Cold War Culture: The Nuclear Fear of the 1950s and 1960s

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Topic spans: 1955 - 1975

Cold War Culture: The Nuclear Fear of the 1950s and 1960s

With superpowers in the east and west testing powerful new weapons, the Canadian race for self-preservation took off in the early 1950s. The rising of the Iron Curtain intensified the threat of mass destruction, as communication between the Americans and Soviets came to a screeching halt. In this volatile new world, Canadians fretted about fallout shelters and the government prepared to go underground.

Photo of Diefenbunker nuclear fallout shelter near Ottawa courtesy of Chris Iwanowski

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11 radio clips

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Bomb shelters for sale

Broadcast Date: Nov. 6, 1958

Wanna buy a bomb shelter? CBC Radio interviews one New York City salesman throwing forth his best sales pitch. A shelter, he says, will protect homeowners from rampant radiation following a nuclear attack. It can also double as a cold cellar, a fire-protected room, or a spare room. In this day and age it's just another necessary means of insurance.

Bomb shelters for sale

• Because of the high cost of constructing a fallout shelter, the campaign failed to catch on in Canada. Canadians were also convinced that the shelters would do little to protect against the ever-growing arsenal of powerful nuclear weapons. The campaign to build community shelters in towns across the province never fully reached fruition due to lack of support and government funding.

Bomb shelters for sale

Medium: Radio

Program: Assignment

Broadcast Date: Nov. 6, 1958

Guest(s): Howard Robinson

Host: Maria Barrett, Bill McNeil
Reporter: Norman Kramer

Duration: 4:57

Last updated:
Nov. 10, 2010

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