Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-23
First Real Program
For Civil Defense
ny RICHARD FRYKLUND
star star Writer

Have you been nearing more
about civil defense lately?
It's no accident. Civil Defense
Chief Leo A. Hoegh says. I'VE
planned 1t that way"
Gov. Rockefeller In town to talk
fallout shelters with the Presi-
dent?
He's following an once of Civil
Defense Mobilization recommen-
dalton that Governors lead their
States In q shelter program,
A congressional committee says
30 million Americans would die In
atom war without shelters?
The committee was merely put
ting out OCDM figures which
show that half Of those deaths
would be avoided with q shelter
program.
Your children have been talking
civil defense at home?
It's because the OCDM has been
telling school children about civil
defense and giving them millions
Of pamphlets to take home to
their parents. /.
The First Reel Plan
Civil defense does indeed seem
to, be revitalized. Mr.. Hoegh. o
crew-cut dynamo who was Cover
nor Of Iowa before he came to
Washington, certainly has had
much to do with it. He has pro-
duced the first reasonable. CO.
ordinated civil defense plan the
Federal Government has had.
But there have been other slim
ulants to civil defense.
Pentagon leaders are growing
more convinced that we must
have q good civil defense program
to cut atom war casualties to
something less than suicide
otherwise the enemy won't take
our retaliation threat seriously
and might risk a big aggression.
Also, Gov. Rockefeller himself
has become interested in civil de-
tense, and some Of his aides say
he might even make it a campaign
issue If he runs for President.
Most important is Mr.. Hoegh's
plan. In essence, it is a slow build
up Of interest in civil defense and
eventual action. He started with
education - particularly of indi-
viduals and local government
leaders. He is moving now into
the action stage-drawing up spe-
cific local disaster plans, pushing
do 1t yourself construction Of
home shelters and urging Govern
ment construction Of shelter space
in public buildings.
More Interest in Subject
Some progress is obvious. There
is more interest in civil defense.
Most metropolitan areas, including
Washington, do have civil defense
master plans. Congress is voting
money this year for shelter re-
search and prototype construc-
ton. Some 10000 people have
been trained in radiation detection.
Mr.. Hoegh says he will push on
until home shelters are common
and until every community and
every individual knows what to do
and how to do it in time of war.
Mr.. Hoegh has carried his local
action stage into his own home.
He has a shelter doubling as a
family room at his home, 5407
Ridgefield road, Bethesda.
Though new, Mr.. Hoegh's pro-
gram has drawn response from
the economical and generous alike
from people describing plans
for a 500 shelter to one farmer
from Wisconsin who claimed he'd
spent $500 on his bunker.
Civil Defense people say their
agency seemed to be slipping its
gears until about year ago.
AS a matter of fact, OCDM is
only IA months old. It was formed
by the merger of the Federal Civil
Defense Administration Started
during President Truman's ad-
ministration, and was the first
determined effort toward an
atomic civil defense program) and
the ONCE of Defense Mobilization.
There always has been a lot Of