Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-12-10
Area Leaders
Must Approve
FCDA Move
BY GRACE BASsETT

us next years puget Tor Uncle
Sam to organize Washington
area residents escape from
enemy attack.
FCDA budgeted the Federally
controlled survival program de-
spite disagreement among Dis
trict officials on its details.
Waiting for settlement of the
local dispute would not give the
Budget Bureau time to include
the plan in the Presidents
money bill to go TO Congress
in January. Barent F. Land
street. who directs national sur
vival programs, explained.
Waiting Area Requests
Mr.. Landstreet stressed. how
ever. that FCDA would 90
ahead with the program only
on the request of District Com
missioners and Maryland and
Virginia Governors. These re-
quests have not been received.
Maryland has indicated gem
eral approval" according to
Mr.. LandStreet. Operations
Plans Office Chief of FCDA,
Battle Greek, Mich.
District commissioners still
must decide between two con-
flicting views of their defense
advisers. Civil Defense Direc-
tor John E. Fondahl fsvors
sweeping transfers of power
from local to Federal civil de-
Tense officials. MANAGEMENT Of
ficer William K. Holl has main
tanned the Commissioners don't
have the power they've been
asked TO hand to FCDA. In the
main. this is the power to order
evacuation over land outside
the District.
Almond to Take Over
In Virginia. Gov. Stanley ID
to be succeeded by Gov ELECT
Almond IN January. the same
month Congress will receive the
FCDA budget.
We would never accept re-
Sponsibility fov civil defense
of the Capital area unless the
Commissioners and the Cover
nors desired US to do So" Mr..
Landstreet said. He made it
clear that the budgeted pro-
gram hinged on terms yet to
be agreed on by the three major
political Jurisdictions Of the
Washington area.
These terms have been out
lined by a Washington Civil
Defense Area Survival Plan
Committee. They are before
the FCDA as a master plan"
on which the appropriations re-
quest was based.
The master plan calls for
FCDA TO establish air raid
warning systems. TO order the
populsce to evacuate or take
cover and TO pay the salary Of
an area defense director.
Spreads to West Virginia
Evacuation under the control
of FCDA would fan through
the District. five counties IN
Maryland. % counties and eight
cities in Virginia. and possibly
seven counties in West Virginia.
Col Fondahl and Mr.. Holl
were District members of the
Draft Committee. Maryland
and Virginia also had two
members each.
An l8-page outline Of the
master plan was adopted unan-
imouSly by this SiX-man COM
mittee. except for Mr.. Holl. He
sent FCDA a minority report,
insisting that the Commission
ers had no authority for sur
vival controls they are to turn
over to FCDA.
This Fondahl-Holl dispute
will Just have to be beaten out
inside the District" Mr.. Land
street said He indicated the
FCDA would not clear. even
tentatively, the master plan
until the Commissioners made
their position clear.
Honest EvaluatiOn"
Mr.. Landstreet described Mr..
Hollis dissent as a good and
honest evaluation Of this kind
of planning from a manage
ment standpoint"
His is a good MANAGEMENT
position, looking perhaps to-
ward the optimum rather than
the immediate. Mr.. Landstreet
commented. Mr.. Fondahl
favorS the plan as meeting the
requirements of the moment.
as what to do in an emer-
gency"
In general. the plan provides
for the populace to evacuats
the District into receiving zones
in Maryland and Virginia. A
flight generally north, south
and west would be followed by
suburban residents into more
distant receiving zones.
Two Unusual Factors
FCDA officials said the
Budget Bureau was pressing
them for a solution to Capital
City evacuation because Of two
unique features;
l. Emergency operation Of
the Federal Government must
be included in the Federal City
survival plan.
2. The area wide program
calls on State and District Of
ficials TO contract" to set up
a new political jurisdiction.
The Budget Bureau has told
FCDA no comparable program
ever has come before the White
House.