N.Y. Defense Emergency Act 1951 784/51 § 2: Declaration of purpose and findings

§ 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.