Evening star., 1943-01-28
Army toContro|
Raid Defense in
Eastern States
Revised Regulations
To Go Into Effect
In Three Weeks
BY MIRIAM OTTENRERG.


Civilian protection in the Dis.
trict and in Is Eastern State,
from Maine to Florida went un.
der military control today with
the public given three weeks tC
learn an entirely new set of rule.
for blackoutS and air raids.
Drastic revisions in AFRAID regu
lations, to become effective Feb
ruary II, include the following ma.
Jor innovations:
/, The District will blackout OF
the blue" signal. Which will be al
audible warning, steady continu-
Gus blast of two minutes duration
similar to the old "all clear" Civil
ian defense forces will be modified
but pedestrians and traffic will be
allowed to move.
2. The AFRAID devices will sound
intermittent blasts on the red,
formerly the only public warning
but will always be followed by a re-
turn to the blue" signal, which will
be in effect until enemy planes are
at least 300 miles away.
"All Clear" to be Decided.
3, The steady blast on the all
clear" has been eliminated. The
regular AFRAID warning devices can
no longer be used for this purpose
Col. Lemuel Bolles, executive direc-
tor of District civilian defense, said
instructions on the all clear" will
be issued after the commanding
generals of the Military District of
Washington and the Sd Service
Command have had a chance to
confer
4. Periods of blackout and periods
of AFRAID or afraid tests are no
longer of the same duration. The
military can order a blackout at any
time when attack seems probable
and the blue" alarm can be sound
ed without the red" ever being
sounded.
5. Certain radio stations, on Sc
lected frequencies to be announced,
will remain on the air to broadcast
official bulletins during the periods
of the blue" and red" signals un-
der the control of the service COM
mand. Radio stations operating on
frequencies between 5000 and 10000
kilocycles will not be silenced. Sta
tions below 5000 and above 10000
kilocycles will go off the air except
for the specially selected ones and
Army, Navy and emergency stations
on controlled basis.
Concession to Automobiles.
g. The military officially recog-
nizes for the first time that its ap-
proved blackout lighting equipment
for vehicles is not available and al
lows vehicles to proceed on low beam
or depressed headlights. At the
same time, the regulations indicate
that a substitute device may be ac-
cepted.
The regulations, which carry
penalties of exclusion from the
Eastern Defense Command, intern
ment for aliens, fines ranging up to
$4,000 or imprisonment for year,
are to be enforced by State and
local governments.
While the proclamation under
which 1t. Gen. Hugh A. Drum, COM
manding general Of the Eastern
Defense Command, extended mill
tary cntrol to cover AFRAID protec-
ton was being issued simultaneously
in Washington and the 16 States
under his command, ranking
civilian defense officials and mill
tary chiefs of the area attended an
all-day session in New York yester-
Gay.
Two major points were brought
out at the meeting-Why the mill
tarv was assuming control and how
the new regulations worked.
Difference Confusing.
1t. Col. E. r CloSSen told the
officials that air-raid warning sys-
TENS have varied radically even in
adjoining States, that this has ham
pered compliance and confused
travellers who are faced with figuring
out sets of signals and regulations
that differ radically from what they
were accustomed 10.
Hitherto" he said. the COM
manding general with the response
bility for the protection of the en-
tire coast and its inhabitants has
had little or no control over a vita
phase of his defense mission. In 9
military sense, such a situation i
incongrouS for after all, yol
and I know very we'll on whose
shoulders the blame would bt
promptly and vociferously laid wert
2 real emergency to arise within the
Eastern Defense Command anc
were there any failure Of defense
agencies due TO the fact that each
was following its own lndependen
system and was not acquainted with
the system Of its neighbors. Enemy
raiders are no reSpecterS Of STATE
lines"
In the same note. Gen. Drum de.
clared that We don't want another
Pearl Harbor 1t isn't fair TO oW
people 10 take a chance. W.
would be classed as criminals" HI
said he had bene told by his Com.
mander in Chief. the President, t
make the AFRAID protection sys
TEN effective and added simply
we'll obey that order.
More Drastic Moves Indicated.
Indicating that more drastic
measures might become necessary
including the exclusion of alien
from the Eastern Defense Command
Col. M w. Howe told the grouI
that 1t is better that military au
thoritieS assume control now rathe
than in the midst of national ca
tastrophe."
Director James M. Lands of tn
Office Of Civilian Defense, Whicl
worked with the War Department
and the Eastern Defense Commanr
on the regulations pointed out tha
mobilization of civilian dcfenS
forces would be Speedler under tn
audible blue" signal since the cas-
cading telephone mobilization ha
failed to work and. in any case
had been unable TO reach movie
going or visiting WardenS.
The new system, he said, also re
duces the period of time when i
Will be necessary to stay on tn,
red" Instead of continuing on th'
lA,,1y 4,nrn yor,,Ot.