Minor plot point
Why send Ray Clark to the base in El Paso to confirm the location of the secret base? Why not get a U-2 overflight or some satellite photos?
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MovieChat Forums > Seven Days in May (1964) Discussion > Minor plot point
A U2 isn't needed. A Cessna 182 would have done just as good. The only problem is ... Where was the base? He still had to find it. Going to El Paso was the only way to find it.
shareYou try flying a Cessna over a secret military base. You'd be shot down like skeet.
That's my $0.02 worth.
Hi zorn24601,
You may be right about a Cessna being shot down. In their planned take over plot, the weapons needed to shoot down a plane may have already been in place.
You try flying a Cessna over a secret military base. You'd be shot down like skeet.That's a tough call. Aeronautical charts are well marked with prohibited areas (IIRC, P56 encompasses the White House and the Capitol). This place was soooooo secret. If the President didn't know about it, neither would the FAA. Without being marked on an aeronautical chart, several flyovers (either accidental or intentional) a week would be common. If they were all shot down, somebody's wife would surely raise a red flag eventually.
In reality, nobody could keep a base secret, if it were 40 miles from the nearest town, even then.
Still, it's a great flick. share
Except that White Sands Missile Range isn't too far from El Paso. In fact, the southern end seems around 50 miles away. I doubt that fly-overs would be allowed there.
shareThe President only had a few people he could trust. Even if a U2 flight were a practical way to locate the base, it would been hard to arrange it without General Scott knowing about it.
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You got your mind right, Luke?
The POTUS wanted first hand intel. A military flight would be hard to hide from lots of military brass, and POTUS was not sure who was in on the coup. Plus, a flight would probably be blown out of the sky.
share