Cold War Bomb Shelters

Atomic Nightmares

Create

Survival Fantasies

Japan: Atomic Effects• With the atomic bombings

of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world became aware of the destructive power and effects of nuclear war

• By the early 1950’s most Americans had a growing, and graphic, understanding of atomic weapons and the dangers of radiation

Hiroshima Before and After

Atomic Babies: Birth Defects

Nagasaki

More Unsettling Images

• The U.S. continued atomic tests and developed the even more destructive hydrogen bomb (H-bomb)

• Americans were exposed to images of these tests and statistics such as blast radius damage and wind patterns that would spread radioactive fallout

Effects of Nuclear Explosion

Click the hyperlink above to view atomic test video showing effects of nuclear explosions seen in 1953 and 1955 tests.

http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/films/film.aspx?ID=20

Nuclear World Destruction • By the 1950’s both

superpowers (USSR and USA) had nuclear weapons and, by the 1960’s, delivery systems to send them across continents and oceans

• For the first time, complete world annihilation became a real possibility

A Feeling of Safety• Elaborate systems

were developed to give warning before a nuclear attack

• Some hoped to survive by protecting themselves, and their families, by creating protective shelters to survive the explosion and effects of radiation

Civil Defense Instructions: Nuclear Attack Warnings and

Information

Civil Defense Propaganda Spreads Fear and Paranoia

• U.S. Civil Defense used ads to try to prepare the public for possible attack and use of shelters

• School children routinely practiced “duck and cover” drills where desks would supposedly help provide protection

Duck and Cover Civil Defense Film

http://www.archive.org/details/gov.ntis.ava11109vnb1

Click the hyperlink above to view classic 1950’s civil defense film about “duck and cover” protection from nuclear attack.

Duck and Cover Instructions

Click above to hear audio of Civil Defense information on “Duck and Cover” protection.

Bunker Mentality

• Governments, and individuals, searched for a feeling of safety and control

• Bomb shelters seemed to offer the possibility of surviving a nuclear war

• Public and private bomb shelters were built throughout the Cold War

Public Shelters• U.S. Civil Defense began

assigning basements of public buildings as bomb shelters

• Some of these shelters were stockpiled with food, water, medicine, etc.

• There was never enough shelter space, or supplies, for all citizens

Shelter in the basement of the courthouse in Ottawa, IL

Shelter in the basement of the Roxy Theatre in Ottawa, IL

Civil Defense Instructions: What to Bring to a Public Bomb Shelter

Public/Private Bomb Shelters

• When the Randhurst Mall was built in the early 1960’s, they added a bomb shelter in the basement

• It was supposed to be able to protect all the residents of Mt. Prospect, IL from nuclear attack

Private Shelters• To protect their families,

some Americans built bomb shelters in their homes

• Many were built in secret to prevent neighbors from trying to come in during attacks

• It is estimated that more than 1500 private shelters were built during the Cold War

Shelter Construction• To provide maximum

protection, most shelters were built below ground with concrete blocks

• Many were built below patios and driveways to provide extra protection

• Some hid the construction from neighbors, claiming to be building swimming pools or remodeling their homes

Shelter Supplies• Public and private shelters were stocked for

a minimum two-week supply of essentials

• Water

• Food

• Sanitation facilities

• Radiation meters

• Medical supplies

• Radios, books, games, etc.

Drinking Water

Survival Food

Sanitation Facilities

Geiger Counters to Measure Radiation Levels

Dosimeters to Measure a Person’s Cumulative Exposure to Radiation

Medical Supplies

Civil Defense Instructions: Find Shelter!

Private Shelters in Rockford

• It is estimated that less than a dozen private bomb shelters were built in Rockford

• Most builders did not apply for permits or register their shelters with local or federal civil defense

• Two of these Cold War era bomb shelters are known to exist today

Local Shelter Locations

Private Shelter off Rural St.

• This small house looks like the rest on the block

• But under the driveway is a secret bomb shelter

• It was built in the 1950’s by the Richard McGaw family

Mrs. McGaw Explains Why They Built Their Bomb Shelter

• “It was a scare at the time, you wanted to be one of the safe ones.”

• “Everyone was made to feel that there would be an atomic war and since we had two little children we felt we should build one.”

• “The neighbors laughed at us at the time and if they (the government) came out with something like that again, I would be like them.”

• A door in the basement opens to the small entryway

• 5 ft. high, 3 ½ ft. wide, and about 16 ft. long

• The original foundation ends with the red floor

• Entry to the shelter is on the left at the end of the passageway

• Shelters had a sharp bend, or turn, to enter to protect the shelter from heat and radiation

• The entry to the shelter on the left would be covered with an asbestos curtain to give further protection

• The shelter has storage for supplies

• The shelves on the right could also be used for children’s bunks

• Equipped with an electrical light

• Shelter was about 10 ft. wide, 8 ft. high, and 16 ft. long

• The shelter and entry way are completely protected by thick concrete block, even over the entry way and ceiling of the shelter

• The dirt and driveway above provided additional protection

Area of Underground

Shelter

Discussion Questions• Why would some families choose to build bomb

shelters and others would not?

• What possible psychological effects would the civil defense warnings and duck and cover drills have on young people growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s?

• Would public or private shelters have been effective protection against nuclear attack? Explain.

• While the threat of nuclear war continued until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, most public and private shelter building ended by the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Why?

Assignments

• You are building a private bomb shelter in the 1950’s. Design your shelter including layout, building materials, and a list of survival equipment and supplies. Describe why you might feel safer with a shelter.

• After 9/11 there was widespread fear about possible biological or chemical attacks. Research what methods of protection from such attacks were urged by the U.S. government. Can you make any comparisons with the bomb shelters of the Cold War? Contrasts?