About sixty percent of the American people revealed, in the study which we
made through the University of Michigan a year ago, that they believed that the
military could stop the atomic bombs from falling upon the United States. Well,
I'm sorry to have to tell you that the military will tell you that, as of today,
they cannot stop a successful Russian attack. That can be corroborated rather
dramatically - we didn't plan it this way, Governor - but the floor manager has
just handed me a bulletin saying that the Russians have just exploded a
hydrogen bomb.
We must learn to live in a world where we have the hydrogen bomb and the enemy
of freedom has the hydrogen bomb. Risk is something the military doesn't have a
corner on. Occupational hazards are accepted in a matter-of-fact manner in
civilian life. Risk is part of the pattern of daily routine. Some of the falsehoods
circulated about radiation effects of trivial but upsetting. They're beamed
right at one's self-esteem. Enough exposure to radiation will cause loss of hair. The
treatment, if you insist, would be symptomatic: a toupee, but the condition
would only be temporary. Your hair would come back, same color, same cowlick,
which puts the finger squarely upon one of the major fallacies in the public
attitude toward atomic weapons. It's the fallacy of devoting eighty-five percent
of one's worrying capacity to an agent that constitutes only about fifteen
percent of an atomic bomb's destroying potential, and that's unsound, doesn't fit.
[Whistle blows].
Everybody's worried 'bout the atomic bomb, but nobody's worried 'bout the day
my Lord will come, when He'll hit - Great God Almighty -
like an atom bomb, when He comes, when He comes.
While this hood is made of this material, inside this layer is shredded lead, the
resistance against atomic rays. Okay, Richard, on your way to the air raid shelter.
Everybody's worried 'bout the atomic bomb ... We're going to be talking about nuclear energy and the
kinds of things that could happen with an atomic emergency, and we do this
not to worry you or frighten you but, really, we've got admit we live in an atomic age.
There is an atomic bomb,
so we have to be aware of this and know what to do in
case an emergency happens. I have some film here that I think will describe
what might happen and will describe a little about the atom so, Joey, why don't
you catch the lights and we'll try. Okay?
There was a turtle by the name of Bert,
and Bert the Turtle was very alert.
When danger threatened him, he never got hurt.
He knew just what to do:
He'd duck and cover, duck and cover.
Now, you and I don't have shells to crawl into
like Burt the turtle, so we have to cover up in our own way.
Paul and Patty know this. No matter where they go or what they do, they
always try to remember what to do if the atom bomb explodes right then. It's a
bomb! Duck and cover! Here's Tony going to his Cub Scout meeting. Tony knows the
bomb can explode any time of the year, day or night. Duck and cover! 'Atta boy,
Tony. That flash means act fast. Sundays, holidays, vacation time,
we must be ready every day, all the time, to do the right thing if the atomic bomb
explodes. Duck and cover! That's the first thing to do, duck and cover. First
you duck, then you cover. You duck and cover, duck and cover under the table. It's a bomb!
[Sings]: Duck and cover! [Repeats].
He did what we all must learn to do,
you and you and you and you ... [Repeats].
Duck and cover!
Remember what to do, friends. Now tell me right out loud what are you supposed
to do when you see the flash?
Duck and Cover!