1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: a show that shines a light on the ups and 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: downs of everyday history. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're 5 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: talking about the time when Americans were encouraged to seek 6 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: refuge from a nuclear bomb that thankfully never dropped. The 7 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: day was October six, nineteen sixte In a letter to 8 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: the Committee on Civil Defense, President John F. Kennedy advised 9 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:53,240 Speaker 1: American families to build fallout shelters as protection against a 10 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: possible nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. He also pledged 11 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: that those who lacked the means to construct their own 12 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: shelters would soon be provided such protection through the US 13 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 1: Civil Defense Program. In the early days of the Cold War, 14 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: frequent duck and cover drills became a regular feature of 15 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: public life in the nineteen fifties. The idea that hiding 16 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: under a desk could offer any protection against nuclear fallout 17 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: seems laughable today, but the practice found a great deal 18 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: of support and government. In fact, it was endorsed and 19 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: implemented by President Harry Truman. But as Cold War tensions 20 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:40,839 Speaker 1: ratcheted up in the late nineteen fifties, leaders in American 21 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 1: government began to wonder if a more effective survival plan 22 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: was in order. Many became convinced that building personal bomb 23 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: shelters could save lives in the event of nuclear war, 24 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: but this more plausible idea didn't gain as much traction 25 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: in the White House and was never promoted by the 26 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: Eisenhower administration. By the time President Kennedy took office, in 27 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: credible reports had been released backing the construction of shelters 28 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: as a means of surviving a nuclear strike. The threat 29 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 1: of war with the Soviet Union looked more likely by 30 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: the day, so on October sixth of that year, Kennedy 31 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:26,239 Speaker 1: became the first sitting president to encourage citizens to build 32 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: personal bomb shelters. In his letter, Kennedy said, quote in 33 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 1: simple terms, this goal is to reach for fallout protection 34 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: for every American as rapidly as possible. Protection against this 35 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: threat is within reach of an informed America willing to 36 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: face the facts and act. The people of this country 37 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: will be urged by me, by the governors, and by 38 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: other leaders to do what is within their means. In 39 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: response to Kennedy's call to action, Congress approved the appropriation 40 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: of one hundred and sixty nine million dollars to identify 41 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 1: and stock fallout shelters in existing public and private buildings. 42 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: The scientific community was more hesitant to endorse the plan, 43 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,799 Speaker 1: fearing that the efficacy of fallout shelters had been exaggerated, 44 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: as it had been with the duck and cover drills. Nonetheless, 45 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: the media quickly got on board and began promoting the 46 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: construction of shelters wherever possible. In short order, businesses began 47 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: selling prefabricated shelters as well as do it yourself home 48 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: conversion kits. Display models appeared in shopping centers, and national 49 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: publications such as Life magazine touted the optimistic claim that 50 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: fallout shelters would save nine seven per cent of the 51 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: population should a nuclear attack occur. That same Life article 52 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: included a letter from President Kennedy which said, quote, we 53 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: owe that kind of insurance to our families and to 54 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: our country. The time to start is now. In the 55 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: coming months, I hope to let every citizen know what 56 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,599 Speaker 1: steps he can take without delay, to protect his family 57 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,840 Speaker 1: in case of attack. I know you would not want 58 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: to do less. But Kennedy's assumption was soon proved incorrect. 59 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: Time magazine ran an article that year titled gun Thy Neighbor. 60 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,679 Speaker 1: It explored the ethical question of building a private family 61 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 1: shelter and included a chilling statement from a shelter owner 62 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: in the suburbs of Chicago. The statement read quote, when 63 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: I get my shelter finished, I'm going to mount a 64 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: machine gun at the hatch to keep the neighbors out 65 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:54,039 Speaker 1: if the bomb falls. If the stupid American public will 66 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: not do what they have to to save themselves, I'm 67 00:04:57,760 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: not going to run the risk of not being able 68 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: used the shelter. I've taken the trouble to provide my 69 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: own family. Magazine writers weren't the only ones to raise 70 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 1: concerns about the erosion of civic duty in the face 71 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 1: of nuclear destruction. Academic journalists, scientists, and religious leaders also 72 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: spoke out about the moral dilemma of private shelter ownership. 73 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: The question of whether to build one was a popular 74 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: topic of conversation in ninety one, but in the end, 75 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: most American families decided against it. A Gallop poll from 76 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: that year reported that nine percent of Americans had no 77 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: intention of building a fallout shelter, and other contemporary polls 78 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: reported similar levels. Of disinclination. Most people considered nuclear war 79 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 1: a serious possibility, but they weren't convinced a shelter would 80 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: provide enough protection to be worth the money and effort, 81 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 1: and they didn't want the responsibility of deciding who in 82 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 1: the neighborhood should potentially live or die. It's difficult to 83 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: say how many Americans actually built their own fallout shelters. 84 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: Many who did so constructed them in secret to avoid 85 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: the judgment of their neighbors. In June of nineteen sixty one, 86 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 1: the reported number of privately owned fallout shelters in the 87 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: US was about sixty thousand. By nineteen sixty five, the 88 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: estimate had risen to some two hundred thousand. That may 89 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: sound like a lot, but the number represented just point 90 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: four percent of US homes At the time. The shelter 91 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: construction rate fell well short of what President Kennedy and 92 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: others had hoped for, but the topic came to the 93 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: forefront yet again a year later, during the Cuban Missile 94 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: Crisis standoff with the U s s R. With the 95 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: world on the brink of nuclear war, many Americans scrambled 96 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: to hoard canned goods and other supply US and to 97 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: put the finishing touches on their backyard bomb shelters. Thankfully, 98 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 1: the crisis was averted and no one had to find 99 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: out just how ineffective their shelters likely were. In the 100 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: years following nineteen sixty two, the fallout shelter craze lost 101 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: its momentum and nearly six hundred shelter construction companies went bankrupt. 102 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: Many of the shelters that were built, both private and public, 103 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: still exists today. They are austere reminders of a time 104 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: when a fearful public grappled with the question of what 105 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: we should and shouldn't do to survive. I'm Gabe Lousier 106 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 107 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep 108 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: up with the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 109 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d I HC Show, and if 110 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: you have any comments or suggestions, you can send them 111 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: my way at this Day at I heart media dot com. 112 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 113 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 114 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: for another Day in History class. For more podcasts from 115 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart radio, app, Apple podcasts, 116 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.