Town of the Times

[Music] you know the town the one just over the county line the one with the good Chinese restaurant and the movie theater that smells of popcorn good smell good people my stake in the town a business a building that is when I finish paying off the mortgage in 15 years I assume I'll be around in 15 years that's something you have to assume or else there's no point in assuming [Music] no one thinks about it much anymore too many crises too many scares so we push it to the back of our minds where it waits staring brigh eyed silence more or [Music] less number of family Fallout shers planned are begun in our town in the last 2 years 189 number completed [Music] five in shelter some say it was apathy indifference others say it was all that talk about standing at the door of your home shelter with a Gun and shooting your neighbor down if he tried to get in that didn't sit well with our people but the coming of the National Shelter survey and the idea of finding Community shelter for everyone seemed to put the matter in a brand new life schools hospitals commercial buildings apartment houses 168 potential Community shelters which could accommodate our entire population plus any additional Shoppers or workers who might be in the area during an attack the hypothesis then Mr Mayor is a nuclear attack William Alber Groves senior member of our common Council and one of the town's most trusted and respected citizens that is the hypothesis Mr Groves unlikely but uh possible from a military point of view your job depends upon accepting that as a premise does it not Dennis J Allen our civil defense director shall we continue Gentlemen by all means the use of private structures will of course be up to the individual owners but people like school trustee McArdle have allowed the government to survey their buildings to mark them as shelters and to stock them with essential supplies Li well don't make a hero out of me Mr Mayor I was opposed to the idea at first but the people in my building wanted a shelter and uh I wanted to make them happy it was just good business well Underneath It All people like to know that there's somewhere to go if it happens a bank a store basement a school why a school they're located where people live live they're usually the most substantial buildings in the neighborhood and the children are there during most of the daylight hours that's a quarter of your population to begin with our eight school buildings could protect 5,000 people from nuclear fallout at what cost Mr Mayor for Jackson high virtually nothing for grammar stool [Applause] too additional ventilation at a course of $5 per person shelter for grammar schools 1 3 4 5 and six modifications at a cost of $40 per person sheltered for grammar school 7 now under construction an additional cost of $35,000 total cost of all modifications combined $163,100 everyone the schools always did belong to [Applause] everyone who's to pay for supplies for these shelters all stock by the federal government food water medicine radiation measuring instruments yes who guards these supplies against vandalism who uh administers the shelters conducts shelter drills trains the people in Medical Aid and in the use of these radiological gadgets well those things can be worked out or dropped entirely Mr Mayor not only is this not a matter for the schools but in times like these I can think of no more feudal negativistic approach than burrowing into the ground and at these staggering costs we can raise the money and do without furniture books a cafeteria for grammar school too more teachers for grammar schools three and five where we already have more than 40 pupils in a class we want them to be 40 live pupils I want them to be 40 live pupils too but I deny the issue is survival because For the First Time in human Affairs to kill is to be killed and to let live is to live and on easy balance to be sure but the beginnings of Peace if we're going to spend our money let's spend it bolstering peace best Fallout protection we have we all believe in working for peace but that doesn't mean we can't take reasonable measures for defense what is a reasonable defense against total Destruction tell me what will be left for those people when they come up out of their holes Shall We Begin with life councilman Groves for all his strong opinions is not an unreasonable man he was willing as I was to let Mr Allen Point out exactly what changes the government thought would be needed to incorporate shelter facilities into our [Applause] schools there was a lot of technical talk Rankin PSIs protection Factor 100 but it all came down to something simple the ABCs of Fallout [Music] protection the walls and ceilings have to be thick enough to withstand deadly amount amounts of radiation and if they're not you make them thicker and when all is done and you're protected by thick basement walls you have to breathe which means a system of [Music] ventilation and drink which means a plan for storing water but I learned that basement aren't the only place to find Fallout protection we saw a room that opened on an air shaft and was shielded from every direction by heavy brick walls this would give the room a high degree of Fallout protection even though it's above [Music] ground rooms like this and windowless rooms in the core of a building can increase the shelter capacity quite a good deal God grant they never have to be used a few days later Dennis Allen requested permission to present his case for school shelters before the full membership of the common Council he elected to do so by showing us films that arrived from Paduka [Music] Kentucky the Concord school had basement windows just below ground level the windows had to be shielded a local contractor donated cement blocks the men of the Town laid the blocks and shoveled Earth between the blocks and the building Foundation then flowers were planted along the new wall of Defense an independent power supply was installed for pumping water and providing lights eventually the new shelter for 600 persons was stocked with a twoe supply of food which is maintained at all times if Paduka could do that much by itself why couldn't we do as [Music] well well gentl what's your opinion gentlemen I have a list here of some 370 items vitally needed by the public it was quite a list it not only covered our schools but took in everything else needed by other Departments of our city government and it was obvious that in his opinion all these needs were more immediate and far more urgent than Fallout protection and so it went for 4 costly minutes before he moved that the council tabled a motion put the proposal aside at least for the time being which in this case could mean forever the count two for three against any immediate consideration of putting shelter in our schools Dennis elen does not give up easily he persuaded Mr Groves to accompany him to a model Community shelter that had been set up in a neighboring County a shelter that doubles as a meeting place for civic groups proving that money for Fallout shelters can also buy useful peacetime facilities alen also demonstrated the use of uh what Groves had called a radiological Gadget a dosimeter then showed him the supplies provided by the federal government but if a change was forthcoming in groves the dent was still to be made thank you well I'm sorry Mr mcardle's out to lunch when I'm sure I can help you I'm flying to Capital City next Monday I uh I want to pick up some travel insurance certainly that's uh Monday the 22nd yes round two ticket yes now who do you want as a beneficiary on this Mrs Alice Groves 29 Cedar Lane mhm and second benefit Holly Groves age 12 mhm now how much Insurance do you want well I should think about 500 oh George I'll take over Freddy fine thank you travel insurance yes good policy I'm sure it is [Applause] why did you do that simple I don't want you to waste your money but you said it was a good policy do you realize what your chances are of being killed in an airplane crash no about 1 in 350,000 practically negligible people are killed people are that's true but chances are not you with odds like that I'm sure you can find better ways to spend your money well George I'm not doing this for myself yes you mentioned your wife and as beneficiaries don't they love you well of course they do how much very much well then if you got killed chances are they wouldn't even want to go on absurd people have to go on even hbomb survivors all right you've made your point but my time is limited so if you'll please get a new application no I wasn't fooling I'm not going to sell you a policy they sell them out at the airport George in machines I only came here out of friendship show friendship to the people of this town give them some insurance did you know chickens and eggs are highly resistant to radiation no very interesting you're not thinking of building a shelter certainly not you know my feelings on that subject yes as if man could bury his head in the ground and hide from responsibility some people have different ideas of responsibility yes I I'm familiar with the wide variations that exist in that area Mrs Wakeman told me they're putting a shelter in her apartment house if they want to build shelters in their homes that's fine with me but why a school a place for enlightenment should suddenly become a center for War preparations I I'll tell you why if we had a shelter and something happened while Holly was in school do you think I could stay in the shelter not knowing what was happening to my child whether or not she was protected I would run to that school to be with her and nobody could stop me Bill nobody [Music] it was 2 weeks later at a public meeting in Jackson high that I saw councilman Groves again first item on the agenda was a plea for money for the high school band after which Mr Allen had permission to address the group on community shelters as always he included a definition of Fallout when a nuclear weapon explodes many tons of vaporized Earth are sucked up into the cloud and there they become radioactive these radioactive particles fall back to the Earth up to hundreds of miles from the point of explosion forming a dangerous blanket over buildings Fields And Roads exposure to a large amount of Fallout radiation can cause severe sickness and could result in death within a few weeks but the danger is a temporary one since Fallout decays rather rapidly after a nuclear blast 7 hours later radiation level is down to 10% of the original level 2 days later it's down to 1% 2 weeks later down to one1 of 1% which means that the first two weeks are the critical ones in which to be sheltered assuming of course that you have survived the initial explosion question uh yes how far do you have to be from the blast to live through it well let's take a 20 Megaton surface burst you would have a good chance of surviving if you were more than 12 mil from the point of detonation provided you knew what to do what do you do a number of things the first sign of a nuclear explosion is a blinding flash of light that means about 3 seconds before the Heat or thermal wave during those few seconds you should try to get away from Windows and behind something solid that would minimize the burn effect which lasts about 5 seconds then you would have about 1 minute to seek maximum cover before the blast if possible go below the surface of the ground after the blast is over the Fallout will not begin for at least 30 minutes time to reach a shelter where you can remain for several days how do you know when to come out in a private shelter you'd be notified by radio announcement in a mass or Community shelter the director would tell you when it's safe to come out who's he he's the man in charge of the shelter he'd be somebody in your neighborhood with the leadership experience suppose the director doesn't get to the shelter in time there's a regular chain of succession that's all worked out in advance by the community what if I'm in one shelter and my husband's in another is there some way we could communicate are you sure he'd want to Harriet there would be regular radio broadcasts with news of survivors and outside conditions if we're going to have Community shelters why are they still pushing family shelters or do I just have an old pamphlet the family shelters are still the best answer for people on farms or in other isolated areas and if the people in the cities and towns want extra protection at home we certainly don't discourage them what happens when you come out of the shelter is there anything left outside the fact that you survived the initial blast will mean that a great deal remains outside there'll be decontamination teams trained to clear necessary surface areas such as stores where Food Supplies exist will the food be safe to eat most of it yes canned foods and packaged foods are safe if the outside containers are washed fruits and vegetables can be eaten if they are washed and peeled and meat that's been covered is fine if it hasn't been spoiled by lack of refrigeration and can you drink the water outside water from most underground sources water that's been in pipes or tanks is fine as for rivers and streams and lakes normal flow and settling will get rid of most of the contamination within a few days may I say a word sir yes I've been sitting here for 15 minutes listening to you and I'm appalled that you would lull these people into a false sense of security I wasn't aware of any lulling well you gave me the impression that we would be safe in these socalled community shelters safe from Fallout yes is it not a fact that blasts and fire are by far the most deadly of all thermonuclear effects and that when the bomb hits our homes will be pulverized that would happen within a few miles of the burst in a direct Target area I'm speaking of places where there are survivors do you mean to imply that we would not be a direct Target area I don't know whether we would or whether we wouldn't not at direct Target area with our upto-date chemical plant in our modern County Airport only 2 miles away I can tell you from reliable sources that the enemy wouldn't have enough weapons to hit every plant and every population Center in the United States and I say we're a prime target area sir and that nothing can save us you're making a lot of assumptions sir I'd like to point out that may I have your attention please please may I have your attention I would like to answer the gentleman's comments if I [Music] may sir your remarks are familiar to me I have thought them myself I have felt them myself the feeling of futility of Doom and I have felt the opposite too the shess that it could never happen that it was much too horrible to happen then one day I realized that these two apparently opposite views had much in common both LED to complete inaction both allowed me the Leisure of doing nothing about my unique predicament as a 20th century man I had faced two possibilities world peace and world destruction I uh I was notably reluctant to face the third the possibility of a nuclear war in which some Will Survive the most difficult of all to face because it requires intense preparation work sacrifice money for a day we hope will never come if it doesn't and the world is spared who will care how much these things have cost if it comes and we are ready then whatever we have spent beforehand will be cheap you might say uh a form of insurance ladies and gentlemen I ask your assistance in financing the construction of shelters in our Public [Applause] Schools tomorrow morning I shall propose to the common Council an ordinance by which the town Corporation will share with those Civic groups who wish to contribute the expenses of incorporating shelter facilities into our Public Schools chain reactions are easier to start than to stop within a few days plans were drawn up for a shelter in grammar school 2 a shelter that doubled as a badly needed cafeteria while in other schools work has begun to raise shielding to minimum protective levels and it wasn't just schools it was many buildings public and private in some much work remains to be done and will be done because people have started to care like these doctors and nurses who've begun to give self-care medical lectures to Housewives and businessmen vital knowledge for shelter living and the radio hams who came forth with the skill and equipment needed for emergency broadcasts in case of attack Community Action no telling where to end you know the town the one just over the county line the one with a good Chinese restaurant and the movie theater that smells of popcorn come around and have some we'll be here