FAIL-SAFE

I felt the first chill of Doomsday when I saw ON THE BEACH in 1959. I can remembering asking my mother is we were really going to die in 1964, as portrayed in the film. I was five years old.

Ducn and cover drills were part of my childhood, as were DR. STRANGELOVE and FAIL-SAFE. We had the dugout in the backyard, galvanized trashcans filled with soda and the thought that life was going to be short.

FAIL-SAFE scared me then and worries me now. I have always thought that cool minds would prevail, but when there isn't one of those in charge, who knows what will happen.