Released 42 years ago, this cult film has greatly influenced the United States since the 80’s

Organizing forecasts or film presentations is a very old tradition of the White House lessor; Of course, most often in the presence of a movie team. Some predictions have also left memorable memories, not always for the same reasons.

For example, Tony Richardson’s film, Tom Jones, who saw Albert Finn in 1963. This is the latest film that John Fizegeral Kennedy saw in the White House projection before he was killed, soon after, in November 1963. The day that showed Bill Clinton’s family, and the film was quite nervous: the breakdown of the White House in a movie that is a day of the national day and even this SF film, It was taboo.

As a good former actor who became the governor of California before holding the highest position in the state, Ronald Reagan also liked to show films. Among the camp David, the official resort of the United States President, located in Maryland, a hundred kilometers from Washington.

During his vacation in June 1983, he is designing the work published in the same month that John Badham received. Pure science fiction film, genre then very popular: wargames.

This is Cosstary Lawrence Lasker Arrange the projection. Reagan especially liked the story of these hackers, which can hinder the most sophisticated computer security systems. And even the invasion of the Defense Department’s computer system; An invasion, the results of which have much more global proportions … like World War III.

“Neglected, despicable and thoughtless boy”

We have to consider the release date of the film: 1983. We are then in the midst of the Cold War. The same year Reagan received a qualification of the Soviet Union “The Empire of evil”. In the same year, also when the ABC channel was broadcasting next today, a television film that was terribly frightened by an American viewer, which is the results of a devastating nuclear Holocaust on the inhabitants of the small cities of Eastern Kansa.

Five days after the Wargames projection, Reagan was a meeting with the state, defense and treasury, the Chief of the United States and 16 members of the Congress. They were there to consider a new nuclear missile and the prospect of armed negotiations with the Russians. When Reagan started giving a detailed report on the intrigue of Wargames, the assembly stopped stupid.

“It was funny … I was there and I was sorry that Reagan suddenly told us clearly understands them. It enters Norad!” Said a Republican representative chose Wik Fazio.

As a reminder, Noradi is an acronym North American Air Space Defense CommandOr the order of North American Air Space Defense, the mission of which is the North American airspace supervision. This means that his mission is very strategic and crucial.

“The problem is much worse than you can imagine!”

According to a journalist Fred KaplanThe author of the book Bomb: Presidents, Generals and Nuclear War Secret HistoryReagan then returned to General John W. He would let him go: “In their film, the General was portrayed as a neglected, despicable and thoughtless boy.”

Veri Jr. returned to Reagan only a week later to answer, the time in the film script: it was quite possible. “Mr. President, the problem is much worse than you can imagine” The ship said.

It was a good reason for this, considering the disturbing level of the film’s accuracy. For their research, writers interviewed Willie Vera, who wrote an article in 1967 Security and privacy on IT systems, And who has been applying for the Rand Corporation IT Department for years, a reflex group funding the Air Force.

Fifteen months later, after a study by intelligence services to find the opportunity to enhance the United States’s cyber defensive and offensive opportunities, Ronald Reagan signed National Security Directive 145 In September 1984. The first presidential directive on the country’s cyber security.

If it is not possible to establish a direct connection between Wargames and Reagan’s law, the film has influenced another law adopted by Congress in 1984. Fake access device and computer fraud and abuseThis law specifically refers to Wargames, the film defines as “Realistic performance of automatic numbering and access to personal computer” Opportunities “.

It is still not every day when the film removes such a disorder and has such an effect. In his time, the science fiction film that will win today in the documentary, as futuristic and dangerous prospects described by it have now become more possible than ever.