IBM Computers, 1960s

Genre: Commercial

Year Published: 1960s

Creator: IBM D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles (DMB&B)

Format: 16mm

Description: Transcription: (lively music) 0:00 Announcer This is where America's peace of mind begins. 0:01 Around the clock, radar's electronic eyes watch the skies 0:05 and report what they see to SAGE defense system 0:09 of the United States Air Force. 0:12 Here is a SAGE center on 24-hour alert. 0:14 At its heart is a computer developed by a research team 0:18 from MIT and IBM, working with the Air Force. 0:21 The SAGE computers speeds the information 0:25 for decisions by men in our missile age. 0:28 Every scheduled flight across American frontiers 0:31 is recorded ahead of time on IBM punch cards, 0:34 then fed into the SAGE computer. 0:38 Now the computer can draw a picture 0:40 of what is supposed to be in the sky at any moment. 0:42 It continually compares this expected picture 0:46 with the real picture as seen by radar. 0:49 If a flying object does not belong, 0:52 it appears on this viewing screen. 0:54 There's one now at the right of the screen, 0:57 they call it a blip, unknown flying object. 0:59 Friend or foe, within seconds, the Air Force will know. 1:03 The officer fires a light gun at the target blip. 1:07 This tells the computer to track the object. 1:10 At the launching site, a long range Bomarc missile 1:13 is ready for firing. 1:15 Now they ask the computer to calculate an intercept point. 1:17 X marks the spot where the Bomarc missile 1:21 would meet the moving target if fired immediately. 1:23 The officer in charge makes the final decision. 1:27 (suspenseful music) 1:29 Fire! 1:34 (missile buzzes) 1:35 At the moment of launching, 1:37 the Bomarc missile receives instructions 1:38 from the IBM computer. 1:40 As the missile screams to our target 1:45 radar keeps on tracking. 1:47 With electronic control, 1:49 the computer automatically adjusts the missile 1:51 to meet any change in the target flight. 1:53 There is no escape. 1:56 (sparkling music) 1:58 (plane explodes) 2:01 Intercept! 2:03 This was a test. 2:04 One of many successful tests 2:06 of the SAGE Bomarc security team, 2:08 our new system of air defense. 2:10 To be ready for the worst 2:14 so that the worst will never happen, 2:15 America is now armed with instant electronic reflexes. 2:18 The SAGE computer made by IBM is another example 2:22 of the vast new powers that man can achieve 2:26 through the creative use of his mind. 2:29 Strength for national defense, 2:32 speed for informed decisions, 2:35 service for a growing America. 2:38 This is IBM. 2:41 Freeing man's mind to shape the future. 2:44