A well-curated catalog of nuclear test footage, military training films, sanitized media coverage and general nationalistic propaganda from the dawn of the atomic age, offered without commentary. Which isn’t to say it lacks an agenda. Set to the tune of musical obscurities like “Atomic Love,” “When They Drop the Atomic Bomb” and “Jesus Hits Like an Atom Bomb,” _The Atomic Cafe_ overwhelms us with evidence that, not only was the establishment lying through its teeth, but the public was lapping it up like a thirsty pet. Were we ever really that gullible? Or did we just choose to accept those happy lies in lieu of a terrifying truth? Given the striking amount of religious assurances in these state-approved missives, the men in charge knew exactly which buttons they were pressing. God is demonstrably on our side here, folks, and if you ask too many questions, you risk exile in the afterlife.

Now, some eighty years after the first bomb hit Hiroshima, we all know far more about the dangers of nuclear warfare and, as a result, these simple doses of bald misinformation play like dark comedy. The model family who dives for the safety of their picnic blanket after spotting a nearby detonation. The troops who gleefully lift their heads from their test range foxholes, only to catch a mouthful of radiation as the ensuing shockwave slaps them head-on. I was amused, but also increasingly incredulous. It’s insane to imagine our society once operated like this, but not half as insane as pretending our superiors have actually stopped the practice. Yikes.