Fear of war may hasten its coming.

9. PREVENTING PANIC

One of the greatest dangers of the atom bomb is the panic it can produce. In addition to what we know about the destructive force of this weapon, there is the additional terror of the unknown to scare us.

If you let it, the atom bomb can disrupt your life with jitters whether or not any bomb ever actually falls. And yet there is no real need for this. Individually, we all must face the prospect of death sooner or later. And for many it will come quickly and without warning. Yet this need not keep us from a satisfying life.

The strain of anticipated peril is often even more unbearable than the presence of the danger itself. Suspense and the expectation of enemy surprise is terribly unnerving. People often even prefer war to such a life of tension and insecurity.

Thus it is that the fear of war and the awful consequences of war may plunge us headlong into war's reality. People may be eager for the blitzkrieg to start -- just so that action can bring relief from the nerve-wracking tension of the sitzkrieg.

Psychiatrists looking into the state of America's mental health see signs of jitters and panic -- ripeness in our tendency to see "flying saucers" in every cloudless sky and to fear "reds" behind every desk and in every position of responsibility.

If and when an atom bomb ever does fall near you, you will be scared. There is no doubt about that. If you are normal, you will be plenty scared.

You may not be aware of your own emotion. In fact the chances are that you will be numbed, stunned. You will probably go about like a sleep walker, going through motions in an automatic, robot way. This is the reaction of three-fourths of all the persons involved in a major disaster -- whether it is a bombing, a catastrophic fire or a devastating earthquake.

One person out of five remains cool and collected in the face of major disaster.

The expressions, "scared stiff," "paralyzed with fright," "frozen with fear," describe very well the effects on 75 percent of us. Such persons, caught in an emergency, may be unable to get out of bed and dress themselves. Even if they are physically unharmed, they are unable to take any action to save themselves or others, but lie down to await the death that appears inevitable. Some pass from this paralyzed state into death without ever coming out of their death-like trance.

We know what happened when the first atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some people dashed along the roads without any destination in mind, in a purposeless stampede, screaming out their terror. Others remained apathetic, apparently unable to sense what had happened to them and what they needed, and equally unable to do anything about the situation. What would you do?

About one person out of five, it has been found, remains cool and collected in the face of major disaster. These are the persons who are the only ones capable of realizing the situation. They can formulate some appropriate plan of action and can see it through. It is on them that we must depend.

How to give air to this 20 percent who have cool heads, to add to their numbers, and to strengthen them, is the problem that needs attention in advance of any major emergency.

HOW TO CONTROL FEAR

Psychologists and psychiatrists who have studied people subjected to bombing and those in other great disasters know what can be done to control fear and reduce panic. The prescriptions are: preparation, information, action, faith in leadership, food and rest.

As insurance against panic, people should be prepared in advance for what may happen. They should know as nearly as possible what to expect. Unfortunately, a potential enemy is not likely to notify us at what hour and on what spot his bombs will be dropped. But you can learn just what damage might be expected if a bomb should fall in your community.

Formation of small groups charged with the responsibility of taking action in your own particular neighborhood in case of emergency is useful psychological protection. You will have less tendency toward panic if you feel that you have the backing of the solidarity of a group, especially if the group is headed by a leader you know well and in whom you can put your trust. You may want to belong to more than one group -- say one in your office and one in your home. Then, wherever you may be when the blow strikes, you can feel that someone is looking after things at the other end.

You may want to belong to a group in your office and one in your home.

It is better to pass information on to the public about what damage to expect from a bomb if this warning is given to them personally in groups, psychiatrists suggest. Dr. Dale C. Cameron, assistant director of the National Institute of Mental Health, warns of the disturbing effect of such information transmitted by radio, television, films or newspapers. It is natural, he points out, for you to feel anxiety when you start thinking about such hazards. You can not voice your anxiety to radio or to television or movie screen. But if your informant is present in person you can ask questions and dissipate some of your worry by expressing it. If you are in a group you can also feel that you and your neighbors have the same uneasiness and stand ready to help each other out; that it is not necessary for you to face your fears alone.

Information about possible damage to be expected should, if possible, be accompanied by information about plans to meet specific emergencies. What can be done if water mains are destroyed? Where are wells and other emergency sources of water? Suppose the electricity is cut off. How can you manage for lights? What if telephone lines are down and radio stations destroyed? Who is prepared to keep up communication?

KEEPING THE PUBLIC INFORMED

Keep the newspapers coming out; keep the radio stations on the air.

Next to being prepared in advance for possible dangers, it is of utmost importance for people to be informed about what is happening and what is being done about it. In the absence of reliable news, rumors run like wildfire. And rumor is the father of panic. Rumors grow in the telling. Rumors nearly always make things seem worse than they are -- don't believe them.

In time of atomic disaster, the people will turn to the sources of news that they have learned to rely upon. These news sources should continue to function no matter what befalls a city or an area.

Keep the newspapers coming out. Keep the radio stations on the air, even if it means using some two-way police radios for news dissemination, or bringing in some walkie-talkies.

People will want an official truthful account of what is happening to them. They will also want to know what is going on in other places, whether theirs is the only city under attack, how others have fared.

Study of men in combat has told psychologists something of how to control fear and avert panic. Action, it was found, dispels fear. If an atom bomb drops, do something. Prepare yourself in advance so that you will know what you can do and how to do it, whether it is first aid, clearing debris from the streets so that rescue apparatus can get through, or setting up emergency light or water sources. Learn how well enough so that at least some of the work can be done almost automatically even if you are distracted by fear, noise and confusion.

When and if a bomb drops, go -- into action. Start work immediately. Delay and waiting for orders or direction build up fears, action works them off.

PREPARATION FOR A CRISIS

Before any bomb drops, prepare yourself by building up your mental health. Get plenty of food and rest. Don't let a bomb catch you on the verge of jitters from too much drinking or smoking or from late nights and overwork. If you are a lonely person, make a deliberate attempt to make friends. Get acquainted with your neighbors. The time may come when you will need them and they will need you.

Get acquainted with your neighbors.

Practice love and affection in your family circle and among your associates. In time of emergency, we are often steadied and carried through by the comforting assurance that we are loved. Nothing is so terrifying in time of disaster as the feeling that no one cares, that we are alone with our terrors.

Hate and dislike lead to suspicion and suspicion to fear and panic. Love or liking, on the other hand, build up mental health and fortify us against terrifying situations.

This attitude could very well be spread from our immediate circle of family and close friends to neighbors, other cities, and even the world at large.

The real preventive of atomic panic is the building of a world where suspicions and fears are not rampant -- where there will be no desire or temptation on the part of any enemy to drop an atomic bomb because there is no enemy.

It is difficult to be friendly to someone who does not show any disposition to make friends. We want people to meet us halfway. But in some cases where fear and suspicion are already aroused, it is necessary to walk all the way down the street and knock on a neighbor's door. Where people have different ways of thought, different cultural traditions, opposing points of view, it is necessary to make a real study of them in an effort to understand them and be able to make them understand us.

Shoulder to shoulder work in a concerted attack on common enemies such as poverty, ignorance, hunger and disease is a good way to build up understanding and confidence and reduce fear and the mutual suspicion which leads to cold war and atomic races.