Operation Blue Jay was the code name for the construction of Thule Air Base, which is now known as Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. It started as a secret project, but was made public in September 1952 through Life Magazine.[1] Blue Jay brought 7,000 construction workers to build the secret cold war base.[2] The project built a three-kilometer long runway to service large B-36 Peacemaker and B-47 Stratojet bombers.[3]
Documentary
edit| Operation Blue Jay | |
|---|---|
Production company | |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Operation Blue Jay is a 1953 American short documentary film about the project.[5] Master Sergeant Lester A. Marks was the sole cinematographer for this film when he worked for the US Signal Corps.[6] It aired on television on the series The Big Picture.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.[7][8]
References
edit- ↑ Nielsen, Kristian H. "Transforming Greenland: Imperial formations in the cold war." New Global Studies 7, no. 2 (2013): 151.
- ↑ Fillmore, James M. "When a Blue Jay Landed at Thule." Aerospace Historian 15, no. 4 (1968): 14.
- ↑ Doel, Ronald E., KRISTINE C. HARPER, and MATTHIAS HEYMANN. "Exploring Greenland." Cold War Science, 198.
- ↑ Anzuoni, Robert (2010). "Signal Corps Produces Academy Award Winners". Army Communicator. Vol. 35, no. 2. p. 75. ISSN 0362-5745.
- ↑ The Big Picture (June 18, 2016). Thule, Greenland Air Base Construction Operation Blue Jay 1953 US Army; The Big Picture TV 227. Retrieved March 30, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Baltimore Sun: Lester A. Marks, 77, war hero, photographer, distance cycler". Baltimore Sun. May 26, 1997. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ↑ "NY Times: Operation Blue Jay". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
- ↑ "The 26th Academy Awards (1954) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). October 4, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
External links
edit- Operation Blue Jay at IMDb
- The short film Big Picture: Operation Blue Jay is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- Operation Blue Jay at the National Archives and Records Administration
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