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Preparing For Nuclear War in Illinois

Grim broadsheet set of maps and instructions, providing a message from the Governor and Illinois Civil Defense on how to respond in the event an H-Bomb detonation over either Chicago or St. Louis. 

Likely issued in about 1954, shortly after the passage of Illinois's Civil Defense Act and the appointment of General Robert M. Woodward as director of the newly formed agency overseeing civic preparedness, the broadsheet includes maps showing prospective fallout zones, prevailing wind predictions for fallout and an 11 step preparedness checklist to survive.

In 1953, the Illinois Blue Book listed 7 Illinois cities likely to be targeted by a Soviet bombing attack. The realization that atomic fire could strike any city anywhere in America seized the nation, as did the intense need to quickly prepare to survive in the event of the outbreak of World War III. Government officials, military leaders, scientists and everyday citizens sought to find ways to protect their families and communities from the horrors that awaited should nuclear war break out. Illinois was no exception.

In January 1953, newly inaugurated Illinois Governor William Stratton signed the Civil Defense Act, and appointed General Robert M. Woodward as the director of the new Illinois Civil Defense Agency.  The agency would be responsible for the task of putting together a civil defense plan for every city and county in Illinois, with the help of local leaders and citizens.

“Knowing that Soviet Russia now has the new hydrogen bomb as well as a sizeable stock of atom bombs, our Government, increasingly aware of the danger of a third and most devastating of all World Wars, has urged the states and cities to complete the organization of Civil Defense forces,” Woodward wrote in his report on the creation of the agency. He went on to say that, “Illinois, with its vast population and concentration of important industries will be a Number One atomic target in the event of hostilities.”

The agency had primary objectives: preparing plans to “protect the people and property by minimizing the effects of enemy attacks by thermonuclear weapons,” and other means; training and equipping volunteers to assist if they were needed; obtaining and distributing the necessary supplies; and spreading important preparedness and training information to the public.

The civil defense plan was greatly dependent on local officials and volunteers in every community. These local citizens would do everything from watch the sky for approaching Soviet bombers (the “Ground Observer Corps”) to provide fire, police, communications, rescue, engineering and transportation services in the aftermath of an attack. Woodward’s report notes that “a complete Civil Defense will require the participation of one of every eight citizens in Illinois.”  

When it came to public information, the state took a very direct effort: making the 1956 film “H-Bomb Over Illinois,” in which Governor Stratton and General Woodward warn the state of the effects of nuclear war on Illinois.

 The preparations came together quickly. In 1953, Woodward reported that 96 counties out of 102 had already put together a civil defense organization of some kind, as had 435 municipalities. There were already 170,000 volunteers, and 800 “ground observation posts.” By 1955, there were over 300,000 volunteers enrolled. Thirty different Illinois colleges and universities hosted training courses in dealing with radiological emergencies. The state made compacts with neighboring states to assist in the event of disaster. The State Office of Civil Defense accredited local civil defense agencies to make them eligible to receive federal grants for emergency apparatus. 

Rarity

The broadsheet is apparently quite rare. We were unable to find another example.