- In the huge War Room, President Merkin Muffley sits with lots of important looking guys around a giant circular table.
- The "big board," a giant glowing map, shows little dots representing the planes that are flying toward the Soviet Union.
- President Muffley is none too happy as he questions General Turgidson about what the heck is going on.
- Turgidson gives Muffley a rundown of the situation:
- Seems like Ripper acted on his own.
- Seems like Ripper might've lost his mind as evidenced by the mention of bodily fluids in a phone call.
- And the president himself approved legislation that would allow a general to initiate nuclear war, though it was intended to be used only if the president has been killed.
- Pres. Muffley is furious and basically tells Turgidson to shut up.
- Turgidson gets a random phone call from his bikini-babe.
- He assures her that he respects her as a person and their relationship isn't just physical.
- Uh-huh.
- He's gotta hang up, though, honey, since there's like...a nuclear war about to happen.
- Muffley orders the army to invade Ripper's base and put him on the phone.
- Turgidson points out that the base will fight back, but another General says not to worry because his boys will brush Turgidson's air force soldiers aside without much effort.
- Bucky has some more helpful suggestions.
- He points out that the Soviets are going to know very soon that a fleet of bombers is heading toward their country.
- Turgidson advises that the best thing to do would be to launch an all-out nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, incinerating the whole place before they have a chance to retaliate.
- "I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed," he says. "But I do say no more than 10 to 20 million killed. Tops!"
- Oh, okay then.
- The Prez refuses to be a mass murderer like Hitler.
- An aide tells Muffley that the Russian ambassador is on his way down to the War Room.
- Turgidson is super upset that a Russian is coming there.
- "He'll see the big board!" warns the General.
- But that's just the sort of thing Muffley has in mind.
- The president orders an aide to get Premier Kissov, the Soviet leader, on the phone.