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Bomboozled! : how the U.S. government misled itself and its people into believing they could survive a nuclear attack / Susan Roy.

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Pointed Leaf Press, c2010.

Civil defense -- United States.

Nuclear bomb shelters -- United States.

Nuclear crisis control -- United States.

Atomic bomb -- Social aspects -- United States.

176 p. : chiefly ill. (some col.), col. ports., facs. (some col.) ; 27 cm.

Illustrated end-papers.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 170-171) and index.

Bob Dylan's nuclear lament -- Atomic anxiety -- You can survive! -- Better homes & bunkers -- Nuclear housekeeping -- Drop-dead gorgeous -- Shelter skelter -- Plastic sheeting & duct tape.

Conceived by a misguided government seeking to quiet the fears of an anxious public, the concept of the "Family Fallout Shelter" was Cold War paranoia at its finest, a massive bit of "propaganda by architecture" that has no more truth behind it than the absurd notion of "duck and cover." Inundated with government-sponsored films, posters, booklets, traveling caravans and exhibitions, the American family bought into the idea, investing millions of dollars in home shelters of every conceivable material and design. 'Bomboozled: How the U.S. Government Misled Itself and Its People Into Believing They Could Survive a Nuclear Attack' lays bare the buried truths of America's family fallout shelter obsession. Author Susan Roy charts the panic-fueled evolution of the shelter from a well-stocked basement pantry to a full-fledged (and often completely decorated) home addition, revealing through extensive archival photography, nuclear-era memorabilia, and previously unpublished media, a government and people in the grip of self-delusion. Fastidiously researched and sharply written, "Bomboozled" captures the absurdity and uncertainty of a culture that knew no better than to trust its government's message.

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