At MIT's Mid-Century Convocation held in 1949—described as "an intellectual festival of monumental proportions"—Sir Winston Churchill gave a rousing keynote address titled Mid-Century Convocation on the Social Implications of Scientific Progress. The speech was considered one of his most renowned speeches on the emerging Cold War. The convocation was held at the Boston Garden with an estimated audience of 13,000. The film opens with Karl T. Compton (outgoing MIT President) and Bernard M. Baruch (former US presidential adviser), who introduces Churchill.