Dr. Strangelove Scene 15 Summary

  • Cut to the War Room where the Ambassador gives everybody the horrible details about the Doomsday Machine.
  • Apparently, it launches a bunch of nukes at the same time and will shroud the Earth in nuclear awfulness for over 90 years.
  • Doomsday indeed.
  • The terrible thing is that it's set to go off automatically as soon as a nuclear bomb is dropped anywhere in the USSR.
  • There's no way to stop it.
  • The Ambassador claims that some officials fought the creation of the machine, but it was cheaper than trying to keep up with the U.S. in the arms race.
  • The deciding factor was the fact that the U.S. was also thinking about building one, and the Soviets didn't want there to be a "Doomsday Gap."
  • President Muffley says he never approved of the Doomsday Machine, but the Ambassador says they read about it in the New York Times.
  • Confused, the President consults Dr. Strangelove, a sinister-looking wheelchair-bound scientist with dark glasses and one black glove on a prosthetic mechanical arm.
  • Dr. Strangelove constantly smokes cigarettes; he speaks with a heavy German accent.
  • A side conversation between Turgidson and another guy lets us know that this guy who's now head of weapons development for the U.S. is a former Nazi.
  • While struggling with his gloved hand, which seems to have a mind of its own, Strangelove explains all the technical stuff about how the Doomsday Machine would work.
  • At the end of his big technical speech (made hilarious by his general weirdness), Strangelove points out the Soviets defeated the whole purpose of a Doomsday Machine by not telling anybody about it.
  • The whole purpose is for it to be a deterrent.
  • The Ambassador says it was supposed to be a surprise announcement on Monday.
  • After all, the Premier loves surprises.