Sept. 4, 1961 - From New York to Los Angeles, civil defense authorities report a rise in the American citizen's fear of nuclear war. Thousands of persons within bomb-blast distance of potential nuclear targets are seeking guidance on ways to survive an attack. Spurred by President Kennedy's words and Soviet achievements, they have sought advice from the Government and commercial builders of bomb shelters. Examples of apathy and fatalism were found everywhere. One resident of Omaha, for example, said: "Why worry about war? We're all going to be dead in the first five minutes anyway." A young father in Detroit, who decided bomb or fallout shelters were "utterly useless," said: "Either we avoid having a thermonuclear war or we may as well write ourselves off."
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