Evening star., 1953-09-18
70 i. 5. Areas
On A-Bornb
Target List
Washington Included
Among Cities Called
Subject to Attack

Civil Defense officials made
public today a list of 10 areas,
including Washington, consi-
dered critical targets for atomic
attacks.
Disclosure of the danger spots
was in keeping with a new
Federal Civil Defense Admins
tration policy of letting the public
in on more information con-
corning its welfare.
For the first time, cities and
areas denoted critical" will be
able to strive for defense
measures with full public aware
ness OF vulnerability to atomic
bomb devastation.
Also on the critical list are
Baltimore and the Norfolk
Portsmouth Newport News area
of Virginia. both vitally involved
in the Nations shipping and
industry.
Psychological Target Here.
Washington and environs of
Maryland and Virginia were
classified critical for the obvious
reason that the Government,
prime psychological target of an
enemy, is concentrated here.
The critical areas were Sc
lected from a list of 1913 general
target areas. The latter is simply
a compilation of all standard
metropolitan areas" in the
United States and possessions
all areas with cities of $4,000 or
greater populations.
Critical target areas are de-
fined as industrial centers en-
ploying 10000 or more manufac-
turing workers. The one excep-
ton to the rule is Washington.
While unveiling these one
time security-bound areas, Civil
Defense pointed out that other
areas of national and military
significance still are classified,
This would include such items
as the often-hinted underground
Pentagon and other Govern
ment hideoutS, as we'll as closely
guarded atomic bomb stockpile
locations.
Population 67,75O,982
The 70 critical target. areas
embrace total population of
ST, 7,750,982, based on the 1850
census figures, or about A per
cent of the Nations population
at that time. Most of the areas.
of course, are concentrated in
the highly industrialized and
populated East and Midwest.
Although the list was carefully
selected, Civil Defense said it
"did not include all possible tar
I gets for biological or chemical
attack"
"This type of attack could be
employed against any part OF
the country, rural as we'll as
urban," the agency said. There
fore, the resources of the entire
country outside the listed target
areas, as well as within them,
must be modified for civil de-
fense."
The areas listed as critical:
Akron, Ohio; Albany-Schen'
ectady-Troy, N. Y; Allentown
Bethlehem -Easton, N. j. and Pa
Atlanta, Ga; Baltimore, Md
Binghamton, N. Y; Birmingham
Ala; Boston, Mass; Bridgeport
Conn.,; Buffalo, N. Y; Canton
Ohio; Chattanooga, Tenn; Chi
cago, Ill. and Ind; Cincinnati
Ohio and KY; Cleveland, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Tex;
Davenport-Rock 1sland-Moline
Hid and Iowa.
Also Dayton, Ohio; Denver
Colo; Detroit, Mich; Erie. Pa;
Evansville, Ind; Fall River-NeW
Bedford, Mass. and r. l.; Flint
Mich; Fort Wayne, Ind; Fort
Worth, Tex; Grand Rapids
Mich; Hartford, Conn.,; Hous-
! ton, Tex; Indianapolis, Ind;
Kansas City, Kans. and Mo-;
Knoxville, Tenn; Lancaster, Pa;
Los Angeles, Calf.
Other Areas.
Also Louisville, KY. and Ind;
Memphis, Tenn; Milwaukee
Wis; Minneapolis st. Paul
Mimi; New Britain Bristol
Conn.,; New Haven, Conn.,; New
Orleans, La; New York City
New Jersey, N. Y. and N. j.; Nor
folk k-Portsmouth Newport News
Va; Peoria, ILL.,; Philadelphia
Pa. and N. j.; Pittsburgh, Pa;
Portland, Greg. and WASH; Pro-
vidence, r. I. and Mass.
Also Reading, Pa; Rochester
N. Y; st. Louis, Mo-, and ILL.,;
San Diego, Calf; San Francisco
Oakland, Calf; Seattle, WASH:
South Bend, Ind; Springfield
Holyoke, Conn, and Mass; Syra-
cuse, N. Y: Toledo. Ohio; Tren-
ton, N. j.; tica-Rome, N. Y.
Washington, D. c., Md. and Va
Waterbury,. Coma; Wheeling
Steubenville, Ohio and w. Va
Wichita. Kans.; Wilkes-Barre'
Hazleton, Pa: Wilmington, Del.
and N. j.; Worcester, Mass.
York. Pa, and Youngstown, Ohio