Evening star., 1953-03-29
Detroit:

happen here"
Detroit:
By Clint Wilkinson
Detroit Free Press Reporter
From noon until 1905 pm. each
Saturday. most Detroiters give pass
ing thought to civil defense. Then
it's forgotten for another week. The
five minutes is the time during
which 20 sirens in all sections of the
city wall for the weekly practice run.
This is an area which residents
and experts count as a prime target
for any future atomic attack be-
cause Of it's huge concentration of
heavy industry.
But pick 10 citizens at random.
Ask what they think about civil de-
tense. The common answer Is: 1--WE
DON'T"
The barmaid, the beautician and
the butcher will tell you that atomic
humiliation is far secondary as q
conversation topic to the prospects
Of the 1858 Detroit Tigers in the
American League.
It's not that Detroiters are op-
posed to civil defense. They think
it's fine.
The program is-as far as they
know-well administered here.
A Grocer's View ~
Grocer Don Byland puts it this
way:
During the last war there was
very active organisation in this
neighborhood. Now every one seems
to think it's going to happen to
some one else, If trouble comes"
The Civil Defense Administration
people acknowledge q general
lethargy" by the public. The civil
defense goal here is 100000 trained
workers. In two years Of active
operation $4,000 were interested
enough to have finished basic in
Struction.
An educated guess is that / mil
lion residents Of the Detroit metro
politan area saw the televiSed atomic
blast from Yucca Flat. Awesome.
Spectacular, croSs-Section OF view
erS agree. The telecaSt brought q
substantial increase in civil de-
fense volunteers. So did President
Eisenhower's state : Of the Union
message in January.
BY and large, the impact on the
Detroit public wore of before ex-
plosion day was over.
Not single customer in recent
months has chatted about civil de-
tense in the downtown bar where
Betty Greenwood works as q watt
reSs. Her observation:
Civil defense? That's something
every one seems to take for granted"
San Francisco:
By Austin BIoir
San francisco Exominsr Reporter
Yucca Flat is 585 miles from this
coastal region, yet the explosions
flashes can be seen in the local sky.
The light from the st. Patrick's Day
blast brought brilliant and artificial
dawn. but disappeared in a matter
of seconds.
Equally transient was San Fran
cisco's reaction to the bombs dew
astation or limitations. Science
found it difficult to compete here
with sprightly crime trial.
A survey shows that the major
reaction here was one of disappoint-
ment not over the bombs power or
our possibilities of survival, but over
television reception. Persons who
awoke at $40 felt let down when
they saw only those wavy lines on
the screen"
Skepticol Note
Among the few who took careful
note Of the connotationS there was
feeling Of skepticism. Some men
toned that the Nevada defenses are
set against the atom bomb, while
we now have a hydrogen weapon
that will kill 400 miles away"
Others believed tests were not con-
elusive. They cited the fact that
dummies did not offer true results.
They also mentioned that houses In
Nevada were placed in the open,
while in American cities all Struc-
lures are crowded together. A
mother Of four typified a large seq
ment which still believes there is
no place to hide: II know my house
would not be safe although we have
terrific basement"
A few passed OF the test as 90
scare" in order to raise taxes. But
the most worried person Of all was
the local taxi driver who is now go-
ing around town claiming he heard
a voice on TV shout just before the
blast: Help me-" He believes some
thing horrible has happened and
that the networks and the Govern
ment have kept the story from the
public. why did they switch 1t
off?" He asks any one and he
means that pleading voice.
Jacksonville:
By Larry Hirsch
Hloridu Times Union Reporter