I think the time for facing and laying out a shelter of this type was about 8 minutes. In addition, in the rural areas use is to be made also of the numerous existing storage and refrigeration cellers and other underground structures. The Soviets intend to build shelters for their cattle, since they intend to protect their cattle from fallout. NO SIGNS ON SOVIET SHELTERS There is considerable uncertainty about the actual amount of shelter capacity presently available in the U.S.S.R. The Soviet authorities do not publish such information and secrecy extends to the point where it is present policy to post no signs indicating the location of existing shelters until the "threatening situation" alert is announced. Nevertheless occasional casual references have appeared in the Soviet press mentioning the existence of various types of shelters in a dozen cities scattered all over the Soviet Union including Moscow. While I cannot go here into all the evidence concerning the existence of Soviet shelters, it is significant that the current training course requires various exercises to be held in the shelters and that it acquaints the population with the location of shelters nearest to their places of work and residence. SHELTER FOR MAJORITY OF SOVIET POPULATION The available information indicates that the Soviet Union has built over the years a considerable number of shelters sufficient for a substantial part but by no means all of the city residents. Given sufficient warning time to build emergency fallout shelters, the Soviet authorities could probably provide some cover for the majority of the population. STRATEGIC EVACUATION PLANS The committee's report has indicated that in 1958 the Soviet civil defense authorities began to show interest in urban evacuation. Apparently, it took some time to develop evacuation plans since they were not mentioned until the new 18-hour training course was put into effect in 1960. These plans are supervised by borough and city evacuation committees working in cooperation with the civil defense transportation and other services. It is now intended to evacuate at least a substantial part of the urban residents when the Government announces a "threatening situation" alert. Persons ordered to leave will assemble at predesignated points within 2 to 3 hours and will be moved by all available means of transportation first to initial staging areas 10 to 50 miles from the cities and later, if time permits, to permanent quarters in the rural areas and small towns. The evacuation will be tightly controlled at all stages. What shelter facilities may exist along the evacuation routes and at the staging areas is not known, but some mention is made of the need for such shelters. While there is no evidence that the Soviet authorities have carried out large-scale evacuation exercises, the progressive expansion of Soviet transportation facilities is likely to assist in any evacuation which may be undertaken. This is to show the number of exits from Moscow by road and rail and water, which is quite considerable. During World War II about 500,000 persons were exacuated from Moscow in a short time over one road and one railroad. (See fig. G-19, p. 292.) DISASTER OPERATIONS Present Soviet plans for dealing with the effects of an attack seek to reduce casualties, limit the damage, and quickly restore some use of the disaster area for productive purposes. Consequently, it is planned to carry out large-scale rescue, firefighting, and decontamination operations in the disaster areas as soon as is practicable. While this requirement is partly imposed by the character of the Soviet civil defense and shelter program, it is also motivated by the belief that a rapid recuperation would help preserve Soviet power and may possibly influence the further course and possibly even the outcome of a war. It is therefore planned to send special civil defense units from nearby rural areas and towns, military units, and mobilized trained citizens into the disaster areas as soon as possible following an attack to assist the survivors. CBR EQUIPMENT A great variety of radiological and chemical detection instruments, mobile medical, firefighting, and decontamination equipment has been developed and distributed. Here are a few examples of it. This is part of the equipment that has been distributed. This will test for nerve gases as well as others. (See fig. G-20, p. 293.) There is also a portable bacteriological laboratory, of a very simple design, as well as mobile units of this type. (See fig. G-21, p. 294.) 78266-61-20 |