Duck and Cover
with "Bert the Turtle"

Trinity Atomic Home Civil Defense Home
Duck and Cover
GIF Animation [100kb]
QuickTime Video [3.6Mb]
The movie Duck and Cover was produced in 1950, during the first big Civil Defense push of the Cold War. When the Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear device in 1949, the U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons was broken. At least in theory, the United States was more vulnerable than it ever had been in its history.

In the age of multi-megaton nuclear weapons, it is easy to poke fun at "Duck and Cover." This was don in the immensely popular documentary film, The Atomic Cafe, which raised Bert the Turtle to the status of cultural icon. In fact, the advise to "duck and cover" holds good in many situations, from nuclear attacks to tornados!


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Last updated: January 9, 2000.
http://www.envirolink.org/issues/nuketesting/civildef/duckncvr.htm
http://www.fas.org/nuke/trinity/civildef/duckncvr.htm