The Partial Observer by Harvey Sandig

Fallout Shelters—What Were They and Why Were They There?

It’s a small sign on the right-hand side of the Cooperstown Post Office. Maybe 3’ x 4’ with yellow triangles surrounded by black triangles and a yellow border. People going to get their mail, mail packages or buy stamps are usually in a hurry and would hardly notice the sign, especially if they are not looking sideways. If they do see it, they probably don’t understand what it means and just shrug it off.

It says, “Fallout Shelter.” Now what was that? More about this later.

In the early 1960s, the United States and Russia were engaged in a “Cold War.” Relations between the two countries were indeed frosty.

In 1961, the U.S. placed missile sites in Italy and Turkey, primed and pointed toward Moscow. Why, we’re not sure.

That same year, the U.S. entered into a bungled invasion of Cuba called the “Bay of Pigs.” This was a failed attempt to overthrow the Communist government, led by Fidel Castro. The Soviet Union, under First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, felt they had to protect Cuba from another possible invasion by the U.S. so, in July 1962, a meeting was held between the two leaders. Castro (quite reluctantly, by the way) agreed to have the Soviets place nuclear missiles on the island in order to deter an invasion—the beginning of what was aptly called “The Cuban Missile Crisis.”

On the morning of October 16, 1962, U.S. National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy showed President John F. Kennedy pictures of missile sites on the island taken by U.S. U-2 spy planes. Kennedy stared at them for quite a while, dumbfounded.

That same afternoon, JFK notified his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, that he was convinced the Soviets were placing missiles in Cuba, that it was a legitimate threat and that the probability of nuclear destruction by two world superpowers had become a reality. RFK responded by contacting Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin and “expressed his concern about what was happening.” Dobrynin denied the existence of offensive weapons.

At 6:30 that same evening, JFK summoned his top advisors, military leaders, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Robert Kennedy to his office. All who attended the meeting unanimously recommended an air strike on Cuban soil, followed by an invasion of ground troops. Cuba is located just 90 miles from the Florida coast.

Nuclear missiles presented a definite threat to the U.S. mainland. Kennedy, just barely in his second year in office, was stuck in a dilemma. But the young president chose a less aggressive course in order to avoid a declaration of war.

On October 22, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of ships with offensive weapons on them to be stopped from entering Cuba. He referred to his actions as a “quarantine.” Any ship carrying offensive weapons would be turned back. Kennedy chose this response, as he did not wish his allies in the Western Hemisphere to think of the U.S. as “trigger happy cowboys.”

At 7 p.m. that same day, Kennedy delivered an address to the nation and produced photos of the missile sites. The public could now see what he was talking about. He stated:

“It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union.”

It was now a showdown of who would blink first—us or the Russians. The world tensed to see what would happen. Now this brings us to the building of “shelters.”

A fallout shelter was a windowless room in the basement of a home, surrounded by concrete walls. It was meant to isolate families underground. It had facilities such as a bedroom, bathroom, a sink and a refrigerator to keep food fresh. Why did families build them? Was it an overreaction to national hysteria? Was this hysteria justified?

People built shelters in their basements to protect themselves. But now there was concern about how best to protect children who needed to go to school. I lived in Brooklyn, New York at the time.

I remember, as part of our routine in elementary school, a bell would ring and my classmates and I had to crawl under our desks, put our hands around our heads and close our eyes. This was (supposedly) to protect us in case bombs were to go off. After a few minutes, another bell would ring, signaling an All Clear. It was a frightening experience for all involved.

As of October 26, 1962 the crisis seemed to be at a stalemate. The Soviets had shown no indication they would back down, while the U.S. was in the early stages of preparing an invasion of Cuba and a nuclear strike upon the Soviet Union.

At 9 a.m. on October 27, Radio Moscow began broadcasting a message from Khrushchev offering a new proposal: The missiles in Cuba would be removed in exchange for the removal of the Jupiter missiles from Italy and Turkey. This removal of missiles in Cuba would be observed by a United Nations task force. Furthermore, the U.S. would agree (a) to remove promptly the quarantine measures now in effect, and; (b) give assurances against the invasion of Cuba. On Saturday, October 27, both sides agreed to this arrangement.

Thus, the crisis was over. The fact in reality was, both Kennedy and Khrushchev took every step possible to avoid full conflict despite pressures from their respective governments to do otherwise. People in our country breathed a sigh of relief. Kennedy was highly praised for his courage.

The “Fallout Shelter” sign represents a scary bygone crisis that few wish to remember. But it is a warning of what “might have been” had not cooler heads prevailed.

Stamford resident Harvey Sandig is a journalist and former sports writer.