Protect And Survive

''Protect and Survive'' was a public information campaign on civil defence. Produced by the British government between 1974 and 1980, it intended to advise the public on how to protect themselves during a nuclear attack. The campaign comprised a pamphlet, newspaper advertisements, radio broadcasts, and public information films. The series had originally been intended for distribution only in the event of dire national emergency, but provoked such intense public interest that the pamphlet was published, in slightly amended form, in 1980. Due to its controversial subject, and the nature of its publication, the cultural impact of ''Protect and Survive'' was greater and longer-lasting than most public information campaigns.

Origins

''Protect and Survive'' had its origins in civil defence leaflets dating back to 1938, titled ''The Protection of Your Home Against Air Raids''. These advised the homeowner on what to do in the event of air attack. This evolved as the nature of warfare and geopolitics changed, with the pamphlets updated first into ''The Hydrogen Bomb'' in 1957, and later into ''Advising the Householder on Protection against Nuclear Attack'' in 1963. This document, of which 500,000 copies were made, garnered considerable public and government criticism when it was first released for its lack of explanations or conveyance of the reasoning behind the advice that was given. The Estimates Committee were similarly bemused by the advice, calling for its withdrawal. Civil defence personnel were summoned to House of Commons meetings in which they responded to all the points of criticism that were raised. The 1963 pamphlet was then accompanied by a series of public information films produced in 1964, called '' Civil Defence Information Bulletins''. These films were intended to be broadcast in a state of emergency. Pamphlets similar to those prepared in 1963 briefly appeared in Peter Watkins' controversial 1965 BBC docudrama ''The War Game'', in a scene where they were distributed to people's homes. The 1964 bulletins were not depicted in the film.

The fallout radiation advice in ''Protect and Survive'' was based on 1960s fallout shelter experiments summarised by Daniel T. Jones of the Home Office Scientific Advisory Branch in his report, ''The Protection Against Fallout Radiation Afforded by Core Shelters in a Typical British House'' which was published in ''Protective Structures for Civilian Populations'', Proceedings of the Symposium held at Washington, D.C., 19–23 April 1965, by the Subcommittee on Protective Structures, Advisory Committee on Civil Defense, US National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council. The fallout radiation was represented by measurements of the penetration of cobalt-60 gamma radiation, which has a high mean energy of 1.25 MeV (two gamma rays, 1.17 and 1.33 MeV). This is considerably more penetrating than the mean 0.7 MeV of fallout gamma rays. Therefore, the actual protection given against real nuclear weapon fallout would be far greater than that afforded in the peacetime cobalt-60 shielding measurements.

Wartime Broadcasting Service

During the early 1970s, the BBC and the Home Office produced a radio script advising the public of what to do in the event of nuclear attack. This was eventually published in October 2008 on the BBC's website, with the full correspondence made available to the public via The National Archives. The script used very similar language and style to the later ''Protect and Survive'' series. In particular, it emphasised the need for citizens to remain in their homes, and not to try to evacuate elsewhere.

During the exchange of correspondence between the BBC and various government departments, several letters seem to suggest that a booklet for public consumption was already being discussed. In a letter from the Central Office of Information, dated 12 March 1974, a request for information from The Home Office about a proposed booklet read as follows:HO 322/775
at The National Archives

This was replied to on 15 March 1974 by the Home Office, clearly stating that such a booklet was being produced, and that they were also targeting the same information at television:

Publication of the pamphlet

''Protect and Survive'' was formally published in May 1980, but had come to the public's attention before that via a series of articles in ''The Times'' newspaper in January 1980.Evans, P. (1980) 'Civil defence-1: Government to give greater priority to protect millions of people' ''The Times'', 16 Jan, p. 4 This wave of interest had been preceded by numerous letters to ''The Times'' in December 1979Thompson, K, Nonhebel, G. (1979) 'Reviving Civil Defence (Letters to the Editor)' The Times, 29 Nov, p. 17Chambers, D. (1979) 'Reviving Civil Defence (Letters to the Editor)' ''The Times'', 1 Dec, p. 13 questioning what Civil Defence arrangements were in place in the UK.

This was then followed by a ''Times'' leader on 19 January 1980 which noted that: "In Britain, a Home Office booklet "Protect and Survive" remains unavailable."The Times, (1980), A Lethal Failure of Duty, 18 Jan, p. 13 Following this unexpected publicity for ''Protect and Survive'', The Minister of State at the Home Office, Leon Brittan, responding on the subject in the House of Commons on 20 February 1980 said that:''The Times'', (1980), Revision of pamphlet on UK civil defence, 22 Feb, p. 10

The Minister then went on to say the Home Office had received over 200 letters from the public on civil defence. Following the press and parliamentary focus on ''Protect and Survive'', as well as an episode of the BBC's ''Newsnight'' programme which focused on the campaign, the government chose to publish the ''Protect and Survive'' booklet in May 1980.

Political reaction

Organizations such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament protested that the pamphlet, by popularising the idea that a nuclear war could be survived, made such a war more likely. The protest organisations published and sold large numbers of copies of the pamphlet, considering that widespread reading of the pamphlet could only discredit the government's policy. Counter-pamphlets such as "Protest and Survive" by E P Thompson and "Civil Defence, whose Defence" by the Disarmament Information Group replied to the pamphlet's arguments.

Media

The purpose of the ''Protect and Survive'' scheme was to provide members of the British public with instructions, primarily via broadcast media, on how to protect themselves and survive a nuclear attack. The broadcasts were to be supplemented by a booklet, which was to act an ''aide-memoire'' for householders; despite the booklet's later prominence in British culture, the campaign was originally conceived as being broadcast-led, with the booklet confirmed later. The scheme was not intended to be made public during peacetime, and would only have been broadcast if a nuclear attack was deemed likely by the Government during an international crisis. The information detailed a series of steps recommended to be undertaken by British civilians to improve their chances of survival in the event of a nuclear strike on the United Kingdom.

Print

The ''Protect and Survive'' booklet was prepared in 1976, and some 2,000 copies were printed and secretly issued to chief executives of local authorities and senior police officers. Its existence having been brought to public attention by the ''Times'', a slightly revised edition of the booklet was printed in 1980, and made available through Stationery Office bookshops. During peacetime, the booklet was priced at 50 pence, but would be widely distributed freely to all households in the United Kingdom if the threat of a nuclear attack increased. This was complemented in 1981 by two booklets regarding the construction of fallout shelters: ''Domestic Nuclear Shelters'', with techniques for building a home shelter, and ''Domestic Nuclear Shelters – Technical Guidance'', for the design and construction of long-term and permanent shelters, some of which involved elaborate designs.

The contents of the booklets would also be printed in national newspapers if the risk of nuclear attack increased.

In response to extensive criticism of ''Protect and Survive'', ''Civil Defence: Why We Need It'' was also printed in November 1981 by the Home Office, which attempted to defend the reasons for civil defence.

Television

''Protect and Survive'' was adapted for television as a series of twenty short public information films. The films were classified, intended for transmission on all television channels if the government determined that nuclear attack was likely within 72 hours. However, recordings leaked to CND and the BBC
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