# The war room from Dr. Strangelove **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663 "2012-05-21T23:02:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/1 "2012-05-21T23:02:34Z")
Any real world basis for that [highly distinctive](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R39zTL12s7s) design? It keeps popping up in disaster movies and parodies (like The Simpsons) again and again. Specifically the round table under the huge ring of lights paired with “the big board.” ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/2 "2012-05-21T23:34:59Z")
It resembles a futuristic version of Churchill’s WW2 War room. Or the Fighter Command war room, same country, same war. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/3 "2012-05-21T23:39:17Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Any real world basis for that [highly distinctive](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R39zTL12s7s) design? It keeps popping up in disaster movies and parodies (like The Simpsons) again and again. Specifically the round table under the huge ring of lights paired with “the big board.” Not to mention **Watchmen** ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/4 "2012-05-22T00:38:00Z")
Apparently, [kindasorta.](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_the_pentagon_have_a_war_room) > [@](#): > > . . . It’s called the National Military Command Center. It is a very large facility located in the basement of the Pentagon. This facility is enormous, so large as a matter of fact, that it extends under one of the parking lots at the Pentagon. There are Three or Four Main Rooms the size of football fields. It is staffed by over 300 full time military and civilian personell 24 hours a day. It is maintained by the Air Force. In the main rooms you’ll find several large workspaces, command and controll centers, Giant maps displaying troop strengths, and very sophisticated communications equipment. So it’s not just one room, it’s 3 or 4 large rooms surounded by numerous offices and conference facilities. It is similar to the Situation Room or Emergency Opperation’s Center in the WhiteHouse, only on a much grander scale. This facility was built in the 1950’s or 60’s to deal with a potential nuclear attack from the soviet union. Now, it serves a far greater purpose . It can be activated in any type of National Emergency, and is closely tied in with the Homeland Security apparatus. It was used as and emergency opperations center on 9/11. It’s so deep below ground that it was not effected by the attack on the Pentagon at the time. Secretary Rumsfeld was down there for awhile that day. I found out that the Secrectary of Defense has a direct-access elevator to this facility in his office on the third floor and it’s disguised as a closet. I assume that the President, Vice President, Secretary of Homeland Security, and other key official’s could access this facility as well. It is a crucial “Continuity Of Government” facility. You can see pictures of it, if you go to [globalsecurity.com](http://globalsecurity.com) or type in " National Military Command Center" as a search engine in your computer. ---
**Author:** ![Rampant\_Coypu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/439d5e/32.png) [@Rampant\_Coypu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rampant_Coypu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/5 "2012-05-22T08:00:23Z")
The design was copied from casino tables. They even covered the giant table with green felt so it would look like a casino table in black and white. The 30th anniversary DVD edition has documentaries and interviews as extras. Upon Reagan’s first visit to the Pentagon he asked “Where’s the Big Board?” No one understood him. He said, “The War Room, like in Dr Strangelove.” Very good interview with the art director who designed the rough draft of the opening credits. He totally wanted it to look like copulating insects, just like we all thought it did. Interesting is that he did the credits in grease pencil on glass with the stock footage running behind it. Kubrick loved it and never corrected the typos. Good interviews with James Earl Jones and others too. Includes stills from the pie fight scene that was cut from the ending. weren’t you always wondering why that cart full of pies appeared near the end? Also includes a few cut scenes where they tried to make President Muffley into an idiot before they they decided it was better if he was cool and calculating. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/6 "2012-05-22T13:37:11Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Not to mention **Watchmen** And _Monsters vs. Aliens_ and _Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home_ (for Starfleet Command). The SAC/NORAD War Room from _War Games_ is pretty cool, too (and see an earlier incarnation in _Fail-Safe_). ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/7 "2012-05-22T13:38:01Z")
“Gentlemen! You can’t fight in here! This is the _War Room!_” ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/8 "2012-05-22T14:59:19Z")
The last place I worked (I was DoD) had an operations center that was nicknamed the War Room. It was a large square room, but arranged in concentric “rings.” In the center was a round “cubicle” where the watch boss and assistant sat - these were the folks in charge for exercises and real-world situations. Surrounding them on their level were a dozen or so positions where the senior analysts, researchers, and certain military folks sat - it was like the next tier of management. Raised above them was the ring of analysts, intel folks, IT support, and some other stuff I can’t recall. Around the outside perimeter of the room were lots of screens, including one really big one used for all briefings. There was also an inner ring of screens suspended from the ceiling above the second ring of work positions. The folks in the very center could control what was on every screen. During exercises on the midnight shift, sometimes we watched TV or DVDs if we were waiting for assignments. One night, the watch captain brought in a manual ice cream maker, and we all took our turns cranking on it! Of course, during real-world operations, there were no movies or ice cream - we’d work our collective asses off during our shifts, go home for a quick sleep, then head back… I really miss that. Oddly enough, the big mucky-mucks in the command didn’t have seats in the War Room - they’d come down to check in on us, but they had nothing to do with the grunt work. Mostly they’d show up for the morning briefing, then leave. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/9 "2012-05-22T15:11:49Z")
Semi-related: When I joined SDMB, I did briefly consider the user name “Brass Hat.” ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-room-from-dr-strangelove/622663/10 "2012-05-22T15:15:41Z")
The war room design came from [Ken Adam](http://www.socialstereotype.com/_/Features/Entries/2008/9/22_KEN_ADAM.html). He’s also most famous as the production designer for some of the James Bond movies. Kubrick actually asked him to work on Strangelove after seeing Dr. No.