Neither dead nor red, nor well funded: Civil defense funding during the Cold War and implications for the future

A review of Civil Defense policy funding during the Cold War with analysis of the major factors contributing to achieving funding. This review spans the period of the Cold War (1950-1990) from the emergence of the Soviet atomic threat to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The review is organized by examining presidential administrations and the factors in each administration's pursuit of Civil Defense policy that may have contributed to the success or failure of funding pursuit. Analysis includes the relative position that Civil Defense occupied on the given president's agenda and the amount of funding requested to pursue their Civil Defense goals. Additionally, the presence of a crisis event or lack of such an event is examined for impact of funding fulfillment. Finally, the administration's choice of policy and agency type tasked to implement that policy are examined for any effects that each respective factor may have in achieving the desired level of funding. This research then provides insight into these findings with respect to the current war on terror and future endeavors of Civil Defense against new threats.