Plot Synopsis

ATOMIC AGE DECLASSIFIED is a three-part documentary series that takes viewers back to the Atomic Age of the mid-20th century, a time when there was excitement about the potential of nuclear planes, trains and automobiles and private programs were on a mission to identify the endless possibilities of atoms as an energy source. But recently declassified materials show that our atomic dreams had a dark side, with paranoia and secrecy leading to many near-disasters and raising the question, "How far was America willing to go?" in the volatile atomic race.

In the premiere episode, "Born with the Bomb," the flash of the first atomic blasts exposes a multi-billion dollar clandestine operation: the Manhattan Project. A modern state secrecy apparatus emerged directly out of Los Alamos, only to find itself immediately compromised as the Soviet Union announces its own atomic arsenal. Was Ethel Rosenberg, who was executed for spying for the Soviets, framed by her own brother? Who conspired to bring down Robert Oppenheimer, father of the bomb? Suspicion will come to define the Atomic Age and justify some of its darkest moments: radiation testing on unsuspecting civilians, an 800-page American World War III battle plan that targeted 600 million civilians and the Cuban Missile Crisis, when what both sides didn't know almost killed everyone.
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On Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT, Smithsonian Channel premiered the series finale of ATOMIC AGE DECLASSIFIED. The season ender, "Filming the Bomb," tells the story of how the U.S. military produced top-secret films with Hollywood, using its state-of-the-art studios, equipment, and even talent, including Walt Disney and Marilyn Monroe. Recently declassified, never-before-broadcast footage reveals how the films were used to train soldiers and aid scientific research.