JFK RECOMMENDS FALLOUT PROTECTION FOR EVERY AMERICAN
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 6, 1961, President John F. Kennedy wrote a letter recommending "fallout* protection for every American..."
In the letter, which was read by Stewart Pittman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civil Defense at a meeting of State Civil Defense Directors at the Sheraton Park Hotel here in the Nation's Capital, the President wrote...
"(The) goal is to reach for fallout protection for every American as rapidly as possible. Radioactive fallout.....could account for the major part of the casualties which might result from a thermonuclear attack on an unprotected population. Protection against this threat is within reach of an informed America willing to face the facts and act."
*Fallout is radioactive material produced by a nuclear explosion that enters the atmosphere & falls to Earth. Fallout consists of minute particles of dust, soil and other debris and exposure can result in adverse affect to cells of the human body & cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
SOURCE
"Letter to the Members of the Committee on Civil Defense of the Governors' Conference, October 6, 1961," Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy, January 20 to December 31, 1961, United States Government Printing Office, 1962.
Model of a Fallout Shelter
Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (1960)
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 6, 1961, President John F. Kennedy wrote a letter recommending "fallout* protection for every American..."
In the letter, which was read by Stewart Pittman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civil Defense at a meeting of State Civil Defense Directors at the Sheraton Park Hotel here in the Nation's Capital, the President wrote...
"(The) goal is to reach for fallout protection for every American as rapidly as possible. Radioactive fallout.....could account for the major part of the casualties which might result from a thermonuclear attack on an unprotected population. Protection against this threat is within reach of an informed America willing to face the facts and act."
*Fallout is radioactive material produced by a nuclear explosion that enters the atmosphere & falls to Earth. Fallout consists of minute particles of dust, soil and other debris and exposure can result in adverse affect to cells of the human body & cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
SOURCE
"Letter to the Members of the Committee on Civil Defense of the Governors' Conference, October 6, 1961," Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy, January 20 to December 31, 1961, United States Government Printing Office, 1962.
Model of a Fallout Shelter
Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (1960)
