Revisiting 'Fail-Safe' Page #6

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Your primary target is Moscow.

What you're asking,

I've been ordered not to do!

Colonel Grady, this is an order

from the President--

Damn.

Bogan, can we get him back?

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. 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, 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 been made.''

He sounds very different, very determined.

''Unfortunately, Moscow cannot

be evacuated, there is no time.

''And if Moscow is destroyed,

am I to come hat in hand to where?

''Geneva? To set up peace talks

on the ruins of Moscow?''

-There are still ways--

-''There are facts, Mr. President.

-''Your bombers will get through.''

-We will help you shoot down these--

''I will return to you

when I am safely out of Moscow.''

Mr. President.

One hour to target.

Well, that's three down.

Yes, and three more to go.

Excuse me, sir.

Every minute we wait works against us.

The President must send in a full strike.

There's nothing else that he can do.

Now is the time,

before the Russians are on full alert.

We don't go in for sneak attacks,

Mr. Groteschele.

The Japanese did that at Pearl Harbor.

But the Japanese, sir,

were right to do that.

From their point of view,

we were their enemy.

As long as we existed,

we were a deadly threat.

Do you not believe that communism

is our mortal enemy?

The enemy of capitalism?

The only mistake the Japanese made,

they failed to finish us off.

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,

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, 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 go to Andrews Field.

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.

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.

Right away, sir.

And what about the second conference line

between Omaha and Soviet Headquarters?

Ready and waiting, sir.

General Bogan, you're hooked up

to the 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.

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.

The same to him.

Our reception is five by five.

How do you read us?

We read you five by five.

I have no instructions

on what we are to discuss.

Neither have we.

Only that we should set up

communications with you.

Just a minute, please.

Mr. President, we're all hooked up.

Thank you.

This is the President of the United States.

Whatever orders I give

to American personnel...

...are to be considered as direct orders

from the Commander in Chief.

They are to be obeyed fully

and without reservation.

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 whatever information

they request.

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.

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 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 radar frequencies

as fast as possible.

The firing mechanism reads

higher amperage as proximity...

...to the target and 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've told them how to destroy

all our missiles...

...and all our planes.

-They're getting close.

-Tell me something I don't know.

It's too hairy up here.

Send out the code.

We're going below the radar.

Roger.

Are they going down? I didn't see it.

They're trying to avoid the fighters,

by going in under their radar.

-Will that work?

-God only knows.

Forty-five minutes to target.

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

Everything just went, I don't know, blank.

I'm okay now.

Forget it, Colonel,

it could happen to anyone.

I do think there's Soviet entrapment.

We know they've been fooling around

with our Fail Safe signal.

I think they wanted this to happen.

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

They're using this time

to get their missiles ready...

...and fly their bombers into position.

We have no evidence

they're moving bombers.

They may be flying them in the grass.

They may have missiles up in orbit

that are undetectable.

I am not reporting

what I don't know for sure.

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