In his post “Almost Everything in ‘Dr. Strangelove’ Was True,” Eric Schlosser describes how closely the events in Stanley Kubrick’s movie mirrored what could have actually happened to America’s nuclear arsenal. Additionally, he writes about the long-secret documents that help explain many of the risks America took with its weapons, and he comments on clips from “Dr. Strangelove.” In this post, he explains clips from a little-seen film about nuclear command and control.

The following clips are from the documentary “Always / Never: The Quest for Nuclear Safety, Control, and Survivability.” Produced by the Sandia National Laboratories in 2010 and directed by Don Curry, the film examines American efforts to prevent nuclear weapons from being stolen, detonated accidentally, or used without proper authorization. It features interviews with prominent weapons designers, academics, and retired Pentagon officials, as well as some memorable archival footage. “Always / Never” was classified as official use only, and was never released to the public.

In this sequence, the plot of “Dr. Strangelove” is described as fanciful but not impossible. It’s used to illustrate the rivalry between civilian officials and military officers seeking to control nuclear weapons:

The origins of permissive action links, mechanisms created to help prevent a rogue general from personally launching a nuclear war, are explained, and their inner workings are revealed through computer animation:

The possibility that an American bomber crew might decide to use their nuclear weapons without permission leads to stricter civilian oversight and new security procedures:

Eric Schlosser is the author of “Command and Control.”