The Man in the White Lab Coat

Abstract

This chapter looks into the scientific authority present in civil defense. It explains how civil defense media was a major contributor to public education on nuclear matters, but civil defense itself served as a reminder of the perils of nuclear science. The Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) played a more prominent public image of being a research body, while the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) took control over nuclear information. The chapter explains most civil defense materials elaborated on the science and technological paraphernalia behind nuclear weapons, while civil defense films helped establish scientific authority, education, and future peace possibilities of nuclear technologies. However, by the 1950s, nuclear science was caught between policymakers trying to support Cold War strategic aims and domestic politics deeming nuclear science as a potential liability.