Purpose of this blog

In the Cold War era of the 1940's through 1970's, the US had a civil defense policy and infrastructure that was supported by a robust national budget and public education campaign. For various reasons, over the years America's civil defense preparedness has declined to the point that there is essentially no civil defense structure in place in America today. (We have agencies such as FEMA which have taken on many of the duties of civil defense, but that is not the same as a general national structure).

This presents a serious problem because we are actually at a greater risk of some form of nuclear attack than we were during the Cold War. In that era, there was a balance of power between the US and the Soviet Union or China based on the MAD concept, Mutually Assured Destruction.

The nuclear powers of the time understood that the actual use of nuclear weapons in war would be essentially suicidal. Despite ideological differences, the inherent rationality of a nation like the Soviet Union or China meant that the actual risk of nuclear warfare was limited, although not eliminated.

In today's world, nuclear weapons and technology have proliferated among nations and fanatical Islamic groups which do not have the natural restraints of a nation state, nor even share basic concepts of the value of life as we understand the idea. The abandonment of nuclear non-proliferation policies by the West, and even outright failure or betrayal, as in the instance of nuclear "deals" with irrational actors such as North Korea and Iran, has made the need for civil defense information all the more critical for the American public.

Fortunately, there exists a large body of historical Civil Defense material online, most of it from the Cold War era. Videos, brochures, and other information were disseminated widely during that time. Fortunately, almost all of that material is still just as useful and valid now as it was then. The purpose of this blog is to gather together such information as I can best acquire and curate. My hobby interest in history will be helpful here, as well as my own memories of life in the Cold War period.

We can't revive the Civil Defense Agency of the 1950's and even if we could, the context and threat profile are very different today. I will try to re-think the idea of civil defense as it applies to our era.

What this blog will NOT be is a survivalist or radical blog. Information about weapons, hunting and fishing, gardening, and other such topics are far better covered elsewhere and are outside of the purpose I have set for this blog. Our subject here is that kind of information that is specific to nuclear weapons and their effects, and how an average person can make use of it.

I will try to post most of the useful and best information first, and when the subject has been covered as well as the available material allows, I will leave the blog up as a resource. I will be updating and re-writing posts as I find interesting and better material over time.

Below, a typical example of Cold War era films made for public Civil Defense education. It covers mostly basic concepts. Notice that keeping outside areas clean and clear was one of the priorities. At this point (1951) blast and heat were the main concerns, fallout had not yet been studied as closely.

Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsHUIxt1iMw

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