Evening star., 1961-12-31
A Place to Hide

4IlC rCuC1dl IONcIIllllellJ, JIlIUuSIl
its long awaited civil defense pamphlet,
"Fallout Protection" has moved at last
to tell the average American where he
can hide IN event of nuclear attack
provided he is not killed in the initial
blast. He can seek reasonably safe ref
uge from the subsequent radioactive
fallout in specially built shelter-pref-
erably community shelter financed
in large part by Federal funds. The
grim story of what an H-bomb would
do and what the public should do when
the sirens warn that one is on the way
is contained in the Defense Depart
ment'S 46-page booklet, available free
Of charge to everybody.
The well-illustrated and carefully
worded fallout guidebook is the Gov
ernment'S answer to criticism from
many quarters of its failure to give the
States, localities and citizens definite
advice on civil defense for the nuclear
era. The multimegaton bomb and the
intercontinental ballistic missile long
since had rendered obsolete earlier pro-
grams for evacuation of cities and towns
via specific highways. There will not be
enough time between the launching Of
a nuclear- headed ICBM and it's arrival
on target to carry out any orderly evacu-
alton plan.
Nor does the new Federal. civil de-
fense program call for heavy shelters
capable of withstanding bomb blast or
the attendant fire storm in the i'm
mediate target area. The Governments
civil defense experts are reconciled to
the fact that in a major nuclear at
tack on this country millions of men,
women and children would be killed
instantly or so grievouSly injured that
they would die within few hours or
days. There appears to be no practical
program" the pamphlet says, that
would avoid large-scale loss of life. But
an effective program of civil defense
could save the lives of millions who
would not otherwise survive"
The effective program" proposed
by Defense Secretary Mcnamara and
his aides is based on measures to pro-
tect people from being showered with
the highly dangerous fallout particles
emanating from a nuclear explosion
Primary emphasis is placed on group
or community shelter facilities rather
than on small family-type dugouts or
lean-toS. 1t is stressed that the COM
munity shelters are better adapted to
cooperative efforts for survival and for
decontamination of stricken areas How
ever, plans are provided for relatively
cheap family shelters for those who
wish to build them.
To encourage the community shell
ter program, President Kennedy will
ask Congress to appropriate $70C million
for civil defense, much of which woulG
be allotted to States and cities to sub
Sidize such shelters. A preliminary step
already has been taken by the launch
ing OF nationwide survey of present
facilities which could be converted for
shelter use. Other shelters would be
built, largely with Federal assistance to
State and local authorities The opera
ton and maintenance of the shelters
would be responsibility of State and
local governments.
We commend the Defense Depart
ment and its Office of Civil Defense
on the omprehenSiveneSS Of its fallout
guidebook and on the simplicity and
clarity Of its advice on an admittedly
frightening and complex subject. All Of
us will hope and pray that the occasion
never comes when use of fallout shell
ter will be necesSary-but every Ameri-
can should read this important booklet
and then decide whether to follow the
advice or risk the horrors that could
result from ignoring it.