During the Cold War, the U.S. government prepared for the unthinkable… And the Post Office Department had a surprising role to play. In this episode of Mailin’ It!, USPS historian Steve Kochersperger and Smithsonian military history curator Frank Blazich reveal how Post Offices became fallout shelters, postal vehicles were designated for emergency use, and some employees formed a nationwide ham radio network. Discover how lessons learned from Cold War civil defense helped shape the Postal Service’s approach to emergency preparedness today.
What would happen to the mail - and the nation’s ability to communicate - if a major Cold War emergency struck? The U.S. government spent decades preparing for that possibility, and the Post Office Department became an important part of its civil defense plans.
Mailin’ It! hosts Karla and Jeff talk with USPS historian Steve Kochersperger and Smithsonian National Museum of American History military history curator Frank Blazich about the Postal Service’s fascinating role in Cold War preparedness.
They explore how roughly 1,500 Post Office buildings were designated as fallout shelters by the mid-1960s, with space for approximately 1.3 million people. Those shelters were stocked with emergency food, water, medical and sanitation supplies, and radiation detection equipment. Postmasters were even prepared to serve as shelter managers, responsible for maintaining order and rationing supplies.
Thousands of postal vehicles were designated for emergency transportation, while special safety notification and change-of-address cards were created to reconnect displaced Americans with their families. The Post Office Net enlisted amateur radio operators to provide a backup communications network if conventional systems failed.
Fortunately, many of these plans were never needed for their intended purpose. But the preparation wasn’t wasted. The infrastructure, emergency planning and nationwide reach that made the Postal Service valuable during the Cold War continue to play an important role when communities face hurricanes, wildfires, natural disasters and other emergencies.
KARLA:
HELLO AND WELCOME TO MAILIN’ IT, THE OFFICIAL PODCAST OF THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE. I'M KARLA KIRBY.
JEFF:
AND I'M JEFF MARINO. KARLA, IMAGINE IT'S 1965. YOU WALK INTO YOUR LOCAL POST OFFICE TO MAIL A LETTER, AND ON THE WALL, YOU NOTICE THERE'S A SMALL BLACK AND YELLOW SIGN WITH THREE TRIANGLES. IT TELLS YOU THAT YOU'VE JUST ENTERED A FALLOUT SHELTER.
KARLA:
WELL, JEFF, I ASSUME THAT PROBABLY MOST PEOPLE WALKED RIGHT BY IT, BUT THAT SIGN MEANT THE POSTMASTER HAD BEEN TRAINED AS A SHELTER MANAGER AND THE BASEMENT WAS STOCKED WITH EMERGENCY FOOD AND WATER. IT WAS A SIGN THAT IN A NATIONAL CRISIS, YOUR LOCAL POST OFFICER IS READY TO HELP YOU AND THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
JEFF:
EXACTLY. AND DURING THE DECADES OF THE COLD WAR, THE US GOVERNMENT NEEDED A PLAN TO KEEP THE COUNTRY CONNECTED AND SAFE IN A WORST CASE SCENARIO. AND THEY TURNED TO THE ONE CIVILIAN AGENCY THEY KNEW COULD HANDLE IT, THE US POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
KARLA:
IT'S A FASCINATING LITTLE-KNOWN CHAPTER OF POSTAL HISTORY. TO HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW THE POSTAL SERVICE PREPARED FOR THIS INCREDIBLE RESPONSIBILITY, WE'RE HAPPY TO WELCOME FRANK BLAZICH, A MILITARY HISTORY CURATOR AT THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY AND A US AIR FORCE VETERAN. AND WELCOME BACK STEVE KOCHERSBERGER, USPS HISTORIAN AND CORPORATE INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER. FRANK, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND WELCOME TO MAILIN’ IT! AND STEVE, WELCOME BACK.
STEVE:
THANK YOU. GOOD TO BE BACK.
FRANK:
PLEASURE TO BE HERE. THANK YOU.
JEFF:
SO WHEN WE THINK OF CIVIL DEFENSE, WE USUALLY THINK OF THE MILITARY OR AIR RAID DRILLS WHERE THE COLD WAR KIDS WOULD CLIMB UNDER THEIR DESKS FOR SAFETY. BUT FRANK, FOR OUR YOUNGER AUDIENCE WHO MAYBE WERE NOT AROUND DURING THE COLD WAR, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF CIVIL DEFENSE?
FRANK:
ABSOLUTELY, JEFF. AND I SHOULD FIRST PREFACE BY SAYING THERE'S AT LEAST A DOZEN DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS USED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO JUST DEFINE CIVIL DEFENSE DURING THE COLD WAR. LET'S TRY AND KEEP THIS VERY SIMPLE. CIVIL DEFENSE, ALL THOSE ACTIVITIES AND MEASURES EITHER DESIGNED AND/OR UNDERTAKEN TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECT OF ENEMY ATTACK ON THE CIVILIAN POPULATION, AND THAT CAN ALSO ENCOMPASS CIVIL GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, INFRASTRUCTURE, SOCIETY, IF YOU WILL. AND THE KEY COMPONENT HERE TOO IS THAT CIVIL DEFENSE IS REALLY A PLAN RUN BY THE CIVILIANS FOR THE CIVILIANS. SO, IT'S HEAVILY RELIANT ON THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN TAKING PART IN THEIR OWN WELLBEING AND THE WELLBEING OF ESSENTIALLY THEIR NEIGHBORS AND COMMUNITY.
JEFF:
WAS IT... DID CIVIL DEFENSE COME ABOUT FROM A PARTICULAR SITUATION OR WAS IT JUST PART OF THE WHOLE COLD WAR? WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT TRIGGERED THE THINKING?
FRANK:
WELL, THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR CALLED THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE, WHICH WE WON'T REALLY TOUCH UPON, THE, REALLY THE IMMEDIATE PREDECESSOR TO THE COLD WAR CIVIL DEFENSE IS WHAT WAS CALLED THE OFFICE OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR. KEY DIFFERENCE HERE, CIVIL AND CIVILIAN. THE SECOND WORLD WAR PROGRAM IS REALLY ABOUT PEOPLE AND MORALE, ENSURING THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE AT HOME AND PARTICULARLY THEIR MORALE AS THEY SUPPORT THE BROADER WAR EFFORT. CIVIL DEFENSE WAS SOMETHING THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT DEVELOPED IN THE 1930S AND PUT TO GREAT EFFECT IN WORLD WAR II BECAUSE UNLIKE THE UNITED STATES, THE BRITISH WERE UNDER IMMEDIATE ATTACK BY ENEMY FORCES, IN THIS CASE GERMANY. SO THEIR CIVIL DEFENSE IS A MUCH BROADER VIEW OF PROTECTING CIVIL SOCIETY, PROTECTING THE CITIZENRIES, PROTECTING ALSO CIVIL, YOU KNOW, INFRASTRUCTURE GOVERNMENT, AND AGAIN, RELYING HEAVILY ON THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN.
FRANK:
IN THE UNITED STATES, SINCE WE WEREN'T REALLY EVER DIRECTLY ATTACKED, AND THERE'S ASTERISKS THERE BECAUSE THERE'S PINPRICK EVENTS, BUT NOTHING OF A MASSIVE SUSTAINED. THE BIG DIFFERENCE, OF COURSE, IS 1945, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ATOMIC BOMB. SO, JULY 16TH, ‘45, WE DETONATE, THE DEVICE OUT OF WHAT WAS CODENAMED TRINITY OUT IN NEW MEXICO.
THEN OF COURSE WE DO A LIVE FIRE TEST TWICE IN JAPAN. AND THIS CATCHES NOT ONLY THE INTEREST, AWARENESS, CURIOSITY, FEAR OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ABOUT WAIT A MINUTE, IF WE CAN USE THIS, IT CAN ALSO BE USED AGAINST US. BUT IT ALSO CAUSES AMERICAN GOVERNMENT PLANNERS TO REALIZE, WAIT A MINUTE, WAR HAS CHANGED. HOW ARE WE GOING TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FROM THESE KIND OF WEAPONS?
JEFF:
AND THAT'S WHEN THE FEDERAL CIVIL DEFENSE ACT KIND OF TOOK ALL THAT STUFF AND SAID, OKAY, HERE'S THE DIRECTION WE'RE GONNA GO.
FRANK:
EXACTLY. AND IT REALLY TOOK THIS 1945 TO 1950 PLANNING, AND TO A GREAT EXTENT, THE ACTUAL LEGISLATION IS LIFTED RIGHT OUT OF A 1948 REPORT, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE HOPLEY REPORT, BUT THAT'S WAY MORE TECHNICAL THAN ANYONE NEEDS TO KNOW HERE. THE KEY ELEMENT OF IT, AFTER ALL THIS DISCUSSION OF WHAT DO WE DO, WHAT DO WE DO? THE LEGISLATION WHICH ESTABLISHED THE FEDERAL CIVIL DEFENSE ADMINISTRATION OR FCDA,VESTED PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR CIVILIAN DEFENSE IN BOTH THE STATES AND THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS. SO WE WOULD THINK LOCAL GOVERNMENT, COUNTY GOVERNMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT. IT SAID, "HEY, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE COORDINATION, WILL PROVIDE GUIDANCE, UH, WILL COME UP WITH TRAINING MATERIALS, WE'LL COME UP WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, R&D RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, BUT HEY, THIS IS ON THE STATES, RIGHT? YOU GUYS HAVE TO IMPLEMENT YOUR OWN CIVIL DEFENSE PROGRAMS AND YOU HAVE TO ESTABLISH THEM.
SO CIVIL DEFENSE GETS IMPLEMENTED IN KIND OF AN UNEVEN, UNEVEN APPROACH. OKAY.
KARLA:
SO, STEVE, GIVEN ALL THOSE NUANCES, WHY WAS THE POSTAL SERVICE, A CIVILIAN AGENCY, SO IMPORTANT TO THE GOVERNMENT'S CIVIL DEFENSE STRATEGY?
STEVE:
WELL, OF ALL THE FEDERAL AGENCIES, THE POSTAL SERVICE WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAD, UH, LOCATIONS IN EVERY COMMUNITY AND EMPLOYEES. THE, UH, NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE POSTAL SERVICE, UH, WERE, WAS A KNOWN ENTITY. THEY WERE A TRUSTED PART OF THE COMMUNITY WHEN IT CAME TO KNOWING HOW PEOPLE MOVE, THE POSTAL SERVICE HAD A LOT OF EXPERTISE IN, FORWARDING MAIL AND KEEPING TRACK OF WHEN PEOPLE RELOCATE. AND THE POSTAL SERVICE HAD QUITE A BIT OF EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH EMERGENCIES IN THE PAST.
JEFF:
SO THE POSTAL SERVICE'S UNIQUE ASSETS MADE IT THE NATURAL BACKBONE FOR THE ENTIRE CIVIL DEFENSE COMMUNICATIONS AND LOGISTICS PLAN. SO FRANK, WHAT WAS THE STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE OF LEANING ON THE POSTAL SERVICE DURING A POTENTIAL COLD WAR RELATED EMERGENCY?
FRANK:
I THINK STEVE HIT ON SOME OF THE KEY POINTS HERE. UH, IT'S A TRUSTED PUBLIC FACING ORGANIZATION, AND PARTICULARLY AS I MENTIONED, WITH THE STATES HAVING VERY UNEVEN APPROACHES TO IMPLEMENTING CIVIL DEFENSE, THAT ALSO MEANS A LOT OF THEM DON'T HAVE MUCH MONEY. AND SO THEIR STATES ARE NOT ALLOCATING A LOT OF RESOURCES. BUT WHAT THEY DO HAVE ARE FRANKING PRIVILEGES FROM THE US POSTAL SERVICE. AND SO SEVERAL STATES WILL ESSENTIALLY START INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS. IF WE'RE ASKING THE PUBLIC TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THIS, WELL, WE NEED TO EDUCATE THEM. AND HOW ARE WE GONNA EDUCATE THEM? WE'LL USE THE POST, THE POST OFFICE AS A VEHICLE TO SEND OUT INFORMATION, PAMPHLETS, HANDOUTS, BOOKLETS, INFORMATION TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC. IT, IT REALLY... THE POST SERVICE IS A WAY TO BE A CATALYST, TO BE A COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO KIND OF ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CIVIL EVENTS AND WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS TO TAKE PART IN THIS.
WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT ELEMENTS OF MORALE. UH, I'M SURE LISTENERS HAVE SEEN ONE, MANY, ANY VARIATION OF A FILM OR A TV SHOW ABOUT, YOU KNOW, NUCLEAR APOCALYPSE AND WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN THE EVENT OF A MASSIVE ATTACK, BE IT ATOMIC WEAPONS OR GODZILLA OR ZOMBIES OR SOMETHING. THIS NEED FOR INFORMATION AND THIS NEED FOR CONNECTIVITY. AND THE POST OFFICE, IF WE THINK TOO, A PRE-INTERNET DAY, YOU HAVE TELEPHONES, WE STILL HAVE TELEGRAMS, THE POST OFFICE IS GONNA BE A MEANS TO LET FOLKS KNOW THAT NOT ALL IS LOST. YOUR RELATIVES ARE STILL ALIVE. THERE'S STILL A MEANS TO COMMUNICATE ACROSS DISTANCE. AND FOR THOSE REASONS, THE POST OFFICE IS REALLY GONNA BE THIS INCREDIBLY CRITICAL STRATEGIC RESOURCE, BUT ONE THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY SIT IN THE FOREFRONT OF PUBLIC IMAGINATION. IT'S ALMOST TAKEN FOR GRANTED BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT WE KNOW THEY'LL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR US.
KARLA:
OKAY. SO LET'S PIVOT A LITTLE BIT. SO STEVE, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE ON THE GROUND. FOR EXAMPLE, THOUSANDS OF POSTAL VEHICLES WERE ACTUALLY DESIGNATED AS CIVIL DEFENSE VEHICLES. EVEN SMALL VEHICLES LIKE THE THREE-WHEELED MAILSTERS WERE INCLUDED BY THE MID - 1960S. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT PROGRAM AND WHAT ROLE THESE VEHICLES WERE SUPPOSED TO PLAY DURING A NATIONAL EMERGENCY?
STEVE:
SURE. UH, JUST FOR THE RECORD, A MAILSTER IS A THREE-WHEELED, UH, MAIL DELIVERY VEHICLE, BASICALLY A GOLF CART.
SO IN A CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, TRANSPORTATION BECOMES CRUCIAL BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW HOW PEOPLE ARE GONNA GET AROUND, IMAGINE IF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IS DISABLED. SO THE POSTAL SERVICE AT THE TIME HAD ABOUT 25,000 TRUCKS, AND THOSE WERE ALL DESIGNATED AS CIVIL DEFENSE VEHICLES, AND THEY PUT LITTLE CD DECALS ON THEM. IF YOU LOOK AT PICTURES FROM THE AREA, YOU CAN SEE, SEE THEM PRETTY CLEARLY. PART OF THE LARGER STRATEGY WAS THAT THESE VEHICLES COULD BE USED IN AN EMERGENCY AS AMBULANCES OR AS RESCUE VEHICLES, EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION IF SOMEONE HAD NEEDED TO GET TO MEDICAL ATTENTION. AND IN THE WORST CASE, THEY COULD USE AS HEARSES.
KARLA:
SO FRANK, WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO HAVE THAT INVENTORY OF SERVICE VEHICLES DURING THE COLD WAR?
FRANK :
IN THE LATTER PART OF THE 1950S, A LOT OF STATES AS WELL AS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ARE ACTIVELY CREATING WHAT ARE KNOWN AS OPERATIONAL SURVIVAL PLANS. THINK OF IT ALMOST AS THE, IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS, PULL THIS BINDER OUT AND IT TELLS YOU WHAT TO DO. PART OF THAT IS WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. LIKE, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO WORK WITH? AS, AS STEVE HIT UPON, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE MIGHT GO, "WAIT A MINUTE, USING A POSTAL VEHICLE IS A HEARSE." BUT THIS IS A PERIOD BEFORE THERE... THERE IS NO 911. THERE ARE NO EMERGENCY RESCUE SQUADS. THERE ARE NONE OF THE EMTS THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED TODAY IN THE ADVAN - IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY. ALL OF THIS IS BEING BORN AND ESTABLISHED AND DEVELOPED BY CIVIL DEFENSE. AND THAT'S WHY ORGANIZATIONS, LOCAL COMMUNITIES NEED TO KNOW WHAT ASSETS ARE THERE THAT WE CAN LEVERAGE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN THE EVENT OF ATTACK, SAY, THE ONLY COUNTY HOSPITAL IS DESTROYED, OKAY?
THEN WE LOST OUR ONE AMBULANCE. WELL, WHAT DO WE HAVE THAT WE COULD USE AS AN AMBULANCE? UH, WHAT DO WE HAVE THAT COULD TRANSPORT A PERSON ON A LITTER? IN MANY CASES, THAT'S WHY A HEARSE COULD BE USED IN EMERGENCY SITUATION, BECAUSE YOU COULD ACTUALLY PUT A PERSON ON A LITTER, OR USING MY ARMY TERMINOLOGY, OR A STRETCHER, AND PUT IT IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE. AND THAT'S WHY ALL OF THESE RESOURCES ARE NEEDED TO BE KNOWN THAT YOU CAN JUST KIND OF GRAB IT OFF THE SHELF, MAKE, PICK UP THE PHONE OR RADIO OR SEND A HUMAN RUNNER, "QUICK, GET THE KEYS FOR THIS. WE NEED TO BORROW THESE VEHICLES," OR, "DOES WHAT POST OFFICE FACILITIES ARE EVEN STILL STANDING? CAN WE USE THOSE? CAN WE, CAN WE OPERATE OUT OF THEM AS A, AS A SHELTER, AS A TRIAGE CENTER, AS A COMMUNICATIONS HUB?" AND SO ALL OF THIS INVENTORYING AND, AND RESOURCING, AGAIN, IS A KIND OF PRE-INTERNET DAY TO KNOW THAT THIS MATERIAL IS THERE IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, BE IT ENEMY ATTACK OR NATURAL DISASTER THAT WE CAN LEVERAGE.
AND IN SOME RESPECTS, THAT KIND OF PLANNING STILL EXISTS TODAY AND IS STILL PUT IN PLACE TODAY.
JEFF:
SO, BEYOND THE ASSETS OF VEHICLES AND INFRASTRUCTURE OF BUILDINGS AND THINGS, THERE'S A VERY HUMAN SIDE TO ALL OF THIS. WHEN WE WERE RESEARCHING THIS EPISODE, WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE SAFETY NOTIFICATION CARDS. THOSE ARE THE POSTAGE-FREE CARDS THAT PEOPLE CAN USE TO TELL THEIR FAMILIES THEY'RE OKAY AFTER AN EMERGENCY HAPPENS. SO, STEVE, WHAT WERE THESE FORMS AND HOW WERE THEY SUPPOSED TO ACTUALLY WORK?
STEVE:
THERE WERE TWO FORMS, THE EMERGENCY CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM AS NUMBER 809, AND THERE WAS THE SAFETY NOTIFICATION CARD, FORM 810, AND THESE WERE POSTAGE PAID CARDS. EVERY POST OFFICE WAS REQUIRED TO STOCK THEM AND THEY WERE MARKED TO BE USED ONLY IN CASE OF A WARTIME EMERGENCY. THE EMERGENCY CHANGE OF ADDRESS IS, BASICALLY IF YOU'RE A REFUGEE, IF YOU HAD TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, THIS CARD YOU COULD SUBMIT IT AND YOUR MAIL WOULD BE SENT TO YOUR NEW LOCATION, JUST LIKE WE HAVE CHANGE OF ADDRESS CARDS TODAY. THE SAFETY NOTIFICATION CARD TOUCHES A DIFFERENT PURPOSE THAT FRANK WAS ALLUDING TO, WAS MORALE. IF YOUR LOVED ONES, UH, YOU'VE LOST TOUCH WITH THEM, THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GONNA FIND OUT WHERE THEY'RE AT MAY BE THROUGH THE SAFETY NOTIFICATION CARD.
THEY COULD BASICALLY SAY, "I'M OKAY. I'M HERE AND, I'M SAFE." AND THE CONVERSE IS, IF YOU NEVER GOT THAT CARD, YOU MIGHT ASSUME THE WORST, AND THAT HAS A VERY DEBILITATING EFFECT ON MORALE. SO EVERY POST OFFICE IN THE COUNTRY STORED THESE FORMS FOR DECADES. THEY WERE NEVER OFFICIALLY USED. THEY'VE BEEN STOCKED AND UPDATED AS RECENTLY AS 2018, AND PROBABLY HARDLY A WEEK GOES BY WHEN I'M NOT CONTACTED BY SOME POSTMASTER THAT FOUND A CARTON, A CASE OF THEM IN THE BASEMENT AND WANTS TO KNOW IF HE CAN RECYCLE THEM.
JEFF:
SO PEOPLE SHOULDN'T GO TO THEIR POST OFFICES AND START ASKING FOR 809S AND 810S?
STEVE:
NO, THEY SHOULD NOT ASK FOR THEM.
FRANK:
EVEN AS A SOUVENIR.
KARLA:
RIGHT. YOU GOTTA FRAME ONE OF THOSE.
STEVE:
IF YOU'D LIKE A SOUVENIR, WE CAN HOOK YOU UP.
KARLA:
SO IT'S INTERESTING AND OBVIOUSLY A RELIEF THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE NEVER HAD TO USE THOSE CARDS. BUT FRANK, WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM TO CREATE THIS TYPE OF POST-EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK?
FRANK:
WELL, SOME OF THIS REALLY GOES BACK TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE MASSIVE REFUGEE CRISIS ALL ACROSS WESTERN EUROPE AS WELL AS IN ASIA, TRYING TO FIND PEOPLE, PEOPLE IN MANY CASES WHO LOST ALL THEIR RECORDS, AND HOW DO WE REUNITE PEOPLE, REUNITE FAMILIES? AND IF WE THINK OF SOME OF THE DARKER ELEMENTS, PARTICULARLY THE HOLOCAUST OR PRISONERS OF WAR, THE NEED TO KIND OF DEVELOP BASIC COMMUNICATION NETWORKS AND FORMS, SIMPLE CARDS, SIMPLE MEANS TO BEGIN TRYING TO TRACE AND ORGANIZE FAMILIES BACK TOGETHER, ORGANIZE PEOPLE, GET THEM HOME TO THEIR RESPECTIVE NATIONS IF THEY STILL EXIST IN SOME CASES. STEVE HIT IT, UH, PICKED UP ON MY COMMENT EARLIER, I'LL BOUNCE IT BACK, WHICH IS THIS NEED TO COMMUNICATE AND CONNECT WITH LOVED ONES, CONNECT WITH THOSE FAMILY MEMBERS CLOSEST TO US.
IF YOU CAN DO THAT, IF YOU CAN REUNITE PEOPLE, IT HAS A TREMENDOUS, MORALE ASPECT, A TREMENDOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT ON INDIVIDUAL. VIS-A-VIS, IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT, THAT SENSE OF LONELINESS, THAT SENSE OF ISOLATION CAN BE INCREDIBLY PSYCHOLOGICALLY DESTRUCTIVE ON SOCIETY. AND SO, IN SOMETHING AS, DARE I SAY, UPROOTING AS NUCLEAR WAR OR NUCLEAR ATTACK, BEING ABLE TO TELL PEOPLE, "HI, I'M ALIVE, AND WHO ELSE IS STILL WITH ME?" CREATING A, A SOCIAL NETWORK, UH, THIS IS PRE-FACEBOOK, IF WE WILL, BUT BEING ABLE TO REESTABLISH THAT SOCIAL NETWORK IS ALSO GONNA SHOW THAT SOCIETY IS CONTINUING, GOVERNMENT IS CONTINUING. THEY TALK ABOUT CONTINUITY PLANNING FOR GOVERNMENT, THIS IDEA THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN SOME SUCCESSION OF THE KEY PEOPLE, SOME SUCCESSION OF LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, DAILY LIFE, RIGHT? DAILY ROUTINE. NORMALCY. THAT'S WHERE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A FORM 809 OR 810 CAN PLAY A TREMENDOUS ROLE.
UH, NEITHER RAIN OR SLEET NOR SNOW NOR NUCLEAR WAR WILL PREVENT THE POST OFFICE FROM CARRYING OUT ITS DUTIES.
JEFF:
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT ANOTHER ASPECT OF THAT COMMUNICATION NETWORK. SO FOR YEARS, THE POSTAL SERVICE ACTUALLY HAD AN AMATEUR RADIO NETWORK, AND WE CALLED IT THE POST OFFICE NET. IT HAD ABOUT 1500 POSTAL EMPLOYEES ACROSS 43 STATES BY THE EARLY 1960S. STEVE, WHAT WAS THE POST OFFICE NET DESIGNED TO DO?
STEVE:
WELL, USE YOUR IMAGINATION HERE. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TODAY IF THE INTERNET WENT DOWN, IF YOUR CELL PHONE COULD NO LONGER CONNECT AND SEND TEXT MESSAGES, IF COMMERCIAL BROADCAST WENT OFF THE AIR, IF YOUR LANDLINE DIDN'T WORK. WE'D BE IN A PRETTY BAD SITUATION UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE. IT WOULD BE CRIPPLING. AND, AND THE SAME THING WAS TRUE DURING THE COLD WAR. SO THESE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS, AND I WANNA BE CLEAR, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ENTERTAINMENT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAM RADIO OPERATORS, AND THESE GUYS STILL EXIST USING SHORTWAVE RADIOS. THEY CAN REACH ANYBODY AROUND THE WORLD. SO THIS WAS THE INTERNET BEFORE THE INTERNET. POSTMASTER GENERAL ARTHUR SUMMERFIELD, 1958, ENLISTED ANY AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS IN THE POSTAL SERVICE WHO WANTED TO VOLUNTEER THEIR SERVICES DURING AN EMERGENCY. SO IN JULY OF 1959, THE POSTAL EMPLOYEES WHO WERE LICENSED AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS WERE ORGANIZED INTO THE POST OFFICE NET.
IT WAS A GOVERNMENT-BACKED COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, AND THEIR MISSION WAS TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE POSTAL SERVICE IN CASE OF A NATURAL DISASTER OR OTHER EMERGENCY. IN 1962, PON WAS OPENED UP TO ALL LICENSED RADIO OPERATORS AND CONTINUED IN SOME AREAS INTO THE 1970S.
JEFF:
WAS IT EVER USED IN AN EMERGENCY?
STEVE:
IT WAS NEVER ACTIVATED FOR A CIVIL DEFENSE EMERGENCY, NO.
JEFF:
WELL, IT, IT MAKES SENSE FROM A CIVIL DEFENSE PLAN PERSPECTIVE TO ANTICIPATE THAT PHONES AND BROADCAST SYSTEMS MIGHT BE DISRUPTED. BUT FRANK, WE KNOW THAT THERE WAS... IT WASN'T USED IN ANY ACTUAL EMERGENCY, BUT ARE THERE ANY EXAMPLES OF REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS WHERE RESPONDERS HAD TO RELY ON AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS TO HELP?
FRANK:
ABSOLUTELY. AND THESE INCIDENTS WOULD NOT BE NUCLEAR WAR, THANKFULLY, PER SE, BUT ABSOLUTELY IN NATURAL DISASTERS. COMING BACK ACTUALLY EVEN BEFORE THE POST OFFICE NET, IN 1952, AUTHORIZED BY THE FCC, THERE WAS SOMETHING CREATED CALLED THE RADIO AMATEUR CIVIL EMERGENCY SERVICE, OR RACES, AND RACES STILL EXIST TODAY. AND WHAT THIS DID IS IT USED CIVILIAN AMATEUR HAM RADIO OPERATORS FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TO SUPPORT STATE, COUNTY, AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES. DURING ANY NUMBER OF HURRICANES, EARTHQUAKES, SEVERE FLOODS, IT WAS RACES OPERATORS IN MANY WAYS THAT WERE SERVING AS THE KEY CONDUITS OF INFORMATION. I COULD JUST MENTION, YOU KNOW, HURRICANE HAZEL, MY HOME... I LIVED HERE AT HURRICANE FRAN IN 1996, HURRICANE CAMILLE, HURRICANE ANDREW, HUGO, THE 1964 ALASKA EARTHQUAKE, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER EARTHQUAKES IN THE COUNTRY OR SEVERE FLOODS. IT'S THE RACES NETWORK THAT'S BEING ACTIVATED, AND THEY ARE ACTUALLY HELPING DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION FROM LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TO BRING IN THE NECESSARY RESOURCES OR TO GIVE UPDATES ON CASUALTIES OR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND EVEN TODAY IN THE INTERNET HEAVY WORLD, RACES STILL PLAYS A KEY ROLE BECAUSE ONCE THE POWER GRID GOES DOWN, YOUR INTERNET GOES DOWN WITH IT.
JEFF:
SO EVEN THOUGH THE POST OFFICE NETWORK NEVER ACTUALLY GOT USED, THE CONCEPT IS VERY VIABLE AND USEFUL?
FRANK:
ABSOLUTELY. AND UNDOUBTEDLY, A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE POST OFFICE NETWORK ARE ALSO PROBABLY LICENSED RACES MEMBERS AND VICE VERSA.
KARLA:
I’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT PART OF OUR CONVERSATION BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT A PART OF THE CIVIL DEFENSE PLAN THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN FOR MYSELF. JEFF AND I STARTED THE EPISODE BY REFERRING TO THE FALLOUT SHELTER SIGNS THAT USED TO BE FOUND IN POST OFFICES. WHAT DID IT ACTUALLY MEAN FOR A POST OFFICE TO BE DESIGNATED AS A SHELTER, STEVE?
STEVE:
SIMPLY PUT, A FALLOUT SHELTER WAS A PLACE WHERE YOU COULD GO INSIDE IN CASE OF A NUCLEAR ATTACK AND HAVE SOME PROTECTION FROM THE RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT. IT ACTUALLY STARTED IN 1962, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SURVEYED THOUSANDS OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS TO FIND SUITABLE SHELTERS. BY THE MID '60S, ABOUT 1500 POST OFFICE BUILDINGS WERE DESIGNATED WITH A POTENTIAL CAPACITY TO SHELTER ABOUT 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE. THE DESIGNATED POST OFFICES WERE STOCKED WITH FEDERAL SURVIVAL SUPPLIES, INCLUDING FOOD, UM, NOT GOURMET FOOD. THIS IS BEFORE EVEN MRES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, BISCUITS, NUTRITIONAL BISCUITS.
THEY WERE STOCKED WITH WATER BECAUSE YOU NEED WATER TO SURVIVE, MEDICAL AND SANITATION KITS, AND RADIATION DETECTION EQUIPMENT SO THAT, EVENTUALLY THEY WOULD KNOW WHEN IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK OUTSIDE. THE WATER CAME IN 40 GALLON DRUMS, AND WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE WITH THE WATER REMOVED. BUT AS THE WATER GOT USED UP, THOSE WERE TO BE CONVERTED TO TOILETS. SO THAT WAS THE CONCEPT OF THE FALLOUT SHELTER. IT WASN'T INTENDED TO BE YOUR PERMANENT HOME. IT WAS GOING TO BE SOMEPLACE WHERE YOU COULD STAY, TEMPORARILY UNTIL IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK OUTSIDE AND REBUILD.
JEFF:
SO THEY WEREN'T REALLY BUNKERS, THEY WERE JUST TEMPORARY SHELTERS?
STEVE:
TEMPORARY SHELTERS, YES.
JEFF:
WELL, THAT PUTS THOSE SIGNS INTO A WHOLE NEW LIGHT FOR ME, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT THEY REPRESENTED, AND IT'S PRETTY SCARY TO THINK THAT WE MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY NEEDED THOSE SUPPLIES AT ONE POINT.
BUT IF I REMEMBER MY HISTORY, THOSE POSTAL SERVICE FALLOUT SHELTERS WERE ONLY PART OF THE OVERALL PLAN FOR HELPING PEOPLE IF THERE HAD BEEN A NUCLEAR ATTACK. FRANK, WHAT WAS THE LARGER PLAN?
FRANK:
THIS IS WHERE THE IDEA WENT, WELL, WE CAN'T BUILD BLAST SHELTERS, BUT WHAT ABOUT FALLOUT? AHA. THAT IS, YOU CAN TAKE EXISTING STRUCTURES THAT HAVE ENOUGH SHIELDING IN CONCRETE OR STEEL OR OTHER MATERIALS TO PROTECT A PERSON FROM THE RADIATION OUTSIDE, WHICH IS WHAT STEVE WAS TOUCHING UPON. AND SO WHILE THERE WAS AN EFFORT MADE BY CIVIL DEFENSE PLANNERS TO ENCOURAGE THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF, HEY, BUILD YOUR OWN FALLOUT SHELTER OR BOMB SHELTER IN THE 50S, IT'S REALLY DURING THE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION BEGINNING IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 1961 THAT KENNEDY ANNOUNCES WHAT BECOMES KNOWN AS THE NATIONAL FALLOUT SHELTER SURVEY. WHOLE CONCEPT HERE IS WE'RE GOING TO SURVEY, LICENSE, MARK AND STOCK EXISTING BUILDINGS THAT HAVE THESE ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS TO PROVIDE A PROTECTION FACTOR OF AT LEAST 100. THOSE PLACES THAT THEN HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, HAVE THE PROTECTION FACTOR, LICENSE FORMS ARE SIGNED, THEY THEN PUT THE SIGNS UP THAT'LL SAY FOLLOW SHELTER AND THEY'LL PUT SUPPLIES IN.
KARLA:
SO STOCKING A BASEMENT IS ONE THING, BUT THE GOVERNMENT KNEW THAT MANAGING A SHELTER FULL OF SCARED PEOPLE WOULD BE THE REAL CHALLENGE. AND THAT WAY, IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT THE BUILDING, IT WAS ABOUT THE PEOPLE INSIDE. SO STEVE, WHAT WAS THE LOCAL POSTMASTER'S ROLE SUPPOSED TO BE IF THE SIRENS WENT OFF AND THEY HAD TO OPEN THEIR DOORS AS A PUBLIC SHELTER?
STEVE:
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN ON JURY DUTY, BUT YOU GET TO THE POINT OF DELIBERATIONS, YOU'RE LOCKED IN A ROOM WITH 12 OTHER COMPLETE STRANGERS AND YOU HAVE TO COME TO SOME UNDERSTANDING AND THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEBODY WHO'S BEING DISAGREEABLE. SO MULTIPLY THAT SO THAT YOU HAVE MAYBE 100 PEOPLE LOCKED IN A BASEMENT WHO ARE COMPLETE STRANGERS AND THEY'RE ALL SCARED TO DEATH AND AS FRANK POINTED OUT, YOU KNOW, THEIR NORMAL COMFORTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. THIS IS BARE MINIMAL. SO WHO'S GONNA KEEP A LID ON THAT SITUATION? THAT'S THE POSTMASTER'S JOB. HE'S THE HEAD OF THAT FACILITY. AND IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT THAT FUNCTION, THE POSTMASTER WAS GRANTED ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY, WHICH YOU DON'T OFTEN HEAR IN OUR JOB TITLES , OUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
WHAT DID THAT MEAN? HE CONTROLLED WHO COULD GET INTO THE SHELTER. HE COULD CONTROL WHO HAD TO LEAVE THE SHELTER. HE COULD ENFORCE THE RULES AND MAINTAIN ORDER. WHEN FOOD AND WATER RAN SHORT, THE POSTMASTER, HE OR SHE HAD TO RATION THE FOOD AND THEY HAD TO MAINTAIN SANITATION AND WITHIN THE SHELTER. YOU CAN IMAGINE IT'S NOT GONNA SMELL SO GOOD AFTER A FEW DAYS.
FRANK:
TOUCHING UPON THAT, STEVE, YOU REALLY COULD SAY THAT THE, THE POSTMASTER BECOMES THE REFEREE TO A GREAT EXTENT WITH THE SITUATION THEY FACE, BUT, BUT THAT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE. AND IT, AGAIN, IT, IT TOUCHES UPON, I SAID EARLIER, PEOPLE TO SOME EXTENT KIND OF TAKE FOR GRANTED THE POST OFFICE BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A PART OF THEIR DAILY LIFE. THINGS ARE RUNNING, THE MAIL IS DELIVERED. BUT IN THIS CASE, IT'S ALSO GONNA SHOW A DIFFERENT COMPONENT BECAUSE THAT SAME POSTMASTER OR SHELTER MANAGER HAS THE ABILITY TO DESIGNATE OTHER PEOPLE IN THERE TO CARRY OUT CERTAIN ROLES. IT'S A DIFFICULT JOB AND EVEN DURING EXPERIMENTS AND TESTS, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ELEMENTS AT PLAY IN THESE SCENARIOS CAN BE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. AND THANKFULLY WE HAVEN'T HAD TO TEST IT OUT IN REAL TIME.
JEFF:
THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY IS FORTUNATELY WE HAVE NOT HAD TO ACTUALLY SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN A REAL SITUATION. BUT WE BUILT THIS MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE. WE STOCKED FALLOUT SHELTERS. WE BUILT A HAM RADIO NETWORK. WE'VE TRAINED POSTMASTERS AS SHELTER MANAGERS. YEARS GO BY. WHAT HAPPENED TO IT? DID THE PROGRAM JUST DISAPPEAR WHEN THE COLD WAR KINDA ENDED?
FRANK:
WHAT DO THEY SAY? NOT WITH A BANG, BUT A WHIMPER. WELL, THANKFULLY WE DIDN'T HAVE THE BANG, WHICH IS TREMENDOUS. BUT WHAT WE DID HAVE IN OCTOBER 1962, WE HAVE THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS AND THERE'S FILMS ON IT, YOU KNOW, LIBRARIES FULL OF BOOKS OF ANALYSIS OF WHAT HAPPENED. BUT ONE OF THE KEY THINGS HERE WAS KENNEDY DOES CALL IN STUART PITTMAN, WHO IS THE, THE HEAD OF THE OFFICE OF CIVIL DEFENSE. AND HE SAYS, "OKAY, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO WE STAND WITH THE SHELTERS?" WHAT IT CAME DOWN TO IS THEY HAD ONLY REALLY JUST BEGUN MARKING AND STOCKING THEM. SO PITTMAN GOES, "UH, WE, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE MANY, RIGHT? MR. PRESIDENT, THERE'S REALLY NOTHING THERE. MOVING INTO 1963, BECAUSE OF THAT, CONGRESS SAYS, "AH, OKAY. WELL, MAYBE WE NEED TO DO MORE HERE. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT MOVING FAST ENOUGH, SO LET'S ACCELERATE THE PROGRAM." THEY HAVE ALREADY APPROPRIATED THE FUNDING.
IT WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE, THE LARGEST, IF NOT THE LARGEST APPROPRIATION FOR CIVIL DEFENSE EVER HAPPENED UNDER KENNEDY TO GET THE SUPPLIES UP, GET THE SHELTER STOCKED. THERE'S AN ACCELERATED EFFORT AFTER THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. BUT WHAT, WHAT, SEVERAL THINGS HAPPENED. FIRST OFF, PRESIDENT KENNEDY IS ASSASSINATED. WE ALSO HAVE THE SIGNING OF THE LIMITED TEST BAN TREATY. SO WE'RE NO LONGER GONNA DO ATMOSPHERIC TESTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS. AFTER KENNEDY'S ASSASSINATION, JOHNSON IS, HE'S NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN CIVIL DEFENSE. CIVIL DEFENSE JUST COMPARED TO EVERYTHING ELSE BEGINS TO KIND OF, IT JUST LOSES ITS, ITS BOTH PUBLIC SUPPORT AND ITS SENIOR FEDERAL SUPPORT. THOSE FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATED WERE PUT TO USE, THE SHELTERS WERE MARKED, THE SHELTERS WERE SUPPLIED, BUT THEN THEY WERE NEVER USED.
SO GET AROUND TO THE 1970S AND THE FOOD SUPPLIES ARE STARTING TO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PASSING THEIR EXPIRATION DATE, THE WATER IN THE BARRELS IS KIND OF RANK. SOME PLACES JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, SHUT IT DOWN, DESTROY THE SUPPLIES AND THEN THEY'RE NEVER REPLACED. THERE'S NO APPROPRIATIONS TO RESUPPLY THEM. BUT ON THE DEEPER POLICY LEVEL, YOU SEE A SHIFT DURING THE NIXON ADMINISTRATION, IN 1970 AND THEN ESPECIALLY IN 1972 WITH THE CREATION OF THE DEFENSE CIVIL PREPAREDNESS AGENCY, THE DCPA. AND THIS IS A BIG SHIFTING HERE TO MORE OF WHAT THEY REFER TO AS ALL HAZARDS, KIND OF MOVING TOWARDS A DUAL USE. WE'RE GONNA USE CIVIL DEFENSE FOR ENEMY ATTACK AND ALSO NATURAL DISASTER, LOCALIZED DISASTERS, FIRES, FLOODS, YOU KNOW, MAJOR CAR ACCIDENTS, PLANE CRASHES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
YOU SEE MOVING TO THE CARTER ADMINISTRATION, 1979, THE CREATION OF THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, THE FEMA WE KNOW OF TODAY. AND THIS IS WHERE YOU HAVE THIS ALL-HAZARDS APPROACH. SO WE'RE GONNA USE EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOR ANY AND ALL NATURE OF HAZARDS. WE'RE NOT GONNA FOCUS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON NUCLEAR ATTACK AND NUCLEAR PREPAREDNESS. SO WHERE DO FALLOUT SHELTERS FIT IN ALL OF THIS? BY REALLY ABOUT 1992, THE NATIONAL FALLOUT SHELTER SURVEY, WHICH WAS CONTINUING, ESSENTIALLY ENDS. SUPPLIES AREN'T, HAVEN'T BEEN STOCKED, BUT THEY ARE STILL MARKING AND SURVEYING SHELTERS, BUT IN NO WAY DOES IT HAVE THE INTEREST OR THE, THE OOMPH BEHIND IT THAT WE SAW IN THE 1960S.
KARLA:
SO THE FORMAL CIVIL DEFENSE PROGRAM IS, IS GONE, BUT STEVE, AS YOU POINTED OUT, THE POSTAL SERVICE STILL PLAYS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN RESPONSE TO HURRICANES, WILDFIRES, AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS, NOT TO MENTION THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. SO HOW DID THAT COLD WAR LEGACY OF PREPAREDNESS EVOLVE INTO THE ROLE THE POSTAL SERVICE PLAYS TODAY?
STEVE:
WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE POSTAL SERVICE HAS TO OFFER IS WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS HAD TO OFFER. WE HAVE A PHYSICAL NETWORK THAT REACHES EVERY CORNER OF THE NATION, AND WE ALSO HAVE ADDRESS INTELLIGENCE. WE KNOW WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, WE KNOW HOW TO GET, WE KNOW HOW TO REACH THEM. WE ALSO HAVE THE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE. OUR CARRIERS ARE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS EVERY DAY. OFTEN, THEY ARE THE FIRST RESPONDERS, THE FIRST PEOPLE TO REPORT AN EMERGENCY. AND THE POSTAL SERVICE IS ROUTINELY, RANKED AS THE MOST TRUSTED AND RELIABLE FEDERAL AGENCY.
JEFF:
I WANNA ASK FRANK, UM, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT THE GOVERNMENT, THE FIRST RESPONDERS, THE, THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO ORGANIZE A RESPONSE TO A DISASTER, WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY LEARNED FROM ALL OF THIS PREPARATION DURING THE COLD WAR?
FRANK:
I THINK ONE OF THE KEY TAKEAWAYS IS INFRASTRUCTURE MATTERS. AS STEVE TOUCHED UPON, HOW THE POST OFFICE IS VIEWED BY THE AMERICAN PUBLIC THEN AND NOW AS THE MOST TRUSTED ASPECT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THESE RESOURCES ARE THERE AND WE BEGAN TO LOOK AT THEM IN A NEW LIGHT IN THE EVENT OF EMERGENCY. HOW CAN YOU LEVERAGE THESE, TO ALLEVIATE SUFFERING, TO RESTORE ORDER, TO MAINTAIN THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF A COMMUNITY, BE IT NUCLEAR WAR OR A HURRICANE RESPONSE? AND A KEY THING TO REALLY TOUCH UPON WITH CIVIL DEFENSE, A LOT OF HISTORIANS WILL SAY CIVIL OFFENSE, COLOSSAL FAILURE. IT ISN'T THOUGH, AND I TOUCHED UPON IT EARLIER. TODAY, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT IF YOU CALL 911, THE FACT THERE ARE TRAINED EMERGENCY RESPONDERS OR PEOPLE TRAINED AND EQUIPPED TO HANDLE ALMOST ANY TYPE OF EMERGENCY, NONE OF THIS EXISTED BEFORE CIVIL DEFENSE.
IT WAS CIVIL DEFENSE THAT REALLY ENABLED THE TRAINING, THE FUNDING, THE, THE AWARENESS. AND, AND UNDERLYING ALL OF THIS, YOU'LL HAVE AN ORGANIZATION LIKE THE POST OFFICE THAT'S GETTING INFORMATION, THAT'S ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD PARTICIPATE, YOU SHOULD SELF-HELP AND TAKE YOUR OWN WELLBEING AND YOUR FAMILY'S WELLBEING INTO MIND AS YOU PREPARE YOURSELF FOR ANY POTENTIAL EMERGENCY. THESE ASPECTS HAVE CREATED THUS AN EVEN WIDER INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY. AND IN ANY NATURAL DISASTER OR LOCAL EMERGENCY, WE SEE THESE ELEMENTS BROUGHT TO BEAR AND BROUGHT TO BEAR VERY EFFICIENTLY TO, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, ALLEVIATE SUFFERING, CARE FOR THOSE INJURED, THOSE WOUNDED, AND RESTORE ORDER AND HAPPINESS AND WELLBEING.
JEFF:
ALL RIGHT. WELL, FRANK AND STEVE, GREAT CONVERSATION. LEARNED A LOT OF HISTORY HERE TODAY. A LOT MORE THAN I EXPECTED TO LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE SITUATIONS, BUT, UM, I'M GLAD YOU CAME IN AND SHARED THIS INFORMATION WITH US. VERY INFORMATIONAL.
KARLA:
DEFINITELY ALWAYS INFORMATIVE.
STEVE:
MY PLEASURE.
FRANK:
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
KARLA:
IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF DID YOU KNOW. JEFF, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT FOR US TODAY?
JEFF:
WELL, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT MOVING MILLIONS OF PIECES OF MAIL, YOU PROBABLY THINK OF TRUCKS AND TRAINS AND PLANES, BUT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MATH?
KARLA:
WELL, IT'S DEFINITELY NOT THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND, BUT IT MAKES SENSE. MATH IS A BIG PART OF LOGISTICS AFTER ALL.
JEFF:
THAT'S CORRECT. AND THE PERSON WHO GOT THE POSTAL SERVICE ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH LOGISTICS WAS A MATHEMATICIAN NAMED DR. BEATRICE ACHESON. DID YOU KNOW THAT DR. ACHESON BECAME THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT'S DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BACK IN 1953? THAT MADE HER THE FIRST WOMAN TO EVER HOLD A POLICY LEVEL POSITION AT POSTAL SERVICE HEADQUARTERS.
KARLA:
I LOVE IT. SO SHE USED HER EXPERTISE IN MATH TO MAKE MAIL TRANSPORTATION MORE EFFICIENT?
JEFF:
INDEED, SHE DID. SHE'D ALREADY HELPED THE OFFICE OF DEFENSE TRANSPORTATION WITH RAIL TRAFFIC FORECASTING DURING WORLD WAR II, AND AT THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, HER WORK CONTINUED. ONE OF THE MANY SUCCESSFUL IDEAS SHE PIONEERED WAS CALLED PIGGYBACKING. THAT MEANS INSTEAD OF UNLOADING A TRAILER ATTACHED TO A MAIL TRUCK AND PUTTING THAT MAIL ON A RAILROAD CAR OR A SHIP, YOU ACTUALLY JUST LOAD THE TRAILER ITSELF.
KARLA:
WELL, VERY SMART. YOU BASICALLY USE THE TRAILER AS THE CONTAINER.
JEFF:
THAT'S RIGHT. AND DR. ACHESON'S WORK SAVED THE POSTAL SERVICE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE YEARS. AND IN RECOGNITION FOR HER MANY ACHIEVEMENTS, SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST RECIPIENTS OF THE FEDERAL WOMEN'S AWARD IN 1961. SHE WAS ALSO AWARDED WITH A CAREER SERVICE AWARD IN 1970, THE YEAR BEFORE SHE RETIRED.
KARLA:
SO, JEFF, VERY INTERESTING EPISODE TODAY. I KNOW WE HAD TOUCHED ON THE FALLOUT SHELTERS - WITH STEVE BEFORE, BUT DEFINITELY SOME OF THE HISTORY THAT FRANK BROUGHT TO THE TABLE WAS INFORMATION I ABSOLUTELY HAVE NEVER HEARD.
JEFF:
INDEED. YOU KNOW, IT'S A SHAME THAT HAVING A NUCLEAR SCARE HANGING OVER EVERYONE'S HEADS DURING THE COLD WAR, MADE US PREPARE AHEAD, AND FORTUNATELY NOT USED, BUT THE LESSONS WE LEARNED FROM ALL OF THAT PREPARATION IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY USING TODAY FOR ANY OF THE DISASTERS AND SITUATIONS THAT HAPPEN.
KARLA:
EXACTLY. AND I'M DEFINITELY GONNA BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THOSE YELLOW AND BLACK SIGNS.
JEFF:
LET ME KNOW IF YOU FIND ONE.
KARLA :
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS EPISODE OF MAILIN’ IT! DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO MAILIN’ IT! WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T MISS THE NEXT EPISODE, AND FOLLOW ALONG ON INSTAGRAM @USPOSTALSERVICE, X @USPS, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE.COM/@USPS.