Civil Defense In North Dakota

increasingly desperate and hostile as they believe their doom approaches. Eventually, the men use a piece of heavy pipe to break down the door of the shelter. Just as the door gives way, a second announcement comes over the radio telling people there is no danger. The unidentified flying objects were merely satellites. Joy turns quickly, once again, to dread as the adults realize how barbaric they became during the ordeal.
The events described above are not found in any history textbooks, nor are they an obscure event left out. The events described are the plot of a Twilight Zone episode that portrayed the deepest fears of both American citizens and politicians. During the Cold War, Americans feared that nuclear war was imminent. How …show more content…
The story of civil defense is far from complete, however. There are many intriguing stories regarding civil defense. One such story comes out of North Dakota. Despite ts reputation of being a fly-over state with little to see or do, it played a major role in the Cold War. The state was home to one hundred fifty Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The presence of such a large quantity of nuclear missiles put North Dakota on the Soviet Union's radar, as well as made civil defense in the state higher priority. Only one evaluation of the effectiveness of civil defense in North Dakota has been done, despite its importance to the Cold War as well as contradictory responses within the state. From 1964 to 1970, nuclear missiles were being built in the state with little to no protest, but the construction of the Anti-Ballistic Missile System came with heavy protest in1970. Evaluation of newspaper coverage and civil defense literature of the period will be conducted concerning the installation of nuclear missiles, the installation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile System, and the civil defense programs in the state to determine the effectiveness of civil defense in North Dakota between the years of 1964 to …show more content…
During this period the Office of civil defense was created with a primary function of examining the civil defense programs of other countries. The Office of civil defense was quickly deemed unnecessary and calls for its closure came as early as 1943. The office survived until June 30, 1945. It was not until 1950 that the United States began to view civil defense as a viable option for protecting its citizens. Under the leadership of President Truman, The Federal civil defense Administration was formed with the purpose of minimizing the effects of a nuclear attack, dealing with the immediate effect of said attack, and aiding in the national recovery steps. Despite presidential urging, civil defense remained almost entirely a state