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Noted the view of the Secretary of Defense that further
consideration of military measures to strengthen our effective nuclear retaliatory power as a deterrent and to
improve our active defenses, as scheduled for future
consideration by the Council in accordance with g below,
might involve recommendations for further military expenditures in this Fiscal Year and subsequent Fiscal
Years.
Agreed that the United States should not now initiate
a& nation-wide fallout shelter program of the type recommended by the Security Resources Panel, but that
existing civil defense policy for protection of the
civil population, in case of nuclear attack, by emergency dispersal of urban population on attack warning
(paragraph 22-d, NSC 5408) should be modified to in-
corporate the concept of fallout shelter for protection of the civil population against radiation hazard;
on the basis that:
(1) In accordance with b above, predominant emphasis
will continue to be placed upon developing and
maintaining effective nuclear retaliatory power
as a deterrent and upon improving active defenses.
(2)
Improvements in active defenses can give reason-
able promise, together with fallout shelters, of
limiting estimated civilian casualties, in the
event of nuclear attack on the United States, to
a level which will permit the United States to
survive as a nation and will in no case be greater
than a similar casualty ratio in the USSR.
(3)
Measures to carry out this concept must be undertaken in ways that. will obtain the support and
cooperation of the American people, without
(a) creating public overconfidence in shelter or
@ public passive defense psychology, (b)} causing
Congressional and public reaction prejudicial to
higher priority national security programs,
(c) losing the support of our allies or causing
them to adopt neutralism, or (4d) presenting the
posture of the United States as that of a nation
preoccupied with preparations for war.
(4)
Implementation of this concept will be deferred
pending Council consideration of the report requested under ¢ below.
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