In Dr. Strangelove, President Merkin Muffley says that a fight cannot happen in the War Room.
The line comes during a chaotic crisis meeting in the Pentagon’s war room, where U.S. officials debate how to stop a nuclear attack. Muffley’s objection is sharply ironic because the room exists for military strategy, yet the senior officials behave as irrationally as the conflict they are discussing.
The complete quotation is, “Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!” The answer is therefore the room’s formal name, not the Pentagon generally or a modern White House meeting room.
Stanley Kubrick directed Dr. Strangelove, which was released in 1964. The black comedy was adapted from Peter George’s 1958 novel Red Alert. Peter Sellers played multiple roles, including President Muffley.