and the name is fall out radioactive fallout a large scale nuclear attack on the united states could produce a patchwork pattern of fallout covering two thirds of the nation more than two million square miles in a single day in this two million square miles more than one hundred million people living well beyond the destructive range of blast and eight could be subjected to dangerous or deadly amounts of radiation from fallout carried upwards fifteen miles or more and by the mushroom cloud spread laterally by shifting winds at all altitudes fallout from a single thermonuclear blast could severely contaminate a sixty mile strip downwind from ground zero twelve hundred square miles within an hour of explosion four thousand square miles in six hours all of us even in small town  live within fall out range of a likely target furthermore since these targets are often only a few hundred miles apart fall out patterns can overlap intensifying the danger how do we know all this from practical nuclear test in the pacific and one hundred fifty four produced a highly contaminated area twenty my miles upwind and two hundred twenty miles downwind with a variable with up to forty miles large enough to reach from washington d c to new york city along the densely populated eastern seaboard in the seven thousand square mile area there would be enough radioactivity to threaten seriously the lives of all who failed to take shelter before a fall out arrive let's look at it in another way let's assume that industrial st louis was hit by a weapon with the explosive equivalent of millions of tons of t depending on when fall out could extend forty miles in the southwest illinois in an hour to terre haute indiana one hundred fifty miles to the east in seven hours and to wheeling west virginia another three hundred twenty five miles within twenty four hours total draft more than five hundred miles civil defense test that brought the problem into sharp focus and one exercise an imaginary four to five hundred bombers severely damaged this country's key industr the facts from the fallout pose a more serious threat to the nation's survival than did the devastating but more localized effect of blast and heat let's examine some of the problems although most sources of water are located well outside of big cities the wide drift of fallout could cause serious contamination of our surface water supply fallout from a nuclear attack could gravely affect the nation's agriculture food supplies in fields or in open storage could become dangerous lake and emanated possibly they could be recovered for later use but what about future harvest they too could be dangerous if grown in seriously contaminated soil cattle horses and sheep might have to be kept out of plaster for a long time in short fallout from nuclear attack would threaten us with thirst and famine as well as with sickness and death from direct radiation that is why our survival as a nation can depend on how well we've prepared to defend ourselves against radioactive fallout and there is a defense against fallout if for example our radiological defense programs let's take a look at the basis of the problem human being is exposed to perhaps a dozen rent this exposure comes from natural radioactive elements in the earth and cosmic rays from outer space the human body withstand continued exposure to small radiation doses it is when the rate of delivery is high or the total those in a short period is larne that recovery cannot be made with  exposure of the whole body in a short time to six hundred or more rankin's of radiation well almost certainly the fa people receiving two hundred rent control more in a short period of time well get radiation sickness those receiving six hundred or more in a short period of time will die for your protection shelter is the answer since highly dangerous doses can be produced by fallout radiation this is what happens about eighty five percent of a nuclear weapons energy result in life heat and bl but fifteen percent of the released energy is radiation this is of two times the first initial radiation is emitted from the fireball shortly after that the nation sent for large weapons it generally does not spread beyond the blast area when countless billions of atoms in a large megaton weapon are blasted a by hundreds of pounds of highly radioactive material are produce when such a bomb burst at or near the ground tens of thousands of tons of earth and debris are carried as high as fifteen miles and the mushroom cloud this tremendous cloud becomes a floating carrier which drops tiny radioactive particles back to earth where these particles land depends on a combination of three factors one their shape and size even the largest may be no bigger than a single grain of sand to the height to which the radioactive cloud rises and rain the direction and speed of winds at various altitudes all out deposit resulting from the combined effect of these conditions is generally divided into three close in fall out usually settles within a few hundred miles of the burst and reaches the ground within ten to twenty hours that is made up of the heavier particles in the cl intermediate fallout descends within a few weeks of the definition since the particles are small there remain in the air for weeks covering many thousands of square miles sometimes they are driven to work by rain or snow delayed fallout is composed of very small particles that may drift completely around the earth several times and may not descend for months or years radiological defense personnel personnel for short are primarily concerned with close in fallout and you can see close in all out as our real problem in radiological defense and the problem becomes even more complicated because the speed range and direction of fallout depend upon ever changing wind and weather conditions large particles fall fast and land relatively near ground zero smaller particles fall slowly land further away wins which vary it all out of  affect the pattern of these deposits with wednesday able at different altitudes the spread of fall out will result in the effects of all wins acting upon it for this reason radiological defense obtuse cannot use surface wind direction alone as a basis for forecasting fall on radioactive materials decay with time you might say they cool down after all thought is down and radiation has been measured knowledge of decay rates permit estimates of how hot it will be days and weeks later with this information civil defense can estimate when it will be safe to evacuate or to leave shelters remember this rule of thumb there is a ten fold decrease in radiation rate for every seven fold increase in time after detonation for example a level of one thousand are for are at one are after the explosion would be reduced to one hundred are per our seven hours following the explosion at seven times seven hours or in two days the level would be down to ten our parar at seven times forty nine hours or at the end of two weeks the level would be reduced to only one our parar but remember until dk reduces radiation to tarball levels there are only two safeguards against a distance which is shelter underground shelters covered by at least three feet of earth or basement shoulders of the types recommended by civil defense will give substantial protection this is why we believe that most people who as serious as fallout is that we can cope with it so action as individuals and so ineffective radiological defense program an active program carried on by federal state and local government at the federal level representatives of many agencies meet regularly to perfect methods of collecting and analyzing fallout information and to find the best means of advising our state and communities about fall out conditions after a nuclear attack an important part of the radiological defense program is a series of monitoring networks stretching across the country a combined system of federal state and local stations thousands in all which will gather information on on the basis of this information transmitted by top priority communications of every type from coast to coast early effective action for our protection would begin at state and local level in some cases evacuation in most cases the federal monitoring network at weather bureau stations federal aviation agency cites department of defense air weather service units and other government organizations operates on around the clock  at every level of government radiological defense units are being equipped and trained to act fall out forecasts issued several times daily by weather bureau stations will be useful in estimating local fall out areas if we are attacked certain stations gather weather information that is process to give an estimate of the areas in the that over a vast teletype network to civil defense and other offices throughout the nation a coded information is charted on maps that show sections threatened by follow up lines on a map showing where and when the fall out  likely to arrive at all civil defense regional offices radiological defense personnel help state radar staff in their region regional officers arrange for the distribution of training kit supervise the contribution of federal funds to state grade of work set up rate of training in their region and coordinate rate of activities of all federal agencies in the region attack the original raid of staff will collect analyze and evaluate all fall out information received from the states and will coordinate the flow of information to and from federal and state control point the state right of people will use both ground an aerial monitoring unit to make broad statewide survey cairo highway systems and key transportation routes major industrial and supply side as well as urban and rural areas will be checked as rapidly as personnel safety f the state rate f unit also maintains working maps it plots and correlates data analyzes reports by transmitting it summaries it links regional and local office but it is at the local government level that radiological defense will be on an immediate down to w for perfect and test detailed plans for operation keep all equipment in readiness condition train and rehearse operating crews so they too will be ready monitors will report to their stations the public will be advised to take shelter after attack first reports of radiation measurements will come from sheltered monitoring stations as soon as radiation levels permit police firemen i weigh maintenance man conservation officers everyone trained to use survey meters will begin the vital work of getting detailed data to control cent from this information current situation reports will be prepared using these reports rate of officers going to answer questions raised by local authorities can the short survival missions be undertaken but roads are safe our feet livestock and crops contaminated when kind emergency teams begin decontaminating and reclaiming property when will radiation die down enough to make it safe for people to leave shelters for brief periods and for utilities to be put back into service will of whole communities can depend on the accuracy of answers given to these questions local radar plans also cover places where people work employers must shoulder their responsibility by providing fallout shelters for workers at work and at home everyone must understand the hazards of fall out and the value of shelter every family must provide for its own survival or at least two weeks since radiation levels outside would often be deadly fallout shelters will protect the most people the underground and indoor basement shelters recommended by civil defense can be very effective they must be stocked with a two week supply of food and water first aid supplies flashlights and a battery radio with conrad frequencies six forty and twelve forty clearly marked on the dial should be included factories offices apartment houses and schools all must provide shelter remember too that personal decontamination is important for large particles can be brushed from clothing and washed from skin but it takes action to fulfill this program radio logical defense training is being expended first priority is train more instructors at three national centers in classrooms and calibration ranges learning theory and practice more than two thousand adult students each year are taking basic our advanced course will qualify them to instruct classes back home a total of six hundred thousand monitors must be trained to make radiological defense if active in every community to support this program radiation survey meters are being distributed widely these instruments which measure radiation levels in terms of rankin's or miller and can spare our other backbone a radiological defense in addition to survey meters dosimeters instruments which measure total doses of radiation are being distributed to the states and federal agencies radiological event instrument kits for use in science classes are being distributed to fifteen thousand high schools throughout the nation with the aid of this equipment our young acquire a better understanding of radiation and will be better prepared to contribute to the nation's ra improved radiation measuring instruments and multiple purpose computers are being designed built and tested and intensive public education programs that tell the american people about radioactive fallout shelter is under way for it is an informed public that will mean the difference between success and failure in meeting this threat informed people in homes and factories and offices must know their personal responsibilities for shelter and protection informed officials at all levels of government from washington d c to the smallest town council must understand the radar program and help make it work if the people of the nation are to survive our efforts now to build a workable radiological defense will pay off richly by helping to the terror aggression and by saving countless lives if nuclear attack should come