Gimme Shelter
The symbol of American civil defense was the private family fallout shelter in a suburban home. It represented American values that were key to winning the Cold War: individualism, consumerism, volunteerism, and free-market capitalism. A national system of federally funded, public, communal shelters would resemble a communist, Soviet-style solution. Instead, free individuals would choose to protect themselves by purchasing shelters and supplies in the marketplace. Shelters showcased a society centered on autonomous property owning nuclear families.