President Kennedy urges Americans to build bomb shelters
President John F. Kennedy, speaking on civil defense, advises American families to build bomb shelters to protect them from atomic fallout in the event of a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. Kennedy also assured the public that the U.S. civil defense program would soon begin providing such protection for every American. Only one year later, true to Kennedy’s fears, the world hovered on the brink of full-scale nuclear war when the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted over the USSR’s placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba. During the tense 13-day crisis, some Americans prepared for nuclear war by buying up canned goods and completing last-minute work on their backyard bomb shelters.
Citation Information
Article Title
President Kennedy urges Americans to build bomb shelters
Author
Website Name
HISTORY
URL
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kennedy-urges-americans-to-build-bomb-shelters
Access Date
May 15, 2020
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
October 2, 2019
Original Published Date
March 3, 2010