Guide No. 144:

City of Dallas Civil Defense Administrative Files, 1958

Scope and Contents

Unpublished printed manual with color printed maps .

Collection consists of one copy of a manual intended for use in organizing citizens of Dallas County in the event of manmade or or natural disaster, and to provide for disaster relief efforts. The manual is focused on the immediate Dallas, Texas area but also includes information on surrounding North Texas communities.

The Dallas Texas City-County Civil Defense and Disaster Commission was appointed by the Dallas City Council under City Ordinance 6203 and approved by the Dallas County Commissioners Court in 1954. The mission of the commission was to "provide for the formation of a plan...which will have for its purpose...to provide aid and assistance in saving lives, render aid to the injured, give protection to property, maintain the morale of the community and be prepared to go to the aid of other stricken communities."

The term "civil defense" refers to the organized non-military effort to prepare civilians for military attack. The term and practice of civil defense has fallen into disuse and has been replaced by emergency management and homeland security. Although the concept of Civil Defense originated with President Franklin Roosevelt, it did not become a social phenomenon until the Cold War era. The preoccupation with nuclear attack during the 1950s and 1960s prompted most municipalities across the United States to develop and issue plans for citizen safety, restoring order, and business resumption.

Detailed Description of the Collection