$212 Fallout Shelter (1959)

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drmilo
May 29, 2009

Civil Defense Radio PSA: $212 Fallout Shelter: Dennis James (Announcer); Leo Hoegh (U.S. Civil Defense Director) [1959] It is oddly appropriate that the government chose Dennis James, a popular t...

Civil Defense Radio PSA: $212 Fallout Shelter: Dennis James (Announcer); Leo Hoegh (U.S. Civil Defense Director) [1959]

It is oddly appropriate that the government chose Dennis James, a popular television game show host of the era, to introduce Leo Hoegh, the director of the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization for this spot. For what was/is civil defense but the ultimate game show? And director Hoegh's endorsement of his own cheap shelter probably demonstrated to all future civil defense officials why they shouldn't comment on their personal provisions for survival.

TRANSCRIPTION:
$212 Fallout Shelter: Dennis James (Announcer); Leo Hoegh (Civil Defense Director) [1959]

Hello, this is Dennis James. Here is Leo A. Hoegh, Director of the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization who has a message for you about the importance of a home shelter for protection against radioactive fallout:

After nuclear attack, radioactive fallout could be a threat to every living thing. Tests have shown that the best protection against fallout is an underground shelter covered by at least 3 feet of earth. A basement shelter also affords good protection by closing off windows, exterior entrances, and banking exposed walls. In homes without basements, first floor areas with the least exterior exposure, such as a bathroom, utility room or hallway, should be selected. My own shelter cost $212. It's cheap insurance for the protection of my greatest treasure, my family.

The photo of the family preparing their fallout shelter in the slideshow is of the Hoeghs. CONELRAD found the photo at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The "shelter" looks like it is worth about $212, doesn't it?

Category: News & Politics

Tags:

Fallout Shelter Leo Hoegh Dennis James Civil Defense Cold War

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$212 Fallout Shelter (1959)

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