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The Office of Civil Defense and Colonialism as a State of Emergency

Part of: Forum: Puerto Rico and the United States at Critical Junctures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2019

Ileana M. Rodríguez-Silva Open the ORCID record for Ileana M. Rodríguez-Silva [Opens in a new window]
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Type
Forum: Puerto Rico and the United States at Critical Junctures
Information
Modern American History , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , July 2019 , pp. 175 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Cambridge University Press 

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Footnotes

I am deeply grateful to Prof. Manuel R. Rodríguez and archivists Marcos Nieves and Pedro Roig for their help during this research.

References

1 Laura Sullivan, “FEMA Report Acknowledges Failures in Puerto Rico Disaster Response,” NPR, July 13, 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/07/13/628861808/ (accessed May 5, 2019).

2 Preston, John, Disaster Education: “Race,” Equity, and Pedagogy (Rotterdam, 2012)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

3 Rebecca Banuchi, “Llueven las denegatorias de asistencia por parte de FEMA en Puerto Rico,” 80grados, Feb. 25, 2018, http://periodismoinvestigativo.com/2018/02/llueven-las-denegatorias-de-asistencia-por-parte-de-fema-en-puerto-rico/ (accessed June 11, 2019).

4 Homeland Security National Preparedness Task Force, Civil Defense and Homeland Security: A Short History of National Preparedness Efforts (Washington, DC, 2006).

5 Federal Civil Defense Administration, Annual Report 1952 (Washington, DC, 1953), 19–23.

6 United States Statutes At Large, 1950–1951, vol. 64, part I (Washington, DC, 1952), 1245–7.

7 Rodríguez, Manuel A., “Imaginar el desastre: Aprensiones nucleares, desvaríos radioactivos, y Defensa Civil en Puerto Rico, 1960–1965,” in Tiempos binarios: La guerra fría desde Puerto Rico y el Caribe, ed. Rodríguez, Manuel R. and Alvarez-Curbelo, Silvia (San Juan, PR, 2017), 73–116Google Scholar; Ayala, César and Fresneda, José Bolivar, “The Cold War and the Second Expropriations of the Navy in Vieques,” Centro Journal, 23, no. 1 (Spring 2006): 10–35Google Scholar.

8 O. Riefkohl to A. Mercado, Aug. 7, 1958, Materia Defensa Civil, Años 1952–60, Caja 3341, Tarea 96-20 [hereafter T 96-20], Serie Correspondencia General II, Fondo Oficina del Gobernador, Archivo General de Puerto Rico [hereafter AGPR], San Juan, PR.

9 Sontheimer, Runkle & Associates, “Master Plan of Public Relations, Fiscal Year 1957–58,” August 3, 1957, Caja 3342, T96-20, AGPR.

10 This warning system also demanded the repair and expansion of the siren alarm system to all island municipalities, which could be used, they argued, for other emergencies such as fires or for the nightly curfews of minors: A. Mercado to Gov. Luis Muñoz Marín [hereafter LMM], Nov. 20, 1959, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR.

11 G. Irizarry to T. Vidal, Aug. 30, 1962; “Boletín Informativo,” Aug. 17, 1961, Caja 3343, T96-20, AGPR.

12 Students to LMM, S. Quiñónez, and E. Antonini, Nov. 24, 1959, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR; student reports, 1961 and 1962, Caja 3343, T96-20, AGPR.

13 A. Mercado to E. Padilla, Dec. 18, 1959; R. Sánchez Vilella to A. Mercado, Mar. 25, 1960, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR.

14 Red Cross's “Statement of Understanding,” Oct. 26, 1959, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR; “Boletín Informativo,” June 13, 1961, Caja 3343, T96-20, AGPR.

15 J. Villeta, “Carta Circular,” Dec. 29, 1959; A. Mercado to LMM, Aug. 29, 1959, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR; monthly reports, 1966–1967, Caja 3350, T96-20, AGPR.

16 “Boletín Informativo,” Sept. 15, 1965, Sept. 16, 1965, Sept. 17, 1965, and Sept. 20, 1965, Caja 3343, T96-20, AGPR; monthly reports, 1966-7, Caja 3350, T96-20, AGPR.

17 Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, “Reglamento,” Oct. 14, 1959, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR.

18 A. Mercado to LMM, Oct. 9, 1959, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR.

19 E. Padilla to H. Alonso, Mar. 21, 1960, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR; R. Fournier to T. Vidal, Nov. 8, 1962, Caja 3345, T96-20, AGPR.

20 L. Hoegh to LMM, Dec. 23, 1958, and A. Mercado to LMM, Jan. 14, 1959, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR.

21 Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, “Reglamento,” Oct. 14, 1959, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR.

22 O. Riefkohl to A. Mercado, Aug. 7, 1958, Caja 3344, T96-20, AGPR, and “Boletín Informativo,” Aug. 30, 1961, Caja 3343, T96-20, AGPR.

23 For an example, see A. Mercado to E. Rodríguez, Mar. 17 and Mar. 30, 1960, Caja 3341, T96-20, AGPR.

24 Edwin Meléndez, “The U.S.’s Neglect of Puerto Rico Has Never Been Benign,” Global Americans, Oct. 3, 2017, https://theglobalamericans.org/2017/10/neglect-puerto-rico-never-benign/ (accessed May 5, 2019).

25 Ramón Vélez to the CD, Nov. 16, 1964, Caja 3345, T96-20, AGPR.