Evening star., 1952-10-11
CD Posts Buzz
With Disaster
In Afraid Test
Northern Virginia
And D. c. Cooperate
In Simulated Attack
By Bernie Goodrich


Civil Defense command posts in
the District area last night were
buzzing with reports of an atom
blast" near the Pentagon, an "in-
cendiary bomb attack" on Falls
Church and enemy parachutists"
landing in Washington.
They were reports on simulated
air raids during command post
exercises for the Civil Defense
organizations of Northern Virginia
and the District.
The exercises were designed to
give the directors Of operational
services an opportunity to make
command decisions as various
situations developed in Arlington
and Fairfax Counties. Alexandria
and Falls Church.
No Role for Public.
The Districts participation was
to determine the efficiency of the
operational and administrative
setup for civil defense, especially
where assistance is needed from
the District. The general public
did not take part in the exercises.
Messages from the Virginia
command stations read like an
Orson Welles mystery.
The first alert was sounded at
7:30 o'clock, after a simulated
report that a large fleet of enemy
bombers had been spotted ap-
preaching the coast and then
tanning out in several directions.
The "red" alert. a series of
short blasts over air raid system
amplifiers lasting three minutes,
rang out when one of the sup
posed groups was reported over
Annapolis, headed for Wash
ington.
Periodic announcements were
made over the city-wide amplify-
ing system by District Civilian
Defense Director John E. Fondahl,
informing citizens that it was
test air raid.
The action really got underway
at 8 o'clock, when the hypothetical
reports announced that Falls
Church had been bombed with
high explosives and a large num-
ber of incendiary bombs.
Calls for Assistance.
The Northern Virginia command
post. headed by w. M. Oates, re- ]
gional director of civil defense,
put out calls for assistance in the
disaster areas. ,
At 8:45. the Virginia organiza- ,
tion reported an atomic air burst
at Glebe road and Shirley High '
way. The dispatch said the bomb"
was believed intended for the Pen $
tagon.
Meanwhile, the District was hav- ,
ing imaginary troubles of its own.
Several buildings wrecked, $500
block of M street NV. People
trapped. Fires beyond control"
That's what one of the fictitious
reports read. !
One hypothetical report from 6
Virginia told of baskets of mice ,
and rats being dropped by para i
chutes. The medical services were
quickly put into operation to de- ,
termine if they were being used :
as meteorological warfare. =
SabOteurs Reported. t
Ficticious saboteurS entered the
picture, when Virginia State
police reported they discovered q
explosives in a barn near Fred G
ericksburg, Va. The message said: !
Have captured several sus-
poets. One confessed that we'll e
organized group of saboteurs =
operating in this area. Head !
quarters believed to be in Arling- II
ton County"
One of the four zone command
posts in the District imagined: F,
"Enemy parachute troops landing :
in vicinity of Eleventh street and
Park road NV" :
The Northern Virginia COM
4AdIIA HOOt AAAd1A4VQ11ACu 4odAO dAlO Z
ground line communication with 9
the District and Pikesville, Md.
Oates Is Pleased. 8
Mr.. Oates said he was very =
pleased with the exercise.
This test so far exceeded the =
last two that they cannot be COM
pared on the same basis" he said.
1T was gratifying to have such
wonderful communications and
cooperation from the District"
Mr.. Fondahl also expressed |,
satisfaction with the exercise. He
told reporters the message center
operation was "far better than it
had been during earlier test runs"