This is a reproduction of a pamphlet that the now defunct U.S. Office of Civil Defense produced. The original version of this pamphlet was revised by the Office of Civil Defense in August 1958 and reprinted in September 1961. While the information in this book is old, it is still relevant and useful today. Please note that some images may have a different placement than the 1961 reprint. 

Most Americans will no doubt associate Civil Defense with World War 2 and the Cold War. While this is fair and understandable, various forms of Civil Defense in the United States can, arguably, be traced back to the U.S. Revolutionary War. The fate of the U.S. Civil Defense program was decided in 1979, when President Carter ordered it to be consolidated into FEMA which itself was transferred into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

            The concept of Civil Defense is in fact, citizens participating in total defense and being prepared for any disaster and emergency. In the traditional Civil Defense style, the average citizen would have access to training, information and organization. Unfortunately, the United States has moved away from true Civil Defense in favor of the Emergency Management model and other models found in the array of Homeland Security agencies.

            Today, the information left behind from the U.S. Civil Defense programs serves as a beacon of hope and instruction for those who wish to be better prepared for disasters, emergencies, civil unrest, black swan attack and the like.