Uploaded March 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
This episode on the US Army chemical, biological and radiological warefare programs of the late 1950s was part of the Army's ground-breaking television series, "The Big Picture". The original description of this episode reads: “Chemical warfare has come a long, long way since the days of the caveman when flame and burning coals were used to drive off the enemy. No thinking person looks on this development with any sense of pride, but rather one of reality -- because today the threat of large-scale chemical, biological, and radiological warfare cannot be ignored. Two big questions come to mind in dealing with this subject. The first concerns the necessity of such weapons in an age of unlimited nuclear power, and the second is of the moral nature of such warfare. No body of men are more anxious to face up to these questions than the Army Chemical Corps and in today's THE BIG PICTURE some of the answers are provided as well as a clear report on the advancements now going on. In the event of all-out war, CBR weapons are just as likely to be used against us as are the nuclear weapons. Coping with this problem is the responsibility of the Army Chemical Corps and one the Corps is working day and night to meet.” The half-hour weekly program featured famous or before-they-were-famous actors and actresses in top quality productions. The series covered a wide range of subjects, telling the Army's story in history and in current events. The Big Picture series aired on ABC-TV from 1951 to 1964. The series consisted of documentary films produced by the United States Army Signal Corps Army Pictorial Service, showing weaponry, battles, and biographies of famous soldiers. After The Big Picture’s run on ABC ended, it aired in syndication for several more years on some local television stations well into the early 1970s.
This episode on the US Army chemical, biological and radiological warefare programs of the late 1950s was part of the Army's ground-breaking television series, "The Big Picture". The original description of this episode reads: “Chemical warfare has come a long, long way since the days of the caveman when flame and burning coals were used to drive off the enemy. No thinking person looks on this development with any sense of pride, but rather one of reality -- because today the threat of large-scale chemical, biological, and radiological warfare cannot be ignored. Two big questions come to mind in dealing with this subject. The first concerns the necessity of such weapons in an age of unlimited nuclear power, and the second is of the moral nature of such warfare. No body of men are more anxious to face up to these questions than the Army Chemical Corps and in today's THE BIG PICTURE some of the answers are provided as well as a clear report on the advancements now going on. In the event of all-out war, CBR weapons are just as likely to be used against us as are the nuclear weapons. Coping with this problem is the responsibility of the Army Chemical Corps and one the Corps is working day and night to meet.” The half-hour weekly program featured famous or before-they-were-famous actors and actresses in top quality productions. The series covered a wide range of subjects, telling the Army's story in history and in current events. The Big Picture series aired on ABC-TV from 1951 to 1964. The series consisted of documentary films produced by the United States Army Signal Corps Army Pictorial Service, showing weaponry, battles, and biographies of famous soldiers. After The Big Picture’s run on ABC ended, it aired in syndication for several more years on some local television stations well into the early 1970s.
