We must be ready for a new danger: operation alert, conelrad, and civil defense in the early cold war

In the 1950s, the United States government turned towards civil defense in order to prepare its citizens for the possibility of nuclear war. During the Eisenhower administration, from 1952 to 1960, civil defense was designed to fit into certain difficult criteria. Civil defense needed to have a military purpose of protecting the public and a social purpose of reassurance that there were measures in place. However, this had to be accomplished with a relatively small budget. By examining two of the civil defense programs that were implemented in this time period, Operation Alert and Conelrad, it is possible to create a better understanding of civil defense as a whole during this period of the early Cold War. This thesis explores the growth of these programs during the Eisenhower administration, showing how the lack of budget necessitated evacuation and information based civil defense rather than shelters. It also shows the faults in these programs, explaining why they were replaced during the Kennedy administration.