Office of Civil Defense

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) was an agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1961–64. It replaced the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization. The organization was renamed the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency on May 5, 1972, and was abolished on July 20, 1979, pursuant to Executive Order 12148.^[1] Its duties were given to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Office of Civil Defense

Agency overview
Formed	August 1, 1961; 64 years ago (1961-08-01)
Preceding agencies	Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization Federal Civil Defense Administration
Dissolved	July 20, 1979; 46 years ago (1979-07-20)
Superseding agency	Federal Emergency Management Agency
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Employees	1,148 (1962)
Annual budget	256.8 million (1962)
Parent department	Department of Defense
Key documents	Executive Order 10952 Executive Order 12148

Office of Civil Defense Drinking Water Container

Regions

The Office of Civil Defense was organized into several regions, in order to better manage the distribution of funds, coordination of local training and resources and support state and local agencies planning and perpetration.^[2] In May 1962 there were eight regions.^[2]

1962 Office of Civil Defense Regions

Region	Headquarters	States and Territories
1	Harvard, MA	Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Puerto Rico, Virginia Islands
2	Olney, MD	Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia
3	Thomasville, GA	Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Panama Canal Zone
4	Battle Creek, MI	Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
5	Denton, TX	Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
6	Denver, CO	Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
7	Santa Rosa, CA	Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, American Samoa, Guam
8	Everett, WA	Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington,

Directors

Denotes acting capacity.

Name	Start	End	President
Steuart Pittman	September 15, 1961	April 7, 1964		John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
				Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
William P. Durkee III	April 7, 1964	January 1, 1967
Joseph Romm	January 1, 1967	May 20, 1968
	May 20, 1968	January 20, 1969
John Davis	May 20, 1969	January 20, 1977		Richard Nixon (1969–1974)
				Gerald Ford (1974–1977)
Bardyl Tirana	April 13, 1977	July 20, 1979		Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)

Office of Civilian Defense

The Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in May 1941.^[3] It was responsible for planning community health programs and medical care of civilians in the event of a military attack on the United States. It was an independent agency and not associated with the United States Department of War. It coordinated with the Chemical Corps of the Department of the Army regarding protective measures against chemical weapons. United States Public Health Service officers were assigned as medical consultants with OCD local district offices.^[4] Later in 1941, right-wing Senators added an amendment to forbid OCD from supporting physical fitness instruction “By dancers, fan dancing, street shows, theatrical performances, or other public entertainment.”^[5]

See also

• Emergency Broadcast System
• Civil defense Geiger counters
• Civil Defense Sirens in the United States
• United States Department of Homeland Security