Evening star., 1950-09-19
Truman TO Act Quickly
In Setting Up Agency
For Civilian Defense

IIW NIVllIQu UClCilSC
Civil defense legislation re-
quested by President Truman ap-
pears certain of prompt attention
when Congress returns in the fall
or early next year.
The blueprint for putting the
Nation into state of readiness on
the home front reached Congress
yesterday and legislation to put a
Federal program into effect was
promptly introduced.
Although Representative Dur
ham, Democrat, of North Carolina
who introduced the bill, said he
did not expect action on it until
Congress returns, plans for civil
defense were expected to move
ahead on these fronts:
l. President Truman expects to
set up a temporary Civil Defense
Administration in the next week
or two, financed by his emergency
funds. The new agency presum-
ably will be stated at the outset
with the rs employees of the civil
defense Office in the National Sc
curity Resources Board. Spokes-
men for this Office said they
could start issuing what to do
manuals and operating some
training courses.
Blueprint for Local Action.
2. Cities and States, called or
in the national plan to shoulder
the prime responsibility for theil
own protection, are expected tt
regard the newly-published Ma
tional civil defense plan as the
green light for their own plan.
ming. Early reaction to the Ma
tional blueprint" was that il
provided the framework fol
down-to-earth planning within
the States.
In the District Assistant Engi-
neer Commissioner Thomas j
Hayes III said the planning here
has passed the stage for which the
blueprint" document was intend
ed because Washington has worked
closely with NSRB from the out
set. But Col. Hayes predicted
that by following the national
plan and altering it to fit local
situations cities can come up with
satisfactory solutions to their civil
defense problems.
The NSRB plan, Col. Haye.
added, also will be valuable here ir
developing the dozen or more diff.
ferent services which will be pri-
marily stated by volunteers
These range from the warder
service and its fire guard to the
health and medical services with
their complicated setup for de-
tecting radiation and chemical ano
biological contamination.
Virginia Promises Action.
In Virginia, Gov. Battle sale
his State now will do Everything
| it possibly can" to complete it,
civil defense setup as quickly as
possible. The Governor said the
Federal plan apparently gives the
high sign for Virginia to go ahead
The legislation sought by Presi-
dent Truman to give variety o1
Federal aids to the States woule
set up a permanent Civil Defense
Administration to coordinate
State civil defense operations.
The bill introduced by Mr. Dur.
ham, vice chairman of the SEN
ate-House Atomic Energy Com
mittee, was sent to the House
Armed Services Committee.
On the Senate side. Vice Presi-
dent Barkley temporarily with
held sending the legislation to
committee because of a past dis
pute between the Armed Services
Committee and the Atomic En-
ergy Committee over which should
handle civil defense matters.
Hearings Held in Spring.
The Atomic Energy Committee,
headed by Senator Mcmahon
Democrat of Connecticut, held
civil defense hearings last spring
to check on the state of the ma
tion's civil defense preparedness.
Senator Kefauver, Democrat, oil
Tennessee, chairman of an Armed
Services Subcommittee on Civi
Defense, said if the bill is re.
ferred to his group hearings prob
ably would start during the recess
''to get ready for action as soor
as possible"
Senator Hunt, Democrat, o1
Wyoming predicted action on civi
defense legislation will be one o1
the first things Congress consider!
when it returns. He is chairman
of another Armed Services Sub.
committee which last spring looked
into the need of drafting standby
measures for immediate enact.
ment in case of war.
Barrett Seeks Volunteers.
In the Districts civil defensl
planning, there were these devel
opments:
Police Chief Robert j. Barrett
launching the new police reserve
corps, appealed to District resi-
dents to start enrolling in theil
home precincts. He announced
he is now seeking means to equir
members of the corps and to ge
"the necessary authority regard
ing the granting of police powe,
to the members of the units wher
they have been organized ans
trained" ...
Col. Hayes. meeting with tn,
National Defense Transportation
Association, urged it's members tt
work out a transportation plar
using all forms of equipment ca