Need help for the 27th Day........PLEEZZEE

I think the film had some latitude for interpretation, but as I understand
it, each of the 3 capsules had "instructions" on them in the form of
mathematical formulas. A complete set of 3 was needed to "solve" the
message, and the message was that the destructive power could be used
selectively, essentially to wipe out the "bad" elements of humanity, sort of
an evolutionary device. I think using the capsules selectively was the
only "right" answer to the "test", which allowed humanity to join the rest
of the civilized planets (did he say 30,000 other civilized worlds?). I think
the whole statement by the alien about the impeding doom for his world
wasn't true, just part of the test scenario. Had the 5 either destroyed
their world or just tossed the capsules into the sea, then we wouldn't have
been ready yet to advance to join the other civilizations in the galaxy.

.............The impression I got was that the aliens, who were really tasting mankind's ethics and didn't really need or want to take over earth, had figured that someone would test the capsules on someone to see if they worked so they made certain death would be instantaneous. If they were judging the ethics of others that would mean they, along with the thousands of civilizations they represented, had ethics of their own. It's quite possible if the people the aliens had given the capsules to, had tried to use them militarily they may not have worked. Mankind would have simply failed the test and would remain isolated. Remember at the end the "enemies of freedom" were killed" an electronic wave of some kind. the Capsules, used by the scientist, was a signal to the aliens..............Obviously they didn't wipe out Russia, but killed off the leadership. The guard who was given the capsule and the KGB or, whatever they were, tried to tourcher into using it wasn't evil. It significant that the leaders were going to use the capsules on North America even after the United States met their demand to pull out of Europe. At the end the guard wouldn't do it and the Premiere (?) was killed by the sound wave (?)while trying to use the capsules............Of course this was a movie of its time; the height of the cold war. I remember reading a book on science fiction, whose name escapes me, back in high school that had a chapter on this movie. The author noted it was a surprise to no one that no non communist leaders were mentioned at the end.
True genius is a beautiful thing, but ignorance is ugly to the bone.