Hugh Sidey interviews Richard Burt, Assistant Secretary of State for European affairs, at the State Department Building in Washington D.C. They discuss President Reagan's recent trip to Europe. Richard Burt talks about President Ronald Reagan's image and the reaction of people in different countries. He also talks about the economic relations with the Soviets. He notes that Reagan spoke of "peace with justice and freedom" while on the trip.
Image of Yuri Andropov, the sixth paramount leader of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. A US Air Force C5-A Galaxy lands in an airbase. Air man signals to the aircraft. A BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile is unloaded from the C5-A Galaxy’s front. Close up to a soldier’s arm badge, a airborne paratrooper insignia. The BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile slowly drives to a hangar. Colonel John Bacs, 501st Tactical Missile Wing, speaks about the NATO operational capability in Europe of the BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile on schedule at Royal Air Force Greenham Common. Soldiers working on BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile in a hanger. A soldier, wearing glasses, drives a BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile to a launch site. Sergeant Ginnie Baird speaks about the mobility of the BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile. Two camouflaged soldiers set up a pole and net. A net partly covering a BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile in the forest as a camouflage. Senior Airman Thomas Snell speaks about the training and exchange of best practices with the Royal Air Force. A Royal Air Force soldier adjusts a Ground Surveillance Radar (GSR) and asks about its range with an African-American Air Force soldier, wearing sunglasses.
President Reagan gives a brief speech to press assembled at the White House before departing for the Economic Summit Conference in France. He jokes that Nancy is upstairs "unplugging the toaster" and that they are ready to depart. He talks about the economic progress of the United States. Economic and security relations being the foremost foreign concerns.
Navy yellow shirt plane director guides an A-6E Intruder aircraft of VA-145, with folded wings, on deck of the USS Ranger (CV-61). The aircraft displays tail code NE of Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2) and the Swordsmen insignia of VA-145. Closeup of an F-14A Tomcat tail, displaying the red wolfhead insignia of VF-1 (The Wolfpack). An aviation fuels purple shirt clambers over the top of the F-14A. Two aviation ordnance red shirts seen transporting 20mm belt ammunition across the deck for the the ship's Phalanx CIWS anti-missile Gatling gun. Yellow shirt directs a Grumman E-2 Hawkeye tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft as it proceeds along the flight deck.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan at the White House in Washington DC. President Ronald Reagan gives a speech on the Defense Budget. He speaks about the Defense Program America needs. President Reagan states that the American security should be prepared for all situations. An animation shows 'Intercontinental Missiles'. Intermediate Range Weapons from 1978-1982. An animation shows the difference in production of submarines, artillery and weapons between the United States and the Soviets. An animated picture shows the 'Soviet Communications Intelligence Facility'. The Soviet Weaponry Sandino Airfield, Nicaragua. An airfield under construction in Grenada. President Reagan in his speech states that the American military force should be ready to respond to any emergency situation. An animated graph shows the percent of budget from 1960-1980. At the end of the speech President Ronald Reagan asks for America's prayers and support.
During the period from 1973 to 1982 the U.S. Air Force Electromagnetic Hazards Group, led by Robert K. Golka, conducted long arc simulated lightning attachment tests under Project Tesla. This film shows electrical "lightning" discharges being created with Tesla coils inside a hangar at Wendover Air Force Base in Utah. (Several discharges display what appear to be "ball lightning.")