The two-hour ABC-TV film “The Day After” is not entertainment for anybody except those who relish horror and violence. It is really a 2-hour editorial for surrender now. The film is virulently anti-American in leading the audience to believe that the United States and the Soviet Union are equally to be feared as the initiator of nuclear war. The film leaves the audience guessing as to which side launched its missiles first (“either we fired first or they fired first”), but implies that it was probably the United States through its alleged “launch-on-warning” strategy, and furthermore that it doesn’t make any difference who fired first because the enemy is the bomb rather than the USSR.
That is a vicious smear of America. It is also historically false, since U.S. nuclear strength has successfully prevented nuclear war for the past 38 years.
The film is dishonest in leading the audience to believe that there is no defense against nuclear attack (“an insect is the only guaranteed survivor of nuclear war”). In truth, we can build a non-nuclear space-based defensive system to shoot down incoming enemy missiles, as urged by President Reagan and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.
The film is offensive to President Reagan and to religious people by its sarcastic impersonation of the President and of a preacher who speak after nuclear missiles have devastated our country.
ABC cannot deny that it intended a one-sided piece of political advocacy since its own Vice President Albert Schneider made an admission against interest in the New York Times. He said: “Graphically you are showing the core of the argument of those who are for a nuclear freeze.”
By saying that it would run the film even if it didn’t sell a single commercial spot, ABC has admitted that it is so eager to air this film that it is willing to take a $7 million loss. This is equivalent to a $7 million political contribution to the nuclear freezniks and pacifists.
The acting is poor; the characters are wooden and do unreal things. Many events are ridiculous, such as the healthy horse and surrey with the fringe on top which mysteriously appear in the midst of fields and livestock destroyed by blast and radiation.
The film shows its political bias by recommending a reading list of current pacifist books, but failing to include current pro-defense books such as “We Must Defend America” by General Daniel Graham and “The Apocalyptic Premise” by Ernest Lefever.
ABC recognized the hazard for children by putting a disclaimer at the start saying that it “may not be suitable for younger viewers.” Then, ABC deliberately encouraged a children’s audience by (1) showing the film in prime time, and (2) mailing a promotional study guide to every school in the country in order to maximize viewing by children.
The study guide is loaded with pro-pacifist reading materials. The questions are written with assumptions that promote fear and despair, such as, “Do you understand people who say that they would rather not survive a nuclear attack?”
Among the contrasting views not included in the ABC film are the following: (1) Americans can be saved from the horrors of nuclear war by a space-based defense system such as High Frontier, (2) deterrence has worked well for 38 years, (3) America has never gotten into a war because we were too strong, (4) the Soviet Union is the enemy, not the bomb, (5) a slow death in a Soviet gulag can be worse, and (6) civil defense can save millions of lives.
ABC network is trying to hide behind the technicality that networks are not legally bound by the Fairness Doctrine and are free to make a $7 million political contribution to the nuclear freezniks. However, local ABC affiliates are governed by the Fairness Doctrine.
Local ABC affiliates should exercise their fairness-doctrine obligation through the following options: (1) Run public service spots in the middle of the film showing that a space-based defense system can protect America from nuclear attack. (2) Put a disclaimer at the start of the film saying that several alternatives can deal with the nuclear war threat including the space-based defensive system urged by President Reagan on March 23. (3) Show the 30-minute film on “High Frontier” immediately after “The Day After.” (4) The following night, show films with a contrasting message such as “The Final Option” or “The KGB Connection.” (5) Balance the reading list with current books giving a pro-defense point of view such as High Frontier.
