Office_of_Civil_Defense
Office of Civil Defense
US federal agency tasked with civilian health in the event of military attack (1961-1979)
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) was an agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1961–64. It replaced the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization. The organization was renamed the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency on May 5, 1972, and was abolished on July 20, 1979, pursuant to Executive Order 12148.[1] Its duties were given to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2007) |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 1, 1961; 62 years ago (1961-08-01) |
| Preceding agencies | |
| Dissolved | July 20, 1979; 44 years ago (1979-07-20) |
| Superseding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Employees | 1,148 (1962) |
| Annual budget | 256.8 million (1962) |
| Parent department | Department of Defense |
| Key documents | |
The Office of Civil Defense was organized into several regions, in order to better manage the distribution of funds, coordination of local training and resources and support state and local agencies planning and perpetration.[2] In May 1962 there were eight regions that.[2]
| Region | Headquarters | States and Territories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard, MA | Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Puerto Rico, Virginia Islands |
| 2 | Olney, MD | Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia |
| 3 | Thomasville, GA | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Panama Canal Zone |
| 4 | Battle Creek, MI | Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, |
| 5 | Denton, TX | Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas |
| 6 | Denver, CO | Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming |
| 7 | Santa Rosa, CA | Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, American Samoa, Guam |
| 8 | Everett, WA | Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, |
| Name | Start | End | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steuart Pittman | September 15, 1961 | April 7, 1964 | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) | |
| Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) | ||||
| William Durkee | April 7, 1964 | January 1, 1967 | ||
| Joseph Romm | January 1, 1967 Acting: January 1, 1967 – May 20, 1968 |
January 20, 1969 | ||
| John Davis | May 20, 1969 | January 20, 1977 | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) | |
| Gerald Ford (1974–1977) | ||||
| Bardyl Tirana | April 13, 1977 | July 20, 1979 | Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) | |
The Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in May 1941.[3] It was responsible for planning community health programs and medical care of civilians in the event of a military attack on the United States. It was an independent agency and not associated with the United States Department of War. It coordinated with the Chemical Corps of the Department of the Army regarding protective measures against chemical weapons. United States Public Health Service officers were assigned as medical consultants with OCD local district offices.[4] Later in 1941, right-wing Senators added an amendment to forbid OCD from supporting physical fitness instruction “By dancers, fan dancing, street shows, theatrical performances, or other public entertainment.”[5]
- Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Jimmy Carter: "Executive Order 12148—Federal Emergency Management," July 20, 1979". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
- Department of Defense (1962). "1962 Annual Report of the Office of Civil Defense" (PDF). fema.gov. United States Government Printing Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Executive Order 8757 Establishing the Office of Civilian Defense.," May 20, 1941". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
- Charles Wiltse, _Medical Department, United States Army, Organization and Administration in World War II_, (Washington: Office of the Surgeon General, 1963): 44. url: http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/orgadmin/default.htm Archived 2013-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
- Horowitz, David A. (2013-12-02). America's Political Class Under Fire: The Twentieth Century's Great Culture War. Routledge. ISBN 9781135398286.
- Records of the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency. Accessed August 2, 2007
- Works by or about Office of Civil Defense at Internet Archive
- Works by Office of Civil Defense at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
