Minuteman Icbm Missile and Mission (1962)

Synopsis

Minutemen Missile And Mission” is a circa 1962 color film, produced by the Thiokol Chemical Corporation and adapted for US Air Force use, that serves as “the story of the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile to date.” (The LGM-30 Minuteman entered service in 1962, tasked with the deterrence role and threatening Soviet cities with a counterattack if the US was attacked.) The film opens with a scripted scene featuring NBC correspondent Chet Huntley (mark 02:00 ) speaking with an officer about how America faces the possibility of nuclear attack and how he wants to get the word out about the country’s deterrent power by giving Huntley “the inside story.” Huntley explains the missile in great detail as scenes of its use are shown, and at mark 04:40 explains how small, rocket-propelled and liquid-propelled engines were already in use by the Air Force, but large solid-propelled engines were necessary for an ICBM (mark 06:00 ). There are scenes of scientists working on the propellant and Air Force personnel working on the tactical aspect of the missile. The economic aspects of the system are examined at mark 07:30. Near mark 08:00, Huntley returns to explain how a Minutemen missiles’ primary mission is as a retaliatory weapon, “a counterforce capable of permanent readiness and instantaneous attack in the event of attack,” with an animation of that scenario beginning at mark 08:24 followed by an explanation of how Thiokol designed the rocket’s engine. There are scenes of the…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

19 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage