Kennedy on Civil Defense

 

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

History.com Editors

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

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