Operation Crossroads is a collection of the US army's documentation of the Able Day and Baker Day atomic bomb tests conducted on Bikini Island in 1946, a crucial part of military history on studying the effects of the atomic bomb. The film contains stunning footage from many different cameras, including ground and aerial cameras, as well as recording devices in lead boxes set up on towers. The film begins with footage of the B-29 "Dave's Dream" airplane dropping the first bomb on Bikini Atoll, and then later shows the second bomb blast, which was submerged under water, sending up a spectacularly massive spray of steam and water. This was the first underwater nuclear bomb test in history. The army shows the 90 different ships that were moored nearby to test the effect of the blast on Navy equipment, and even footage of the goats and pigs tied up on the ships. The voice over claims that this is all in the name of science and that studying the physical effects on the animals will provide valuable information for the military. Many warnings are given about how these tests, dubbed Operation Crossroads, are essential in order to prepare our country for possible attacks, lest we destroy ourselves by this terrible new weapon. The Bikini Island nuclear test captured here in Operation Crossroads is exquisitely brought to life for the viewer with some of the best nuclear test footage of mass destruction ever recorded.
