Since biblical times,
man has witnessed and recorded...
...strange manifestations
in the sky...
...and speculated on the possibilities
of visitors from another world.
Today, from the skies of California,
the fields of Kansas...
...the rice paddies of the Orient,
the air lanes of the world...
...come persistent reports of UFOs,
Unidentified Flying Objects...
...which we have come to know
as flying saucers.
In Dayton, Ohio, the Air Intelligence
gathers data from all over the globe.
Ninety-seven percent of the objects
prove to be of natural origin...
...while three percent still are listed
as unknown.
The Air Force is aware
of the widely held belief...
...that some could be
flying saucers from another planet.
While there is nothing conclusive
in the evidence...
...the probing and digesting
of information about UFOs...
...continues unceasingly.
As a result, the Hemispheric Defense
Command in Colorado Springs...
...issued an order:
All military installations
are to fire on sight...
...at any flying objects
not identifiable.
But the military wondered...
...whether their scientific know-how
and weapons...
...would be effective in any battle
of the Earth vs. the flying saucers.
July 16. To Internal Security
Commission. Re: Sky Hook.
Progress report from project director
Dr. Russell A. Marvin--
And Mrs. Dr. Marvin, without
whose inspiration and criticism...
...this report couldn't be written.
Married two hours and already
she's claiming community property.
Now that you're married,
you don't have to sneak up on me.
You always had eyes
in the back of your head.
-It's not safe when driving.
-But pretty.
I thought intellectual giants were
supposed to be backwards and shy.
My third-grade teacher, Miss Hickey,
said I was a quick study.
You're starting something
you're not going to be able to finish.
Yeah.
Yeah, today, I've got a hot date
with a three-stage rocket.
Now, please, no interruptions.
Because of recent
scientific advances...
...it is now possible to realize
an ancient dream:
The exploration of outer space.
To prepare for this stride forward,
we are assembling data...
...on conditions at atmospheric levels
beyond those hitherto explored.
To collect this data, unmanned
observation posts are being sent up...
...in multiple-stage rockets, hundreds
of miles above the Earth's surface.
There, swinging in endless orbits
around our planet...
...will be 12 tiny man-made
satellites, or moons.
They will report to us by radio
the primary information needed...
...to prepare the way
for our ascent into space.
The effects of gravitational loss,
showers of meteoric dust...
...the fierce, undiluted heat of the sun,
the cosmic radiation.
All will be studied and analyzed.
At the present time, we have
launched 10 artificial satellites...
...or birds, as we call them. We--
-Do you hear something?
-Hear what?
-I don't hear any--
-Listen.
Pull over.
Russ, it was a saucer?
A flying saucer?
Well, we saw what appeared
to be a flying saucer.
That's all we can say.
We saw it. We heard it, both of us.
What more do we need to know?
Well, we have to have time to think,
to evaluate this...
...before we sound off.
Let-- Let me have a light.
Of course, it wasn't a saucer at all.
I just shake like this all the time.
Carol, I want you to transcribe
these notes for my report.
-Yes, boss.
-But there's one little thing first.
Now that you're married, Dr. Marvin,
the first thing you've got to learn...
...is no more passes at the secretaries
during business hours.
All right.
--or birds, as we call them. We--
Russ.
The saucer sound.
It's on the tape.
You forgot to turn it off.
I remember now.
I turned it off afterwards.
Well, that's one piece
of concrete evidence.
Rocket Number 11
will be launched in 20 minutes.
We'll leave it for now.
Come on, we've just got time
to get to the bunker.
General Hanley reporting to
Project Sky Hook.
Make it fast, I'm in a hurry.
Nobody allowed in.
There's a rocket taking off now.
That's what I want to stop.
Let me speak to Dr. Russell Marvin.
West Gate to Bunker Number 2.
Dr. Marvin.
Bunker Number 2, Marvin speaking.
This is the West Gate, sir.
General Hanley wants you.
Put him on. Carol, it's your father.
-Calling from Panama?
-No, right here at the project.
-Hello, Russ?
-Hello.
Well, welcome home, general.
What's the news from Panama?
It's bad, I'm afraid.
Listen to what I found
before you send up another rocket.
Can you possibly put it off?
I can't, we're tied to
a definite schedule of launchings.
Wait a minute,
there's something else I wanted....
Just a minute.
It's your privilege.
Hi, Dad.
-What is it, honey?
-I just wanted to hear your voice...
...and tell you we were
married last night.
-Married?
-Forgive us for not letting you know.
I've gotta hang up.
Let's have dinner tonight. Can you?
Don't forget. Bye.
Fourteen, 13, 12...
...11, 10, nine,
eight, seven, six...
...five, four, three, two, one.
I know how the designer feels
hearing a thing like this...
...but Project Sky Hook
hasn't worked...
...the way the Defense
Department hoped.
Tell me, how many birds
have you sent up so far?
Eleven, counting today's.
How many are you in contact with
right now?
Just one. Today's.
I admit we haven't been able to
track them visually so far...
...but we'll correct that.
Don't be too sure of that.
We can certainly tune them in
if they're up there.
What I'm trying to tell you is
that they're no longer up there.
That wasn't a meteorite
that fell on Panama.
It was the burned remains of
Number 7. I made sure of that myself.
-What?
-And Intelligence has reports now...
...that 1 and 3 fell over Africa...
...Number 5 around the North Pole,
and 9 and 10 along the Andes.
The rest can be presumed
to have been lost someplace at sea.
What happens to them?
Apparently they blow up
in outer space.
Why? There's nothing explosive
in them.
You can take it from me...
...when a rocket's blasted off, it should
circle the Earth for a long time.
-That is, unless--
-Russ? Dad?
Unless what?
Unless something shoots them down
as fast as we set them up there.
Why, no gun in the world
can shoot that high.
No. No, of course not.
Bring spoons for your coffee.
My special barbecue.
That's to make up for not telling you
about our getting married.
It was kind of sudden for us too.
Sudden? I've only been
after him for a year.
I don't need to tell you, both of you,
how pleased I am.
Well, I'm glad of that. I wouldn't
like it very much if you weren't.
Thank you.
Russ, what were you
driving at back there...
...about something shooting down
one of the satellites?
General, we saw a strange thing
this afternoon.
We saw what appeared to be
a flying saucer.
-A flying saucer?
-It nearly ran into us.
You're sure of it?
Both Carol and I are subject to
the same atmospheric disturbances...
...that may have affected
other observers...
...but there is a qualitative difference
when you're a scientist.
We do have one piece
of supporting evidence:
An accidental recording
of the sounds it made.
The tape is in the lab at the project.
I'd like you to hear it tomorrow.
-You both saw this?
-Yes.
Excuse me.
From Captain Holoway, sir.
Will you sign here, please?
-Who's Holoway?
-He's on monitor duty this evening.
They've just lost contact
with Number 11.
Russ, I'm sorry.
Is it still in range of our receivers?
If it hasn't been knocked down.
Look.
-What are those lights?
-They're what the pilots call foo lights.
St. Elmo's Fire, in ancient times.
The superstitious regard them
as omens of things to come.
The best science has made of them
is that they're electric particles...
...agitated by moving air.
Same principle as the aurora borealis.
There have been so many around
the project, we take them for granted.
Bird 11 ought to be visible in the sky
on its second lap around the world.
Look, there it is.
-Was that it?
-Yes.
Surely you're not going to send up
Number 12 tomorrow after this?
-I have to.
-Why?
With a television pickup,
cameras and microphone.
This time I'm gonna know
what's happening up there and why.
Come on, let's finish our dinner.
Checking TV pickup.
Getting a good image?
Fine.
TV's okay. I'll be down
in a couple of minutes.
Tell them to hurry it up.
Do you notice anything different
since you were here last?
-Soundproofing?
-That's right.
You could fire a cannon off outside
and not hear it down here.
Number 12 okay for takeoff.
As an old rocket man from way back,
I'd rather watch from ground level.
Dr. Marvin. Dr. Marvin.
Marvin here.
You getting ready for a siege?
Russ and I are gonna take turns
monitoring this one.
For days, if necessary.
Soundproof privacy and the last word
in scientific solitude.
-Happy honeymoon, darling.
-Thanks, Dad.
Prepare rocket for launching.
Prepare rocket for launching.
Rocket Number 12 will be launched
in five minutes.
Four minutes to zero.
-Take it up at zero, Major Kimberly.
-Okay.
Stand by.
Observation Tower A, come in.
Evans, Radar to Tower A.
-Observation Tower A, Sergeant Nash.
-UFO due west, approaching fast.
-What does it look like?
-Can't tell yet.
I'll call when I get a better reading.
-Do that.
-As you were, sergeant.
Unidentified flying object reported
due west, sir. Probably a buzzard.
Sergeant Nash,
Observation Tower A. What?
Forget it, Walters,
this is no time for gags.
It's two minutes to zero.
Sentry at West Gate has spotted
a flying saucer, sir.
Evans, Radar to Tower A.
Tower A, Nash.
I got a better reading on my scope.
That UFO is over the west sentry post.
-It look like a flying saucer, Evans?
-Yes, it does.
Sky Hook Control
to approaching object.
What is it?
I wouldn't know.
Connect me with Dr. Marvin's lab.
The line is dead.
Look at that, general.
It's landing.
Battery, prepare to fire.
Fire!
They set up an electronic screen.
The artillery doesn't penetrate.
Lines are out.
Abandon all firing positions.
Mike's gone dead.
Try the phone.
The operator doesn't answer.
Look.
-What's happening?
-I don't know. I--
I'm scared, Russ.
They'll-- They'll dig us out.
Where am I? What--?
We are speaking to you through the
translating device above your head.
Can you understand us?
Yes, and I hope
you can understand me.
Whoever you are,
whatever you are...
...you'll regret what you did
at the project.
Perhaps you can explain why,
after contacting Dr. Marvin...
...we were met with violence.
-You've contacted Dr. Marvin?
-We spoke to him.
All he heard was meaningless sounds.
The same kind of sounds I just heard.
We had hoped a sufficient adjustment
for the time differential between us...
...would have been made.
I don't understand.
Evidently, you do not realize you are
in an interstellar conveyance.
You are already outside
the atmosphere of your own planet.
As a prisoner,
all I am required to tell you...
...is that I am General John Hanley
of the U.S. Army.
These are all the facts leading up to
the explosion at Operation Sky Hook.
To the best of our knowledge, my wife
and I are the only ones left alive...
...since we have not seen
or heard anyone for hours.
The air is becoming toxic.
In the event of our death...
...this report, with the recording
of the saucer sounds on this tape...
...constitute all the data we have.
The batteries are failing.
The recorder is not running
up to speed.
This is Dr. Russell A. Marvin.
Russ? Where are you?
It's all right, honey.
The gas generator stopped, that's all.
Please come close.
I'm afraid of the darkness.
-Dr. Russell Marvin.
-The tape.
It is very urgent that we meet.
We will appear tomorrow...
...at Operation Sky Hook...
...when your sun is exactly...
...over your local....
That's the sound of the saucer
we heard on the tape.
The message was sent
at an accelerated speed...
...so it just sounded
like gibberish to us.
When the batteries died,
the tape slowed down...
...and the voice became clear.
If I'd only figured it out before...
...maybe we wouldn't have been
trapped down here.
What had taken hundreds of lives and
leveled an installation worth millions?
An aroused public
demanded an answer...
...and the government dedicated
all of its branches to finding one.
However, when Dr. Marvin
and his wife were rescued...
...the answer was to be found in the
experience of the only two survivors...
...and in a reel of tape recording...
...they carried to Washington, D.C.
and the Pentagon.
--Operation Sky Hook.
There can't be any doubt
about what it means:
A landing at the project was proposed
on the day of the disaster.
There was to have been a meeting.
If I couldn't keep the appointment,
a message was to be sent...
...on a designated wavelength
by ordinary shortwave transmission.
-Does anyone want it played again?
-You've heard it a dozen times.
My wife and I, for three days,
have been telling what we knew.
We've been before every committee
and commission in Washington.
It's time we did something.
The tape is by no means conclusive.
Certainly doesn't prove your so-called
flying saucer destroyed Sky Hook.
I grant you that.
A strange voice, a set of instructions
that might have come from anywhere.
Has anyone a better idea
of what happened?
I'm inclined to accept
Dr. Marvin's conclusion...
...about the connection between
the message and the disaster.
All right, so am I.
Then let me contact them, meet them,
find out what this is all about.
If confronted with a hostile power, only
the cabinet can decide to meet them.
I hope that while we're waiting,
another disaster doesn't occur.
We're pressing for
the earliest possible action.
The secretary of state and secretary
of defense are returning to the U.S.
If a meeting could be arranged
in the meantime...
...the only risk would be to me.
I feel personally responsible
for what happened.
I was in charge.
Hundreds of lives were lost.
My own wife's father--
If I had the authority, I'd grant it to you.
But we'll have to wait.
I promise we'll recommend that you
be authorized to make radio contact...
...and meet with....
With whoever they are.
-Are we through for the night?
-Yes...
...but we're going to ask you
to remain at your hotel.
-You mean I'm under detention?
-You may be needed at any time.
Major Huglin is assigned
as your liaison.
-Good night.
-Good night.
Dr. Marvin.
I don't like this watchdog routine
any better than you do.
I'm under orders, I have a job to do.
We're both on the same side.
-I'm sorry. I'm just tired and worried.
-I know.
You were there. You heard both sides.
Who do you agree with?
I agree with you about the urgency,
but they're right too.
They have a chain of command,
they have to be careful...
...and this thing may be too big
to allow for mistakes.
Russell Marvin calling
on 225.6 megacycles. Over.
Dr. Russell Marvin calling on
Are you listening?
If you hear me, please reply.
I am tuned in
on the same wavelength. Over.
We hear you, Dr. Marvin,
and we understand you.
Do you understand us?
Yes.
Who are you?
Listen. It is now 9:30 a.m.
Earth time, Greenwich Meridian Time.
We will be waiting
at exactly 11:00 a.m....
...at the shore of
the Chesapeake Bay...
...where the North Beach Road
reaches the sea.
Do not raise an alarm,
and keep this appointment.
Listen to me.
I can't keep the appointment.
I'm under orders.
I'll be able to meet you in a few days.
Do you hear me? Over.
-Russ?
-Hello, hello.
Dr. Russell Marvin calling
on 225.6 megacycles.
Do you hear me?
Please come in. Over.
Eleven o'clock Greenwich time.
It'll be 6:00 here.
I can just make it.
You're not going.
I heard you say you're under orders.
I didn't arrange this meeting.
I just asked them to wait.
Who ordered that radio?
I did, today. I was hoping
they'd let me use it.
You can't go. I've already lost Dad.
-You shouldn't have called them.
-Maybe I shouldn't have...
...and maybe I should.
But it's started now
and I've got to go through with it.
But it's not your job alone.
Call someone! Call Major Huglin!
Room 312, Major Huglin.
Hurry, please.
Hello?
Yes. Yes.
Thanks.
Well, call the garage.
Tell them not to give him a car.
Tell them he's sick, anything,
out of his mind.
I'll be right down to take care of it.
-Sure thing, Mrs. Marvin.
-Frank, may I have my car, please?
Gee, Dr. Marvin, I can't.
I was talking to your wife on the phone
and she said that I--
But, Dr. Marvin,
I can't let you have the car.
-Get out of my way, Frank.
-Please, I don't want to lose my job.
There he is. See if you can
get him on the radio.
Hello, Russ. This is Carol.
Russ, come in.
He won't answer me.
Wait for us, Russ.
Major Huglin and I wanna talk to you.
Russ, please come back with us.
I'm sorry, but I have to do my job.
Let's go back.
Please come in.
-Come on, let's get out of here.
-No, wait.
With your friends, Dr. Marvin.
-I'm coming with you.
-Please come in. All of you.
-I'm gonna phone headquarters.
-You'd better do as they say.
We must be thousands of miles
away from the Earth.
And in a matter of seconds.
You are many miles away
from your planets...
...but not in a matter of seconds.
Listen to your watch, Dr. Marvin.
It's stopped.
It's supposed to be antimagnetic.
We generate a magnetic field stronger
than the gravitational field on Earth.
This is the principle by which
we move through space.
We have adjusted the magnetic field
to compensate...
...for the normal loss of gravitational
effect and atmospheric pressure.
But your watch hasn't stopped.
Feel your pulse.
I haven't any.
Neither have I.
We operate in a very different
time reference.
You might say
all this is happening...
...between the ticks of your watch
or the beats of your heart.
That's why we couldn't decipher
your message till it was too late.
It made it necessary for us
to defend ourselves at Sky Hook.
Then you shot down
our 11 rockets. Why?
At that time, we did not know they
were only primitive observation posts.
We thought they might be weapons
directed against us.
Who are you? Where are you from?
Because of your leadership in
exploring the field of outer space...
...we felt you could
best understand...
...that we are the survivors
of a disintegrated solar system.
At this moment, the remainder
of our fleet is circling your globe.
They're awaiting a signal
to tell them where to land.
What do you want with me?
Arrange for your world leaders
to confer with us...
...in the city of Washington.
They may not listen.
I'm only a scientist.
We will show you how important it is
to convince your leaders.
In an instant of your time,
we travel...
...from beyond your moon
to the surface of your Earth.
There were 300 men on that ship.
Speed, maneuverability and force.
With a weapon like that,
why don't you just land and take over?
To do that would cause
worldwide panic.
Despite our power...
...the few of us would be
busy indefinitely...
...trying to suppress
a large, hostile population.
In the end, we would be masters
of a wrecked and hungry planet.
What makes you think
you'll win without a fight?
We felt it best to meet with you
so fighting could be avoided.
Such agreements have been
made on Earth before.
How do you know so much about us?
We have the means
of accumulating information.
If you wish to convince yourself
about our detailed knowledge, test us.
Any question.
What's the size of the
Armed Forces of the United States?
It is approximately
What team has won
the most World Series?
The New York Yankees.
Who was the first president
of the United States?
Washington.
I know that voice.
-Who are you?
-John Hanley.
My father.
What have you done to him?
You have been addressing General
Hanley's mind, not General Hanley.
Look behind you.
Dad.
He will not recognize you.
He has been subjected...
...to a machine we call
an Infinitely Indexed Memory Bank.
We have transferred all knowledge
from his brain to our machine.
Thus, we have available and readily
accessible his total experience.
We can do this to as many as we like
and learn whatever we must know.
-Stop it, please, stop it.
-Put that gun away.
Don't look at that.
This is the beginning of the process
by which we read the brain...
...for the Infinitely Indexed
Memory Bank.
What have you done with my father?
We will return him to you eventually,
and the police officer too.
Will you arrange
a conference for us?
We'll tell the authorities you want one.
That's all we can do.
You're not going to work
with these monsters?
It may take weeks or months
to set it up.
You will have two of your lunar days,
or 56 days Earth time.
-Let them kill us and be done with it.
-Please, Carol.
If our officials don't believe me,
I can't be held responsible.
When you tell of
the destroyer being sunk...
...refer to latitude
...longitude 45 degrees, 15 minutes.
They will believe you.
Suppose Major Huglin, my wife, myself
were all hysterical or hypnotized...
...that we never saw what the fiends did
to General Hanley or the police officer.
How do you explain the destroyer?
There's word the Atlantic fleet has
lost contact with a vessel...
...but there's no confirmation of
a sinking. We're continuing to check.
You realize your contacting the saucer
violated our instructions.
This itself may have placed
the entire country's safety in jeopardy.
Now that the damage is done,
and assuming your story is verified...
...are you proposing that we meet
with these creatures...
...and yield to their demands?
Why Washington?
If they want to parley with
the whole world, why meet there?
They appear to be realists.
Washington
is a center of political power.
What about our atomic
and hydrogen weapons?
Would they work
against the saucers?
I'd like to answer that question, sir,
if I may.
Our atomic weapons might work,
if we could deliver them.
But using nuclear power when they
land would destroy our own cities.
And then we don't know
whether they're vulnerable or not.
To answer your question, Mr. Cassidy,
I learned a little about their operation...
...and I've got an idea
for a new kind of weapon.
It's only a guess, of course.
A new weapon in less than 56 days?
I have an idea for an ultrasonic gun.
With enough engineering help...
...we could construct a working model
in a very short time.
Maybe it will work.
If not, we'll know soon.
Meanwhile, you'll work on
every other means of defense.
We have no choice but to use
every conceivable weapon if they land.
Gentlemen, please.
"Destroyer Franklin Edison was sunk
at latitude 30 degrees, 20 minutes...
...longitude 45 degrees, 15 minutes
at approximately 0600."
We are expected at the White House
in an hour for a policy decision...
...that will involve not only our
own country but the entire world.
Whatever the decision...
...you'll be given every assistance
in testing your theory.
I suggest you start
to work right away.
Major Huglin will arrange for
whatever facilities you may require.
Thank you.
-Hello.
-Hi.
How's it going?
Instead of turning electric impulses
into ultrahigh-frequency sound...
-...we nearly burned the place up.
-What?
All right, let's try it out
on the cement block.
All the way.
Well, there goes your generator.
-But it worked, Russ, didn't it?
-We know what hit Sky Hook.
-What?
-Sound.
Sound?
Having two small boys, I know noise
doesn't do a man much good...
...but burn him up,
knock his house down?
The sound I want is of a higher wave
frequency than we've ever produced.
Then you mean we've got
the weapon?
No, I'm afraid not.
With the best materials
and circuits available...
...all we've succeeded in doing
is pulverizing a cement block.
The theory is beautiful.
We don't have the tools and materials
to make it work.
Maybe in 10 years, five, even two.
-How many days left?
-Twenty-seven.
Russ, remember that report
from Dr. Patek in New Delhi?
He suggested a different approach.
Instead of attempting to duplicate
the ultrasonic devices of our visitors...
...we try to interrupt
their magnetic field...
...by projecting a highly intermittent
induced electrical field.
-Now, suppose we take--
-Of course!
We cut the ultrasonic wavelength
into the circuit and knock them down.
-Not so fast, Russ--
-It can work. It can work.
-Here, major, get on the phone.
-Yes?
We'll need the largest portable
generator that Schenectady makes.
From all parts of the globe,
under top priority...
...came every facility
and scientific help...
...the world governments
could furnish.
Dr. Marvin and staff assembled
these materials in a concealed lab...
...where they were to translate a short
experience in a craft from space...
...into a formula, then plans...
...and, finally,
a functioning reality.
It's only a hollow steel ball...
...but for our purposes
it's a flying saucer.
You can start up the generator now.
The magnet does that, doesn't it?
The magnetic attraction above
counteracts the pull of gravity below.
Go ahead, it was your idea.
You be the first to try it.
My idea? Nonsense.
It was just as much yours, Dr. Patek's
and a dozen scientists worldwide.
Come on.
-It works.
-It works fine.
Russ, look.
What was it?
The same thing that's watched us
since the start of the project.
-Watched who?
-Russ and the rocket program.
I always thought it was
St. Elmo's Fire.
I'll have to change my mind
about that.
Whatever it was, the saucers sent it
to find out what we're doing.
We have TV.
They may have a different device
that serves the same purpose.
We'd better get to Washington
before they decide to drop in.
Major, help him load that gun
on the generator truck.
Never mind the files, professor.
I'll take the diagrams.
We ought to be in Washington
in about an hour.
I hope they haven't spotted us.
Let's pull away from the lab.
Come on.
If that saucer stays in firing range...
...we may be able to give the gun
its first real test.
Saucer landing near Belmont Lab.
Major Huglin calling
for aerial protection. Over.
They're sending a bomber.
We should go with the diagrams
as quickly as we can.
-I'll get them from Russ.
-I'll go with you.
Fire up the generator.
We're gonna see if this gun works.
-What's the matter?
-I can't get this blasted thing started.
They're looking for us, all right.
Russ, getting you to Washington is
more important than anything else.
Right.
She's right, if this machine works.
If not, it doesn't make any difference.
It works. If we just had
a little more power.
Russ, let's go, please.
Before it's too late.
Keep the gun circling overhead
and the saucer will stay away.
Russ, be careful.
I think it's dead.
It's light as a feather.
Humanoid, and ancient.
These suits serve as an electronic
and mechanical outer skin...
...to take the place of their
atrophied flesh and muscles.
I must get this to a lab.
Don't go out there.
Don't go out there.
Here are Dr. and Mrs. Marvin now.
-We've been waiting for you.
-Thanks.
-This is Dr. Alberts.
-How do you do?
You know General Edmunds,
Admiral Enright.
Certainly.
And Mrs. Marvin
is General Hanley's daughter.
-His death was a great loss to all of us.
-Thank you.
-Well, I see you've been busy.
-We've been doing a little work.
Let me show you. It didn't take
too long to break this thing down.
These helmets have
a language-translating device in them.
Mrs. Marvin, would you say something
into the microphone?
The quality of mercy is not strained
It droppeth as the gentle rain
From heaven
Shakespeare wouldn't like it.
Professor Alberts said if we read
the dictionary into the device...
...we'd have a translation
into their language.
By translating their communications
into our words, we decoded them.
Professor Alberts got the translator
which his university had developed...
...and the results
have been startling.
We've recorded a number
of their messages on tape.
One of the messages appears to be
a plan of attack.
The rest were operational routine.
-I'll show you how it worked.
-Over here.
"We can expect trouble when Mercury
is in perihelion." When will that be?
It happens twice
every three months.
The information is too vague
to be of any use to us.
-And "the sun in con Polaris"?
-That implies an orbital relation...
...between the star Polaris and the sun.
We've never been able to figure it out.
The blanks probably refer
to their time computation.
But these messages do
involve the sun?
Our observatories are
watching it around the clock.
In the meantime,
we have a stronger version...
...of our interference machine
on the drawing boards.
Has there been any determination
of the weapon's useful range?
There's a weakness. Our instruments
indicate the potential effect...
...drops off sharply after 1500 yards.
We'll have to hope
that that's enough.
Well, maybe we'll be ready for them
when they come.
Has anyone tried that helmet on?
Yes, we have.
I think you'd be interested. Try it.
It weighs only a few grams.
-What's it made of?
-We don't know exactly.
Solidified electricity is the fancy name
given to it by the Bureau of Standards.
It resists everything we used on it,
including extreme temperatures.
-It makes me Superman, for one thing.
-Yes, we know.
I have a peculiar range of vision.
I can also hear a young man
just outside that window...
...discussing a problem
in advanced biology.
Carol, would you see if I'm right?
--when I kissed her good night,
she slapped my face. I said:
"I didn't slap yours when
you ordered a $4 steak for dinner."
Just as we need glasses
and hearing aids...
...these people need electronic
amplification of their senses...
...especially sight and hearing.
-Does that suggest anything to you?
-They have their weaknesses.
-When will we be ready?
-We'll need a couple of weeks.
People of Earth, attention.
People of Earth, attention.
This is a voice speaking to you...
...from thousands of miles
beyond your planet.
-This is a voice speaking to you...
-Stop that.
...from thousands of miles
beyond your planet.
Look to your sun for a warning.
Look to your sun for a warning.
Following eruptions on your sun,
there will be eight days and nights...
...of meteorological convulsions....
Turn it down.
They're arrogant enough,
announcing their schedule.
They're coming to take over,
they said that in the saucer.
They can move so fast and strike
so hard, they'll flatten us.
They expect to terrify us
with a display of power.
They're contemptuous
of our defenses.
If I'm right, they'll sail
into Washington in broad daylight...
...and expect us to capitulate
when they land.
People of Earth, attention.
People of Earth, attention.
This is a voice speaking to you...
...from thousands of miles
beyond your planet.
This is a voice speaking to you...
...from thousands of miles
beyond your planet.
Look to your sun for a warning.
Look to your sun for a warning.
It's coming over everywhere.
Following eruptions on your sun...
...there will be eight days and nights
of meteorological convulsions.
Soon thereafter....
They'll panic and immobilize
the whole country.
The whole world.
Let all nations be represented
in Washington to confer with us....
People of Earth, attention.
In every country,
in every language...
...all electronic communication devices
were jammed with the message.
The warning was dinned into
the ears of Earth's population...
...unceasingly for 12 hours.
And after the 12th hour, silence.
Then, a tremendous explosion
on the surface of the sun.
"Nine days."
That must be what
the missing words meant.
I get the picture. Thanks.
If I need any more information,
I'll call you back. Goodbye.
That was the Bureau of Meteorology.
As we know, sunspots have
a direct effect upon our weather.
We can expect heavy storms,
tidal waves, hurricanes.
-When?
-Beginning now, for eight days.
Just when we most need
our communications and transport.
We'll have to work under
the worst conditions to prepare.
What's the schedule, general?
You're installing
the interference units.
Our plans for evacuating the city
are already underway.
Then it's been decided
that we'll fight?
When a threatening power
lands in our capital...
...we don't meet them
with tea and cookies.
The job of production expediting
awaits me.
Further discussion won't
solve our problem.
Before we break up, I remind you
that we have nine days left.
One of those days
is already half gone.
What a nice going-away present.
You might call it that.
Is my bag packed?
Mine too. What time do we leave?
I have to leave right now.
I'm going to Aberdeen
to supervise the interference project.
So that wasn't a hello kiss at all.
It was goodbye.
For a little while.
You're gonna have to leave town.
They're evacuating Washington.
-Where am I going?
-Palm Springs.
Remember the place
I told you about?
-We were going there together.
-I know.
Your plane leaves tonight.
Russ, let me stay. Maybe I can help.
There's nothing more you can do.
Here's your ticket.
You'll arrive before
the bad weather sets in.
And I'll be there soon.
The first of man's
vital communications to suffer...
...were the shipping lanes
and airways.
Then transport by rail and highway
ground to a halt.
When the telephone and telegraph
systems failed...
...and the radio networks had to bear
the burden alone, they succumbed...
...to interference originating from
an increasing disturbance in the sun.
The world,
crippled by these events...
...waited for the first sign
of an invasion from outer space.
Because of the atmospheric violence,
it was not until the ninth day...
...that an evacuation of Washington
could be attempted.
Although the authorities
and the military worked miracles...
...when the 10th day dawned...
...more than 60 percent
of Washington's citizens...
...were still
in the metropolitan area.
-Take these to CIC.
-Yes, sir.
Mrs. Marvin.
Your husband told me
you were in Palm Springs.
The flights were canceled
before I could get away.
Have you heard from Russ?
There's been nothing from Aberdeen.
Wires are down, radio jammed.
But I'm expecting a courier
any minute.
A red alert.
Saucer heading in low
over the Atlantic, coming in fast.
They're breaking through our
defenses. Ground all aircraft.
They'll be overhead any minute.
You better get down to the shelter.
Wait a moment, Mrs. Marvin.
Truck convoys from Aberdeen
are in the city.
-Your husband's is near the Pentagon.
-Thanks.
Mobile unit calling GHQ.
Saucer hit and down in the Potomac.
Keep it in your field
so it can't fire at us.
-Fire at the saucer until it crashes.
-Russ. Russ.
-Carol, I thought you'd gone to--
-GHQ calling all HF units.
GHQ calling all HF units.
Saucer near White House and Capitol.
Attention all units. Saucer
now landing near White House.
-Attention....
-Sounds like they're jamming us.
Dr. Marvin. Dr. Marvin,
we've made contact with GHQ.
GHQ to all HF units. Saucer has
landed in front of Capitol building.
All HF units, attention.
GHQ to all HF units.
Keep firing at saucers.
The present danger is ended.
The present danger is ended.
The present danger is ended.
The present danger is ended.
All units report to your commanders
for further orders.
The present danger is ended.
-Don't wiggle.
-Here's what it says:
"The president has ordered
Project Sky Hook rebuilt...
...and the space exploration
program continued...
...under the direction
of Dr. Russell A. Marvin.
The United Nations assembly voted
to award a gold medal to Dr. Marvin."
And to Mrs. Marvin goes a gold medal
from Dr. Marvin...
...for her love, courage, devotion,
et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Russ, do you think
there are any more?
Will they come back again?
Not on such a nice day.
And not to such a nice world.
-I'm glad it's still here.
-And still ours.