§ 2. Declaration of purpose and findings. The legislature hereby finds
that there exists a serious danger that this state will be subjected to
enemy attack, including attack by atomic bombs or other radiological
weapons.

On December sixteenth, nineteen hundred fifty, because of the grave
threat to national security, the president of the United States declared
a state of national emergency, summoning all state and local leaders and
officials to cooperate fully with the military and civil defense
agencies of the United States.

The federal civil defense act of nineteen hundred fifty passed by
congress on January second, nineteen hundred fifty-one and signed by the
president on January twelfth, nineteen hundred fifty-one, as amended by
public law eighty-five-six hundred six declares it to be the policy and
intent of the congress that the responsibility for civil defense shall
be vested jointly in the federal government and the states and their
political subdivisions.

Nations with communist governments presently dominate one-third of the
population of the world. Some of these nations have aided and assisted
the nations which have perpetrated aggression in Korea. Acts of
communist aggression have occurred in other parts of Asia and in Europe.

These communist governments have conducted incessant propaganda
attacks upon the United States and have engaged in repeated
demonstrations of hostility. The president of the United States has
stated that in one of these nations there has occurred an atomic
explosion. Our military leaders have informed us that these nations
possess bombers capable of flying an atomic bomb to any point in the
state of New York.

The national security resources board has in its plan for organizing
civil defense stated that an atomic bomb exploded in a large city can
destroy virtually all property and lives within a radius of
three-fourths of a mile from the point of explosion and cause great
damage at even greater distance. It is estimated that a single such
explosion would kill nearly eighty thousand persons and severely injure
many more.

In view of the professed determination of the government of the United
States to resist further communist aggression, and because of the
likelihood of resort to atomic and radiological weapons in the event of
further conflict between this nation and communist aggressors, the peril
to the people of this state is sufficiently great that the precautions
embodied in this act must be taken.

The present inadequate size of our armed forces, their lack of
equipment, critical shortages in essential goods and certain production
facilities make necessary intensified mobilization to the end that the
defense of the United States be strengthened as speedily as possible.
Under all of the circumstances it is obvious that the enormity of the
defense effort which must be made by the United States will cause great
dislocation to its normal economy. One of the further purposes of this
act is to minimize the hardship resulting from these dislocations, and
to permit the fullest participation by the people of this state in the
defense effort.

It is the purpose of this legislation to meet these dangers and
problems with the least possible interference with the existing division
of the powers of the government and the least possible infringement of
the liberties of the people, including the freedom of speech, press and
assembly.