North Carolina Civil Defense History

Multilanguage DVD and BluRay campaign for documentary "First Orbit"

2012-01-23T08:05:00.003-05:00

This is not so much a posting about civil defense, but rather an event in the Cold War. On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space and orbit the earth. Last year, filmmakers released a free documentary, First Orbit, on the anniversary of the flight that replicates Gagarin's flight path and gives people an idea of what he saw (Gagarin did not have a camera on his flight). Released on YouTube, the film was made by splicing together footage from the International Space Station when it tracked over Gagarin's flight path, together with the original radio transmissions of Gagarin and a rather moving soundtrack. It makes for a visually soothing and appealing film.

The producers of the documentary, First Orbit, are currently fundraising for a multi-language DVD and BluRay release in time for Yuri's Night 2012. I've donated to purchase a DVD and thought I would spread the word. You can donate from a dollar up to $15,000 for a sponsor credit on the film. In the spirit of sharing the truly international effort to explore the cosmos and the heavens beyond, I recommend you at least watch the film and help if you so desire to bring the film to an even wider audience.

Civilian Defense Awards - 8 May 1943

2012-01-18T07:42:00.003-05:00

Civilian Defense Volunteers in World War II did not receive medals or accolades for their service. Fortunately, depending on the number of hours they devoted to the organization, they were eligible to receive ribbon bars to wear which represented the hundreds (or thousands) of hours of volunteer effort. On 8 May 1943 (two years before VE-Day) the federal Office of Civilian Defense established six ribbon awards, ranging from 500 hours of volunteer service to 5,000 hours. For reference, I have added an image of the actual ribbons found on a militaria collector website.

Operation Pastorius and Jonathan Daniels - 22 September 1942

2012-01-07T09:36:00.002-05:00

This is part of an entry from Jonathan Daniels' wartime diary. Daniels served as editor of the News and Observer in Raleigh before becoming Assistant Director of the Office of Civilian Defense for Civilian Mobilization in 1942. This entry, dated almost two months after the a series of Nazi saboteurs were tried and executed for attempting to blow up various targets in the United States as part of Operation Pastorius, is interesting for the frankness of the language and the source, "J.E.H.", J. Edgar Hoover.

As a side note, one of the defense attorneys for the eight Nazi saboteurs was Kenneth C. Royall, who before the was was a practicing attorney in Raleigh and with Daniels a member of the North Carolina Council of National Defense, which oversaw the state Office of Civilian Defense.

Highway Markers for Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Base No. 16 and the Goldsboro Broken Arrow incident

2011-12-23T12:43:00.003-05:00

I am very proud to report that my application for a North Carolina Historical Highway Marker for Coastal Patrol Base No. 16, Manteo, North Carolina has been approved and will be erected at some point in the last spring, early summer of 2012. You can read the page about the marker here.

Also, I found out that a marker will also be erected for the January 1961 Broken Arrow incident in Faro, North Carolina, where a B-52 carrying two Mk. 39 thermonuclear weapons crashed. Here's the marker page for that event. Turns out a book is available just about this incident by Joel Dobson, aptly titled The Goldsboro Broken Arrow which just came out.

The marker will be in this style.

North Carolina, Industrial Dispersal and Business - July 1954

2011-12-20T21:03:00.004-05:00

Just found this gem today in the course of my research. It dates to July 1954, but what paper it is from I know not. Of note, Ben E. Douglas was mayor of Charlotte...and the second director of the NCCD during World War II.

Identification Tag Program - 27 October 1952

2011-12-11T17:49:00.003-05:00

I've previously posted information about an identification tag program instituted in 1955 by the NCCD. While organizing records, I came across this letter recently from 1952 where Governor W. Kerr Scott is informed of this program and asked to be a member by NCCD director E.Z. Jones. Another gem from a bygone era (and in the case of nuclear war, let us hope this era does not return).

Children and Civil Defense - 25 June 1951

2011-12-07T09:17:00.002-05:00

This document from the North Carolina Council of Civil Defense is an odd motivational document encouraging parents and civil defense officials to get their children involved in civil defense. While there is not necessarily anything groundbreaking here, it makes for an humorous read. For example:

"A farm boy just east of Kinston might have few occasions to drive to Raleigh. To him, you cannot add TOBACCO FIELDS and BOMBS and come up with EMERGENCY. But trying to put the subject on paper for the edification of his teacher and classmates, he might recall that it took him just an hour and a half to drive his prize hog to the State Fair last fall. Then he begins thinking about the hundreds of refugees that might clog that highway in a matter of minutes after an air raid."

Ahh, a simpler time...

70th Anniversary of the Civil Air Patrol

2011-12-01T08:57:00.003-05:00

Today, 70 years ago, the Civil Air Patrol was established by Office of Civilian Defense director Fiorello LaGuardia. Today, arguably, this is the only surviving remnant of the World War II-era Office of Civilian Defense. While I have a journal article coming about about the founding of the North Carolina Wing and its activities in World War II, I recently put together a brief history of the Ohio Wing and its activities in World War II. Enjoy!

Woman's Civil Defense Prayer - mid-1950s

2011-11-29T00:40:00.001-05:00

Never know, this might be handy to store in your fallout shelter.

The "Atomic H-bomb Formula," 7 December 1957

2011-11-28T14:42:00.003-05:00

When conducting research in congressional papers you occasionally find items that make you laugh quite a bit. This is such an example, which was relegated to the "Nut File." There are far more offensive, racist letters in this folder, but this one I thought stood apart since according to the letterhead the author is a dentist. Perhaps he left the valve to the nitrous oxide tank open in his office a few too many times.

Map of Damages Caused by Hurricanes Hazel, Connie, Diane, and Ione, 1954-55

2011-11-06T14:44:00.002-05:00

This map (really three pull out maps I've tried...badly...to piece together) is found in the 1955 North Carolina Long-Range Hurricane Rehabilitation Program report. This project would rehabilitation and rebuilt the North Carolina coast from Wilmington to Currituck, North Carolina. The NCCD, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and the Federal Civil Defense Administration, filled in inlets, cleared streams and rivers, rebuilt dune lines, and the results of this work resulted in new legislation being passed to safeguard the state's coasts. This was done for several reasons, prominent among them to support and foster the development of the coastal tourism industry, and promote the development of the economy and future industrial development in Eastern North Carolina. Most people would never in a million years think Civil Defense had anything to do with economic development in North Carolina, but through projects such as the North Carolina Committee on Hurricane Rehabilitation, it most certainly did.

Happy Halloween :)

2011-10-30T14:42:00.002-04:00

Be safe and have fun :)

Listing of Vessels Torpedoed by U-boats Off NC, 1942-45

2011-10-05T02:01:00.007-04:00

I just spent a few hours putting this information together and typing it up. David Stick's Graveyard of the Atlantic has a listing I have used for research before, but he does not distinguish why vessels sank. Thankfully, Uboat.net has assembled an amazing database of information from an array of sources. Using this information and Stick's list, I have thus created this listing. To sum up the data, U-boats sank 78 vessels, damaged 18, and killed 1,716 persons in the waters off North Carolina.

To make life easier (since the spacing is not working on blogger) I have turned this into a PDF file for download on Scribd.

Database of Ships Torpedoed by German U-boats off North Carolina, 1942 – 1945

Name Type Date Result Killed

Acme Tanker 17 March 1942 Damaged 11

Agra Cargo 20 April 1942 Sunk 6

Albert F. Paul Schooner 13 March 1942 Sunk 8

Alcoa Guide Cargo 17 April 1942 Sunk 6

Allan Jackson Tanker 18 January 1942 Sunk 22

Amerikaland Cargo 3 February 1942 Sunk 5

Anna Cargo 3 June 1942 Sunk 0

Arabutan Cargo 7 March 1942 Sunk 1

Ario Tanker 15 March 1942 Sunk 8

Ashkhabad Cargo 30 April 1942 Sunk 0

USS Atik Q-Ship 27 March 1942 Sunk 141

Atlantic Sun Tanker 21 March 1942 Damaged 0

Atlas Tanker 9 April 1942 Sunk 2

Australia Tanker 16 March 1942 Sunk 4

Axtell J. Byles Tanker 19 April 1942 Damaged 0

HMS Bedfordshire A/S Trawler 12 May 1942 Sunk 37

Belgian Airman Cargo 14 April 1945 Sunk 1

Bidwell Tanker 6 April 1942 Damaged 1

Blink Cargo 12 February 1942 Sunk 24

Bris Cargo 21 April 1942 Sunk 5

British Freedom Tanker 27 June 1942 Damaged 0

British Resource Tanker 14 March 1942 Sunk 45

British Splendour Tanker 7 April 1942 Sunk 12

Buarque Cargo 15 February 1942 Sunk 1

Byron D. Benson Tanker 5 April 1942 Sunk 10

Caribsea Cargo 11 March 1942 Sunk 21

Ceiba Cargo 17 March 1942 Sunk 44

Chenango Cargo 21 April 1942 Sunk 31

Ciltvaira Cargo 19 January 1942 Sunk 2

City of Atlanta Cargo 19 January 1942 Sunk 43

City of Birmingham Passenger 1 July 1942 Sunk 9

City of New York Passenger 29 March 1942 Sunk 24

USS Cythera Patrol Yacht 2 May 1942 Sunk 69

Desert Light Cargo 16 April 1942 Sunk 1

Dixie Arrow Tanker 26 March 1942 Sunk 11

E.M. Clark Tanker 18 March 1942 Sunk 1

Empire Dryden Cargo 20 April 1942 Sunk 26

Empire Gem Tanker 24 January 1942 Sunk 49

Empire Thrush Cargo 14 April 1942 Sunk 0

Ensis Tanker 4 April 1942 Damaged 0

Equipoise Cargo 27 March 1942 Sunk 41

Esso Nashville Tanker 21 March 1942 Damaged 0

George Ade Cargo 12 September 1944 Damaged 0

Halo Tanker 27 January 1944 Damaged 0

Harpagon Cargo 20 April 1942 Sunk 41

Harry F. Sinclaire, Jr. Tanker 11 April 1942 Damaged 10

J.A. Mowinckel Tanker 15 July 1942 Damaged 2

John D. Gill Tanker 13 March 1942 Sunk 23

Kassandra Louloudis Cargo 18 March 1942 Sunk 0

Katy Tanker 23 April 1942 Damaged 0

Koll Tanker 6 April 1942 Sunk 3

Kollskegg Tanker 6 April 1942 Sunk 4

Lady Drake Passenger 5 May 1942 Sunk 12

Lady Hawkins Passenger 19 January 1942 Sunk 251

Lancing Whaling Ship 7 April 1942 Sunk 1

Leif Cargo 28 February 1942 Sunk 15

Liberator Cargo 19 March 1942 Sunk 5

Libertad Cargo 4 December 1943 Sunk 25

Liebre Tanker 2 April 1942 Damaged 9

Ljubica Matkovic Cargo 24 June 1942 Sunk 0

Major Wheeler Cargo 6 February 1942 Sunk 35

Malay Tanker 19 January 1942 Damaged 5

Malchace Cargo 9 April 1942 Sunk 1

Manuela Cargo 25 June 1942 Sunk 2

Margaret Cargo 14 April 1942 Sunk 29

Marore Cargo 27 February 1942 Sunk 0

Naeco Tanker 23 March 1942 Sunk 24

Narragansett Tanker 25 March 1942 Sunk 49

Nordal Cargo 25 June 1942 Sunk 0

Norvana Cargo 19 January 1942 Sunk 29

Oakmar Cargo 20 March 1942 Sunk 6

Olean Tanker 15 March 1942 Damaged 6

Olympic Tanker 22 January 1942 Sunk 35

Otho Cargo 3 April 1942 Sunk 32

Panam Tanker 4 May 1943 Sunk 2

Papoose Tanker 19 March 1942 Sunk 2

Pleasantville Cargo 8 June 1942 Sunk 2

USS Plymouth Gunboat 5 August 1943 Sunk 70

Rio Blanco Cargo 1 April 1942 Sunk 19

San Delfino Tanker 10 April 1942 Sunk 28

San Gerardo Tanker 31 March 1942 Sunk 51

Stanvac Melbourne Tanker 12 April 1942 Damaged 3

Steel Maker Cargo 20 April 1942 Sunk 1

Svenør Tanker 27 March 1942 Sunk 8

Tamaulipas Tanker 10 April 1942 Sunk 2

Tamesis Cargo 26 June 1942 Damaged 0

Tolosa Cargo 9 February 1942 Sunk 22

Ulysses Passenger 11 April 1942 Sunk 0

Venore Cargo 24 January 1942 Sunk 17

Victolite Tanker 11 February 1942 Sunk 47

Victoria Tanker 18 April 1942 Damaged 0

W.E. Hutton Tanker 19 March 1942 Sunk 13

West Ivis Cargo 26 January 1942 Sunk 45

West Notus Cargo 1 June 1942 Sunk 4

William Rockefeller Tanker 28 June 1942 Sunk 0

USS YP-389 A/S Trawler 19 June 1942 Sunk 4

Quick Update on my Research

2011-10-04T08:04:00.002-04:00

Apologies for not posting in the past few weeks. School is back in full swing and I'm a bit overwhelmed with odds and ends. The good news is that my article on the North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol in World War II will be published. The journal accepted it with revisions and thus far my weeks have involved additional research and rewriting of the article. The biggest challenge by far is revising the argument to address several issues. Nothing major in the grand scheme of thing, but just one where I want to strike a nice balance between causal factors.

Hopefully next week I will commence intensive organization of the 55GBs of data from my archival research. The sheer volume of NCCD history I have acquired is staggering, and yet there is still more to gather! Granted, the upshot is an endless supply of blog posts.

FEMA and the Waffle House Index - The Colbert Report

2011-09-16T19:45:00.002-04:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

FEMA's Waffle House Index

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

Here's a Christian Science Monitor article on this index.

Princeville, NC and the May 1958 Floods

2011-09-14T15:18:00.002-04:00

Princeville, North Carolina, the oldest African-American incorporated town in the United States, made national headlines in 1999 when Hurricane Floyd completely inundated the town. Over 20 feet of water from the overflowing Tar River covered the town for 10 days that September twelve years ago. Located on a flood plain, this was not the town's first experience with flooding.

In May 1958, the waters of the Tar River inundated the town, although not the degree of Floyd. The reports below detail this event and the state's action to safeguard the people and property of Princeville. Of note in the letter by Harry E. Brown, head of the State Hurricane Rehabilitation Program, he writes "Nineteen floods of record have damaged this area since 1919. In addition to the present one, each of those occurring in 1919, 1924 and 1940 caused considerable damage. It appears that flood frequencies justify another study by the Corps of Engineers to determine what action can be taken to lessen this danger."

In 1965 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed an earthen dike to ward off floods...until Hurricane Floyd roared into town.

Before There Was NC-12, There Was a Vision - 1956

2011-09-13T22:55:00.006-04:00

There was a vision of a coastal highway allowing the tourist industry to flourish before NC-12 was finished with the construction of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet. This image was attached to a letter sent out by the Morehead City Chamber of Commerce in July 1956. With the future and love-hate relationship of NC-12 in the news recently thanks to Hurricane Irene's fury, a little bit of historical perspective is always useful.

Cath Glow Light Corporation Shelter Sign Blueprint - 1942

2011-09-07T23:18:00.002-04:00

First off, would anyone like to build me one of these for my sign collection?

I found this while going through boxes of advertising paraphernalia sent to the NCCD during World War II. What stood out obviously with this letter was the inclusion of a blueprint for how these signs are designed. Not every day you find a blueprint. Heaven knows if any of these Cath Glow Light Corporation signs are even in existence, but if anyone would like to try making one, hopefully this information will help!

Researching and Weather Phenomena

2011-09-07T09:17:00.002-04:00

I find it amusing that while researching this summer, I have:

1. Been at an archive days before a hurricane (Irene) flooded the surrounding area, but thankfully the archive is okay.

2. While photographing documents in Raleigh an earthquake decided to shake things up, resulting in the evacuation of the archive and standing outside for over half and hour going "that was something."

3. Twice in one day being evacuated to the basement of yet a third archive due to tornado sightings, spawned from thunderstorms as remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

Hopefully wildfires, plague, nuclear attack or meltdown, and catastrophic flooding will not impede any other research for the remainder of my summer!

NCCD Response to Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and 1968 Hurricane Precautionary Measures

2011-08-25T20:01:00.002-04:00

With Hurricane Irene staring down the North Carolina coast, historically it seems fitting to post up civil defense documents pertaining to hurricanes. First up is the November 1954 NCCD newsletter post-Hurricane Hazel. The state gave a rather frank appraisal of their performance and to say they were ill-prepared is perhaps generous. Not until after Hurricanes Diane, Connie, and Ione hammered the southeastern coast of the state in 1955 did serious civil defense planning take place in North Carolina and an extensive hurricane rehabilitation planning program occur.

The changes are somewhat evident as 14 years later the state was issuing annual hurricane preparedness information with measures for residents to take. This information, while dated, is largely valid today.

Wherever you are today, please pray for the the coastal residents of North Carolina and all along the East Coast. Hopefully Irene will spare my great state, but if not, at least I know the state Emergency Management officials are ready and fully capable of handling the situation with knowledge, skill, and efficiency.

Governor Broughton's Telegram to Washington Officials about Lack of Antisubmarine Defenses, 26 March 1942

2011-08-24T08:43:00.004-04:00

When it comes to researching, patience and dogged effort will be rewarded on occasion. In this case, I finally found a copy of a telegram Governor J. Melville Broughton sent to the Secretaries of War, Navy, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The telegram is a rather frank condemnation of the pitiful lack of preparedness on the part of the United States military to combat the German U-boat operations off the Eastern Seaboard.

To defend the almost 1,500 miles of coastline, Rear Admiral Adolphus Andrews, commander of the Eastern Sea Frontier, possessed 20 under-armed, under-manned ships of varying reliability and a motley assortment of 103 aircraft, three quarters of which were unsuited for either coastal patrol or antisubmarine defense. With the Navy unable to provide effective patrol aircraft, the Army Air Forces undertook the task of antisubmarine patrol. At the request of the Navy, Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drum, commander of the Eastern Defense Command, ordered the I Bomber Command to commence patrols, the first occurring on 8 December 1941. Here too, the military found itself deficient. After frantic efforts to augment the I Bomber Command with aircraft from the First Air Force, approximately 100 two-engine aircraft were available for use to cover the entire Eastern seaboard. By the end of January 1942, the number increased to 119, with only 46 in commission: nine B-17s and the remainder a mix of B-25s and obsolete B-18s. While better than nothing, these Army air units were still classified as training units, armed with demolition bombs rather than depth charges, with a dearth of training in naval identification or attack techniques to combat submarines. Further hampering American antisubmarine efforts was a lack of coordination: USN efforts operated under command of the Eastern Sea Frontier, while USAAF operations of the I Bomber Command took their directives from the Eastern Defense Command.

To frame the telegram in an additional light, here is an excerpt from a dissertation chapter draft (translation – this will be edited and changed down the road):

World War II was felt directly off the North Carolina coast on 16 January 1942 when the German submarine U-66 arrived in the waters off Cape Hatteras. On the night of 18 January, the U-boat’s commander spotted the Standard Oil-owned tanker Allan Jackson and sank her with two torpedoes, killing 22 out of the crew of 35. By the end of January, an additional eight vessels went down off the North Carolina coast, including the British tanker Empire Gem, with a loss of 49 killed. In February, German U-boats sank eight more ships along the state’s coast; 26 vessels sank beneath the waves in March, and 20 in April. Lights from vehicles, residences, and businesses along the Outer Banks aided the German submarines by spotlighting merchant vessels. Silhouetted against the glowing shore lights, U-boats could wait on the surface and spot the profile of ships moving along the coastline. Once targeted, unescorted merchant vessels made easy prey for the enemy submariners. Ultimately, U-boats would sink 87 vessels from January 1942 to April 1945 off the North Carolina coast. Civilian defense began to address this problem, but progress came from military, not civilian, officials.

In North Carolina, civilian defense efforts began with smaller practice blackout and dim-out drills in communities across the state. On 8 March 1942, Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drum, Commander, Eastern Defense Command, wrote Governor Broughton of the imperative necessity to “blackout or eliminate shore illumination which serves to silhouette passing vessels to enemy observation,” and requested that regional civilian defense directors work to eliminate illuminated signs and business lights along waterfronts of coastal communities. In response to the governor’s inquiry, state director Johnson reported that the regional office had not sent any guidance about elimination of lighting, and that NCCD required permission from military officials to even hold practice drills.

Despite this request, the coast remained illuminated. But as ship losses continued unabated, Broughton telegraphed President Roosevelt, the Secretaries of War and Navy, and General Drum on 26 March, criticizing the inadequacy of defensive measures for the coast and lack of coordination between governmental agencies. In April, under pressure from multiple sources, including the British government, the U.S. Navy finally transmitted information on blackout procedures for North Carolina coastal areas.

Fallout Shelters Making a Comeback?

2011-08-21T20:43:00.001-04:00

Asashi.com - Nuke Disaster Rekindles U.S. Interest in Fallout Shelters

Observations on the USSR - September 1959

2011-08-19T20:54:00.005-04:00

In the summer of 1959, North Carolina Governor Luther H. Hodges, together with either other state governors, visited the Soviet Union. On his return, he spoke to various audiences in North Carolina and elsewhere in the nation about his impressions. Hodges, a proponent of civil defense, certainly developed a unique perspective on "the Red Menace" and the prospect of thermonuclear war. In this speech at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers, 16 September 1959, Hodges gives his views on the Soviet Union. The portion of this speech about the Soviet Union begins on page four and this served as boilerplate for countless speeches the governor gave in the ensuing weeks in North Carolina. His observations remain fascinating and poignant over 52 years later.

If anyone would like a PDF of this speech, shoot me an email and I will send it to you.

Civil Air Patrol request for WPA Assistance, 5 August 1942

2011-08-19T07:36:00.003-04:00

North Carolinians established their first Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol base at Manteo, NC on 22 July 1942. The first aircraft arrived on 27 July and initial patrols began on 10 August. Located at a dirt strip off Skyco Road, the men battled muddy conditions, excessive heat, and literally black clouds of mosquitoes rising forth from the marsh grasses. With spartan funds and accommodations, NC CAP wing commander Frank E. Dawson wrote to Governor Joseph Melville Broughton to solicit the assistance of the Works Projects Administration to improve base conditions. The WPA provided a small contingent of workers to help construct small buildings for the men to use, some of which were relocated for use at what is now the Dare County Regional Airport during a base transfer from Skyco in October-December 1942.

Dawson hints in this letter of his working to secure a second patrol base for the state. This would be the coastal patrol base located at Beaufort, NC which Dawson himself commanded, beginning on 7 September 1942. While Manteo suffered from a lack of buildings, Beaufort's field was described in the base yearbook as "growing waist-high in swamp grass, and full of stump pine. About half the field was under water at high tide. The only evidence of human effort of living in the area was a tiny, two-room homestead in the northeast corner of the field."

The WPA would provide some assistance at Manteo, but their biggest help came at Beaufort, where the state submitted a Federal Works Agency War Public Works application to build a hard-surfaced airport to serve the men and the town of Beaufort. One of the few airfields built in the state during World War II for civilians rather than military personnel, this airport is still in use today as the Beaufort-Morehead City Airport (named Michael J. Smith Field).

Nuclear Disaster in the Triangle?

2011-08-07T14:56:00.001-04:00

Raleigh News and Observer - If Nuclear Disaster Struck, How Fast Could the Triangle Scoot?

Atomic Test Effects in the Nevada Test Site Region - 1955

2011-08-03T12:13:00.003-04:00

I found this booklet in a collection of papers from a civil defense worker who took part in the FCDA civil defense event, Operation Cue. As luck would have it, the booklet has been retyped and the images digitized by someone with a scanner, a method far superior to my digital camera in crummy archival lighting. To see this modernized version, click here.

Anyhow, the information in this booklet is fun to say the least, albeit disconcerting on many levels.

Now on Scribd @ Civil Defense History

2011-07-30T15:44:00.003-04:00

A big shout out to Mark Hess, creator of TeamCAP, for setting up a scribd account for this website and seeding it to start me out. Thanks again, Mark.

Civil Defense History will have an assortment of civil defense documents, and occasionally North Carolina-specific ones. Instead of posting just the jpgs of documents, I am going to try and go back posting PDFs of them instead on scribd for researchers to easily download and use.

NCCD Comic Book: What You Can Do When the Atom Bomb Strikes!

2011-07-25T19:38:00.007-04:00

This is one of the most intriguing and fascinating items I have found recently in my archival research. I almost passed up the item until I saw printed on the last page "Distributed in the public interest by the North Carolina Council of Civil Defense." Based on the address listed, this comic was mostly likely distributed in 1951. I have NEVER seen any mention of this comic in any record of the NCCD. I'm going to go back and look at the early files and see if a comic book is mentioned at any point. For those wanting a copy to download and print, I made a basic PDF version of this comic and it will be posted on this blog's new scribd account.

If you have any info about this, please let me know!

EDIT WITH UPDATE:
A fellow historian and a true civil defense expert for both the Soviet Union and United States, Edward Geist, emailed me a page proof and some other information about this particular comic. The proof pages were sent to the Federal Civil Defense Administration for review in December 1950. The FCDA found numerous problems with some of the images and information. They recommended that J.H. MacNiven Graphics consult the National Security Resources Board publication "Survival Under Atomic Attack" and the Atomic Energy Commission's booklet "The Effects of Atomic Weapons" to ensure accuracy. Curiously, the FCDA wrote the following in their response letter: "The technical corrections given above imply neither approval nor disapproval of this booklet, and the fact of our technical check for accuracy may not be used in any way." All the same, the artists changed the panels and text the FCDA disagreed with, and in February 1951 they began production of the finished book plates. I will assume for now that this comic was distributed in parts of North Carolina in 1951. Any further info would again be greatly appreciated!

Proof Page

Finished Comic

Press Announcement for Operation Crossroads nuclear tests, 24 January 1946

2011-07-25T19:30:00.004-04:00

While my previous post touched on Operations Crossroads (and a protest letter against the tests), as luck would have it I found the original press release/statement by Vice Admiral Blandy before the Special Committee on Atomic Energy, 24 January 1946. I'll let the documents speak for themselves. These were the largest (in terms of personnel) nuclear tests conducted by the United States, and image-wise remain the most publicized, particularly the explosion of Shot Baker.

Protest Letter Against Operation Crossroads, 11 June 1946

2011-07-20T23:58:00.004-04:00

I love going to the archives and finding a personal letter that indirectly references a current event, political happening, or cultural phenomena. In this letter dated 11 June 1946 from R.F. Martin of High Point to Congressman Carl T. Durham of Chapel Hill, Martin expresses his desire for Durham to somehow halt the upcoming Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll. Unfortunately, the scope and scale of the tests - and enormous logistical challenges - inhibited the ability of anyhow to halt them, aside from President Truman. Nevertheless, the fears and displeasure Martin express could just as easily be found in a letter from the 1950s, 1960s, or today for that matter.

Personnel Roster for CAP Coastal Patrol Base No. 16, Manteo, NC - 15 October 1942

2011-07-15T14:39:00.002-04:00

This is not a complete personnel roster for this antisubmarine base, but is the one official copy I have been able to obtain. The Dare County Regional Airport has a small Civil Air Patrol museum where this roster is on display along with a monument to all the men and women who were part of this unit's history from 27 July 1942 to 31 August 1943. Enjoy!

Archival Technology Upgrades

2011-07-08T17:48:00.002-04:00

In the past two weeks I've upgraded some of the tools of my research. First, I've added a Canon LiDE 110 scanner to my tool bag. This uses LED indirect light to scan documents or photos. It is extremely gentle on archival documents, very portable, and powers through my laptop. I highly recommend it if you need a simple, no frills, portable scanner.

Just today I purchased a Casio EX-H15 digital camera. My old Kodak (which has taken all the photos featured on the blog) dates back to 2005 and is a bit long in the tooth. It still takes decent photos but is not able to cope with the volume of photos I tend to take in a day at the archives (around 200-800). As of now it will become my dedicated backup camera.

If interested in either item, I've hotlinked the company pages for both products. I can't speak on the camera yet, but the nice lady who sold it to me is working on a history degree as well and understood my questions, so fingers are crossed it performs well!

Working on an Article for Publication

2011-07-05T09:29:00.003-04:00

Apologies for not posting more the past few weeks. I have just finished a draft on the history of the North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) during World War II. It covers the founding of the wing and the operation of the two coastal patrol bases, on at Manteo and the other at Beaufort. The goal is to get this published for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the bases (the state wing was founded in December 1941, in correlation with the establishment of the CAP). After this piece of writing is complete, I'm back to working on my dissertation and civil defense history.

In the meantime, here is a photo of CAP Major (later Colonel) Frank E. Dawson. He is the man who became the second (technically third) wing commander for the state, lobbied for the establishment of the state's two coastal patrol bases, commanded the one in Beaufort, later commanded Tow Target Unit No. 21, and ended the war establishing The Association of Civil Air Patrol Veterans, Inc. to fight for Congressional recognition of the contributions of active-duty CAP volunteers in World War II.

Although largely (if not entirely) forgotten today, Dawson's efforts not only solidified CAP's place in the state and ensured the construction of an airport in Beaufort (Michael J. Smith Field today) but helped ensure the establishment of CAP as the auxiliary of the United States Air Force.

Organization of the North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, February 1942

2011-06-21T00:50:00.004-04:00

I found some new information today as I was researching about the state Civil Air Patrol (CAP) wing during World War II. This information has allowed me to construct a rough - perhaps extremely - rough organizational outline of the North Carolina Wing as of February 1942. Several of these roles, particularly the wing command and executive officer roles, would change before the year was out. The headquarters moved at least twice in Charlotte before the year was out. Anyhow, here is what I have constructed in the meantime. Enjoy!

Organization of North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, February 1942

Headquarters: CAA building, Charlotte, NC

Wing Commander: Junius M. Horner, Jr., Asheville

Executive Officer: William H. Williamson, Jr., Charlotte

Group Adjutant: Frank E. Dawson, Charlotte

Intelligence and Public Relations Officer: Arthur R. Newcombe

Training and Operations Officer: John A. Cunningham, Charlotte

Equipment and Supplies Officer: George E. Wilkinson, Charlotte

First Group – Western – 441

Commander: Erskine R. Boyce, Gastonia, NC

First Squadron (Gastonia) Commander: Brown W. Wilson

Second Squadron (Asheville) Commander: Jack K. Rogers

Third Squadron (Hickory) Commander: John W. Terrell

Fourth Squadron (Charlotte) Commander: Dwight Cross

Fifth Squadron (Charlotte) Commander: James Hamilton

Note: One of these two Charlotte squadrons I believe became Concord.

Second Group – Piedmont - 442

Commander: Allen H. Watkins, Greensboro

TBD for Squadrons

Believed to be Burlington, Greensboro, Henderson, Salisbury, Winston-Salem (info from January 1943)

Third Group – Eastern - 443

Commander: Truman W. Miller, Raleigh

First Squadron (Raleigh) Commander: James E. Lassiter

Second Squadron (Elizabeth City) Commander: Roy Edgerton

Third Squadron (Rocky Mount/Wilson) Commander: Hobb W. Anderson

Fourth Squadron (Fayetteville) Commander: Major L.R. Ashe

Fifth Squadron (Burgaw) Commander: Roy Howe

Note: Burgaw and Elizabeth City appear to have moved, dissolved, or merged in mid-1942 and became Wilmington.

As of January 1943, the following locations had squadrons: Asheville, Burlington, Charlotte, Concord, Fayetteville, Gastonia, Greensboro, Henderson, Hickory, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Salisbury, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem.

August-September 1944 NCCD "Home Front"

2011-06-06T07:25:00.002-04:00

On this anniversary of the D-Day landings, I thought I would post up the August-September 1944 NC Office of Civilian Defense newsletter, Home Front. The June issue does not carry any reference to the landings, nor was there a July issue published. Pages 2 and 3 carry articles about the impact of the invasion on civilian defense. What may be of interest is that just prior to the D-Day landings, the staffs of the NCCD and the national Office of Civilian Defense were cut and budgets reduced in the draw down of civilian defense.

For North Carolina, Governor Joseph Melville Broughton intended to terminate the NCCD in December 1944, but the failure of Operation Market Garden and the German attack into the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) convinced him to maintain the state office, albeit with a skeleton staff. D-Day, however, gave both the Governor and citizens in the state hope that the war would be at an end, and programs like civilian defense made unnecessary for the future. Unfortunately, nuclear weapons and international events had other plans.

The Comic Book for "Duck and Cover" and the 1967 Israeli Version

2011-06-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

Perhaps no piece of Civil Defense culture is more well-known than the catch phrase "duck and cover," and its noble proponent, Bert the Turtle. Most people came to hear of Bert thanks in part to Archer Production's film, Duck and Cover. The folks over at Conelrad.com have already written an excellent article about the creation of Bert and his impact.

What fewer people are aware of is the existence of a comic book also produced in 1952 for school children. I purchased my copy off ebay and have scanned it for anyone to print and share the lessons of our friend, Bert. Unfortunately the scanner I was using on campus would not allow me to change the DPI settings. Nevertheless, I have placed all the panels onto two images sized to be printed out on 8.5 by 11 inch paper.

Bert the Turtle did not remain solely an American icon. In 1967, the Israeli Citizen's Self-Defense Group of the Israeli Defense Forces, in conjunction with the Office of Education and Culture published a variant of the 1952 American comic. A fellow graduate student, Mr. Benzion Chinn, graciously donated his time to translate the Hebrew for me. I have included the panels and his translation below for comparison. I do not know much about this Israeli version, but hopefully a reader of this blog can shed more light on the matter. Whatever the case, enjoy the comics!

Note: Click the thumbnails to open up the images to full-size. Also, in Hebrew you read the comic from right to left.

1952 American Comic, Part I (Panels 1-8)

Part II (Panels 9-16)

1967 Israeli Comic, Part I (Panels 1-8)

Part II (Panels 9-16)

FEMA Back and Better Than Ever?

2011-05-27T09:26:00.000-04:00

Businessweek: FEMA Gets its Groove Back

"Don't Junk History" - "War Bulletin," 27 October 1942

2011-05-20T17:30:00.004-04:00

The North Carolina Office of Civilian Defense was originally organized with rationing and salvage as components of the civilian defense mission. They spun off in early 1942 to the Office of Price Administration and War Production Board, respectively. Nevertheless, the NCCD promoted both endeavors under the jurisdiction of the Citizens Service Corps for the remainder of the war.

In the patriotic zeal to assist in scrap drives, however, citizens occasionally turned in items of historical significance, as noted in this brief article by State Historical Commission secretary, Dr. Charles Christopher Crittenden. Presumably no Civil War-era cannon were scrapped, but World War I souvenirs and other relics were welcomed, in a previous article from the 12 October 1942 NCCD "War Bulletin." Who knows what World War I or Spanish-American War items ended up in the scrap pile!

27 October 1942 - "War Bulletin"
12 October 1942 - "War Bulletin"

Origins of Raleigh's Air Raid / Civil Defense Sirens

2011-05-06T00:55:00.006-04:00

In the wake of questions about establishing a siren network in the Raleigh/Wake County area, I did a little snooping with the documents I have available from my December 2010 trip to the North Carolina archives. Here are some rough notes on when Raleigh first installed a siren network during World War II. The information has been gleaned from small notices in the War Bulletin, a periodic newsletter published by the North Carolina Office of Civilian Defense from July 1942 to July 1943, when it was superseded by a similar newsletter, Home Front.

In early September 1942, the Raleigh City Commissioners approved the purchase of nine, 2 1/2 horsepower sirens "to be operated by remote control." Prior to these sirens, the city apparently used some type of improvised ("home-made") siren perched atop the Capital Building. Steam whistles supplemented this system. At the end of October 1942, the nine sirens were installed with "a view to using them in the fire alarm system after the war."

UPDATED: As luck would have it, Sarah McCulloh Lemon's short book, North Carolina's Role in World War II, has a photograph of one of Raleigh's sirens, apparently taken prior to installation. I have photographed this image (page 31 in the fourth edition) for your viewing pleasure. Searching the North Carolina Archives, it turns out that this siren IS the homemade siren used prior to the purchased sirens (which model remains unknown). The homemade portion is the revolving mechanism, not the actual siren itself. This image was originally in the Raleigh News and Observer, 19 January 1942, accompanied by the following caption:

"Will Wynne, pioneer Raleigh electrician and radio expert, conceived the idea of a revolving siren. He presented his idea to John Bray, chief air- raid warden for Raleigh's Civilian Defense Volunteer Forces. The new siren was set up and built by members of Bray's staff: H. I. West, engineer of buildings and grounds; H. L. Rivenbark, supervisor of the buildings maintenance force, and Neil Spence, member of the maintenance staff. Rivenbark and West are shown checking the siren. It is powered by electricity."

The siren in the photo is a Sterling Little Giant model, and a video of one operating can be found here.

What of Raleigh's Siren Network? From 2011, not 1962.

2011-04-27T21:51:00.000-04:00

Troubleshooter: What about storm sirens? - Troubleshooter - NewsObserver.com

About Recent Storms in North Carolina

2011-04-18T23:24:00.002-04:00

Bertie County Begins Long Road to Recovery - WRAL.com

Roxobel Tornado, 19 April 1943

2011-04-17T08:59:00.003-04:00

In the aftermath of the storms on 16 April 2011, history once again provides examples of something similar. On 19 April 1943, an F3 tornado wreaked destruction on the tiny town of Roxobel, North Carolina in Bertie County, killing seven, injuring 15, and destroying or damaging every building in the community. North Carolina Office of Civilian Defense personnel responded to the disaster, but under an agreement signed on 9 September 1942, the American Red Cross assumed responsibility for managing natural disasters, while Civilian Defense assumed responsibility for managing acts of war or any disaster caused by enemy action.

Below is the NCCD press release about the Roxobel tornado. Of note, Roxobel is roughly 30 miles from Askewville, NC, where early reports indicate that 10 people died yesterday.

Office of Civilian Defense National Security Award - National Munitions Corporation of Carrboro, NC

2011-04-04T11:02:00.006-04:00

When I first encountered information about the Office of Civilian Defense "National Security Award," I was a bit dumbfounded as to what it exactly was. On 25 May 1944, the National Munitions Corporation of Carrboro, NC received the first National Security Award presented in North Carolina and only the second given in the United States to a manufacturing organization (the June 1944 issue of the North Carolina Office of Civilian Defense newsletter Home Front about the award presentation is below for the particulars).

The National Security Award, created in the fall of 1943, recognized manufacturing plants, industrial locations, transportation facilities, power plants, and other utilities deemed part of hte nation's infrastructure or contributing to the war effort nationwide, who, by their own internal security apparatus, have been recognized as having established "superior measures of security and protection."

To quote the memorandum below about the award criteria:

The Award will be based upon the following general conditions:

a. The establishment of superior security and protection measures in accordance with the requirements of the facility.

b. The organization of sufficient protection personnel in accordance with the recommendations and suggestions of the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense as related to the specific requirements of the facility.

c. The training and enrollment of protection personnel at the facility as members of the U.S. Citizens Defense Corps in accordance with the U.S. Citizens Defense Corps, OCD Regulations No 3. (Revised August 1942) or subsequent revisions thereof.

d. The integration and coordination of protection and security measures with the local organizationof Civilian Defense.

e. The issuance of emergency instructions for all employees, the establishment of proper air raid and emergency warning signals, and the designation of shelter areas.

f. General excellent in observing regulations and directives concerning blackout, dimout, and other local defense requirements.

While certificates were provided, lapel pins and a flag for the facility to display could be purchased by the organization, if desired. On eBay the lapel pins are occasionally for sale (like the one pictured above).

The Comic Book for "Duck and Cover" and the 1967 Israeli Version

2011-03-17T11:49:00.012-04:00

Note: Click the thumbnails to open up the images to full-size. Also, in Hebrew you read the comic from right to left.

1952 American Comic, Part I (Panels 1-8)

Part II (Panels 9-16)

1967 Israeli Comic, Part I (Panels 1-8)

Part II (Panels 9-16)

North Carolina Civil Air Patrol History

2011-02-14T21:38:00.003-05:00

I have found a number of documents concerning the origins of the North Carolina Wing #44 of the Civil Air Patrol in my archival research. Some of these documents are being shared with CAP Lt. Col. Mark Hess, who is posting them on his website, TeamCAP. You can view documents here about:

Coastal Patrol Base #16 (Manteo)

Coastal Patrol Base #21 (Beaufort)

50 Years Later: North Carolina's Nuclear "Attack" Remembered

2011-02-09T18:58:00.002-05:00

WRAL TV-5 posted this story today on their website: Witnesses, Survivor Gather to Remember B-52 Crash

I blogged about this back in July 2009 in reference to an article in the News and Observer.

Know your Civilian Defense Insignia, Circa 1942

2011-02-01T00:11:00.001-05:00

Save Your Tin to Win the War! War Production Board, 19 September 1944

2011-01-30T21:13:00.004-05:00

Ever wonder how many cans it took to provide the tin for production of a single 3-inch anti-tank gun? Wonder no more with the gem found in a box of Washington correspondence to the North Carolina Office of Civilian Defense.

Care of Animals in Air Raid Alarms, Regional Office of Civilian Defense, 5 May 1942

2011-01-30T14:45:00.005-05:00

While I have a document on the care of animals in nuclear war, this document hails back to the World War II Office of Civilian Defense in 1942, when enemy air attack remained a possible, albeit somewhat implausible, possibility. The upshot is that only "uncared for wounded animals constitute a danger during air raids," for they posed "an unfavorable factor on public calmness." One wonders if part of this guidance originates from the experiences of troops hearing the terrible cries of wounded horses and livestock caught in no man's land in Northern France.

Bureau of the Census and Japanese in the U.S., 10 December 1941

2010-12-30T14:59:00.003-05:00

I found this letter and attached data sheets a few days ago and find it both fascinating and depressing. First off, the date of the letter, 10 December 1941, comes three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, but months before President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued his notorious Executive Order 9066 on 19 February 1942, opening the door to the establishment of Japanese internment camps in the United States.

The data tables attached from the 1940 U.S. Census also shed light on those Japanese living in states in the Midwest and East Coast. For North Carolina, there were a grand total of two foreign born and 19 first-generation Americans of Japanese ancestry (Nisei - or Sansei, second generation Japanese born in America) in the state. Thankfully, Governor Broughton did not create a camp for these 21 individuals, or have them shipped out of the state in an act of "meeting problems of defense."

Blackouts and Torpedo Junction - Letter to Governor Broughton, April 1942

2010-12-29T20:50:00.004-05:00

I found this letter today in a folder of miscellaneous documents pertaining to the World War II North Carolina Office of Civilian Defense. I thought it intriguing and looked up the date listed, 4 April 1942, to see if any merchant vessel was attacked off the North Carolina coast. To this I found no match, but in the early morning hours of 5 April 1942, in the vicinity listed by the author, the tanker SS Byron D. Benson was attacked and sunk by Captain Erich Topp of the U-552.

As for the now defunct Edwards Military Institute, here is some background about it.

Letter from Kenneth C. Royall to Governor J. Melville Broughton, 23 March 1942

2010-12-23T21:45:00.006-05:00

This is a neat little find. Kenneth C. Royall was the last Secretary of War and first Secretary of the Army (following the National Defense Act of 1947). Promoted to full Colonel in the regular Army during World War II, Royall was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to act as the legal defense for eight German saboteurs captured in the Spring of 1942. I won't go into details about the legal defense (the wiki entry on Royall gives you the basics for those interested). Royall ended the war as a Brigadier General. He served as Secretary of War and the Army from 1947 until 1949, when he was forced to retire for refusing to desegregate the Army in accordance with President Harry Truman's Executive Order 9981.

In this letter to Governor Broughton, Royall is apparently still a lawyer practicing law in Raleigh (or using his firm's stationary for personal business). This letter appears to predate by a few months his appointment by FDR to defend the German saboteurs. He notes one of the early problems of civil defense for North Carolina at the onset of World War II...what to do with both it and the State Council for National Defense. I do not yet have all the details on this organization, but it appears to be a group representing state, local, private, and business interests to organize their efforts for the war effort. In Royall's opinion more could be done with this group.

The persons mentions, "Harrelson" and "Johnson," are Colonel John W. Harrelson, chairman of the council, and Mr. Theodore S. Johnson, director of the North Carolina Office of Civilian Defense from 1941 to the summer of 1942. Harrelson served as the first chancellor of North Carolina State University and Harrelson Hall is named in his honor.

As luck would have it, I found the original of this letter (as opposed to the onion skin copy) in a different collection of records the other day. Here is the signed original.

But wait, there's more! Here is Royall's letter of resignation from the North Carolina State Council for National Defense from June 1942...undoubtedly because he had just been tapped by President Roosevelt to act as the legal defense for the German saboteurs mentioned at the start of this post.

Duck and Cover is BACK!

2010-12-15T19:50:00.001-05:00

U.S. Rethinks for Strategy for the Unthinkable - Duck and Cover Redux

Finally have a name for E.Z. Jones and fate of General Griffin

2010-12-14T19:31:00.004-05:00

Elbert Zed "E.Z." Jones, 1902 - 1969

Edward Foster Griffin, 1900 - 1976

Today I solved one of the bigger mysteries in NC civil defense history...the name of the first NCCD director. Thanks to the guidance of one of the archival experts, I searched the death certificates for Mr. E.Z. Jones. After years of dead ends with documents, I found his death certificate from 11 July 1969 in a matter of minutes.

Mr. Elbert Zed "E.Z." Jones was born in Florida on 31 October 1902 and died in Burlington, NC. He resided at 1715 Woodland Avenue in Burlington and was buried on 13 July 1969 in Alamance Memorial Park.

After finding Mr. Jones's information, I found General Edward Foster Griffin's death certificate. Born in North Carolina on 4 November 1900, General Griffin of 105 Sunset Avenue, died in Louisburg on 30 January 1976 after complications arising from a heart attack he suffered twelve days prior. He was buried on 1 February in Oakwood Cemetery in Louisburg.

Team CAP - Civil Air Patrol History website now "fully operational"

2010-11-30T16:52:00.002-05:00

Mark Hess, webmaster extraordinaire, sent me an email recently noting that Team Civil Air Patrol Archives and Research Center website is finally complete and online. I highly recommend it to any and all persons interested in the aviation side of civil defense.

Back in Action

2010-11-26T09:39:00.002-05:00

On the 24th I passed my doctoral candidacy exams, so my month long hiatus is officially over. I hope to post up some new items and civil defense stories in the coming months as my dissertation research takes off. Stay tuned for some fun stuff!

On Hiatus for the Month

2010-11-04T23:21:00.001-04:00

This month I will be taking my doctoral exams and most likely will not have a chance to post something up. My studying since July manifests itself in the lack of posts in general. The upshot is that in December I will be back researching and should have a whole new array of information to share with fellow civil defense enthusiasts. Stay safe and stay tuned!

Civil Defense Exhibits at the North Carolina State Fair

2010-10-18T08:13:00.006-04:00

Here are some images I've come across in my archival scroungings. I am not certain date-wise about the mobile exhibits, but my estimate is that they date to the mid-1960s.

1955 Exhibit

1950s-era Exhibit

Mobile Trailer Exhibits from mid-1960s

This is why I enjoy researching...note the penciled comment at the top. The initials "SBW" stand for Sarah Boyd Weaver, NCCD Public Information Officer, and the person writing the majority of memos and thank yous for the NCCD director.

Letter from William F. Abee to Governor Sanford in Reference to The Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter"

2010-09-26T09:22:00.004-04:00

President John F. Kennedy’s 25 July 1961 address to the nation regarding the Berlin Crisis gained even further importance thanks to media attention about fallout shelters and civil defense. Life magazine published a special September 1961 issue devoted to civil defense, and Time printed extensive civil defense articles in September and October 1961 that stimulated public discussion, notably on the practicality and overly optimistic outlook for shelter survival. Of note was an episode of the television program The Twilight Zone, titled “The Shelter.” Rod Serling, writer and creator of the program, had been taking bids for a shelter in his own home, but abandoned the idea when informed if the shelter failed he was without recourse. First aired on 29 September 1961, the episode pushed the boundaries of what happens when there is only one shelter in a neighborhood with room for only three people.

The story begins with dinner party of neighbors celebrating the neighborhood doctor, Bill Stockton, and gently poking fun at his bomb shelter, the only one in the neighborhood. Suddenly a CONELRAD announcement interrupts the festivities, reporting that unidentified flying objects are approaching the country and that civil defense authorities have declared a yellow alert, urging all people to head to shelters. As Stockton and his family prepare their shelter, his neighbor and best friend comes over asking if his family can also use the shelter. Stockton says no, states he is sorry for his neighbor, and then locks himself with his family in the shelter. All the families from the dinner party then begin to arrive, pounding on the shelter door and asking for Stockton to let them in. Tempers flare as the neighbors turn on each other. Using a piece of pipe as a battering ram, the neighbors break open the shelter door just as the radio announces everything was a false alarm. The once peaceful neighbors, though spared a bomb, have Stockton musing if they have not destroyed themselves without one. Serling closed the episode prophetically: “No moral, no message, no prophetic tract. Just a simple statement of fact: For civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized.”

The episode posed the dilemma of what a shelter owner should do with shelterless neighbors in an attack. William F. Abee of Belmont, North Carolina acknowledged this specific episode in a letter to Governor Terry Sanford shortly after the episode aired. Abee, himself owner of a shelter thirty-five feet below ground, noted that in an attack

As we know thare could be millions saved if we all had shelters/but as it is thare will be neadless loss of millions, jest because they wase either to lazy or they had a Mental Religeous block telling them not to build a shelter less it weaken their faith, youd be suprised to know that is an actual fact, believe it or not, I have found it so, Ive bin on A study of all this for some time and I find many fool reasons they havent deemed it nessary to build a shelter.

But jest let it happen and you will see how quick I am swamped with those people that thought that they dident need a shelter. It will be like it wase in Twilite Zone last night, that is what happned to this family that built a shelter. The peoplr rushed in and ni distroyed the place. That can happen to us that have these shelters. And that is one reason I am asking you now if you dont believe thare should be some sort or pressure put on the people if they dont willinglg build them nessary shelters. so thet rush on us that hase wont happen as bad as it can now.

Typing and spelling skills aside, Abee’s request for more shelters by invoking the threat of panic made an impact on NCCD director Edward F. Griffin, who forwarded it to Sanford’s legal assistant, Joel L. Fleishman. Griffin wrote, “it is my opinion that such a statement dealing with the critical times and urging all citizens to prepare for a civil emergency, by Governor Sanford would be most appropriate and helpful in our efforts to arouse the people as to their responsibility for survival.” Sanford did not release a statement, but did send a letter to mayors state-wide urging counties to update and strengthen their survival plans, or to immediately begin to develop plans, “so that your constituents may have an equal chance of survival with citizens of other communities who have such plans.” Abee’s letter is the only North Carolina letter I have found in my research yet that specifically references this famous Twilight Zone episode, but I hope to find other cultural references in the coming year.

Lookout Mountain Laboratory and How to Photograph an Atomic Bomb

2010-09-14T07:34:00.001-04:00

From The New York Times - Secret Corps of Filmmakers Documented Nuclear Bomb Tests

New Additions to my Fallout Shelter Sign Collection

2010-08-15T17:48:00.007-04:00

Since my original post about my shelter sign collection almost a full year ago, I've added a few more to the collection wall. While I have not posted every sign I have (around 25), I wanted to post some of the nicer pieces. Enjoy!

World War II era

1950s

1960s

The reflective coating on the sign makes photographing it tricky. The little notches at the bottom and top are actually the pushpins I use to hold the sign to the wall as the original holes in the vinyl have yet to be punched out.

This "W" sign is actually Canadian. I'm guessing it dates to the 1960s, but this could easily date to the late 1950s.

The Schools and Civil Defense - NC State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1953

2010-08-12T08:56:00.005-04:00

The publication The Schools and Civil Defense, first published in 1953 , represented North Carolina's guidance to K-12 educators in "meeting needs contemplated as possibilities during an emergency resulting from enemy attack, sabotage, or from natural causes." This guidance rested on a foundation of coordination between local schools and civil defense organizations to respond to emergencies and to instruct children regarding civil defense whenever and wherever possible. Regarding the latter point, the handbook states:

"Since it is generally agreed, following the organization of the local civil defense program, that the major contribution the schools can make to civil defense is to do a better job of these programs already planned for normal living [emphasis in original], a large part of this publication is devoted to suggestions in this area. It is the responsibility of the State Superintendent and his staff to encourage and assist the schools in this respect to the end that pupils will be better prepared for emergencies of all kinds."

So, what are some of these suggestions? The booklet offers potential activities and topics for grades 1-12 in the broad areas of health and physical education. The vast bulk of the booklet looks at civil defense instruction in health, subdivided into mental health, personal health and nutrition, home care of the sick, community health and sanitation, diseases, family life education, safety education, fire protection, and first aid and emergency care.

Educators are provided with suggested activities and topics divided up according to grade level. In the area of "Family Life Education," students in grades 1-3 have the suggested topic of relating protective activities in school to similar activities in the home. "For example, 'Duck and Cover' activities." Meanwhile, high school students can learn about "stockpiling of food supplies in home and care for them." Under the subtopic of "Personal Health Including Nutrition," suggested topics for high school students include learning about water treatment after atomic attack, and my personal favorite, "raising and storing of additional food supplies - gardens, chickens, hogs, etc. North Carolina can do a great deal in this type of activity."

A list of references includes a vast array of publications from the Federal Civil Defense Administration, American National Red Cross, and American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Also listed are films available for loan from the North Carolina Council of Civil Defense (pre-NC Civil Defense Agency). Some of these include:

- Survival Under Atomic Attack
- You Can Beat The A-Bomb Part I / Part II
- What You Should Know About Biological Warfare
- Duck and Cover
- Our Cities Must Fight
- A Tale of Two Cities
- The Atom Strikes

Below is this handbook in its entirety, including pictures of school children demonstrating the "Duck and Cover" drill. For those interested, these photos were taken at the then segregated Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Civil Defense Chief Requests Schools Start Air Raid Alert Drills - 25 August 1954

2010-08-11T20:46:00.004-04:00

Just in time for classes to begin in a few weeks, here is a press release from the North Carolina Civil Defense Agency advocating "that training of school children in safety procedure[s] during air raid alerts be started with the least possible delay after the opening of the fall school term." What did these drills entail? "Duck and Cover!" What better way to survive the thermonuclear age of multi-megaton weapons than huddling under a wooden desk or scrunched up in a hallway just like our friend Bert the Turtle.

The 1953 North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction handbook Civil Defense in Schools is mentioned as the guidebook for educators, and I will post up a copy of this by the end of the week. Suffice to say, it is a fascinating, at times highly amusing and overly optimistic (and ambitious) take on what educators and students could and should do in the event of atomic attack. Thankfully, such advice never had to be put into practice. Nevertheless, it should be noted that during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Civil Defense in Schools remained on the books as guidance for school administrators, albeit supplemented with information from local civil defense organizations, if applicable.

Hiroshima and The Atomic Cafe

2010-08-06T10:45:00.003-04:00

On this sixty-fifth anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, I happened to find that the entire 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe is now on YouTube. The opening of this superb documentary of the early history of the U.S. and atomic weapons has a poignant portrayal of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the painful disconnect this country had between actions and consequences. The blending of the macabre and poignant film footage and period audio makes this a powerful documentary.

For more information about the film, see the Internet Movie Database's page about The Atomic Cafe.

65 years later, man who photographed Little Boy Vindicated

2010-08-01T08:39:00.002-04:00

He Really Did Shoot A-Bomb Photos - News and Observer, 1 August 2010

Multimedia Artwork - "1945-1998" by Isao Hashimoto

2010-07-09T17:01:00.001-04:00

Isao Hashimoto's "1945 - 1998" is a bird's eye view of the history by scaling down a month length of time into one second. No letter is used for equal messaging to all viewers without language barrier. The blinking light, sound and the numbers on the world map show when, where and how many experiments each country have conducted. I created this work for the means of an interface to the people who are yet to know of the extremely grave, but present problem of the world.

NCCD Emergency Feeding Manual - Late 1951, Early 1952

2010-07-02T08:23:00.006-04:00

Just in time for your Fourth of July party comes 60 year old information on how to prepare nutritious meals to feed vast quantities of guests using mere garbage cans and a fire pit. The North Carolina Council of Civil Defense Nutrition Advisory Board led by Dr. Bertlyn Bosley published the State of North Carolina Civil Defense Emergency Feeding Manual in late 1951 (or early 1952 as the records are not too specific). North Carolina's commitment to creating an emergency mass feeding program for both survivors and rescue workers came in response to the Federal Civil Defense Administration's early planning recommendations. This information continued to be used by the NCCD well into the 1960s. I have yet to find any updated edition or changes to this manual or the mass feeding training manual since publication.

The complete manual is found below including simple recipes should you desire to experience the taste of being a survivor in a bread line following nuclear attack.

On Vacation

2010-06-16T10:01:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to note that I am on hiatus this month but will be posting new stuff when July rolls around.

NCCD Director and D-Day Veteran: James W. Denning

2010-06-06T14:25:00.003-04:00

On this anniversary of the D-Day invasion, 6 June 1944, a salute to D-Day veteran and former NCCD director James W. Denning is appropriate. On 17 July 1969, Governor Robert W. Scott announced the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Denning to the director position, with the formal appointment taking place on 10 September 1969. Denning had held the post of NCCD Operations Officer for the agency since August 1955, and was the first person in the agency to rise to the director’s position.

A graduate of Wake Forest College, Denning joined the U.S. Army in 1941 as a private, and was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division. As a member of the division, Denning parachuted into Normandy,

France

with Operation Overlord and into Holland during Operation Market Garden. He fought for the defense of Bastogne,

Belgium

during the Battle of the Bulge and was with the division at Berchtesgaden, Austria on VE-Day. For his services he received the Bronze Star, Belgian Croix de Guerre with palms, and French Croix de Guerre with palm, five battle stars and two arrowheads for the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. After the war, Denning joined the North Carolina National Guard and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. While in the guard, Denning attended the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS and the Advanced Artillery and Middle School at Fort Sill, OK.

As NCCD director, Denning oversaw the continued surveying and establishing of fallout shelters in North Carolina and emphasized increased awareness of operational readiness to hurricanes and tornadoes in North Carolina. Early in his tenure, he and the state agency provided assistance to the Mississippi Civil Defense Council following the unprecedented destruction caused by Hurricane Camille. In March 1972, the NCCD was combined with five other state departments, boards, and commissions to comprise the new Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs (DMVA), as created by the 1971 General Assembly.

Take time to prepare a hurricane kit - Weather - NewsObserver.com

2010-05-27T07:18:00.000-04:00

Take time to prepare a hurricane kit - Weather - NewsObserver.com

Guy Eaker, Sr. - B.A.S.S. Master, Former Fallout Shelter Owner

2010-05-20T00:16:00.004-04:00

I just came across this article in the New York Times and had to share: True Fish Tale: Angler, 70, Still Casts With the Best
I interviewed Mr. Eaker as part of my Masters thesis research back in February 2008. Not only is he a master bass fisherman and first-rate host and gentleman, but he is also was at one time a fallout shelter owner. Below is the text from pages 110-111 of my MA thesis with Mr. Eaker's story.

It is a small world indeed, enjoy!

In nearby Cherryville, Guy Eaker, Sr. and his family may have been the only residents with a fallout shelter. Eaker’s father decided to build the shelter after events in early 1961 convinced him that “something was going to happen.” Built over the course of a few weeks in April 1961 at a cost of $2,000, the Eakers built the shelter for twelve people to live comfortably. Measuring thirty by forty feet, built with cinder blocks reinforced with steel rebar and poured concrete, the entire shelter was buried inside a hill. Two vents, one with a handcrank, provided ventilation. The shelter featured a hand-dug well for a constant water supply and had a commode that emptied into a nearby creek. Oil lamps provided illumination.

Cherryville, situated near several large cities, could have received substantial fallout if North Carolina was attacked. When hearing of the missile crisis, Eaker recalled “it was scary…I sort of really had my doubts about it [building the shelter] when Dad was doing this and talking about it. But when all this happened, and they had the missiles and everything down there I said ‘this can be it any time.’ That really scared me.” Despite the initial fear, Eaker felt reassured his family had a shelter ready to use, and since living in a small town meant that fallout, not a direct attack, was the main threat. The family got together to give everyone a share of the equipment and food to bring to the shelter. “We had plenty of food, mostly canned food, plenty of water, had our own well, so I think we could have stayed down there a whole month if we had to,” recollected Eaker. Eaker think that his family shelter was the only fallout shelter in Cherryville during the missile crisis, and as a substantial rural shelter it stands as an exception to the rule.

Why other families in Cherryville, or elsewhere in North Carolina, did not band together to build fallout shelters is commonly attributed to apathy or disillusionment with civil defense. In Eaker’s opinion, the local news media did not inform or educate people properly about fallout and the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. If people had known the risks of fallout, “this would have made more people build bomb shelters if they [civil defense] had told them how serious it was,” stated Eaker. Money was tight for Eaker (having been married only a year) but pooling his money with his relatives made the shelter investment more financially feasible. Granted, Eaker kept his shelter secret. How many other people did the same will never be known.

NCCD Newsletter - May 1960

2010-05-19T08:25:00.004-04:00

This month has been a busy one to say the least, much to the detriment of posting on the blog. The May 1960 NCCD newsletter is reflective of the slow and somewhat directionless progress of the federal civil defense program at the time. For North Carolina, with the State Operational Survival Plan published, focus shifted to having counties creating and publishing survival plans of their own. All counties would eventually have these plans by the mid-1960s.

Also noted is Operation Alert 1960 (OPAL 60). I believe I have a copy of the CONELRAD script and will post it up. The script itself leaves the read with a strange sensation of the theatricality of it but also the reality that it could have been a real attack.

LA Times - Fallout Shelters for New Generation

2010-05-19T08:22:00.001-04:00

The perfect getaway when you wish to avoid an unhealthy glow or terrorist attack:
Fallout Shelters for a New Generation

Documentary/Op-Ed Film This Summer - Countdown to Zero

2010-05-05T21:49:00.002-04:00

Official Trailer for Countdown to Zero

Synopsis: COUNTDOWN TO ZERO traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by acclaimed documentarian Lucy Walker (The Devil’s Playground, Blindsight), the film features an array of important international statesmen, including President Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair. It makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament, an issue more topical than ever with the Obama administration working to revive this goal today. The film was produced by Academy Award® winner and current nominee Lawrence Bender (Inglourious Basterds, An Inconvenient Truth) and developed, financed and executive produced by Participant Media, together with World Security Institute. Participant collaborated with Magnolia on last year’s Food, Inc., recently nominated for an Academy Award®, and the upcoming CASINO JACK and the United States of Money. Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Bruce Blair and Matt Brown are the film’s executive producers.

One Year Anniversary of NCCD History Blog

2010-05-05T08:26:00.002-04:00

Just a quick message to say thanks to all the visitors over the past year. The blog managed 1,400 hits in its first year. Not bad for a relatively obscure topic! School is limiting the time I have for posts, but rest assured I still have a vast array of primary documents to post and and share...as time allows for me to read through them all, haha.

Handbook for Erosion Control - NC Hurricane Rehabilitation Program, 1956

2010-04-29T08:16:00.003-04:00

As mentioned in a previous posting, the Handbook for Erosion Control is the one document I have in my possession related to Governor Hodges's Hurricane Rehabilitation Committee. Written by Outer Banks historian David Stick and illustrated by his father, artist Frank Stick, the handbook's information is as pertinent now as it was when published back in 1956.

Mr. Stick passed away on 24 May 2009. I interviewed him for my Masters research on 11 June 2008 and he told me the following about how he happened to write this little handbook:

I lived on the ocean front in Kill Devil Hills when I was a boy. I can remember the storm coming up. We had a newspaper report, maybe something on the radio about it hitting someplace else in the Caribbean and what would happen is the Sheriff’s Deputies would come by and tell us to “evacuate immediately.” Then the Coast Guard would come by and tell us “stay right where you are,” and then the Red Cross people would come by and say “evacuate immediately.” It was the most confusing thing you’d ever see in your life.

So that was hurricane planning at that time and that was our civil defense planning. I became actively involved in 1957 [Note, Mr. Stick stated 1957 here, but the storms he mentioned occurred in 1954-1955. My thought here is he is referring to events that took place in 1956] when we had a succession of three serious hurricanes, Connie, Diane, and Hazel that had struck North Carolina but not us. Each time we were afraid they would, and so I had an interesting situation. I had a couple of rental cottages up the beach, and I had a couple in them when those storms came up, I guess it was that series, and I urged them to evacuate to Ahoskie, North Carolina, stay at the Tomahawk Hotel. The hurricane missed us and hit Ahoskie. So they made a reservation for the same week in July for the next year. They showed up and a hurricane came up. Told them they better evacuate. Hurricane missed us, hit Ahoskie. So they were not dumb, they changed their reservation to August for the next year. We didn’t have any July hurricanes that year but we sure had one in August! I told them they should evacuate. They went to Ahoskie and the Tomahawk Hotel, and you know I never heard from those people after that. Haha. So that’s the way things were handled as late as the later 1950s.

At about the same time, one relatively minor hurricane hit us, it might not even been a hurricane, it could have been a severe nor’easter, and several houses fell overboard. Some of us figured they would since they were built right on the brink of the ocean. I never have quite understood why in those days people would knock down a natural ocean front dune so they get a better view of the ocean and get right out there where the dune had been, so their house is the protective dune. Didn’t work very well. So there had been no planning on a state basis, or any, Federal, state, or local really and so all the business people got together down at the Arlington Hotel in Nags Head and it subsequently fell overboard a few years later. The question was this: “we’ve had quite a lot of damage. Should we ask Governor Hodges to declare this a disaster area?” There were those hotly against it, because the word would go that the Outer Banks area was subject to hurricanes and nobody would ever come here again. There were others who felt we better give this serious consideration because we don’t have any money here. It was one municipality and it was a new one, and anyway there were two I guess. So they named a committee. I got hooked as chairman of the committee and we met a number of times and prepared a report, the committee did back to the assemblage. Our recommendation was we should ask the Governor to declare a disaster area and he did, and the President did so we got as much help as you would get back in those days.

But nothing for hurricane planning as I remember and so I wrote a handbook then, a handbook on erosion control.

And the rest they say... is history.

Potassium Iodide Pills to be Distributed to Residents within 10 Miles of Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant

2010-04-27T08:39:00.002-04:00

From the Raleigh News and Observer: State to Give out Anti-Radiation Pills

Speech by Governor Luther H. Hodges to the South Eastern North Carolina Beach Association, 28 January 1956

2010-04-25T09:24:00.006-04:00

This speech, coming on the heels of Hurricanes Hazel (1954), Connie, Diane, and Ione (all 1955 - see this blog posting about the 1955 season for additional information) is an interesting statement about the shifting of civil defense from nuclear attack to natural disasters.

In his address, Governor Hodges mentions the creation of a project group under the guidance of the state civil defense agency and faculty from UNC-Ch to examine the losses and issues from these four hurricanes and "provide a framework for action looking to the development of guides for future public and private investment in areas subject to severe damage from recurring hurricanes." Also working with this group (a Citizens' Advisory Panel as well as a team of experts nationwide who worked with NCCD), was a Committee on Hurricane Rehabilitation. While I do not yet have a copy of the final reports of these groups, the Handbook for Erosion Control, produced by the Committee on Hurricane Rehabilitation and authored by the late David Stick, is in my possession and will be posted on this blog in the coming days.

A critical takeaway element from both the project reports and from Governor Hodge's speech is the recognition that North Carolina averaged one hurricane strike every two years. Thanks to modern communications, Hodges acknowledged that North Carolinians were more aware of the damage caused by such storms, meaning that:

We cannot treat hurricanes as rare occurrences and plan the affairs of our coastal areas on the basis of a calculated risk that they will not hit. Indeed, we must plan on the assumption that they will hit and that they will hit very often. [Underlined emphasis in original]

Civil defense planning in the ensuing years for the coastal areas of the state would subsequently reflect an emphasis on planning for hurricanes and natural disasters. Nuclear issues were not completely ignored, but they were gradually relegated to the metaphorical closet of coastal civil defense officials.

Some of the project's recommendations include the need to rebuild sand dunes and stabilize them with vegetation and ordinances to preserve existing or rebuilt dunes. For any visitor to the North Carolina Outer Banks today, the "Stay Off the Dunes" signs are not there for just any particular homeowner, but for the community as a whole. The Handbook for Erosion Control goes into length about establishing, protecting and the renourishment of dunes.

New York Times - Cold War Nuclear Fears Now Apply to Terrorists

2010-04-16T07:44:00.002-04:00

The threat of a rogue agent smuggling a nuclear device into the country was postulated during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations: Cold War Nuclear Fears Now Apply to Terrorists

Greensboro - Guilford County Civil Defense News, January 1967

2010-04-06T07:36:00.003-04:00

This document is another ebay find, and a research find in general. Until now, I have never seen a civil defense newsletter in North Carolina other than the state agency's. I do know a phone call to public libraries in Guilford County is in order.

Anyways, here are the first three pages of this newsletter, featuring a message from director J.M. McGough. His explanation of why fallout shelters instead of evacuation became civil defense policy is noteworthy, and he mentions the continuation of the National Fallout Shelter Survey. At the start of 1967, McGough states Guilford County has "about 138 thousand of these [fallout shelter] spaces are available in Guilford County, principally in Greensboro and High Point." Mention is also made of a booklet being prepared that would assign space in shelters to residents, this being part of the Community Shelter Planning (CSP)effort to provide shelter location information in case of attack (think of this as a nuclear war version of a bus route map). Hopefully I can find this document if it exists in a county archive. Otherwise, if anyone has a copy, I would be grateful to see it.

Wake County, Civil Defense, and Nuclear Attack - Items from the Raleigh City Museum

2010-03-30T18:18:00.004-04:00

Several dear friends sent me a link to this wonderful posting about Wake County Civil Defense in the 1950s: How to Survive a 1950s Nuclear Attack in Wake County

To add to the fun, here is an article from the 29 October 1962 Raleigh News and Observer about a meeting in Memorial Auditorium on Sunday, 28 October 1962 as the Cuban Missile Crisis was ending. The very last paragraph is a bit humorous, even if the information was based on actual science and testing.

Dr. Seuss and the Nuclear Freeze Movement

2010-03-29T18:02:00.003-04:00

A fellow graduate student shared with me a book I profess to having never seen, Dr. Seuss's The Butter Battle Book. Published in January 1984, the book's cautionary tale of nuclear proliferation and stalemate has an ending eerily close to Dr. Carl Sagan's comment on 20 November 1983 (in the ABC Viewpoint response to the television broadcast of The Day After): "Imagine a room awash in gasoline, and there are two implacable enemies in that room. One of them has nine thousand matches, the other seven thousand matches. Each of them is concerned about who's ahead, who's stronger."

The depth of literature on the anti-nuclear movement and nuclear proliferation never fails to amaze.

NCCD Newsletter - March and February 1969

2010-03-27T09:26:00.004-04:00

March has been a busy month for me and I apologize for not posting more this month. My dissertation prospectus has found me rooting through various books and articles on civil defense and a grant proposal finds me digging around the online finding aids at the National Archives and presidential libraries across the country. Hopefully this time next year I will be back researching NC civil defense full time.

Meanwhile, here is the March-February 1969 newsletter for the NCCD. Of note, natural disasters (in this case an ice storm) receive the main billing and demonstrate how civil defense has shifted from a defense against nuclear attack posture to an emphasis on emergency preparedness to respond to natural disasters. Nevertheless, on page five you'll see mention of the National Fallout Shelter Survey, which despite what many books allude to, continued after Kennedy's death all the way into the Nixon administration. In many respects, the United States reached a fallout shelter apex in the early 1970s as opposed to during the Kennedy administration of the early 1960s.

State Unprepared to Withstand Attack of Any Kind, 13 April 1954

2010-03-05T18:37:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week was the 56th anniversary of Operation Castle, Shot Bravo. This 15-megaton thermonuclear weapon was the largest atmospheric nuclear test in American history, and quite literally "blew the lid" off the risks of fallout from atmospheric testing. To see a video of the test, check out youtube.

While Bravo was vaporizing part of Bikini Atoll, approximately 7,000 miles away Brigadier General Edward F. Griffin was taking the oath to become North Carolina's third state director of civil defense. Six weeks after Bravo, Griffin reported via radio and television that the state was unprepared to withstand any type of attack. Regarding the hydrogen bomb, Griffin warned that while there were no "critical targets" in the state, "the power of the hydrogen bomb places this state in the fringe of the disaster area, where blast can be felt from a bomb dropped over either Norfolk, VA, Oak Ridge, TN, or Savannah River project in South Carolina."

Tar Heels were told to "duck and cover" until a warning net and evacuation plans were in place.

Updated post "War Heroes Turned County Civil Defense Directors

2010-02-27T09:06:00.002-05:00

I added in some additional information about Colonel David L. Hardee.

Ebay Gold - Complete 1956 North Carolina Survival Plan Project Report

2010-02-14T12:11:00.005-05:00

While some people would scoff, I routinely hunt on ebay for anything related to Civil Defense. Recently I hit gold and won for a paltry sum a complete copy of the Phase One Report for the North Carolina Survival Plan Project, September 1956. The only copy of this report I have seen before is in the files of the North Carolina Civil Defense Agency in the Old State Records building for the NC Archives. This copy is heavily annotated and missing the cover letter and two attachments. To be honest, I did not even know there WERE attachments until this ebay auction!

The project itself started in June 1956 under contract CD-S-56-27 between the State of North Carolina and the Federal Civil Defense Administration. As a three-part report, these files are the first third and consists of initial research and study of Civil Defense operations in specified areas of the state. Phase II, "Preliminary Operational Survival Plan Study" took place from February through June 1957 and was to determine what facilities, equipment, and trained personnel were available and to promote the most effective means of coordination into an Emergency Operational Plan for the entire state. I have not seen this report of yet. Phase III began in June 1957 and continued into early 1959. The final phase included publication of an Operational Survival Plan for North Carolina, individual preliminary Operational Survival Plans for Guilford, Mecklenburg, Durham, Wake, Forsyth, Buncombe, and New Hanover Counties, and lastly the establishment of a prototype reception and care plan for NC counties. A fourth phase involved the distribution and implementation and or/adaptation of the Prototype County Reception and Care Plans to county and local community situations.

North Carolina was the first state in the Southeast and fourth in the nation (outside of New England) to brief government officials about the progress of the Survival Plan on 9 December 1957. On 26 June 1958, Governor Luther H. Hodges accepted the Operational Survival Plans for the state of North Carolina. The total cost of this plan was $244,586.00, financed entirely with federal funds appropriated by Congress as part of the National Survival Program. In a press conference at the State Capital building, Hodges proudly proclaimed

We are informed by the Survival Planning staff of the Federal Civil Defense - which has jurisdiction over the seven southeastern states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Canal Zone, and Virgin Islands - that the North Carolina Plans are the most complete, most practical and operational to be prepared by any state in the Region [NC was in Region III].

The state plan, the size of a phone book and numbering over 1,000 pages, is an impressive, albeit unwieldy document. I'll post more about it down the road. Here are some scans of the documents and the attached cover letter, as well as one of the nice fold out maps from the Phase I report.

Of note, I asked the seller where he found these documents. In his email, the seller noted that "someone discarded some papers of Prof. John A. Parker, who founded the UNC Dept. of City & Regional Planning, at the local recycling site [in Chapel Hill]. Dr. Hill was the co-director of the NC Survival Plan Project, so odds are these were his personal copies of this Phase I report. Dr. Hill passed away in 2001. Here is his obituary: John A. Parker, Founder of Planning Program, Dies at 91

What is sad here is how many rare documents are being thrown away with the passing of a family member/professor/manager/official. Before tossing anything away, see if your local archive or library is interested.

NC Civil Defense and Black History Month - Statesville, NC Test Exercise, 23 October 1951

2010-02-10T18:15:00.005-05:00

A question I receive with some frequency is "what about African Americans and civil defense?" Bluntly stated, none of the documents I have studied overtly give mention to any degree of "separate but equal" or segregation in fallout shelters, medical care, or emergency relief. This being said, African Americans are never present, at least in regards to the civil defense leadership, until the 1970s. Nevertheless, while flipping through some of the disintegrating scrapbooks of the NCCD, I found mention of civil defense exercise from 23 October 1951 where there is photographic proof of African American participation with civil defense.

At approximately 7:30PM, five P-51 Mustangs from Fort Bragg, NC flew over Statesville, NC and at 7:35PM "dropped" an atomic bomb over the Oakland Heights neighborhood in the Northwest section of the city. Civil defense personnel responded immediately to this catastrophe, organizing communication, evacuation, rescue squads, medical personnel, mass feeding, and shelter for the thousands of affected persons.

The only mention of this test exercise is listed in the NC Council of Civil Defense "Summary of Operations, July 1950 - September 1950" report. As reported:

An all-out, full-scale test exercise held several months later [note, there was a preliminary test held in Statesville over the summer] for the benefit of the regional and state directors and civil defense leaders from all towns and counties in the state. All civil defense personnel and general public participated.

The photos below are from the test exercise. Unfortunately I have no information on who is pictured or what their role was in the exercise. These photos constitute the ONLY photographs of African American participation in NC Civil Defense that I have uncovered thus far. Logic dictates that there are more photos out there. Hopefully my research will uncover them.

Collier's magazine, 14 June 1941 - "Impregnable Pearl Harbor

2010-01-21T07:56:00.002-05:00

The best laid plans of mice and men can turn on a dime. This is the first page of an article written in June 1941, almost six full months before the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Brimming with positivity and confidence in U.S. defenses, today this article is a bitter reminder that security, no matter how impressive and expensive it may be, is never fool proof. As the 1950s Federal Civil Defense Administration motto said, "Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow."

If folks would like the complete Collier's article, I'll try to scan all the pages. Due to the page size, I must scan them in halves and then merge them with Photoshop. Nevertheless, teachers and enthusiasts would find it interesting to say the least.

Air Force versus Hollywood: Documentary on "SAC Command Post" Tried to Rebut "Dr. Strangelove" and "Fail Safe"

2010-01-18T12:33:00.002-05:00

Visit the National Security Archive for this fascinating new release of the 1963-1964 Air Force documentary "SAC Command Post." This link will take you to the full story and link to the film itself: The Air Force versus Hollywood

Disaster in Haiti: Could North Carolina face its own major earthquake?

2010-01-14T20:38:00.000-05:00

The Star, Cleveland County, NC: Disaster in Haiti: Could North Carolina face its own major earthquake?

1957 Civil Defense Advertisement from Raleigh-based Aeronautical Electronics Inc.

2010-01-10T09:19:00.003-05:00

This image was graciously sent to me from Mark Hess of the Georgia Civil Air Patrol. If anyone knows anything about the company Aeronautical Electronics, Inc. please email me.

Survivor of Both Atomic Bombs Dies at 93

2010-01-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

New York Times - Survivor of 2 Atomic Bombs Dies at 93

Fallout Shelter Sign Removed from NC Archives Building

2010-01-04T14:27:00.002-05:00

The photos below were taken in November 2007. Unfortunately, when I drove by the NC Archives a few weeks ago, I noticed this sign in the corner of the building on Jones Street closest to the General Assembly Building has been removed. If anyone knows what happened to this sign in particular, I am all ears.

Happy New Years - NCCD Newsletter, January - February 1970

2010-01-04T13:56:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and a great start to the new year and decade. The doctoral program for me this year is going to be tough to say the least. This being said, I cannot promise lots of NCCD postings. Hopefully I can post one a week.

Anyways, I thought the January - February 1970 newsletter would be a good way to start 2010...forty years after it was first published. Note how there is a growing emphasis and shift to a civil defense focus on natural disasters from nuclear protection. Shelter stocking was continuing into 1970, despite the impression given in many civil defense histories that the shelter effort died with the Cuban Missile Crisis and President Kennedy in November 1963.

Management of Animals in an Atomic Emergency

2009-12-13T19:35:00.003-05:00

In the very beginning of the North Carolina Council of Civil Defense (later Civil Defense Agency), director E.Z. Jones borrowed publications from other states deemed relevant to civil defense. In this case, he turned to Massachusetts for information on what pet owners and livestock owners could do in the event of atomic attack. For Fido, Garfield, Mr. Ed, and others, their survival options were not much different from humans. Although undated, this document appears to date to October 1950, at least in relation to memorandums 10 and 12.

Merry Christmas from the NCCD Circa December 1969

2009-12-12T09:01:00.002-05:00

The North Carolina Civil Defense Agency newsletters began to have Christmas greetings (and used green ink for the newsletter text in some instances) beginning in 1963. Here is the December 1969 greeting, 40 years later. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

The 1955 Hurricane Season and WPTF-FM Report on Hurricanes Connie and Diane

2009-12-08T14:24:00.005-05:00

The Hurricane Season of 1955 was one of the most extreme in North Carolina history. In a span of six weeks, three hurricanes made landfall on the coast: Connie, 12 August; Diane, 17 August; and Ione, 19 September. It was less than a year since Hurricane Hazel stuck the coast on 15 October 1954. North Carolina's coasts would not see so rapid a flurry of hurricane destruction for another forty years.

Connie, a Category 1 storm, made landfall at Cape Lookout on the morning of 12 August and brought with it pounding rains and heavy beach erosion. Morehead City recorded almost twelve inches of rainfall. No lives where lost in NC.

Diane struck as a Category 1 storm as well, this time at Carolina Beach (approximately 150 miles south of Cape Lookout) a mere five days after Connie. Striking again in the morning, Diane’s heavy tides, ranging from five to nine feet above mean low water along the beaches caused extensive flooding in New Hanover and Carteret Counties. Tracking through the Raleigh-Durham area, Diane’s winds died away, but not the massive cloud formations. Coming on the heels of Connie, Diane took a terrible toll on the northeast seaboard. As Diane moved north, New England was inundated with over twelve inches of rain within twenty-four hours. Floods in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut took the lives of an estimated 184 to 200 people. No fatalities were reported in North Carolina. Initial damage estimates for Diane exceeded $800 million dollars, making it the most costly hurricane in United States history and the nation’s first “billion dollar storm.” Adjusted for inflation, Diane caused approximately $27 billion dollars of damage in 2009 figures.

The 1955 season concluded midway through September with Hurricane Ione. Like Connie and Diane before it, Ione came ashore as a Category 1 hurricane in the morning, making landfall at Salter Path, NC. The eastern part of the state was again subject to heavy rains, with Maysville, NC reporting 16.63 inches of rain. In a 42-day period, from 11 August to 20 September, from Connie to Ione, Maysville, NC reported a staggering 48.90 inches of rainfall. Ione was also a deadly storm, taking the lives of seven people in North Carolina, five from drowning and two from automobile accidents.

North Carolina Council of Civil Defense officials in their 1955-1957 progress report listed damages to the eastern part of the state in excess of $195 million (approximately $1.6 billion in 2009 figures). Agricultural losses accounted for $131 million of this total (approximately $1.1 billion in 2009 figures). In addition, the Governor Luther H. Hodges reported that together with Hurricane Hazel’s destruction of 15 October 1954, 3,000 miles of highways had to be rebuilt in eastern North Carolina. Beach erosion was severe all along the North Carolina coast. A 25-mile stretch of beach from Cape Lookout to Drum Inlet was swept flat by the storm surges.

The National Weather Bureau wrote in December 1955 that:

“The lack of any deaths from Connie and Diane in North Carolina and only seven in Ione and the comparatively small property damage, excluding crop damage, in this area, is a tribute to the effectiveness of the warnings and precautionary measures taken by governments and private agencies...”

One of the private organizations that joined with the NCCD response was WPTF-FM Radio in Raleigh. The station provided listeners across the piedmont with coverage of Hurricanes Connie and Diane. Below is their official report, found in the records of the NCCD.

If you would like to learn more about North Carolina's hurricane history, I highly recommend Jay Barnes's book, aptly titled, North Carolina's Hurricane History.

New York Times - Shortage Slows a Program to Detect Nuclear Bombs

2009-11-22T21:35:00.002-05:00

Shortage Slows a Program to Detect Nuclear Bombs

The Role of North Carolina Women in Civil Defense and Natural Disaster, January 1955

2009-11-07T07:56:00.005-05:00

This little booklet was published by the North Carolina Council of Civil Defense in January 1955. The authorship is without a doubt Mrs. Sarah Boyd Weaver, NCCD Public Information Officer from 1951 to 1970, and the highest ranking woman on the NCCD staff. While aimed towards women, this booklet is in many ways little more than a promotional piece urging women to educate themselves about civil defense and, if their communities lack civil defense organizations, to take steps to request the creation of one.

Noted in the opening page are four threats that women need to educate themselves about:
1. Submarine-launched nuclear missiles
2. Atomic bombings (aircraft)
3. Sabatoge - in the form of biological or germ warfare
4. Natural disasters - lists floods and tornadoes.

Following these four threats, the booklet notes:

"Make no mistake about it - WE CAN BE ATTACKED - whenever and wherever it suits the convenience of the Soviet mind and its masters.
Therefore, the following suggestions are made. They are all based on the most authentic information available."

Two curiosities emerge to me from these threats. First, the Soviet Union did not commission and deploy a submarine with ballistic missile capabilities until 1956. Granted, in January 1955 it is logical that U.S. Naval intelligence was aware of the Soviet Navy's development program and that initial Soviet success would yield proliferation.

More important, in regards to North Carolina, is how natural disasters are listed as fourth, with hurricanes not being mentioned. This is extremely odd, as Hurricane Hazel blasted North Carolina in October 1954, passing through Raleigh and causing extensive damage in the state. In August 1955, Hurricanes Connie, Diane, and Ione all struck in the Cape Lookout-to-Wilmington area in a span of six weeks. This hurricane exclusion just strikes me as odd.

Happy Halloween and Brief Update

2009-10-31T13:36:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween to All! I have not been able to dabble much at all with NCCD history these past few months. Graduate school is tough to say the least. My knowledge of Early American history is limited, and as such many an hour is spent reading and trying to comprehend the various arguments and nuances of the field. I would be lying to say there are moments when I question why I am even bothering to pursue this career path. Granted, little of value comes free in life. Anyways, all the best to everyone and hopefully I can carve a better civil defense pumpkin in the future, haha.