SELF-PRESERVATION IN AN ATOMIC BOMB ATTACK

now so so we backed up our argument with atoms and when we moved into japan a month or so later we saw firsthand that we've been mighty convincing we saw a lot of this and some of this sort of gave a guy the shakes that isn't what happened well i've got the idea across i have this gizmo fixed in a second then put on something easier to take a root and tootin western men fighting it out the old-fashioned way yeah i know that adam business why not it's our business you saw what happened in japan what if it happened here what would you men do that's easy i'd go see a taylor taylor sure have my uniforms altered haven't cut to let my wings out all god's children's got him you know i'd take music less on the heart naturally well i nah that wouldn't do i think i'd you tell us okay come on learn and live target for today this doesn't represent any place in particular it's typical and it's important for shipping by both water and by rail for factories for its big business it's the kind of a city an enemy would want to knock out a spot where he might drop an egg an atomic egg what an omelet that it make yeah with us in it maybe but not necessarily look i won't kid you about the a-bomb i've seen what it can do in japan bikini it's power don't lose your head use it figure that an atomic bomb dropped on a large modern city like this might kill fifty thousand people that figure might be cut down considerably if folks were properly schooled in individual protection hand yourself right and you've got a good chance of coming through do the wrong things and you've got a future like an ice cube and a hot toddy get panicky and get hurt forget about such things as the proper outfits to wear light loose clothes to protect you against flash heat the enemy was thoughtless he didn't send you a formal announcement of the big blowout and you're no quick change artist suppose you're taken by surprise and while we're supposing let's go all the way figure that this is the real article not just a model and you're there okay you're in this town and you're on it making the best of those three rights they can't take away from you you're enjoying life enjoying liberty you're pursuing happiness whatever shape it comes you're doing all right when the other guy's around and he means business so get going remember you're off base you've just got time to save yourself drop whatever you're doing find the nearest hole and make like a mole a subway's okay stay out of flimsy buildings they give bad protection a basement's fine preferably under a solid well-constructed building and the safest positions are near strong supporting columns or next to the walls protected from falling bricks and two-by-fours if there's no underground shelter handy pick a room in a good building close to the ground it ought to be airtight and light proof as possible with the doors shut windows closed and blinds drawn back in 1940 london survived a terrific blasting from the nazi bombers and one of the reasons was that folks did just what i'm telling you now it was pretty crowded down in those shelters there wasn't much fresh air there's more of it up above but fresh air isn't important not unless you're still breathing do what those people did and you're on the right track world war ii bombs were cream puffs compared to what you may be up against but the defensive measures are about the same the blast of an ordinary bomb kills and destroys and a-bomb's kick is much worse the old horse and buggy bomb was hot stuff the a-bomb is hotter so when you get the warning don't stop to ask what's cooking it might be you the big idea if you've got time enough to swing it is to shield yourself by thick strong heavy material like reinforced concrete from the a-bomb's blast and heat do that and you'll also be protecting your hide from its radiations a lot of people including you men fairly new to the service got the notion that radiations are like the double whammy turned on by evil life legal the comic strip character irresistible i mean well you're wrong they're mighty penetrating and deadly but they can be stopped authorities know exactly what it takes just what thickness of steel concrete or wood will do the trick but you're no authority even if you were you haven't got your tape measure or calipers with you even if you had them you wouldn't have time to use them you're just a guy trying to get along and fast a heavy wall between you and the source of the blast will cut off most of the radiation barrage but you don't know where the source will be and radiations can scatter and bounce off the air the way a basketball bounces off the backboard what you want then is a spot that shields you above and all around that's if you can find it without wasting time comfortable not me i've been figuring i got caught away from any of the shoulders out in the open so what do i do play dead right or maybe you will be if there was a ditch handy you'd flop in it but there isn't so hit the dirt like men did in world war ii lie flat face down cover the exposed parts of your body the bomb's flash heat is rugged don't get curious and look around it's a light can blind you temporarily you all with me fine now we're about as ready as we can be for the fireworks bombs away just one i want you to visualize what would happen if the enemy somehow slipped it through our defenses that it's about as powerful as the ones we used in japan and that he wants it to explode about two thousand feet above the city right about here so the spot directly below the blast which we call ground zero is just that a goose egg a lot of nothing and out to a mile or more the destruction's terrific with only a few strong structures surviving damage naturally peters out from ground zero but all big explosions are affected by obstacles such as hills behind a hill may be a building that came through okay while further out in the open will be another that went to pieces the fire started don't exactly follow the rule book either in here you might get a frying pan and back here a fire i've got a very messy picture me too and where do we fit into this you'd be all right if you found a good spot underground and reinforced concrete shelters give good protection close to ground zero yeah but what about me i'm the guy caught out in the open stretched across mother earth's lap how am i doing if you were near ground zero within three quarters of a mile from it and completely exposed you'd be a dead duck a roasted duck and you'd also get a fatal dose of radiation so what any weapon even a knotted club might kill you if you're unlucky enough to be in the wrong place a safe might fall on your head accidentally you particular how it happens but if you're far enough away you'd come through in good shape and you'd be over the hump so far as you're concerned the bomb shot its big wad of blast heat and immediate radiation it goes on sending out rays and particles but they're rising harmlessly in about two minutes after the explosion the area underneath the burst will be free from dangerous radiation and you can enter it you've probably got military duties to perform there's a lot of relief rescue and policing work to be done so after waiting a couple of minutes get moving okay we survived that one now let's put ourselves on the spot again use our heads and our imaginations a bit more because maybe the enemy decides to set off a submarine bomb maybe he sneaked it into the harbor on an innocent looking freighter and planted it underwater authorities figured it'd have to be plenty deep for the bomb to do its worst we're going to suppose this deep enough now chances are you wouldn't get any warning about this baby you'd sure see it though you wouldn't worry about being blasted or burned by a submarine explosion but watch out for the fog and mist it's radioactive packed with poison and it moves fast if you saw it advancing on you a mile away you'd have about 30 seconds to take cover make for the nearest entrance but that fog has contaminated everything it touched with radioactive matter which we'll call hot stuff although it hasn't anything to do with its temperature don't be in a hurry to leave your shelter wait till the fog disappears then wait a bit longer if you can it cools off a lot the first few minutes after the blast gets less dangerous it'd be best to wait until the radiological defensemen come around to tell you what to do but if you've got to go go the right way your handkerchief makes a pretty fair filter breathe through it be quick or be sick the faster you pass through a contaminated place the less you expose yourself to radioactive poisoning move across wind as much as possible take advantage of cover of passageways protected from contamination don't collect souvenirs like watches and coins they may be hot you've gotten out of the danger zone your head's in its usual place your skin still fits you've got your normal quarter of arms and legs souvenirs you'll get some real pleasures out sooner or later you'll run into the radiological defense monitors they're the detectives of this atomic business with their instruments they examine everything for radiation contamination including you if your uniforms are hot they'll end up same as clothes after a skirmish with a skunk they'll go to the laundry if they're not too hot or if they're too badly contaminated they'll be buried or dumped at sea and you'll give yourself the soap and water treatment to remove any radioactive stuff you might have collected and then on you'll watch your step first report the nearest military officer or organization for instructions as soon as they tell you to rejoin your own organization your commander on the advice of the radiological defense people will tell you which areas are safe to enter and which aren't they'll also advise them on the food you eat and the water you drink you'll be careful about getting radioactive material inside you you can get there by breathing dust eating or through breaks in the skin you'll be told how to prevent overexposure to the stuff how much of it can a guy stand how much whiskey will it take to knock a guy in his ear well that depends it sure does but the defense people can tell you what the safe limits are and they'll keep checking in order to determine those limits the odds on you surviving an a-blast depend a lot on you okay serge right get panicky or fat-headed and you'll probably have a new title the late john doe which isn't exactly a promotion use your think tank follow the rules and you might live to look it over that's the picture you