The title character of this movie (played by Peter Sellers) is at least  loosely based on the brilliant mathematician John von Neumann of Princeton  university.  von Neumann was one of the pioneers of early computers (among  other things).  He was also decidedly anti-Soviet Union & many times  advocated the US delivering a first strike against her (at that time, it  was believed that the US could win a nuclear exchange with  "acceptable" losses).
Sellers also plays 2 other parts in the  movie.  One is a British exchange officer who is serving at a US Air Force  Base.  His other part is as the president of the United States.  (It should  be noted that these are about the lone 2 characters who actually show any  sense in this whole movie).  The credits also feature George C. Scott as  a  hell-for-leather general and a very young James Earl Jones as a  bombadeer.
"Dr. Strangelove" is a wonderful, delightful, fun  movie that deals with one of the most horrifying events imaginable;  a mad  Air Force general independently ordering his bombers to strike Russia.  Meanwhile, the politicians and senior military staff muddles around,  worrying about such thing as the calibre of bomb shelters that the US has  vs. the Soviet Union (not realizing the whole time that it makes no  difference who has better bomb shelters - everyone will die, anyway).  A  great film of the end-of-the-world variety!
The title character of this movie (played by Peter Sellers) is at least  loosely based on the brilliant mathematician John von Neumann of Princeton  university. von Neumann was one of the pioneers of early computers (among  other things). He was also decidedly anti-Soviet Union & many times  advocated the US delivering a first strike against her (at that time, it  was believed that the US could win a nuclear exchange with  "acceptable" losses). Sellers also plays 2 other parts in the  movie. One is a British exchange officer who is serving at a US Air Force  Base. His other part is as the president of the United States. (It should  be noted that these are about the lone 2 characters who actually show any  sense in this whole movie). The credits also feature George C. Scott as  a  hell-for-leather general and a very young James Earl Jones as a  bombadeer. "Dr. Strangelove" is a wonderful, delightful, fun  movie that deals with one of the most horrifying events imaginable;  a mad  Air Force general independently ordering his bombers to strike Russia. Meanwhile, the politicians and senior military staff muddles around,  worrying about such thing as the calibre of bomb shelters that the US has  vs. the Soviet Union (not realizing the whole time that it makes no  difference who has better bomb shelters - everyone will die, anyway). A  great film of the end-of-the-world variety!