Emergency Broadcasting Plans

[Anonymous]

Now that the cold war has been over since 1991, I would like to know what plans did the U.K. government have for broadcasting had there been a war with the Soviet Union. I have heard some of the Protect and Survive broadcasts on another webpage, and I have found out that a recording of BBC announcer Peter Donaldson in which he warns of nuclear attack, could have been played on all U.K. Radio and T.V. stations if war had started.

[Jamez]

"The air attack warning sounds like...this is the sound"

[marksi]

Under the new Freedom of Information Act (lol) you can ask to see the plans. Though to be honest I'm not sure who you'd ask. Central Office of Information might be a starting point... to be honest I doubt that any detailed plans for such a thing exist. There are probably guidelines of some sort, somewhere.

[Ant]

Here'sthe Protect and Survive public information broadcast. Very scary! I wonder what the one now-a-days will be like. If anyone finds out, post it here.

[Ed Hammond]

You could make an FOI request but it would probably be refused. Many civil defence plans have stayed largely similar (in terms of plans for mass evacuations, martial law etc) and as such the old plans would probably give away many of the contents of the new plans, so they'd be subject to the national security exemption, unfortunately.

There is, however, a great deal on the internet. I think it's most likely that there were limited post-WWIII plans, as most people know that everybody would have died. For a while the government kept stockpiles of grain, flour, butter, long-life milk etc in hangars for distribution in emergencies, but I'm led to believe that the butter has long since gone rancid and the grain is infested with weevils. Oh well.

[intheknow]

Now that the cold war has been over since 1991, I would like to know what plans did the U.K. government have for broadcasting had there been a war with the Soviet Union. I have heard some of the Protect and Survive broadcasts on another webpage, and I have found out that a recording of BBC announcer Peter Donaldson in which he warns of nuclear attack, could have been played on all U.K. Radio and T.V. stations if war had started.

The attack warning the BBC supposedly made was the chief Radio 4 announcer Peter Donaldson as you say (I think he might have retired recently, I've forgotten), accompanied by "dalek" sounds and, on television, strong flashes and pulses of light. This would have been broadcast if the four minute warning had been issued, along with the activation of the National Air Raid Siren System.

If there was a situation where their was a build-up to an exchange rather than a sneak attack, then Protect and Survive would have been broadcast probably continuously, if not very reguarly.

[cwathen]

Here's the Protect and Survive public information broadcast. Very scary! I wonder what the one now-a-days will be like. If anyone finds out, post it here.

That's just one of them. It's part of a set of about 20 films, all made with the same shocking production values and with that bizarre electronic sound at the end of all of them.

The PIFs were made in 1976 and their existance kept secret until the early 80's, whilst an accompanying leaflet was produced in 1980 and stockpiled for mass distribution. However rather than being kept secret, you could buy a copy of it from the post office if you wanted to.

.This website has a lot of information on cold war CND.

Anyway, with the national air raid siren system having long since been dispanded, I believe the present warning system would involve all BBC outlets dropping regular programming and replacing it with any necessary emergency broadcasts. Presumably commercial broadcasters would be able to opt in to these broadcasts too

[Anonymous]

I didn,t know that as many as 20 versions of the Protect and Survive broadcast were made. Finally where can hear or at least read the words that Peter Donaldson would have used in his broadcast.

[cdd]

Yep, that electronic sound at the end is just eerie... eerie. Haunting even. Yicchch!

Don't you love the little animation of the guy brushing off his fallout dust with his hands?

[cdd]

you could buy a copy of it from the post office if you wanted to

So when that siren sounds, you'd have to fumble for your change amid a long, snaking queue of eager pamphlet-buyers, half of which would like to use their needs-ccc-confirmation credit card? I sure hope the PO was more efficient then!