Watch The Big Picture - Operation Readiness

Experience the American Journey through our country's visual heritage in this historical recording provided by the National Archives of the United States. From the U.S. Army's THE BIG PICTURE television series, 1950-1975. As the Berlin crisis reached a climax during the summer of 1961, President Kennedy, in a televised address to the nation, explained the significance of the situation in that divided city.

This week's issue of the THE BIG PICTURE is a graphic portrayal of the steps this nation is taking to bring our armed forces to an advanced stage of readiness.

This historical recording from the National Archives may contain variations in audio and video quality based on the limitations of the original source material.

The content summary for this video is adapted from an historical description provided by the government agency or donor at the time of production release.