Show If A Bombers Head for S. S Lieres L. L t iere's How C LI o ty Defense efer Wo dd This Thu I Is the 0 hI first drat or of three articles telling l In highly form form form- what would happen If It Salt Sail Lake City was the target of an atom alom bomb attack tomorrow By r Dan Valentine The Thc first warning alert sounded at 3 G in the thc afternoon The flash was received at the thc central communication station of the hc Utah civil defense council It was n a terse report Planes of an unidentified origin have eluded the coastal radar network and arc believed headed in general direction tion of Salt Lake City The Thc monitor on duty at the thc communications center felt heads beads of sweat break out on his fore fore- head His hands shook a little as ashe ashe aslie he lie relayed the alert warning to all local Utah defense councils Seven minutes later Gus P P. Backman head of the state stale coun coun- cil eil ran up the thc of the thc Utah state capitol ready to take over the coordination of all civil defense defense de defense de- de units in the stale state Gus still puffing from his run had been called out of a chamber cham her of commerce commerce commerce com com- merce committee meeting meeting- He hurried into thc the office of Gov J J. J Bracken en Lee The Thc two men nodded At 1 07 that afternoon the thc first warning announcements went out over o Utah radio stations Excited announcers trying vainly vainly vainly vain vain- ly to keep tension out of their voices brol broke e into radio programs to announce to an unaware public We break into this program to report that unidentified planes are headed in the thc direction of Salt Lake Lale City Gov Go GoLee Lee has requested all persons to lo remain in their homes and wait for further instructions in instructions in- in The programs were resumed After a hurried check with army officials Gus Backman estimated it would take talce 90 minutes for the thc planes to reach Salt Lake City Highly improbable as it sounds the above scene could be the first step in preparing Salt Lake City for an atom bomb blow For the sake of sanity lets let's point out right rig here that the chances of ot an enemy wasting an atom bomb on Salt Lake are arc practically practically practically is that nil The Thc blunt truth there are no targets in the Salt Lake or Utah area important enough strategically or economically economically economically cally for an enemy to waste an atom bomb An atom bomb costs millions of dollars takes thousands of hours I of labor and the supply is so short that an enemy will drop the bomb I where it will do the most harm There are arc at least 50 JU areas inthe in thc the United States more strategically strategically strategically cally important than Salt Lake City But all enemies are arc able And atom bombs arc dangerous i playthings So just for the thc sake sale of pounding pounding pounding pound pound- ing home the danger of atomic warfare lets let's assume that the thc above happened one sunny afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon in Salt Lake City I Enemy planes are still high in inthe inthe in the clouds some sonic SO minutes away roaring toward the Wasatch mountains mountains mountains moun moun- at some miles an hour Army spotters are charting the course COUlSe and the planes are still heading in the general direction of Salt Lake City I Ten minutes minute have elapsed See Page ln e 4 J 1 Column tj lJ J- J t rs Head for S. S Leres L. L eres ere's How City's Alert Would Work 1 c fr from m Page P c One aming ruing was monitored x 1 sea center oft of 1 I pe t defence c council couX d l rase Gea Gears rs Tn Turn rn 1 the gEarS Ef ors in ln the s states state's i defense started to sn n of I minutes time all alles 10 QI r units h had been alerted te eye es e chance still a hood good was and nat national onal nay y jj If tarm arm army lanes could intercept the Q Even now swi swift ft bt F Wn w- w t fere roaming the clouds J r Salt calf Lake seeking seeking- the theis it is armada cant can't take chances Not ot otro no feU Oie Ie 4 ro t i c atom atom t bomb e t 4 f jy ir 1 the news was racing racing- th feu H salt Lake hake with the speed The lie telephone lines were 1 t I with ith wives n calling hus- hus still do There was re ref f I tnt l of confusion In the air Jae tre n was as noid no confusion at atC id C t I pt e defense headquarters i g quietly key men were A at the headquarters to I r. r 1 l Highway Patrol r e j f Joseph W W. Dudler suI su- su I i sM sent rot of the highway pa- pa l 1 h j alerted his Ius highway F t 19 11 state stale patrol cars were to assigned disaster T I J i s sit Silt Lake defense council averted Commissioner of Wet Ben E. E i t d all his police and fire at t personnel Hurried being made to off-duty off t cm and firemen to re- re r y J tt ir it r posts M ted d of the city's medical k was alerting all Salt t ry ia ans and radiological Cl is tte he V University l of Utah mj like We pharmacies were closi clos- clos jr i r doors to customers and ands J s the way nay to become i t aid st-aid stations L ht was preparing preparing- aring a state announcement for fOl bi ti L Gen Gen J Wallace allace VestI West Vest rl I general 0 of Utah had been i to to make his available na- na pard units ready for in- in 1 lJ i Officials Go On Air just jUt 30 minutes after it it t sounded rounded founded Gov Lee and went moan went on the air airi i portable microphone on a reached every e radio b athe the state tao ao men sat Eat at the gover o 1 nors nor's desk and taIJ talked ed over o the ti-ic microphone There was no production No 1 fanfare No musical introduction The governor gO leaned over the mike and said in a tense voice olce A itA state of emergency has been declared In Utah r In Jn the same voice he used for political campaigns and to greet friends on the street the governor gO warned his citizens not to become excited He said there was a possibility that the planes were not headed for Salt Lake City But we must be prepared he added He urged all citizens to I remain calm stay put out not clog I up the highways and to look after r themselves cs and their neighbors Final nal Instructions Instruction Gus Backman gave last minute c instructions Cut oc off electricity and gas lines make sure ure flashlights flash flash- lights and first aid kits are handy remove e all aU heavy objects from hi high h places where they may topple over o make house as tight air-tight as possible possible close close all aU windows and doors hang drapes across windows put on lots of heavy loose clothing fill sinks and bath tubs with water wate r and be sure to cover up water as a precaution against contamina contamina- tion Go into basement lie flat on stomach shield arms and legs leg stay slay away from windows and Ind Inri try to get under strong supporting sUpporting- g column to be protected from debris Gus Backman ended man his terse e radio report et I If theres there's a flash dont don't look a at t it remember it-remember remember dont don't look at it Keep your our eyes to the ground No matter what you do dont don't loo look k at the explosion Remember he cautioned the th e dropping dropping- of an atom bomb doesn't mean the end of the world That could very well be the first 30 minutes in Salt Lake Lale City before an atom bomb exI ex ex- Tomorrow the Tom Tomorrow the the bomb I drops on Salt Lake |