Fail-Safe Page #3

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I don't think Groeteschele

will discuss that today.

You think I should lay off?

Why open a can of peas?

We've got to discuss it

one of these days, Stark.

This whole policy of overkill...

It makes no sense piling up bombs

when we already have a capacity...

Just not today.

Good morning, Mr. Secretary.

- Won't you sit over there?

- Thank you.

- Good morning, Mr. Secretary.

- Good morning, gentlemen.

- Everyone here, General Stark?

- Yes, sir.

All right, Professor Groeteschele.

I see we have an alert

to supplement our discussion.

Unfortunately, we settled the question

of accidental war last week...

so we can't make use of it today.

Today the subject is limited war.

It is not theoretical.

On it depends

the kind of weapons we use...

where we locate them,

how we use them.

In short,

our entire military posture.

Is limited war possible?

Can we confine the exchange

of nuclear weapons...

to military targets alone...

or must war lead inevitably

to the destruction of cities?

- It must.

- Why?

The object of war is to inflict

maximum damage on the enemy...

destroy his ability to resist.

In the last war, both sides

could have used bacterial warfare.

- They didn't.

- It wouldn't have been decisive.

Can you be sure?

Maybe people still couldn't get used

to the idea of killing civilians.

Take that up with the civilians

of London, Hamburg, Dresden or Tokyo...

killed by the thousands

in bombing raids.

I omit Hiroshima and Nagasaki...

since those actions belong

more properly to World War III...

than World War II.

I still don't see

how we could restrict a war.

We could come to a mutual agreement

with the Russians...

to strike only at missile bases.

What if the missile bases

were near the cities?

They would have an incentive

to move them elsewhere.

They might take such an offer

as a sign of weakness on our part.

- It could be worth a try.

- They have as much to lose as we have.

We're talking

about the wrong subject.

We've got to stop war,

not limit it.

That is not up to us, General Black.

We're the ones

who know most about it.

You're a soldier, Blackie.

You carry out policy.

- You don't make it.

- Don't kid yourself, Stark.

The way we say a war can be fought

is making policy.

If we say we can fight

a limited war with nuclear weapons...

we let everyone off the hook.

It's what they want to hear.

We can just keep doing what we're doing,

and nobody really gets hurt.

But you can't fight a limited war,

and you know it.

I'm not so sure.

There's no such thing

as a limited war anymore.

Not with hydrogen bombs.

Once those bombs start to drop,

you won't be able to limit a thing.

Are you advocating disarmament?

I don't know.

It's the logic of your position.

Peculiar reversal.

The press would be interested.

The military man who is the dove,

and the civilian who is the hawk.

We're going too fast.

Things are getting out of hand.

Can you be more specific, General?

We're all trying

to make war more efficient.

- That's our job.

- And we're succeeding.

We now have the capacity to blow up

the whole world several times over.

Which does not mean

we must do it.

We won't be able to stop from doing it.

That's the logic of your position.

We're setting up a war machine

that acts faster...

than the ability of men

to control it.

We're putting men into situations

that are too tough for men to handle.

Then we must toughen the men.

Suppose they launch

a first strike against us?

Then we retaliate,

and we're all finished.

Would you prefer

that only we were finished?

We have to prepare.

We're preparing.

We've got to slow down.

I disagree.

We have got to speed up.

Naturally,

that means taking risks...

but our intention is always

to minimize those risks.

Of course, we can only control

our own actions.

Our concept of limited war is based

on an equal rationality by the Russians.

It also presupposes there will be

no accidents on either side.

But suppose

that unidentified flying object...

was one of their 50-megaton missiles

that had gotten loose by mistake.

What could be done? How could they

prove it was really an accident?

Would it make any difference

if they could?

Even if we believe them, should we

still think of limiting our response...

or should we hit them back

with everything we have?

It's gone, General.

What happened to it?

Colonel Cascio,

let's go to Condition Yellow.

It's dropped below the level

in which our radar can pick it up.

You went to the next state

of readiness.

That's standard operating procedure.

It could be a commercial plane

about to crash.

Or an enemy plane

taking evasive action.

Naturally, we prepare for the worst.

Two minutes to fail-safe.

What are those planes

following the bomber, General?

Fighter support.

Part of Condition Yellow.

From now on, they'll follow

the bombers as far as they go.

- What comes after Condition Yellow?

- Green.

- And then?

- Red.

But we've never gone to red yet.

Red means war, doesn't it?

- Not an air breather?

- What does that mean?

Jet planes suck air

through their engines.

Our warning system can pick up

the turbulence this creates.

If a commercial plane lost power,

no turbulence would be created.

It could be a rocket.

Off course?

Maybe on.

One minute to fail-safe.

It could be a Russian rocket coming in

low where our radar can't pick it up.

- Could it be that?

- It could be anything.

- How do you find out?

- Our fighters are tracking it.

Can't wait too long.

13, 12, 11, 10, 9...

8, 7, 6, 5, 4...

3, 2, 1.

All groups at fail-safe point.

Right on the dot.

That's flying.

- Yes, sir?

- Go to Condition Green.

Tell the planes to keep orbiting

until we positively identify the UFO.

- That's their orders.

- Tell them again.

- You'll have to leave now.

- Sorry.

- That is an order.

- You've got the wrong customer.

The way I see, we could be at war

in just about two minutes.

You can't get me back to my family,

so I'm staying here to see what happens.

There's no place for you here.

If those bombs go off,

there's no place for me anywhere.

You want me out of here,

you better call the military police.

- I think it's coming up again.

- We can't wait any longer, sir.

Give me a tight scale.

That's it, gentlemen.

Sorry we alarmed you.

Contact all the planes and have them

resume their normal patrols.

Yes, sir.

Colonel Grady?

What is it, Thomas?

What's the longest you ever stayed

at these fail-safe points?

The longest I ever stayed

was three minutes...

but it seemed like three years.

- This your first time?

- Yes, sir.

- Nervous?

- No, sir.

It's only natural.

I was just calculating fuel, sir.

How is the group

holding formation, Sullivan?

They're right in orbit, sir.

Even number six is tucked in.

Old Flynn.

Half man, half bird.

Thank you very much, General.

I must say, it was quite...

- What's that, Colonel?

- Checking, sir.

It's okay here.

Send in a K-13.

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