The Schizophrenia of Working For War

This film portrays the dilemma of engineers who, although opposed to the war in Vietnam, were weapon-makers, employed at some of the most prestigious California institutions, specializing in war-materials production. The film presents their stories. The men play themselves. The analysis distinguishes three types of response to the dilemma: the rationalizer, the drop-out and the organizer. The rationalizer: "we don't make killing weapons; we make protective devices for the planes, to confuse the enemy radar. We don't kill people so to speak, our instruments are designed to save the lives of pilots ...." The drop-out actually decides to quit his job .... The third person, the organizer, opposes the war openly .... He is subsequently fired, but later becomes one of the prime organizers of the Technology and Society Committee (TASC), a California non-profit organization which helped defense engineers to shift to peace-oriented employment. This film is not just about weaponmakers. It is about the dilemma of anyone who finds himself opposed to the system he lives in and works for.