ABC NEWS VIEWPOINT: THE DAY AFTER -- NUCLEAR DILEMMA (TV)
Summary
One in this series of irregularly scheduled news specials. Anchor Ted Koppel moderates a discussion on the implications of nuclear war depicted in the television film, "The Day After," which was telecast prior to this program. In addition to a studio audience, Koppel's guests include former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel; commentator William F. Buckley, Jr.; scientist and author Carl Sagan; former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft; and former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The program begins with a short interview by Koppel via satellite with Secretary of State George Shultz, who discusses the following topics, among others: the viability of the events in the film; the rationale for the stockpiling of nuclear weapons; policies for the reduction of nuclear weapons; and the difficulty of nuclear weapons negotiations with the Soviet Union. Koppel then presides over a discussion with the panel about the following topics, among others: criticism that the film is debilitating to U.S. defenses; assertions that the effects of nuclear war would be much more severe than the film portrays; criticism that the film avoids the political issues that underlie the nuclear threat; the mutual interest of superpowers to avoid the use of nuclear weapons; the complexities of deterrence; the overwhelming fear accompanying the issue of nuclear war; comparisons between nuclear destruction and the Holocaust of World War II; the concern that small, developing nations may have fewer reservations about using nuclear weapons; the danger of absolute pacifism; the idea that the type of civilian devastation portrayed in the film is more likely to occur with lower stockpiles of nuclear weapons; the relative stability of the U.S. deterrence policy; and the conditions necessary for a catastrophic "nuclear winter." Koppel and the panel then respond to questions from the audience concerning the following topics, among others: the viability of a space-based technology to render nuclear weapons harmless; the destabilizing effect of defensive strategies; the contingency of terrorists armed with nuclear weapons; the "launch on warning" policy, which stipulates that a retaliatory strike must be made before the initial attack hits; the despair of the young generation raised in the nuclear age; the possibility of a "nuclear freeze"; the danger that U.S. interventionist policies in less developed nations could spark a nuclear conflict; the establishment of peace-building institutions; the strategic importance of the MX missile; the trustworthiness of the Soviet Union; and the difficulty of verifying arms reduction. Includes a promo for "ABC World News Tonight."
("The Day After" is available in the Museum's collection. See T84:0208 through and including T84:0210.)
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, 1997.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 20, 1983 10:25 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:20:44
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T84:0245
- GENRE: News; Specials; Talk/Interviews
- SUBJECT HEADING: Arms control; Cold War - 1983; Disarmament; Nuclear warfare; Nuclear weapons; U S - Foreign relations - U S S R
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1981-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Promos - "ABC World News Tonight"
CREDITS
- William E. Lord … Executive Producer
- George Watson … Executive Producer
- William Moore … Senior Producer
- Stewart Schwartz … Senior Producer
- Robert Jordan … Senior Producer
- De Landri, Carla … Producer
- Ted Koppel … Anchor
- William F. Buckley, Jr. … Guest
- Henry Kissinger … Guest
- Robert McNamara … Guest
- Carl Sagan … Guest
- Brent Scowcroft … Guest
- George Shultz … Guest
- Elie Wiesel … Guest