Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
The Nome Nugget
Nome, Nome County, Alaska
What is this article about?
The U.S. federal government has abandoned the idea of evacuating city dwellers ahead of nuclear bombs, prioritizing fallout shelters over flight to the countryside. The Pentagon will not discourage local evacuation plans but emphasizes shelters. Rep. Robert Kastenmeier demands removal of misleading Civil Defense Route signs.
Clipping
OCR Quality
Full Text
Evacuating City Dwellers
Ahead of Oncoming Bombs
WASHINGTON (AP)—The federal government has abandoned for all practical purposes, the idea of evacuating city dwellers ahead of any oncoming nuclear bombs and missiles.
The Pentagon will not discourage local and state Civil Defense authorities from making evacuation plans if they choose, said a spokesman for the Office of Civil Defense.
But he added, "evacuation certainly takes second place to fallout shelters in Washington's planning."
The fact now recognized, but never clearly acknowledged previously, is that fleeing to open countryside—even if there was ample warning time—would not protect populations from the major nuclear hazard, radioactive fallout.
One member of Congress, Rep. Robert Kastenmeier, (D-Wis.), has demanded the removal of the blue "Civil Defense Route" signs that mark the highways of his state and others.
The signs are dangerous and misleading, Kastenmeier said in a letter to OCD Director Stewart Pittman, because they breed false hopes of escape by flight and "deceive people as to the real danger they would face in nuclear war."
What sub-type of article is it?
What keywords are associated?
What entities or persons were involved?
Where did it happen?
Domestic News Details
Primary Location
Washington
Key Persons
Outcome
abandonment of federal evacuation plans in favor of fallout shelters; demand for removal of civil defense route signs.
Event Details
The federal government has abandoned the idea of evacuating city dwellers ahead of nuclear bombs and missiles, recognizing that fleeing to the countryside would not protect against radioactive fallout. The Pentagon will not discourage local and state Civil Defense evacuation plans but prioritizes fallout shelters. Rep. Robert Kastenmeier has demanded removal of misleading blue Civil Defense Route signs in a letter to OCD Director Stewart Pittman.