Reading the American Past: Printed Page 242

DOCUMENT 27–4

Civil Defense in the Nuclear Shadow

During the Cold War, Americans lived in the shadow of a possible Soviet nuclear attack on the United States. Civil defense agencies recommended that Americans prepare for nuclear warfare. As the North Dakota survival guide excerpted below suggests, individual citizens needed to be “self-reliant” since an attack would destroy virtually everything at the blast site and would spread dangerous radioactive fallout for many miles. Such plans, which existed in all states, encouraged individual Americans to get ready for nuclear war, bringing Cold War hostility into the daily lives of ordinary citizens.

North Dakota Civil Defense Agency

How You Will Survive, 1960

YES, WE CAN BE ATTACKED

Long range jet bombers are presently in the hands of many nations, friendly and hostile. The intercontinental missile that can be sent almost anywhere in the world is being rapidly developed. Both the jet bombers and the missiles will be able to bring deadly weapons down on the United States. Military planners admit that even the best defense system will not be able to stop all enemy planes or missiles.

The weapon most likely to be used in an all out war is the hydrogen bomb which now has 1000 times the explosive force of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in World War II. The North Dakota Survival Plan [also] anticipates the use of bacteriological and chemical mixtures to further cripple the nation.

HEAT

Since the hydrogen bomb is expected to be the most dangerous weapon, we must know what this bomb can do. Its explosions will generate heat that comes close to that actually on the sun. With an expected temperature of several million degrees Fahrenheit at the point of the blast, the heat will melt metal and destroy all life within the immediate area.

BLAST

The concussion created by the explosion will turn skyscrapers into shambles. Humans or animals caught in the immediate area will die from rupture of lungs and blood vessels due to the sudden changes in pressure.

RADIOACTIVITY

The explosion of a hydrogen bomb will create deadly rays which can pass through flesh and destroy it. The radiation intensity from residual fallout will be so great near the target that people won't be able to live there for days, weeks, months, and possibly years. As the bomb bursts, it will throw radioactive particles into the air where the winds will pick them up and spread them throughout the country. As a result, the effects of hydrogen warfare can reach several hundred miles from the target.

TARGETS

North Dakota is presumed to have four possible targets which the enemy may strike. They are the air force bases at Minot and Grand Forks, Hector Airport in Fargo and the State Capitol in Bismarck.

The largest hydrogen bomb presently anticipated in our plans is equal to 20 million tons of TNT. This would create damage 20 miles from the point of explosion, creating a damage area 40 miles across. Destruction would be absolute at the burst site but would gradually diminish outward. ...

THE PLAN OF DEFENSE

INTERCEPTION

The major portion of the American defense system is military. This includes mobilization of the armed forces for repelling an attack and proceeding to defeat the enemy. We can expect rapid interception of enemy planes but even the best of the military planners concede that some enemy planes are bound to get through.

WARNING

As soon as enemy planes are sighted or enemy action is definite, the national warning point at Colorado Springs, Colorado, will relay the warning to four points in North Dakota. ...

WARNING POINT

As soon as the warning point receives the alert, it will send the alert to the entire State Civil Defense organization through the police radio system. On this system are the highway patrolmen, the state game wardens, all sheriffs and city police departments. The state [warning] points as well as the local points will immediately warn the Civil Defense organizations, the governing official and civilians.

YOU WILL BE ALERTED!

Every city and county will have a warning system to reach the public. ... The system must be finely developed in the four target areas as evacuation or shelter are the only practical defenses against hydrogen weapons. Alert systems are necessary outside of the target areas since radioactivity may endanger lives and the Civil Defense forces must be mobilized to help meet the demands for housing and supplies. In target areas, a steady siren blast will mean evacuate; a wailing sound will mean to take cover. ...

EVACUATION

GOVERNMENT

One of the most critical responsibilities during an attack is the preservation of our government — and law and order. Since we know that destruction of democracy is one of the objectives of communism, we can be assured that they shall seek to destroy our organized society. All officials of government in each target area must evacuate as a group and re-establish themselves at a new site.

CIVIL DEFENSE

Local Civil Defense organizations will have the responsibility of supervising the evacuation of equipment and supplies from the target areas. This will include rescue trucks, fire trucks, radio equipment, foodstuffs, heavy equipment, and a mass of usable items that will be needed for recovery.

CIVILIANS

The people must be prepared to leave the target areas as well as stand by for possible movement out of fallout patterns. Civilians must take all supplies possible so they can maintain themselves until they can be taken care of outside of the target areas.

YOU MUST FOLLOW TRAFFIC

We can expect congested traffic in a full-scale evacuation of the target areas. Everyone must be prepared to follow the emergency traffic rules:

YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED SHELTER

Evacuees coming from the target areas will be cared for in the outlying areas, with Civil Defense organizations in the “support” area being responsible for housing and feeding. In most cases, housing will be in private homes and farms. Evacuees will remain in private dwellings until the alert is over or the economy can be rebuilt.

YOU MUST BE SELF-RELIANT

PROVIDE YOUR OWN TRAVEL

Every family should arrange for its own travel. Vehicles should always be kept in good running condition. The tank should always be half full of gasoline. A reserve supply should be kept in the trunk for emergencies. Every family should make arrangements for travel under all circumstances. In addition to providing its own transportation, families should pick up others who may be stranded.

PROVIDE YOUR OWN NEEDS FOR SEVEN DAYS

In the initial attack, you will be unable to depend on others. So be prepared to survive by yourself for one week.

SHELTER IN TARGET AREA

If you are caught in the target area when the “Take Cover” signal (a wailing signal on the siren) is given, you must get into the deepest possible location. Perhaps the handiest will be your house basement. Shut off all power, gas and water lines leading into your house.

SHELTER YOURSELF FROM FALLOUT

Once in the reception area, your main concern will be radiation from fallout. Fallout is the radioactive particles falling from the sky which can be fatal if you are exposed over [a] period of time. Fallout will be carried by the wind in an oval pattern away from the target. The Civil Defense organization will attempt to constantly monitor the fallout intensity so you can be alerted when it becomes critical.

ROOT CELLARS

In the rural parts of North Dakota, farmers and residents of smaller communities have built root cellars to store foodstuffs and as shelter from tornadoes. Whether constructed of concrete or sod, these root cellars are excellent protection against heavy radioactivity. The ideal covering is two or three feet of sod or concrete. Such a shelter should be equipped for two weeks and should have carefully controlled ventilation.

BASEMENTS AND INTERIORS

If a root cellar is not available, the next best shelter is the home itself, and more particularly the basement, if you have one. An ordinary house without [a] basement probably would cut the radiation in half, if you stay on the first floor near the center of the house. Staying in a house basement will reduce your exposure to about 1/10 the outside exposure rate. If you should elect to build a shelter in a corner of your basement, you may reduce the exposure to 1/500 or more. The State Civil Defense Office ... has plans and specifications for several types of fallout shelters. These plans are designed to aid the homeowner who desires to build his own shelter at a minimum cost and graduate in scale to a more expensive shelter located underground adjacent to the home.

SHELTER SUPPLIES

Whether you evacuate or take shelter in an emergency, one of the basic necessities is an adequate food supply for your family. You should assemble a two-week food supply in your home shelter area, and a three-day evacuation survival kit in your family automobile. ...

SHELTER LIVESTOCK

If you have livestock of any kind, you should get it under cover. A barn or cattleshed will prevent material damage to your animals. If you have no enclosed area for them, even a roof shelter will help prevent the particles from settling on their bodies. You should also get their feed under cover.

CLEANING THE CONTAMINATED

As soon as possible, the people who have been in radioactive areas must wash thoroughly in purified water to wash off any particles that may have fallen on them. Everything exposed should also be washed in clean water, such as clothing, blankets, and household goods. Radioactivity cannot be cleansed but it can be washed away with the particles emitting it.

From North Dakota Civil Defense Agency, The North Dakota Plan: How You Will Survive (Bismarck, ND, 1960).

Questions for Reading and Discussion