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Robert Golden
Adams
ENGL 137H
24 October 2014
Duck and Cover to Preppers: An Examination of Survivalism
Following the release of the Fat Man atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Harry S Truman
declared that, The fact that we can release atomic energy ushers in a new era in man's
understanding of nature's forces. Indeed, President Truman was correct in this observation. Four
years later, American society would be forced to prepare contingency plans in case the nation
was ever bombarded by the weapons they first used. Beginning in the 1950s, Americans had to
realize that the two expansive oceans that had protected them in wars past were rendered
insufficient by the rise of multiple systems to deliver atomic payloads on their homeland. While
the preparations were extensive, Americans have engaged in preparations for disaster in one way
or another. However, in recent decades, involvement has shifted from including almost every
family to catering to a niche group of individuals. The act of exclusively preparing for possible
nuclear Armageddon or other events that pose a clear and present danger has also shifted to other
improbable threats of societal collapse that are defined by the individual themselves. With this
dramatic shift in little over half a century, it warrants an examination on possible factors that
may have contributed to this result. Lenses that permit an examination of this shift include
analysis of pertinent publications throughout the Cold War and modern day, identification of
points where preparedness culture has intersected with fringe movements in recent time, as well
as the impacts on modern society that each has produced.
To begin to understand the shift that has taken place, it would be prudent to analyze
documents concerned with preparing Americans for disaster in a chronological manner. Many of

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the early publications designed to promote public awareness on the issue of atomic warfare were
either produced by an entity of the United States government, or they were produced for the
government under contract by a third party. Perhaps one of the most popular productions from
the dawn of the Atomic Age is Duck and Cover (Federal Civil Defense Administration 1), a film
designed to educate schoolchildren on how to survive the immediate effects of an atomic blast.
While the subject matter may seem haunting in hindsight, the film does an effective job on
explaining the various hazards that such an event would pose, as well as what action to take, in a
calm manner. The publication seeks to educate its audience without promoting a sense of fear,
while at the same time instilling them with a respect for such a weapons power and giving them
a relatively practical set of tools to increase survivability in a school setting. Other instances in
Duck and Cover place its characters in a public setting when an alarm is heard or a nuclear blast
occurs, such as when a young woman is walking down the street when an air raid siren goes off.
In this instance, the film stresses that other members of the community can be trusted to help
ensure ones survival. While it may be difficult to imagine placing ones life, particularly that of
a childs, in a strangers hands, 1950s society was largely mobilized to respond to this threat, as
seen in several other documents.
Moving on from Duck and Cover, the United States government sought to produce
educational material that would allow adult Americans to make necessary preparations in the
event of a nuclear catastrophe. Publications that focused on adults as their target audience
included such publications as Survival Under Atomic Attack (National Security Resources
Board), a pamphlet that presented information regarding atomic warfare in a relatively
straightforward manner. Within the first few pages of the document, specific attention is called to
various myths regarding the effects of atomic munitions, pertaining in a large part to the release

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of radioactivity. The pamphlet seeks to educate its audience by providing information in a calm,
comprehensible manner that does not inadvertently trigger any fears that one might have
regarding this subject matter. Furthermore, the pamphlet goes on to offer suggestions on how one
might improve their chances of surviving such a catastrophe. In doing so, Survival Under Atomic
Attack is a practical document that plays an important role in improving the confidence of its
audience. Other publications, such as The House in the Middle (Federal Civil Defense
Administration 2), offer opportunities for civic engagement by suggesting that dilapidated
residences pose a clear and present danger to those not inhabiting them by leaving them be.
Under the guise of a matter of survival, the film encouraged citizens to beautify their
neighborhoods which has consequences other than merely reducing fire hazards in the unlikely
event of a weapon being released. While the government had a large role in educating its citizens
on the matters of the atomic bomb, it would be foolish to discount the role of the entertainment
industry in not perpetuating this sense of preparedness.
Certainly, Hollywood and television producers experienced a boon due to the creation of
the atomic bomb as the weapon provides a realistic and frightful antagonistic role for many
stories, both in the fifties as well as the modern day. However, this is not to say that the
entertainment industry used the weapon solely to instill fear in the consumer. Rather, in some
cases the entertainment industry educated the American public on the actions that the nation
would take as a whole following an attack, which would allow for the average person to be
assured in the fact that a contingency plan was in place. One such production was Atomic Attack
(American Broadcast Corporation), a thirty-minute long drama that aired in 1951. In this
broadcast, a family seeks order following the destruction of New York City and other American
cities in a first-strike attack by an unnamed adversary. While fictional in nature and highly

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dramatic, the broadcast provides the audience with a basic understanding in American
continuity-of-government, actions that local governments would take following a nuclear attack,
as well as assuring the public in the competence of Civil Defense volunteers. This allows the
audience to preparation as something that would not be done in vain, as publications similar to
Atomic Attack offer a glimpse of what life would be like for those outside of the blast radius.
Many other productions considered the implications of nuclear weapons at the time, and
The Twilight Zone was no different. In particular, the episode The Shelter (CBS) concerns one of
the many suggestions that the government had made during this time period, particularly
constructing a basic shelter in ones home where one could wait out catastrophe in relative
safety. In this episode, one familys bomb shelter became the source of a great deal of strife
following the announcement of an incoming bombardment, as it caused their neighbors clamor
outside the hatch begging to be spared. Again, while the story is fictional, the level of emotion is
highly relatable, as the audience would struggle to resist reflecting on such a frightful scenario.
Thus, practicing the Civil Defense Administrations suggestions on how to create a more
survivable home is reiterated by this publication.
However, the inspiration for a great deal of the pervasive preparations throughout
American society died down as the threat from nuclear annihilation was diminished through
treaties and changes in governmental policy. Policies such as brinksmanship and mutuallyassured destruction brought about a sense of futility regarding peoples fate as the release of
nuclear weapons would occur in such a volume that survival from the initial blast or the resulting
fallout would become even more improbable. With this in consideration, it is also important to
note that the fears of nuclear war came to a climax fairly early due to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Thanks to masterful diplomatic skills by the Kennedy administration, this emergency was

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wrestled under control and nuclear war was averted. With this knowledge that both superpowers
would likely shy away from using nuclear weapons due to the fear of overwhelming retaliation,
the need to prepare for a looming disaster was mitigated, and such attitudes as pervasive
preparation promoted by the Civil Defense Administration had decreased dramatically in the
period from 1958 to the late sixties in part due to political considerations as well as the growth of
the anti-war and anti-nuclear movements (Falk). This was cemented by talks in the early
seventies by Gerald Ford and Leonid Brezhnev that called for a limitation on nuclear weapons
(Story et al.). Thus, as a result, the late sixties and early seventies featured a rather subdued
variant of preparation. The days of making preparations that pervaded entire communities had
passed, in large part due to the decreased emphasis that the government placed on civil defense,
as well as the overall shift in the public perception of preparing for nuclear disaster. However,
with the downfall of nuclear Armageddon as a threat, the rise of traits more identifiable with
modern day survivalism is evident.
During the 1970s, many traits that are identifiable with survivalism became notable,
such as the departure from a relatively focused aspect of the disruption of day-to-day life as a
result of the detonation of an atomic bomb. The shift that is evident is a more general collapse of
society due to many reasons, the most often cited during this time period being the collapse of
financial institutions. The author Howard Ruff is likely one of the most influential individuals in
this regard, as he wrote Famine and Survival in America, which warned of imminent crisis
(Survival Monkey). This works release was rather timely to its audience as the oil crises of the
1970s had exposed the fragility of the American economy due to a dependence on petroleum
products. Additionally, the urban drop-out movement is cited as one of the contributing
movements to survivalism (Saxon). Kurt Saxon, a prominent survivalist writer since the 1970s,

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notes the role of counter-culture in the development of a survivalist philosophy, particularly that
the development of communes in rural areas. He noted that these communes often failed due to a
lack of inherent skill and social cohesion, thus requiring self-dependence as a novel capability as
opposed to the belief of earlier methods of preparedness where one could depend on their friends
and neighbors within reason. Saxon also portrays a much more aggressive attitude in his
writings, suggesting that his idea of survivalism is to protect himself and his property which is a
much more individualistic approach to preparedness. Thus, early survivalism depended on selfsufficiency and stressed the needs of the individual as opposed to the community as the Civil
Defense program was focused on. In the following decade, additional publications from Howard
Ruff as well as the advent of electronic communication would catalyze the spread of the
survivalist ideology. One aspect of the survivalist ideology, particularly the aggressive
individualism identified through Kurt Saxons texts, posed a great deal of concern in the 1990s.
The 1990s were a decade that were impacted by both the preparedness aspect of
survivalism as well as the political. Due to similarities in political ideology, in that both
survivalists (Murphy) and militiamen (Anti-Defamation League) are influenced to an extent by
extreme right-wing politics, it is little surprise that there is evidence of the two movements
exchanging ideas. However, this posed an issue, and to an extent still does, in that the publics
ability to differentiate between survivalist and militia member has grown very fluid as both
groups share striking similarities. While a militia member is someone who is affiliated with an
armed group not sanctioned by a government, some survivalists have been known to develop
extensive collections of firearms. These aspects proved concerning when several individuals who
identified with the survivalist community engaged in anti-government activity by assaulting, and
sometimes killing, law enforcement officials (Missouri Intelligence Analysis Center). This is

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compounded by the fact that both movements had an interest in the disaster posed by the Year
2000 Problem, otherwise known as Y2K.
Y2K, where it was believed that computer systems would crash following the New Year
as they were not originally programmed with the new millennium in mind, was believed to have
potentially disastrous implications if it was not address. Among these include a disruption in
financial systems as well as software used to control utilities (Rosenberg). With the furor
regarding this fault, many Americans prepared on some level, and once again served as a
temporary period of growth for the survivalist movement (Survival Monkey). Evidently, the
disaster posed by Y2K never came to fruition due to the development of patches designed to
allow computers to accommodate for the change in date. Nevertheless, survivalists would
continue to make preparations throughout the next millennium.
One of the most striking aspects of the twenty-first century is the disasters sustained in
the a few short years. Events such as the September 11th terrorist attacks and both Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita provided an impetus for the development of individual preparations for disaster.
This is one of the few instances where preparedness has been encouraged on a sizable scale since
the 1950s, although certainly not to the great extent that was seen. Survivalists, however,
continue to prepare in a manner that goes leaps and bounds above guidelines recommended by
the government. Members of this niche group continue to be concerned with matters such as the
collapse of civilization due to various disasters, ranging from natural disasters to terrorist attacks
(Raasch). However, some have noted that issues such as financial crises, such as the recession,
are linked with the preparations that people make, simply due to the American experience with
the Great Depression and the unsure future (Huus). With this in mind, Americans can expect a
minority of people to maintain a level of likely excessive preparations, and continue to see

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reactive measures taken by both survivalists and the general public alike to react to any incidents
that pose a threat to society.
Ultimately, the change in preparedness has been rather gradual. Preparedness culture in
the United States originally began out of necessity, in response to the Soviet Union acquiring
atomic weaponry. While this served as a valuable program for a decade, measures were made
that effectively neutered the Civil Defense Administration due to its lack of efficacy in engaging
the American public in the 1960s as well as a change in policy regarding nuclear weapons.
When the oil and financial crisis hit in the 1970s, the future was uncertain for many Americans
which prompted them to take measures to ensure their own survival. This gave way to numerous
movements that grew off the survivalist movement in the 1990s. Ultimately, American society
has not seen a return to the mass levels of preparation as seen in the 1950s and has maintained a
relatively reactionary approach to disaster preparedness. Nevertheless, government programs do
still exist to encourage the populace to make necessary preparations. The question that remains
to be answered is whether the citizens will act in a proactive manner.

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Works Cited
American Broadcast Corporation. Atomic Attack. Prod. National Archives and Records
Administration. Internet Archive. Internet Archive, 10 Mar. 2001. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.
<https://archive.org/details/gov.ntis.ava09891vnb1>. A fictional work depicting
community involvement following a nuclear strike on New York City produced by ABC
in 1951.
"Extremism in America: The Militia Movement." Anti Defamation League. Anti Defamation
League, 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://archive.adl.org/learn/ext_us/militia_m.html?xpicked=4&item=19>. Discusses the
history of the militia movement and makes mention of the influence that survivalists have
on this movement.
Falk, Andrew J. "Review of 'Bracing for Armageddon: Why Civil Defense Never Worked.'"
Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 104.3/4 (2006): 768-69. JSTOR. Web. 10
Nov. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/23388199>. Provides a brief overview of the
political factors that impacted the decrease in the influence of the Civil Defense
Administration.
Federal Civil Defense Administration. Duck and Cover (1951). Dir. Anthony Rizzo. Internet
Archive. Internet Archive, 11 July 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
<https://archive.org/details/gov.ntis.ava11109vnb1>. Duck and Cover video to contrast
Cold War era publications with modern government publications. Cited as "Federal Civil
Defense Administration 1."
Federal Civil Defense Administration, and "NuclearVault". The House In The Middle (1954).
Prod. National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association. Youtube. Google, 28 Aug. 2009.
Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGJcwaUWNZg>. Provides
the video for the film The House in the Middle. Cited as "Federal Civil Defense
Administration 2."
Federal Emergency Managment Agency. "Be Informed." Ready.gov. Federal Emergency
Managment Agency, 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <http://www.ready.gov/>. Government
website encouraging Americans to prepare for a wide variety of disasters.
Huus, Kari. "Hard Times Have Some Flirting with Survivalism." MSNBC. NBC News, 21 Oct.
2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/27244465/#.VGGREcnQojo>.
One possible causal factor for preparedness today as well as survivalism.
Jendrysik, Mark Stephen. "Book Review of 'Dancing at Armageddon.'" Utopian Studies 13.1
(2002): 231-33. JSTOR. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/20718447>.
Provides overview of "Dancing at Armageddon," and critiques its definition of
survivalists.
"Minuteman". "History of Survivalism." Survival Monkey. XenForo, 1 Feb. 2010. Web. 10 Nov.
2014. <https://www.survivalmonkey.com/threads/history-of-modernsurvivalism.14252/>. This post describes the history of the Survivalist movement through
the lens of a self-described survivalist.
Missouri Information Analysis Center. "MIAC Strategic Report: The Modern Militia
Movement." 20 Feb. 2009. File last modified on 13 Mar. 2009. PDF file. Government
publication by an agency related to the Department of Homeland Security highlighting
the relationship between militia members and survivalists.
Murphy, Tim. "Preppers Are Getting Ready for the Barackalypse." Mother Jones. Mother Jones
and the Foundation for National Progress, Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

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<http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/preppers-survivalist-doomsday-obama>.
This article touches on some of the political views of survivalists.
National Security Resources Board, Civil Defense Office. Survival Under Atomic Attack.
Washington: GPO, 1950. Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.
<https://www.orau.org/ptp/Library/cdv/Survival%20Under%20Atomic%20Attack.pdf>.
Original publication of Survival Under Atomic Attack. Provided basic facts about atomic
weaponry and offered steps to prepare a shelter.
Raasch, Chuck. "For 'Preppers,' Every Day Could Be Doomsday." USA Today. USAToday, 13
Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/12/for-preppers-every-day-couldbe-doomsday/1701151/>. Examines a family of preppers, identifies causal events, as well
as some criticisms of the movement.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Y2K Bug." About. About.com, 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://history1900s.about.com/od/1990s/qt/Y2K.htm>. Provides an overview of the
implications of the Y2K problem.
Saxon, Kurt. "What Is a Survivalist?" Text Files. Jason Scott, 1980. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.textfiles.com/survival/whatsurv>. Provides some deal of history regarding
the period following the shift from preparations for nuclear war.
"The Shelter." By Rod Serling. Dir. LaMont Johnson. Episode #3. The Twilight Zone. By Rod
Serling. CBS. 29 Sept. 1961. Hulu. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.hulu.com/watch/440826>. This contains the pertinent information for the
episode "The Shelter" of The Twilight Zone.
Shenk, David. "The Survivalist." Slate. Slate Group, 11 Sept. 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_survivalist/features/2006/the_survi
valist/how_to_survive_the_avian_flu_smallpox_or_plague.html>. Outlines some of the
provisions that survivalists would make and the actions that they would carry out for a
situation such as pandemic flu.
Story, Daniel J., et al. "The Vladivostok Summit Meeting on Arms Control: November 23-24,
1974." Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Gerald R. Ford Presidential
Library & Museum, 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/exhibits/vladivostok/vprior.asp>. Provides
information on the steps that Gerald Ford took to reduce the threat of nuclear war through
the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev.