The U.S. Hydrogen Bomb Program Operation Ivy (1952)

Transcript

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Thank you, Jim. The time is now eight minus two minutes. Okay, I'll set this fast. minus two minutes. Why? You have a grandstand seat here to one of the most momentous events in the history of science. In less than a minute, you will see the most powerful explosion ever witnessed by human eyes. The blast will come out of the horizon just about there. And this is the significance of the moment. This is the first full-scale test of a hydrogen device. If the reaction goes, where in the thermonuclear era? Or the sake of all of us? And for the sake of our country? I know that you join me in wishing this expedition well. It is now thirty seconds to zero time. All of goggles are turned away. The number of goggles are faced first until ten seconds after the first light. Minus fifteen seconds.

Minus ten seconds. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Minus ten seconds. Minus ten seconds. Minus ten seconds.

Minus ten seconds.

The U.S. Hydrogen Bomb Program Operation Ivy (1952)

This video clip from the episode “The Weapon of Choice” of the series War and Peace in the Nuclear Age features footage from the government-produced public service film Operation Ivy. Televised in redacted form in 1954, Operation Ivy explained hydrogen nuclear energy and its national security importance to Americans and demonstrated its power with video documentation of the 1952 detonation of “Mike,” which was the first full-scale test of a hydrogen bomb.

“The Weapon of Choice” | WGBH | 1952 This video clip and associated transcript appear from 16:08 - 18:56 in the full record.

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