US Presidency
1961

Tomorrow, I am requesting of the Congress new funds for the following immediate objectives: to identify and mark space in existing structures -public and private that could be used for fall out shelters in case of attack; to stock those shelters with food, water, first aid kits and other minimum essentials for survival; to increase their capacity; to improve our cooperative warning and fall out detection systems, including a new household warning system which is now under development; and to take other measures that will be effective at an early date to save millions of lives if needed. In the event of an attack, the lives of those families which are not hit in a nuclear blast and fire can still be saved -if they can be warned to take shelter and if that shelter is available. We owe that kind of insurance to our families and to our country. In contrast to our friends in Europe, the need for this kind of protection is new to our shores. But the time to start is now.