Small triangles at 6 on the dials of AM radios marked the frequencies for CONELRAD-Control of Electromagnetic Radiation-to which listeners were to tune for civil defense information. In the event of an attack, regular radio stations would stop broadcasting so enemy pilots could not use their signals for navigation. Ground Observer Corps volunteers scanned the sky for hostile aircraft. “Bert ducks and covers, but he has his shelter on his back,” the film said. An animated turtle named Bert urged some New York schoolchildren to follow his example. The FCDA, in cooperation with the National Education Association, produced a film, “Duck and Cover,” in 1951. In December 1950, Truman created the Federal Civil Defense Administration with headquarters in Battle Creek, Mich.
The National Security Resources Board called for the building of public shelters in “target areas” and private basement shelters for families and neighborhood groups. Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts fired off a letter to President Truman warning that the nation left itself open to “an atomic Pearl Harbor” by its indifference to civil defense planning. Interest in civil defense came roaring back when the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb in 1949.
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