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

Home · War & Conflict · Cold War · Cold War Culture: The Nuclear Fear of the 1950s and 1960s

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

8 television clips

11 radio clips

You must sign in to leave a comment on this clip.

No comments

Reporting live from the Diefenbunker...

Broadcast Date: Jan. 21, 1994

They would have been known as the voices of Canada. CBC News reporters Norman DePoe, Larry McDonald and Tom Earle were given a very special assignment in the early 1960s — in the event of a nuclear war, they agreed to broadcast survival instructions to the rest of Canada from the top secret Diefenbunker. Entry inside the Diefenbunker, located outside Ottawa, was exclusive to approximately 500 government officials. CBC Radio talks to former employees about their unique jobs inside the government bunker.

Reporting live from the Diefenbunker...

• The Diefenbunker measures 100,000 square feet and was designed to withstand the explosion of a five megaton nuclear weapon detonated 1.8 kilometres away.
• The bunker, nicknamed after Prime Minister Diefenbaker, was outfitted with supplies to last for thirty days.
• The bunker was made with 32,000 cubic yards of concrete and 5,000 tonnes of steel.

Reporting live from the Diefenbunker...

Medium: Radio

Program: Morningside

Broadcast Date: Jan. 21, 1994

Guest(s): Barry Loma, Larry MacDonald

Host: Peter Gzowski

Duration: 14:26

Last updated:
Nov. 10, 2010

End of list