During the 1950's and for a short time in the early 1960's, various forms of propaganda was distributed by the government trying to calm the public against nuclear war...were they true?...of course not but they were interesting and believeable to the students of the day. Duck and cover was perhaps the most famous method. So do what "Bert the turtle does!"
The cartoon to the left is probably the greatest lasting impression of the cold war paranoia that gripped the nation during the 1950's. It showed a turtle being prepared for attack by "ducking and covering" into his shell. The film also showed what children should do in case of attack. Clips of people throwing themselves into huddles against a curb or thowing a blanket on themselves to protect against the flash burns.
What was going to happen? they were probably going to die, if they were lucky (seriously) depending on the distance between them and ground zero, there wouldn't of been any time to even blink let alone take cover but it was a small attempt to make the public sure of themselves. Going underneath the desks was a practice throughout schools across the country and Nebraska. This plan fell out of favor up until the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 when it was again implimented but after that no one really cared all that much anymore.
A building used in an atomic test in Nevada during the 1950's. Go ahead and tell me how anyone would survive that! An interesting note is that a Nebraska company built a structure and sent it out there to be blasted, it was and survived. It would come back to the Nebraska State Fair for an exhibit, hopefully hosed down.
Tests at the Nevada Test Site distributed radioactive fallout throughout the western states including Nebraska. Many people claim that their forms of cancer orignate from the tests.
A cozy escape from the bomb
A well stocked family fallout shelter, it is impossible to determine the number built due to the secrecy surrounding these when they were built. Some real fantastic ones were constructed around the country and of course several were built in Nebraska. Most were stocked with canned goods, pure water, other non-perishable items, beds, first aid kits, and hopefully some form of entertainment. A deck of cards may pass the time until the nuclear holocaust upstairs wound down.
Were they survivable?, in many cases yes. Those directly under ground zero would be gone but those dug under several layers of soil and/or rock may of been able to deflect radiation with proper ventilation filters. The problem was, if you did survive you didn't have much to look forward to when you got out.
One organization whose mission actually proved helpful, though probably not in a nuclear conflict. The Civil Defense corp. had its roots in World War II and readily adapted to the Cold War. Mostly it was made up of civilian volunteers with specialized jobs such as medical, communications, police, food, etc. Teams were called up every once and a while to perform evacuation exercises (the time factor was not on their side) and to demonstrate to the community what to do if the bomb drops. Civil defense probably had a fairly good impact upon the population with its idea of teamwork and community. In many communities today it has been renamed "emergency management" but a few civil defense organizations still exist. Civil Air Patrol was an outspur of the CD program. Today, civil defense (emergency management) handle all sorts of disasters including tornadoes, floods, blizzards and even riots. Be glad they are there people
The government helped larger companies, schools and other places to hold many people in the event of a nuclear war, where the fallout shelter signs became so famous. Most of these shelters were only basements sometimes stocked with food and supplies. There were some large ones however including the Omaha Federal Building's 5000+ shelter stocked to the rim with supplies as seen in photographs on the website provided below.
Many Nebraska communities had these shelters from the big ones in Omaha to a few in department stores in Lincoln to underneath city halls in other outlying communties.
I remember attending school at Park Middle in Lincoln where a fallout shelter sign was prominantly put up on the front entrence. Actually got to see the place and all that was left was the brick and mortar with a few other rooms. I've heard that there are a few left that still have a few supplies inside. I was born at the end of the Cold War so I don't know that much.
Reflections on the time only includes how a woman's father cement patched up the basement of their farm house in Southeast Nebraska to serve as a shelter. A man from central Nebraska simply states that no one really cared, they figured they would die either way.
What about you? what were your reflections on the Cold War? Send your comments to:
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www.civildefensemuseum.com/coreng/omaha
www.civildefensemuseum.com