Dwight D. Eisenhower photo

Statement by the President Upon Signing the Independent Offices Appropriation Act.

July 12, 1960

I HAVE today approved H.R. 11776, the Independent Offices Appropriation Act, 1961.

In enacting this law the Congress refused to provide recommended funds which would have enabled the General Services Administration, at small cost, to include fallout shelters in certain appropriate new and existing federal buildings. In fact, by a general provision, the law actually precludes the construction of fallout shelters in Government-owned or leased buildings unless specifically authorized.

It is an aspect of the federal Government's policy in this area to provide leadership by example. The incorporation of fallout shelters in appropriate new and existing federal buildings is intended to stimulate State and local governments and the public to undertake shelter projects on their own initiative.

State Governors attending a recent White House meeting on civil defense unanimously agreed that providing protection from fallout was an essential requirement of national policy. Last year, in Puerto Rico, and again this year in Montana, the Governors' Conference reached the same conclusion.

The Congress accordingly should appropriate the omitted funds when it convenes again in August. Such positive action would be in the best interest of our national security.

Note: As enacted, H.R. 11776 is Public Law 86-626 (74 Stat. 425).

The statement was released at the U.S. Naval Base, Newport, R.I.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Statement by the President Upon Signing the Independent Offices Appropriation Act. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/235055

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