January 1988 (vol. 4, #2) 
1601 N. Tucson Blvd. Suite 9, Tucson, AZ 85716 c 1988 J Orient

                        FAMINE IN THE US?

        -"Without functioning transportation, no food will come
into the stricken area; remaining undestroyed stocks will be
depleted rapidly." (H.J. Geiger, in The Final Epidemic,
Educa-tional Foundation for Nuclear Science, Chicago, 1981).

        The problem of food shortages after a nuclear war might
also be exacer,bated by climatic effects ("nuclear fall").
Although even the most left)wing scientists are somewhat
embarrassed by the nuclear winter fraud, and concede that effects
might be "milder than at first predicted," small drops in
temperature, if they occurred at critical points of the growing
season, could cause significant crop loss.  There is also the
possibility of reduced agricultural production in the second year
due to disturbances in rainfall patterns (C. Chester,
presenta-tion at 1987 TACDA conference.)

        The treatment proposed by Physicians for Social
Respon-sibility (PSR) for this very realistic problem is to
assure the maximum possible number of casualties in a nuclear
attack: "The grim paradox at the heart of civil defense ... is
this:  In any major exchange between nuclear superpowers, that
nation with the largest number of survivors after the war is the
worst off ... because it has the largest number of people
competing for the shattered resource base," including food
supplies (H.J. Geiger, Myth and Immorality of Civil Defense.) 

        Is it possible then that a nation currently awash in
surpluses could face starvation in the event of nuclear war?

        Indeed it is possible.  And if it were to happen, the US
might rightly become a notorious example of foolishness for the
enlightenment of the schoolchildren of future civilizations.

        Food storage technology has been known for millenia.  In
Biblical times, Joseph persuaded Pharaoh to store grain from the
seven good years, enough to provide for seven years of famine. 
During those lean years, people came from the entire region in
search of Egyptian grain to buy.

        Could the US spare some grain to store near population
centers for times of emergency?  

        A FEMA study, completed in 1985 but unpublished, shows
that US farms grow 25 billion bushels of grain annually, enough
to feed our present population for 10 years.  (Much of this grain
is currently used to feed livestock, but it is suitable for human
consumption.)  A four year supply of grain is currently in
storage, though most of it is in remote areas and would be
unavailable without transportation. 

        Storage of foil packed cereal grains in nutritionally
optimal combinations costs about $12 per person)month of food 
(H. Maccabee, 1987 meeting of DDP).  The cost of a year's supply
of food for 225,000,000 people is thus about $30 billion.
However, this much food and more is already being stored.  If it
were dispersed into the civil defense system, the storage costs
would be no greater than the amount already being spent.
Moreover, part of the food surplus would be removed from world
markets, where it is currently depressing the price of farm
commodities.  By reducing the need for farm subsidies, a food
storage program might result in a net savings to the government,
which now allocates about $50 billion annually to the Department
of Agriculture.  

        The cost of saving a year of life by storing food (in the
event of famine) should be compared with the cost)effec-tiveness
of other life)saving measures (see p. 2).  

        If you think that the US should have an insurance program
to protect against famine from whatever cause, including nuclear
war, you might wish to urge your Senator to support the Symms
Civil Defense Resolution (SR 314).  Ask your Congressman to
cosponsor HR 311, which directs the Department of Agriculture to
present to the Congress a report on a food storage program.

NEW VIDEOS

        The DDP Arizona library has received a gift of
outstand-ing videos, excellent for social studies classes,
meetings, study groups, club programs, etc.  To arrange to borrow
a tape, call 325-2689.  Summaries and ordering information
available for a SASE.  (Give your school a gift!) 
Message from Hell:  A conversation with Black Panther and
hijacker Tony Bryant, after 12 years in Cuban prisons.  
Telling it Like It Is:  What Congress wouldn't allow Oliver North
to say on television.

Soviet Subversion of the Free World Press with former KGB
propagandist Yuri Bezmenov (who was not allowed to cross the
Canadian border to attend a recent DDP meeting).  

The KGB Connections:  an investigation into Soviet operations in
North America.

Blast Shelter Tour:  A 35 minute tour of the Fighting Chance
demonstration shelter, constructed by Arthur Robinson from a fuel
storage tank.  This insurance policy, good for many years at a
cost of less than $300 per life, could enable 30 people to
survive at Ground Zero in the event of an airburst.  Important
construction principles and details are discussed.