The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-12-14
Civil Defense
Department Asked
Equal To Army

| Washington LPA) - Because
civilians are not going to be able to
sidestep the next war the Ameri-
can Municipal Association conven-
tion here has demanded creation of
a Civilian Defense Department
With the same powers as the Army,
Navy and Air Force.
The group. composed Of mayors
and officials from 600 cities, said
the department should be headed
by "civilian secretary of civil de-
fense." Highly critical of the part
the Federal Government has taken
in civil defense, the association said
primary responsibility for defense
rested with the US and urged a
program be speedily put into oper-
alton.
Such program was suggested
to the Senate-House Atomic En-
ergy Committee by James J. Wads-
worth, acting director of the newly
created Civil Defense Administra-
tiOn. President Truman has asked
Congress to create a CDA and in
the meantime put it on a tempor-
ary basis with former Gov. Millard
F. Caldwell as its head.
The Wadsworth program calls
for expenditure Of $3,100,000, 900
by Federal, state and local govern
ments during the next three years.
The US would contribute $1,670,-
900, ,000-or "a percent-and COM
bined expenditures for air raid
shelters would eat up $2,250, ,000,-
900.
These expenditures are listed in
addition to the shelters: Freight
ling, communications, engineering
and transportation - $200,000,000;
local personnel and administrative
cost, $20O,OOO,000; regional stock
piling Of medical and vital mater
ials, $400,000,000; control centers
and afraid warning systems,
$32,OO0,0O0.
Wadsworth warned: when it
comes to civil defense there can be
no take-to-the-hills attitude. Our
cities must be manned and fought
as our ships are manned and fought
by the navy as long as they
have decks under them"
Chairman w. Stuart Symington
of the National Security Resources
Board echoed Wadsworth. "We can
not afford to make a good show
ing only in the first round or two,"
he said. "We must be in condition
to follow through to the final bell
and win"
Rep. Carl Vinson Cd, Ga.) chair
man of the House Armed Services
Committee, opposed the Wadsworth
proposals on the ground that the
Civil Defense Administrator would
be "an absolute dictator with power
to take over all the realty in the
US"
"They might even come down to
Georgia and take over my little old
mule land" he said.
Murray S. Levine, New York at
torney who helped recruit workers
for the atomic bomb project, said
that the recruitment Of civil de-
fense workers should be put under
selective service.
One solution of the tremendous
costs involved in the new way of
life we are facing in the age of the
atom bomb was suggested to the
ANA and the government by
Mayor DeLesseps S. Morrison of
New Orleans. He wants a S3,000,-
600 RFC loan to build a combina-
tion garage and air raid shelter.
Terming it a temporary city hall',
Morrison said it would be a three
story building capable of holding
1900 automobiles or "a 900 persons
in case of attack.
Democratic leaders in both
Houses have labelled legislation
for the new setup "war emergency"
and hope to get it through before
the end of the year, but admit that
they face heavy opposition from
reactionary blocS.