By Duncan Long


No matter how much freeze-dried food or grain you may have stored away in your

survival stores, if a nuclear war comes to pass, sooner or later your food will

run out.  Then what will you do for food?


If you're in an area with few survivors, traveling to your local grocery stores

MIGHT be of help.  Food in sealed containers would be safe to eat if you were

careful to wipe off any fallout dust on the container before opening it.

Radiation doesn't make food dangerous and only slightly alters it so that it

loses little of its food value. 


But chances are good that any store will be stripped during a pre-war panic.

Even if it were full at the time of the attack, time is against you.  Foods

have a finite life during which their nutritional content remains high.  Once

this time is exceeded, the nutritional value of the food gradually drops off.

Food will remain eatable for some time but it will not necessarily supply all

your nutritional needs.


Nutritional shelf lives of stored foods are short.  Most canned food (whether

in cans or jars), has a life of only 6 months (though the food will be eatable

for longer).  Canned meats and non-citrus fruits last a bit longer; they have

some food value for up to a year. 


Evaporated milk has a nutritional life of 6 months; bouillon, instant cream,

nuts, cereals, and hydrogenated (or anti-oxidant treated) fats/vegetable oil

all have nutritional shelf lives of a year. 


About the only things worth eating after a year are coffee, tea, cocoa,

candy (that isn't nearly 100% sugar), or spices like sugar, salt, pepper,

etc. So even IF you have a grocery store to use for supplies, the nutritional

value of the food will be nearly nill after a year. 


Foraging?  Maybe.  But if you're in an area where the plants are producing

enough food to support you, chances are good that there'll be a large human

population as well.  If you have to compete with others for wild food sources,

chances are there won't be enough to support you.  Foraging also takes a lot of

energy for the caloric return to carry out; you burn up nearly as much energy

as you gain.  So don't plan on doing more than supplementing your larder

through foraging unless you're living in a very remote area with a lot of food

just waiting for you to pick it off the plants.


Hunting?  Again, much the same argument can be made against it as is with

foraging.  If the animals survive, a large population of humans will probably

be competing with you for the food.  Hunting could supply supplemental meat for

your diet but probably won't be a main source unless you're really out in the



So most of us who are planning on surviving a nuclear war for more than a

few years need to be able to raise our food or have a skill (like dentistry,

medical work, etc.) which can be bartered for food.


Is gardening or farming possible in a radioactive fallout contaminated environ-

ment?  Yes.


Fallout from a nuclear weapon is different from that of commercial radioactive

waste.  While the waste from a nuclear reactor may last for thousands or even

tens of thousands of years, radiation from a nuclear weapon decays very quickly

to a safe level.  (The flip side of this is that fallout is initially more

dangerous than radioactive waste since the levels of radiation it gives off are



Even in the shadow of a very dirty ground blast, the levels of

radiation will sink to safe levels in a relatively short time.  This means that

you could be gardening in a very contaminated area within a year's time if you

had to.


Though long-term dangers from such activities may remain to show up in

20 or 30 years in such an area, if the choice is between starving in a few

months or MAYBE having a radiation-related disease like leukemia or cancer 30

years down the road, it shouldn't be too hard to decide.


Too, fallout is like sand or dust.  It isn't a liquid that runs into the

earth.  With care, even in areas of maximum fallout, the top soil--along with

the fallout--could be removed and the land used for gardening.  If you had

access to heavy earth-moving equipment, even full-scale farming could be

carried out after removing several inches of top soil.


If removing the soil is not possible, it's also possible to plow fallout

under so that it's below ground.  This allows plants to obtain nutrient

from the soil while the earth acts as density shielding to lower the radiation

to levels that will not harm either the plants or the person growing them.


While this isn't as ideal as actually removing the contaminated soil, it is an

easier alternative.  The produce produced on such land will not be quite

as safe to eat from a long-term health point of view but, again, it beats



More dangerous to plants than radiation will be the ultraviolet radiation

created by damage to the ozone by nuclear weapons.  This damage, like fallout,

is fairly short-lived, however.  The ozone layer will renew itself so that, by

a year after the worst of a nuclear war is over, a less harsh environment for

growing plants will again be available. 


Since it now appears that the problems of a nuclear winter have been

exaggerated and, even if they should occur, will be over after the first year

as well, things would be fairly decent for gardening within a year's time.


(Fallout, ozone damage, and nuclear winter are three good reasons to have

stores of food to get through that first year.)


If it were necessary to grow plants in the open during the first year, some

plants are more resistant than others to ultraviolet radiation.  The best

are wheat, soybeans, rye, barley, alfalfa, and corn (all of which are excellent

sources of nutrients).  Though high levels of ultraviolet light may stunt these

plants' growth somewhat, they'd still produce food.


Best bet would be a greenhouse created with sheets of plastic or the like. The

plastic would cut down on ultraviolet light and the enclosed area would help

you to control pests and maintain a warm temperature if that should be a



Provided you've had the foresight to purchase non-hybrid seeds, you could produce crops for your family for years to come in such an environment.  (Hybrid seed would be great the first year, but the seeds you get from the hybrid plants may not grow to create a second crop.) 


Seeds.  Some good sources of seeds are:  Cross Seed Company, RR #1, Bunker

Hill, KS 67626; M & M Enterprises, Box 64, Island Lake, IL 69942; Seeds of

Survival, 228 W. North St., Whitewater, WI 53190; and Vegetable Seed, Box 192,

Madison, GA 30650.  Check the stores in your area as well since they'll have a

selection of seeds tailored to grow well in your area (again, avoid hybrids.)


Despite tales of scientists growing wheat from seeds encased with Egyptian

mummies, seeds have a finite shelf life in the real world.  Each additional

year that seed is stored, a higher percentage of it loses its ability to

germinate.  Therefore, seed should be replaced every year if at all possible.

Actually, this is good news; it forces you to practice planting and growing the

seeds you've been storing. 


If you grow plants in a contaminated environment or forage for plants to eat in

areas of fallout, you can process them so that they are safe.  Again, remember

that fallout is like dust, not a liquid that can penetrate material.


If you carefully peel and clean the plants, most of the fallout will be removed with

the outer layers of plant material so that you can eat them without fear of

ingesting radioactive materials.


Fruits or vegetables with smooth skins (like tomatoes or green peppers)

can be cleaned by washing (though peeling is probably safer).


Plants whose eatable parts come from the ground can be more thoroughly cleansed if you first remove the top layer of soil around their base (which may have some fallout dust in it) before digging up the plant.  Eatable tubers and roots should be very thoroughly washed. 


A vegetarian diet with everything your body needs to stay healthy is not too easy to maintain in the best of times.  In a post-nuclear war environment,  it would be nearly impossible.  Meat will be all but essential for survival.  (Ideally, you'll have a diet mix of somewhere around 15% protein, 52% carbohydrates, and 33% fat.)


How do you get the meat processed (whether you're hunting, discover "wild"

domestic animals, or are raising farm animals) so that it is safe to eat?


First, you need to study the way the animal is behaving.  Does it look healthy or sick?


If animals have ingested fallout (on grass or other food sources) but have NOT

become sick from radiation exposure, they're safe to eat if you follow a few

precautions.  (Such animals will also probably remain healthy enough to

live as long as non-exposed animals so that they can be used for breeding

stock; don't kill what you don't need.) 


When radioactive contamination is ingested by animals, it is stored in certain

locations in their bodies.  The habit for post-nuclear war survivors to

learn is that of avoiding eating parts of the animal that will be collecting

the radioactive materials.  If you avoid the parts with high concentrations of

contamination, you will be able to remain healthy while still being able to

take advantage of the available meat.


Parts to avoid:  thyroid glands, kidneys, liver, and meat next to the bones as

well as the marrow in the bones.  Avoid eating these and eat only muscle meat,

you'll be in good shape.  Another important precaution is to thoroughly cook

the meat so that ALL bacteria are killed in the meat; since radiation lowers

resistance to disease, the animal may have higher than normal concentrations

of bacteria in it and you will be less able to fight such bacteria off. 


AVOID EATING RED MEAT; always cook it thoroughly.


Remember that the waste parts of the carcass and parts you shouldn't eat

are probably contaminated.  Bury the parts in an area where they can not

contaminate your water or crops. 


If an animal is sick, don't kill it.  Though the meat may not contaminated

with radiation, the animal is sick because of some sort of disease-causing

virus or bacteria (radiation causes a lowered resistance to disease, remember).


Meat from these animals can cause food poisoning since cooking the

meat will only kill bacteria or viruses in the meat but won't rid it of the

toxins the micro-organisms have produced.  The meat will be poisoned and no

amount of cooking will rid it of the poison.


You may be able to nurse the animal back to health, too.  If so, you could

eat it later or use it for breeding stock.  If the animal dies, dispose of the

carcass carefully since it will be contaminated and dangerous to your health.


If the sick animal is in a herd or flock, immediately separate it from the

others so that the disease can't spread (lowered resistance again).  Keep a

herd's area extra clean so that diseases can't get started, too.


Food will be hard to come by following a nuclear war.  But radioactive fallout

doesn't penetrate or contaminate as much as many people think.  Provided you

have a little know-how and the foresight to plant some fruit trees, save some

seed, or take other survival precautions, you and your family can produce food

and survive long after a nuclear war has come to an end.



The author of this article, Duncan Long, is well-known as the writer of many

gun, self-sufficiency, and survival books.  His firearms books are available

from Paladin Press, P. O. Box 1307, Boulder, CO 80306 (303) 443-7250 (call for

free catalog).  Long's NUCLEAR WAR SURVIVAL is available for $14 from Long

Survival Publications, 115 Riverview Dr., Wamego, KS 66547.  Long's sci-fi

book, ANTI-GRAV UNLIMITED released from Avon Books (available from local book

stores or from Avon Books, 105 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10016; for autographed

copy, send $4 to:  Long Survival Publications, address above).  The author's


SURVIVING MAJOR CHEMICAL/BIOLOGCIAL ACCIDENTS AND C/B WARFARE is available  from Loompanics Unlimited, Box 1197, Port Townsend, WA 98368 for $15.


                        Gathered bit by bits by the Cybermonk!


Reprinted from: American Survival Guide 11/91






Planning For Survival                           By C.E. Teal


In light of recent events, such as the Persian Gulf War,  terror­ism, and economic instability, many individuals and families  are taking a fresh look at the dreaded "S-word," survivalism.


  As with any beginners, these people need some sort of plan  for these  uncharted waters. I hope that this article can  give  some useful  guidance to those new to the field, and perhaps some  new insights  to  others who have been left to their own  devices  in coming to grips with this virtually all-inclusive field.


   This plan consists of nine major points: 1. Determination;  1.

Becoming/staying  healthy;   3. Allocating your Budget;   4.  De­

veloping plans of action;  5. Have a "bug-out" kit;  6. Plan  for

duration;  7. Get training;  8. Practice;  9. Don't advertise.


The first requirement to insuring  your  (and your  family's)  longevity  is  DETERMINATION. You must want to  survive.  Contact others upon whom you might rely  (and whom may likewise rely upon you)  in a crisis.


This is not a game,  although games can play a part in the training aspect. If we are to survive as individuals,  as  families,  as a society,  we cannot approach this as  a  one- person  show. It will take cooperation of the highest order.  The stakes are literally life and death.


Many people take the attitude that "If it happens,  I  wouldn't want  to live anyway, " This is an attitude which almost  guaran­tees defeat or death. A husband,  father,  or single mother  with this  attitude  is virtually condemning his or her  family  to  a similar fate.


BECOME/STAY  HEALTHY. Every-one in the family or  group  should get  a  complete medical,  dental and vision checkup.  Find  your weaknesses  and  limitations so you may cope with  them,   before they take you by surprise Get caught up on immunizations such  as

tetanus,  hepatitis,  and measles. If eyeglasses or contacts  are needed,   get at least one spare pair,  or save old ones.


Stock up on cleaning solution if you wear contacts. Work to bring your teeth  up to the healthiest level possible. A toothache can be  a major  problem even in normal times when a dentist is  available. Imagine trying to make critical decisions while suffering with  a

toothache when there may be few,  if any,  dentists in operation.


Make sure your feet are in good condition. They may someday  be your only mode of transportation. Begin and maintain an  exercise program  which balances strength with endurance and  flexibility. Running,  swimming,  and stair climbing are all excellent  condi­tioners.



ALLOCATE  PART OF YOUR BUDGET. Acquire supplies as  your  budget

allows. Be practical;  set priorities. For example: set aside $10 per  month for weaponry  (including ammunition and cleaning  sup­plies,    ($10  per month for clothing  (if you  don't  have  the proper  clothing  already on hand. Three-piece  suits  or  tennis outfits have very limited survival applications) ,  another $10 a month for reserve food and medical supplies,  and so on. If money is tight, you can alternate purchases from month to month.


 The  important  thing  is to make some  sort  of  survival-based acquisition  regularly,  or at every opportunity. In making  sur­vival investments,  you should consider the following points:



Might you actually need it  (Does it serve a legitimate  survival need,  such as food) ?


b)  Do you have the skill to use it  properly, and  would you be able to repair it  when  it  inevitably breaks down?


c)  Will it need something else,  such as electricity,  gas,  heat, or water to operate?


d)  How many/much will you need, and  how  long do you expect it to last   (see  Plan  For  Duration)  :


e)  Is it practical for the conditions  you  anticipate,  such as proper clothing for the climate?


DEVELOP PLANS OF ACTION. You should discuss with your family or group  the  conditions under which you would  run   (Where?)   or stay;  whether to hide  (For how long?)  or fight  (Whom? How?) .


Every  member  of the group must be in agreement with  the  final plan.  One  dissident  could destroy all  your  intentions;   for instance by "setting-out" the group to an adversary.


You  should  also  develop "backup" plans  to  cover  various contingencies  such as those mentioned. Plan for  the  worst-case scenario and work down from there.


HAVE  A  "BUG-OUT" KIT. Keep a short-term  (up  to  one  week)  survival  kit  handy in case you must leave  NOW.   Remember  the priorities: shelter,  water,  food,  medical supplies,   weapons,  communications. Ideally,  you should have several kits;  one  for

each member of the family and group,  another one in each vehicle in case a crisis occurs at an unexpected moment  (as they usually do) .


And a large cache of supplies away from the home,   in  a place  safe  from discovery or disaster;  in the event  you  must evacuate  your home quickly, as in the case of fire,   earthquake or war. Each of these kits or caches should be planned to supple­ment and extend the capabilities of the next smallest kit.


  Avoid  making your personal bug-out kit too heavy to run  with;  you may have to carry it long distances,  quickly.


 PLAN FOR DURATION. Try to realistically anticipate how long  you expect  your  scenario may last,  and add a little  more  to  the estimate as a buffer against hortsightedness.


Do  you expect your disaster scenario to last for days   (such as  waiting for disaster relief after a major storm,   fire,   or earth  quake) ,  months  (i.e.,  a major strike by  unions;   re­

building after a disaster) ,  or years  (such as being caught  in the  clutches of a dictatorship,  foreign invasion,  or  persecu­tion) ?


Try  to be realistic in your preparations. Plan for  the  con­sumption of food (calories per person per day,  plus other essen­tial  nutrients)  ,   water  (gallons per person  per  day,   for drinking,  cooking and sanitation) ,  ammunition  (as much as can be obtained,  with a suggested minimum of 500 rounds per  weapon) ,  air  quality   (while in shelter,  or  masks  for  outside),  medical  supplies  (including prescription medicines), and  so on.


 Some  of  your  scenarios may look unlikely in  the  context  of  present  conditions,  but it only takes an open-eyed look at  the world,   the nation,  or the neighborhood,  to see the  potential for  frightening  situations to rapidly develop which  would  not allow  time for preparation after the fact.


For  instance,   note that many people reacting to a disaster often converge on all the  nearest  stores for provisions such as food,   candles,   bottled water,  batteries,  and so on. Frequently, the crowd gets  impatient,  not wanting or waiting to be left without essentials  for themselves  or their families. Occasionally, rioting and  looting begin,  feeding upon itself as the unprepared start to panic.


Your  aim must be to store adequate supplies for  all  intended members  of your group for the longest time that you will  likely be  on  your  own,  with self-sufficiency being  your  goal.  The federal government recommends having at least three to five  days supplies  on hand,  to sustain you until relief agencies can  get into  action.  The more serious the crisis,  the longer  you  may have to wait for outside help.


If  you are able,  lay in extra supplies for a  few  additional persons who will, most likely,  show up either on their own,   or with members of the group ("My mother was visiting at the time; I couldn't  just  leave her") . As pragmatic as you must  be,   you must also not surrender your humanity completely. Otherwise,  you are no better than the predators you may be fleeing.  Of  course,  there  is  a practical limit to how much you can be  expected  to cope with. Examine your own conscience on this issue.


A  plan  must also be drawn up to deal  with  waste  management. Essential  "luxuries"  such as toilet paper,  soap,   and  proper means  of disposing of human waste and garbage with become  major issues  during a survival situation. Goods and services  we  have

always taken for granted may no longer be available.


You must also plan to cope with your people's emotional surviv­al. The abrupt change in lifestyle,  the day to day fight to stay alive,  will take its toll psychologically if not treated quickly and  continuously.  Find things to alleviate  boredom,   such  as games  or  projects. 


Give every able person in the group  a  job they will be responsible for. Even children can be instructed  to secure trash,  act as lookouts,  or help with food preparation or

gathering  supplies.  Also attempt to continue with their  educa­tion,   albeit with a different emphasis. Find duties  which  re­quire  a person to study the situation and come up with  a  solu­tion. Hold meetings to keep everyone current on what's happening,  and conduct frequent and regular classes for everyone in survival arts. Keep your people,  and yourself,  busy. Despair may be your worst enemy.


 GET TRAINING. Your group should learn how to use weapons  effec­tively.   Safety,   maintenance,   handling  malfunctions,    and marksmanship  are all of equal importance in a survival  context.  Because this is an area where mistakes can be fatal,  instruction

should  be sought from qualified professionals, such as  the  Na­tional  Rifle Association.  Also,  everyone should study  unarmed self-defense  under  a  qualified instructor;   one  who  teaches combative,  not tournament techniques.


  Tactics are another important area of study. Learn how best  to utilize  your weapons under various conditions and  environments,  such  as snow,  rain,  or at night. There are  several  reputedly good  schools for this type of study.  There are also many  books

such as military manuals which can be of help, if accompanied  by lots of practice.


  Study first aid diligently,  as this is one of the most  essen­tial areas of self help study. The American Red Cross has  excel­lent,   inexpensive courses on CPR and basic and  advanced  first aid.   Everyone  should  be encouraged to take and  pass  such  a course.  A study of improvised medicines and first-aid  equipment would  also be useful. Some community colleges  offer  non-credit courses  in  herbology,  folk medicine, and edible  wild  plants.


There are many very good reference books on the subject.  Another variation on this theme would be the study of medicinal minerals. You might seriously consider taking an Emergency Medical  Techni­cian  course   (or  a Paramedic course if already  an  EMT)   and joining  a volunteer ambulance corps.


Not only would you be  contributing  to  a  vital community function,you  would  also  be gaining  practical,   real-life, hands-on  experience  which  no course  can  give by itself.


Remember,  in a crisis, your  body does  what is has been trained to do. The untrained  reaction  to crisis is usually panic Practical experience aids tremendously in overcoming the panic which accompanies disaster.


Fieldcraft is another valuable area of study. Learn the differ­ence between, and uses of,  cover and concealment.  Learn how  to survive  in rural or urban wilderness,  how to find or  construct proper shelter,  how to gather food and collect and purify water,  the use of correct sanitation procedures,  basic land navigation,  and much more.


  PRACTICE. Conduct realistic simulations with your equipment and your  people to gain valuable experience and  confidence  working together.  Get  the bugs out while it's relatively  easy.   Learn what works and what doesn't.


  Go  to  the firing range often,  preferably when  you  or  your group  can  use it without onlookers.  Practice  on  human-shaped targets,   using  tactics.  Train in firing techniques  for  real world  situations  (such as varying weather  conditions,  target distance  and  size. Learn different firing  positions,  practice in-house techniques,  etc.) .  Always rigidly enforce appropriate safety procedures while training with weapons.


  As  an EMT,  you can work on an ambulance or in  the  emergency room  to  practice and to accustom yourself to the  suffering  of others.  It's certainly not pleasant,  but it is crucial in  over coming the shock of seeing something happen suddenly,  perhaps to someone  you  love. This allows you to get on with  treating  the patient rather than wasting valuable seconds in panic. With prac­tice,   reaction  becomes almost automatic,   and  confidence  is

gained. Without practice, hard-earned skills are gradually lost.


  You should try to incorporate your survival skills into  every day life,  making it a normal part of your existence.


Don't,  however,  carry it to extremes, such as walking around in public wearing cammies with a 10-inch knife on your belt. Be dis­creet.  Shooting  and  hand-to-hand  practice,   ambulance  duty, making  your own clothes,  and canning your own food;  all  these

skills  and more will not only add to your  survival  repertoire,  they  will enhance the quality of your life,  as you become  less dependent  on "the system" and more confident in your own  abili­ties.


  Learn  the  strengths and weaknesses of your  equipment,   your people,   and yourself. Without practice and effort you are  just wasting time and money, and someone close to you could die  need­lessly.


  DON'T  ADVERTISE. Keep your actions and intentions as  low-pro­file as possible. You could risk discovery and the loss of every­thing you have been working for,  or wind up with a lot of people on  YOUR doorstep in a crisis;  people whom you  cannot  support, 

and  who  may have no positive survival value. If you  intend  to support dependents,  prepare for them with your supplies.


One  last  thought.  Because predatory people  are  out  there,  firearms are an essential element of survival planning.  Unfortu­nately,   they  have been abused frequently enough  to  give  the whole  survival  movement  a bad reputation in the  eyes  of  the general media,  who too often seem to be looking to discredit and ridicule  the movement. Survivalists should respect firearms  and view  them  as  tools to protect what  they  have:  their  lives, 

families,   homes,  and provisions;  not as weapons of  conquest.


The  more  you  prepare,  the more ready you must  be  to  defend against those who don't.





The Possible Effects of Nuclear Weapons & a Realistic Scenario for the

              Days after the Initial Offensive


(NOTE FROM SYSOP - this article has some SERIOUS errors, omissions, and falsehoods in it. I will try to add some footnotes on these later. I'm sure the author tried to do the best job he could. However, if the work that you use as a reference is wrong, your summation will be just as wrong.)


The largest bomb of the Second World War exploded with a force equivalent to thirteen kilotons, thirteen thousand tons, of dynamite (TNT).  This bomb was called "Little Boy". 


The ironic thing about the name is that when the bomb is compared to the warheads of today, the only word that comes to mind is little.  Most of our modern warheads are a

hundred times as powerful, or more.


To give you a little perspective, let's say that a fifteen kiloton nuclear missile exploded over New York City while most of the population was out to lunch.  A report from the Secretary-General of the United Nations says out of the eight million people in the city, approximately one million people will die on the first day.


If a one megaton bomb was exploded over Detroit, approximately 640,000

people would die immediately.


If a twenty-five megaton bomb exploded, approximately 3.2 million people would die out of the four million people living there.


(1)  A megaton is equivalent to a million tons of TNT. 

It would take 10,000 railroad freight cars to carry one million tons of TNT.



The following is the possible outcome of an explosion of a one megaton nuclear warhead over the city of Detroit, Michigan.  At ground zero, directly underneath the bomb, there would be a crater measuring one thousand feet wide and two hundred feet deep.


(3)  There would be a highly radioactive rim extending two thousand feet from the center,


(4) this would keep unprotected persons from entering this circle for nearly twenty-five years.  Up to 1.7 miles from the center you would not  see any signs of buildings. 



All buildings within this circle would be completely destroyed. Between 1.7 and 2.7 miles from the center, you might be able to see the infrastructures of the more heavily built buildings.


(5)  There would be almost no survivors until after 2.7 miles from ground zero.


(6)  Up until approximately eight miles out, houses would be flattened from

the over-pressure produced by the bomb.


(7)  From 2.7 to 4.7 miles, all light walled structures would be destroyed and

the contents of the top floors of the strongest buildings would be blown out

into the street.


(8)  The over-pressure, about five pounds per square inch, would cause

the windows and frames of all buildings to be blown out.


(9)  In the band from 4.7 miles to 6.3 miles out, the 3 p.s.i. over-pressure would cause people to be blown out of modern office  buildings and would cause millions of flying projectiles.


These projectiles are capable of killing anyone they hit.


The winds would cause people to be blown against walls with a force many

times greater than gravity.


(10)  Up to fifteen miles from the explosion, the winds would cause

objects to fly with a force capable of fracturing the skull (of a human)

fifty percent of the time.


(11)  The bomb would cause the death of approximately 640,000 people on

the first day.




   There are approximately 5.75 billion people in the world.  The NUCLEAR

ALMANAC says that approximately 20 - 160 million civilians would be

immediately killed by a nuclear attack on present United States' strategic

weapon bases by one megaton warheads (as you know, the Soviets have 100

megaton warheads).  the radioactive cloud produced by these weapons would

cover about fifty percent of the United States.


(13)  Approximately 25 million more people would die to cancer and

genetic defects caused by the nuclear weapons. 


Added to what is the predicted deaths of other countries, the total deaths

would be from 120 to 260 million people.




This means that from 4.3 to 9.5 percent of the Earth's population would be

killed within a couple of years after the war. (Remember, radiation causes

sterilization.  This was not placed into the above calculations.)


In 1958 there was a study on the possible fatalities in the United States during a hypothetical nuclear war.  The explosive power totaled 2,500 megatons and the population 175 million persons.  They figured that on the first day 42 million people would die.


By the seventh day 17 million more would die.


On the fourteenth day there would be a total of 71 million people dead

and by the sixtieth, 83 million people would have died in the U.S.


(Remember: the strategy of the time was military targets, now

we go after large civilian populations, large industrial areas, etc.)

There would be 25 million injured and 67 million left uninjured.


(15)  It is predicted that up to 2/3 of the injured would eventually die

from their injuries.  Almost half of the population of the United States

would die.


A so-called limited attack by the Soviet Union on ten U.S. refineries

using about two percent of the nation's nuclear arsenal would kill more

than 5 million U.S. citizens.




   The following is a summary of a fictional account of what may happen

after a nuclear attack:


   Almost right after the attack, people from all over crowded into the

rural towns.  They were escaping from the destroyed cities, looking for

food, shelter, clothing, and medical attention.


They had nothing except the clothes on their back.  They had no where to go.  After the first few days the hospitals closed their doors to new patients.  Not only because of the high radioactivity outside, but they just did not have any room. The very sick were left to die. The others were left to fend for themselves.


Radio communications were nearly wiped out.  The President came on the air once in a while.(Chances are no one would hear him: EMP)  he would usually talk about the "cease-fire".  He kept telling them about how the Soviets were hurt just as much as the U.S.  He told them 100 million people were killed.  He said the government was doing all they could.


(Let's remember, the Pres. has a rather nice distance underground and

most likely not seeing true reports on what is going on.)


   Food became scarce.  People raided the grocery stores and the houses of

the people living in shelters.  Some were stealing the farmers' cattle.  A

few went out into the woods to try to find the few remaining wild animals.


About two weeks after the explosions, the food did all but run out.

People looked to the government, or what was left of it.  The president

said they were doing all they could.


   In the spring, people changed their attitude.  Crops were planted.

Some even tried to rebuild the cities and factories.  The government tried

to stop the barter system and reinstate currency.  People found the money

worthless and kept trading.  Some thought things were going to get better.


   When winter came around, the food ran out.  People started eating dogs,

cats, and rats; animals by their habitat were protected from the

fallout.(also cockroaches)  The weak, the old, and young started to die.

The first winter took its toll on the living.  People were rebelling.


   The government came together to figure out what to do.  They could not

come up with a decision that would agree with everyone.  By then, no one

knew what to do.  The life they were used to: cars, computers, the office,

golf, schools, the Superbowl, parties, all disappeared.  What was left? Chaos.




   It is interesting how after our civilization becomes so technologically

advanced and complex, we could destroy it all in a matter of moments.  Our

lifestyles would go back to the horse and buggy era.  Most of our

complexities, i.e. computers, would be forgotten.  We would learn how to

farm and care for animals.  We probably would not be able to rebuild our

previous civilization until after a few generations.


The survivors would concentrate on survival, not worrying about selling

stock for IBM or even going to school.  There would be no use for them. 


Our country would be set back a couple of hundred years.  People might even

deny our previous civilization, and turn back to a more simple life:

one in which there would be no offices, no taxation, no hostility. 

We might even become friends with the Soviets.


   Hopefully, we, the people of this planet, will one day realize the

dangers of nuclear war, and will stop it.  Hopefully everyone on this

planet will become on family, working for the betterment of all.  Maybe

we will one day become the perfect civilization that only Karl Marx, Plato,

and other philosophers have dreamed of.






The last paragraph scares me because our society is going down the tubes

fast as the  other ancient societies did.


The Persian, Syrian, Babylon, Greek or Roman empires are not ruling today

are they?


The Book of Revelation says many things, all of which will eventualy come true.


My own personal feeling is that Revelation 18 is about the good 'ol USA

and when this New World Order junk comes to pass it will be because the

Russians or the UN is running it.


Not the United States and it's double crossing socialist party A and socialist party B (ie democrats and republicans) I  believe the Russians will probably nuke us and try to take over, try to destroy  Israel and rule the world as hitler tried,  but  this one has a happy

ending.  Jesus Christ will return and defeat the armies of the world.


The only "perfect society" will be in the hereafter with Jesus Christ!

JOHN3:16   ROMANS3:23-26 ROMANS10:9-11  JOHN8:24  JOHN14:6



came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst. But for that


might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would

believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King Eternal, immortal,

invisible, the only true God be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen







1  Congress of the U.S., Office of Technology Assessment, THE EFFECTS OF

NUCLEAR WAR, 1980, pp. 27-33

2  ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA, 1985 ed., s.v. "Nuclear Weapons."


York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1964), p. 14

4  Ibid.

5  Congress of the U.S., pp. 27-33

6  Ibid.

7  Jack Dennis, ed., THE NUCLEAR ALMANAC (Reading, Mas.: Addison - Wesley

Publishing Company, Inc., 1984), p. 101

8  Congress of the U.S., p. 31

9  Ibid.

10 Dennis, p. 102

11 Ibid., p. 101

12 Congress of the U.S., p. 27-33

13 Dennis, p. 154

14 Ibid.

15 Linus Pauling, NO MORE WAR! (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1983),

p. 154

16 Dennis, p. 153

17 Congress of the U.S., pp. 124-138



                           Works Cited


Brown, Neville. NUCLEAR WAR: THE IMPENDING STRATEGIC DEADLOCK. New York:      Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1964


Congress of the United States, Office of Technology Assessment. THE

     EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR WAR. Washington: GPO, 1980


Dennis, Jack, ed. THE NUCLEAR ALMANAC. Reading, Mas.: Addison - Wesley

     Publishing Company, Inc., 1984


Foster, Jr., John S. "Nuclear Weapons". ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA. 1985 ed.


Pauling, Linus. NO MORE WAR!. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1983


  What you have just read was written by yours truly in December of 1986

for people who have limited knowledge pertaining to nuclear weapons, etc.


To keep the feeling of the original script, I only made changes in

punctuation and added words in ().  I apologize for some of them, it's

late and I am tired.  I am sooner or later going to write another

"article" with newer data and maybe more info pertaining to blast effects,

radiation levels, current armament and strategies.  I hope this will be

helpful.  I will gladly accept any pros, cons or general howdies, etc.

from anyone who has read it.  I'm Fred Witsl. Give a holler.


This file was Gathered by the Cybermonk for more info call Fred!




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