people,

not just the machines.

We'll show you

the hair on their head.

- I suppose they're doing the same to us.

- You can see for yourself.

Let's take a look at the Russian

submarines in the Pacific.

There's the western coast of the

United States, Hawaiian Islands...

and those are Russian subs.

- That close?

- Nearest is 50 miles off San Francisco.

International waters. Nothing

we can do except keep an eye on it.

That's too damn close.

What's it doing there?

Scanning us, the way we do them.

Is it armed?

We have instruments so good,

they can tell the difference...

between a whale breaking wind

and that sub blowing its tanks.

No argument, General. I'm sure

we've got the best money can buy.

- We're proud of what we do here.

- You ought to be, Colonel.

- The money is well spent.

- I don't doubt it for a minute.

And you don't have to snow me.

My committee doesn't deal

with appropriations...

only with how

the appropriations are spent.

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