Footage of the Strategic Air Command forces at Barksdale Air Force Base at DEFCON 2 during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Historical Film Footage
A collection of historical film footage I've collected from the archives in the course of doing my research.
Operation Hard Surface Deploying to Saudi Arabia
Footage of the 352nd Fighter Squadron preparing to deploy to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, as part of Operation Hard Surface.
Tactical Air Command Operations at Homestead Air Force Base during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of the Tactical Air Command on alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. Includes aerial shots of the planes on alert on the tarmac, dispersed to make them less vulnerable to surprise attack.
Robert McNamara’s Press Conference on Cuban Missile Crisis
Silent footage of a press briefing by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara regarding the Soviet buildup in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
U.S. F-100’s Departing for Saudi Arabia
Coverage of F-100’s from 352nd Fighter Squadron departing for Saudi Arabia in June 1963.
JFK in West Germany
A short narrated film of JFK’s visit to West Germany and West Berlin on June 25 and 26, 1963.
Medivac Operations in South Vietnam
Footage of the medivac operations of the 315th Air Division Task Force Alpha in South Vietnam in April 1968.
The Minuteman Missile
An edited film showing the design, building, and testing of the Minuteman ICBM in 1963, including the construction of hardened launch silos and inside the command center.
Cuban Missile Crisis Miscellaneous B-Roll
Various B-roll clips shot by U.S. Air Force camera operators during and after the Cuban Missile Crisis, including command posts, press coverage, and newsreel footage from Havana.
U.S. Bombing in Cambodia
Footage of U.S. Air Force planes carrying out bombing strikes in Cambodia in June 1970.
Marines at Khe Sanh Camp, Vietnam
Footage of Marine Corps personnel at Khe Sanh camp in South Vietnam in May 1968. The camera follows Marines as they go about their daily duties and life at the camp.
Nuclear Tests at Bikini Atoll and Nevada Testing Ground
High speed film footage of above-ground and underground nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll and Nevada Testing Ground, including nuclear weapons effects tests.
General Curtis LeMay visits Homestead Air Force Base during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of General Curtis LeMay, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, visiting the Tactical Air Command at Homestead Air Force Base during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Homestead Air Force Base Security Demonstration during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of a demonstration exercise of perimeter security measures at Tactical Air Command headquarters at Homestead Air Force Base during or shortly after the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Tactical Air Command Operations at Homestead Air Force Base during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Operations of the Tactical Air Command during the Cuban Missile Crisis at Homestead Air Force Base. Includes the preparation of rockets and weapons, planes on alert on the tarmac, and the arrival of General Walter Sweeney Jr (Tactical Air Command Commander) and General Thomas Power (Strategic Air Command Commander).
The U.S. Nuclear Missile Arsenal in the Early 1960s
An overview of U.S. missile forces in the early 1960s.
B-52s at DEFCON 2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of B-52s at DEFCON 2 alert at Barksdale Air Force Base at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Includes a shot of a B-52 taking off armed with a GAM-77 Hound Dog nuclear air-launched cruise missile. According to the camera operator’s slate, the footage was shot on October 27, 1962, widely regarded as the most dangerous day of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
B-52 Bombers on DEFCON 2 Alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis
B-52 bombers in the Strategic Air Command on alert at Barksdale Air Force Base on October 27, 1962, widely regarded as the most dangerous day of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Strategic Air Command B-47 Bombers Dispersed during the Cuban Missile Crisis
B-47 bombers of the Strategic Air Command are stationed on the tarmac at Memphis Airport during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They were stationed here during the crisis as part of the mobilization procedures to disperse SAC’s forces to make them less vulnerable to surprise attack. SAC was at DEFCON 2 at the time.
JFK in West Berlin / Arrival at Tegal Airfield
JFK arrives on Air Force One at Tegel Airfield, one of three major airfields in West Berlin.
JFK in West Berlin / Checkpoint Charlie
JFK tours Checkpoint Charlie in West Berlin and climbs a viewing platform to look over the Berlin Wall into East Berlin.
General Maxwell Taylor is Sworn in as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Maxwell Taylor is sworn in as the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
Robert McNamara and General Maxwell Taylor in the National Military Command Center
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor pose for cameras in a conference room in the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon.
JFK at Homestead Air Force Base / Air Force One Arrives & F-100 Flyby
JFK visits Homestead Air Force Base, headquarters of the Tactical Air Command, on November 26, 1962, not long after the Cuban Missile Crisis. This reel is taken with a camera on the runway. It captures JFK arriving by Air Force One and a flyby of F-100 Jets.
JFK in West Berlin / Checkpoint Charlie, Friedrichstrasse, and Speeches
Silent, color archival footage of parts of JFK’s visit to West Berlin on June 26, 1963, including his tour of Checkpoint Charlie and crowds at some of his speeches in the city.
JFK is Presented with the U.S. Army Flag in the Oval Office
In a brief Oval Office ceremony, Chief of Staff of the Army General Earle Wheeler and Secretary of the Army Cyrus Vance present JFK with the U.S. Army Flag with battle streamers. The flag is then placed behind the President’s desk.
Nixon Visits Johnston Atoll
Enroute to the USS Hornet to greet the Apollo 11 astronauts on their return to earth, Nixon stopped in at the U.S. military base on Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
Test Launch of the Titan ICBM
Mult-camera coverage of a test launch of the Titan VS-1 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) rocket. The Titan VS-1 was launched from an in-ground silo.
Project Excelsior
Footage of Project Excelsior, in which Captain Joseph Kittinger jumped from the stratosphere to test high altitude parachutes. The series of jumps took place in 1959 and 1960.
LBJ’s Thirteenth Presidential Press Conference
LBJ held his 13th presidential press conference on April 16, 1964.
LBJ’s Seventh Presidential Press Conference
President Johnson held his seventh press conference in the East Room at the White House at 3:30 PM on Saturday, March 7, 1964.
LBJ’s Sixth Presidential Press Conference
LBJ held his sixth presidential press conference in the State Department’s International Treaty Room at 11am on Saturday, February 29, 1964.
Robert McNamara’s Special Briefing on Cuba
Faced with mounting Congressional criticism of the Kennedy’s administration’s transparency on the Soviet buildup in Cuba, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and John Hughes of the Defense Intelligence Agency laid out in unprecedented detail for television cameras and the reporters the intelligence information that gave the administration the confidence to say that no long-range nuclear missiles remained in Cuba.
Dedication of Dulles International Airport
President Kennedy, former President Dwight Eisenhower, Allen Dulles, and Chief Justice Earl Warren attend the dedication ceremony at Dulles International Airport in the Northern Virginia suburbs just outside Washington DC.
Medical Effects of Zero Gravity and Stresses of Space Exploration
Medical tests on the effects of some of the stresses on the bodies of astronauts in the lunar landing program and other space travel, including the effects of zero gravity, heat stress, and escaping from a capsule falling from space.
US Air Force Helps Seville with Flood Recovery
The U.S. Air Force undertakes a humanitarian mission to assist the people of Seville recover from flooding.
Cold War Aerial Reconnaissance – Eye in the Sky
A filmed program on the technology of aerial reconnaissance, including the U2 spyplane. Along with footage of the intelligence information they acquire, there are interviews with experts.
Aerial Footage of the Berlin Wall
Aerial footage from a US Air Force helicopter of the Berlin Wall in early 1962, including the Brandenburg Gate and looking over into East Berlin from above West Berlin.
Recovery of the X-15 Supersonic Experimental Aircraft
Recovery in at Edwards Air Force Base of the experimental, supersonic rocket-powered aircraft X-15 after landing. The X-15 holds the record to this day for the highest speed ever reached by a manned, powered aircraft.
JFK in West Berlin / Speech & Crowds
Footage of JFK speaking in West Berlin during his visit to the city on the Cold War’s front lines on June 26, 1963.
LBJ’s Fifth Presidential Press Conference
President Johnson appeared for his 5th presidential news conference at the White House on February 1, 1964.
JFK in West Berlin / Brandenburg Gate & Checkpoint Charlie
During JFK’s visit to West Berlin, he visited the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie, the American-manned crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin.
JFK Visits Fort Stewart after the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of JFK’s visit to Fort Stewart, Georgia, where the 1st Armored Division was based. It was one of several bases in the southeastern United States that President Kennedy visited in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
JFK Visits El Paso, Texas
JFK visits El Paso, Texas, with Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
JFK Visits Strategic Air Command Headquarters after the Cuban Missile Crisis
Film footage of President John F. Kennedy visiting the headquarters of the Strategic Headquarters in at Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha, Nebraska, on December 7, 1962. Includes his arrival on Air Force One and delivering brief remarks.
JFK in West Berlin / Leaving on Air Force One
JFK leaves West Berlin on Air Force One after his triumphant visit to the embattled city on the front lines of the Cold War.
World War II in the Mediterranean 1943-44
A range of footage from World War II’s Mediterranean theater, including footage of Josef Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill seated at the Tehran Conference.
Cold War Spies: Allen Dulles on the CIA and KGB
This 1965 filmed television report discusses some of the CIA’s espionage activities of the Cold War. It includes an interview with Allen Dulles, former Director of Central Intelligence.
Training in South Vietnam 1962
Historical film footage created of US military forces training villagers in South Vietnam, in villages just south of Danang.
Nixon with Miss America 1972 and Miss America 1973
President Nixon with Terry Anne Meeuwsen (Miss America 1973) Laurie Lea Schaefer (Miss America 1972). He shows them around the Rose Garden and South Portico of the White House.