THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTO N

November 17, 1983

MEMORANDUM FOR DAVE GERGEN

FROM: JUDE MUSKETT• ~

SUBJECT: IITHE DAY AF~ "

Per your request of yesterday, attached are some quotes

from persons involved directly and indirectly in the making
of " The Day After" pertaining to its subject matter,
release time, and political impact.

This shall be updated in the days to follow.

 THE DAY AFTER

The film's producers, director, etc. at ABC deny the film is

a political statement. Many find that perception unavoid-
able though, if for no other reason than timing. It airs on
November 20th (postponed from May, 1983) not long before the
first Pershing II missiles are deployed in West Germany and
about the same time widespread demonstrations against the
missiles are expected to be organized in Europe.

Although they deny any politicizing in the film, and the

timing of its broadcast, the fact still remains that
contained in the film are quotes on a radio broadcast of a
Soviet official saying it was " ... the coordinate movement
of the Pershing II launchers that provoked the original
Soviet" action.

The fact remains that on December 2nd, THE DAY AFTER will
open in 30 movie theaters throughout West Germany, just a
few weeks before the scheduled installation of American
missiles on West German soil. Why? The West German film
distributor told 60 Minutes Bradley "By releasing THE DAY
AFTER now, we hope that we can change the minds of people in
our government about the missiles while there's still time."

What follows are some recent comments on the subject matter

of the film, its political impact, its release time, etc.

WRITER, PRODUCERS, DIRECTOR, ABC EXECS, ACTORS

"It's sympathetic with disarmament. I'm alarmed by the

state of· our defense policy, if you will. I think things
are out of control, and I'm scared."

Ed Hurne, THE DAY AFTER's writer

60 MINUTES, November 13, 1983

"Graphically you are showing the core of the argument of

those who are for a nuclear freeze."

Alfred Schneider, Vice President/ABC

(in charge of broadcasting standards)
New York Times, August 3, 1983

"I would not have wanted to make this as a feature film. I

did not want to preach to the converted. I wanted it to
reach the guy who's waiting for 'The Flying Nun' to come
on."
Nicholas Meyer, (Director)
New York Times, November 13, 1983
"We're going after those who haven't formed an opinion. The
most troublesome aspect of the nuclear issue is that people
can't bear to think about it. So we reach a sinister point
where we treat the bombs as acts of faith, as if somehow God
built and controls them. All I want is for the movie to
inspire debate. From debate comes consensus -- a consensus
we will all hopefully have been involved in."

Nicholas Meyer (Director)

NEWSWEEK, November 21, 1983

[Rep. Markey (D-MA) "All other issues combined do not equal

the importance of this issue. I believe the emotional
response (to the movie) will be translated into direct
political action."] "That is not what the producers and ABC
say they had in mind. THE DAY AFTER, 'simply says nuclear
war is horrible,' maintains Brandon Stoddard, President of
ABC Motion Pictures, who launched the project. Adds
director Meyer, 'It's not propaganda at all. It's just an
attempt to match pictures with words we read in the news-
papers: megaton, shock wave, fallout.'"

PEOPLE, November 21, 1983

"I didn't want to make this movie ..• I did this to be a

good citizen: I thought it was a civic responsibility."

Nicholas Meyer (Director)

Washington Post, October 11, 1983

"'We never intended the film to be a political statement,

... THE DAY AFTER does not advocate disarmament, build-
down, buildup, freeze. I didn't want to alienate any
viewers. The movie is like a giant public service announce-
ment, like Smokey the Bear .... ABC's responsibility is to
the film itself. How it is perceived or used by other
people is beyond our control' says Stoddard [President of
ABC Motion Pictures]. That may be, but the freeze
supporters have made a strong head start. Leaked copies of
THE DAY AFTER are being shown at antinuke fund raisers,
while the opposition has been shut out."

TIME, October 24, 1983

"The only cheerful face in the otherwise relentlessly
depressed crowd outside the theater [citizens of Lawrence,
KS who had just seen a final version of the film] was that
of the film's director, Nicholas Meyer. 'This is exactly
the response we wanted,' he said, smiling and pointing a
large cigar at the audience as they moved past him. 'We
wanted a powerful and punishing film.' ABC already knew, he
added pointedly, that it had a controversial one."

Penni Crabtree
National Catholic Reporter
October 29, 1983

"When Nicholas Meyer met Jason Robards on an airplane and

offered him the lead role of a humanistic surgeon, Robards
accepted with elegant simplicity. 'It beats signing
petitions,' he said."

TIME, October 24, 1983

"'The movie wasn't prompted by Stoddard's personal views,

pro or con, on the issue,' ABC's Samuels [ABC Vice President
for TV movies] emphasized. For that matter, he said,
neither he nor anyone elso who works with the ABC executive
even knows what Stoddard's position on the matter is."

Los Angeles Times, November 14, 1983

OTHERS

"Leaked copies of the film have found their way into the
hands of disarmament groups. Indeed, the Wall Street
Journal recently reported that back in May, ABC executives
met with nuclear-freeze leaders to ' sound them out for
suggestions on preparing audiences for THE DAY AFTER.'"

NATIONAL REVIEW, November 11, 1983

"Nor is ABC's motivation for presenting the film quite as

commendably public-spirited as it would have us believe. It
hardly seems a coincidence that the drama will air in
November, one of those crucial "sweep months" during which
audience ratings determine future advertising rates."

NEWSWEEK, October 24, 1983

"ABC has dropped the line [' •.• that it was the coordinated
movement of Pershing II missile launchers that had provoked
the original Soviet .... '] in order not to be accused of
partisan political statements in THE DAY AFTER . ABC cannot
prevent this prescient movie from being politically highly
charged. While people may leave it stunned, they will not
leave it unmoved."

"In a far more dramatic and 'popular' manner, this movie is

to the nuclear arms race wht Rachel Carson's SILENT SPRING
was to environmental issues -- except that nuclear war, as
is clearly etched in our psyches in THE DAY AFTER, is the
ultimate environmental issue."

Arthur Jones
National Catholic Reporter
October, 28, 1983

"'It would appear that someone involved in the production of

the film has decided that it is a tool to help one side of
the argument and has set out attempting to do that,' said
Tony Makris, director of Congressional relations for the
American Security Council."

New York Times, October 6, 1983

'"ABC is doinq a $7 million advertising job for our issue,'

says Janet Michaud, executive director of the Campaign
Against Nuclear War, a disarmament group based in
Washington."

New York Times, October 6, 1983

"In a valid way, this film could be interpreted as a strong
statement in favor of nuclear deterrence ... [B]ut of
course, no one believes that for a minute. The date of the
broadcast, November 20, immediately precedes the scheduled
deployment of the U.S. Pershing missiles in Europe. Peace
groups both here and in Europe have been cranking up for six
months to make a final convulsive effort to prevent that
deployment. THE DAY AFTER,to be shown in prime time, is
simply ABC's contribution to this political effort. ABC is
prepared to make a $7-million contribution to the faltering
Soviet campaign against the deployment of the Pershing II."

NATIONAL REVIEW, October 14, 1983

"Clearly someone associated with the production has a

significantly different perspective than we do, because
somehow the pirated version hasn't been e x posed to people on
our side of the issue. This movie says deterrence has
failed, and that's a political statement."

John Fisher
President/American Secu r ity Council
TIME, October 24, 1983

"' two references are made to Soviet concern over the

deployment of Pershing missiles. One, a fragment of a radio
broadcast, quotes a Soviet official as saying that it was
"the coordinate movement of Pershing II launchers that
provoked the original Soviet' action."' That's ABC's idea
of not politicizing a film."

William Buckley, Jr.

NATIONAL REVIEW, November 11, 1983

"Fisher (President of the American Security Council) says

the ABC executives insisted the film was not a political
statement but that he told them, 'You have said with this
film that deterrence has failed. It's worked a long time,
but you have said it's failed and that's a political
statement.'"

Washington Post, October 11, 1983

White House Administration

"A popular rumor had it that the White House had pressured
ABC executives to delay or dilute the film. ABC spokesmen
Dick Connelly says from New York, "As far as I know, that's
not true . ... White House spokesmen would not respond to
inquiries about the rumor."

Tom Shales
Washington Post, October 11, 1983

"It does not have our blessing. We have not endorsed it

whatsoever." [Jim Holton, a spokesman for FEMA, which
oversees Civil Defense plans)

Stephen Farber
New York Times, November 13, 1983

"I am not saying we welcome the film ... It is powerful and

very graphic, but it leaves unanswered the central question:
How do we prevent this catastrophe from happening? Viewers
could feel that government doesn't care and that it is
cavalier to their needs. It is important that they have
perspective on what has been done and is being done to
reduce the risks . "

Dave Gergen (Director of Communications/

The White House)
New York Times, November 17, 1983

As further evidence of the political nature of the

film , Cranston, Democratic Presidential candidate supporting
the freeze plans to exploit the film -- having already
bought a number of spot commercials to be broadcast during
the movie in selected markets -- to be followed by a
weeklong appeal for funds in a series of radio commercials .
Aides to the California Democrat said yesterday (11-16-83)
that Cranston supporters have organized fund-raising parties
in 136 communities around the country at their homes around
the film . The following Monday , Cranston will address
students at Columbia University on nuclear arms .

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