Produced in the late 1960s or early 1970s before the Three Mile Island accident changed the American public’s opinion about nuclear energy, “The Magic of the Atom: The Atom and the Environment” describes nuclear power and atomic research, and its impact on the environment, in highly positive terms. As the narrator states: “The fight for the preservation of the earth’s environment goes on, and one very valuable weapon in that fight is the magic of the atom.”

Various careers in nuclear energy and nuclear engineering, while showing how atomic power represents a form of “clean energy” that is much safer for the environment than coal and oil-burning power plants. Nuclear research is also shown, for example Dr. T. Roy Fukuto’s work creating insecticides at U.C. Riverside, work performed to identify the source of oil slicks using neutron activation analysis, work with radioactive cesium at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and tests using radioactive sand at Pt. Mugu, California to determine rates of beach erosion. The film concludes with a discussion of the future of nuclear energy and atomic bombs — which can be used in constructing underground chambers for storage purposes.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com