of Governor Herbert R. O'Conor 661

Later this evening it will be a privilege to review a drill of the local
company of the State Guard. The State Guard is one of the basic units of any
State Defense program, and in the event that hostilities should ever occur
within our State, the members of the Guard will be called upon to assume
duties of the utmost importance. ,

It was my good fortune on Armistice Day to review some of the State
Guard units in Baltimore, and other reviews were held on that day throughout
'various sections of the State. Uniformly, the reports from them were most
laudatory, showing that splendid progress has been made in a very short time
in the, organization and training of the Guards units. All who witness tonight's
ceremony will be deeply gratified, I am sure, at the military bearing and
splendid condition of your local company under Captain Callahan and the other
officers.

A second phase of defense activities which cannot be over-emphasized in
a section so exposed to air attack as is the Eastern Shore, is the Air Raid
Warning Service and the Air Warden's group. As no less a personage than
the Commander-in-chief of our Army and Navy, President Franklin D. Roose-
velt, pointed out some months ago, the Eastern Shore of Maryland is one of
the likeliest spots on the Eastern Seaboard for attack by air.

Not only is this so physically, because it would be so accessible to planes
of an opposing fleet, but strategically, this route would offer the greatest possi-
bilities to a hostile bombing force, for attacks upon Washington as well as
upon the vital Defense Industry areas of the entire Middle Atlantic section.

When and if bombs actually begin to fall on any part of Maryland, and
people are injured, buildings are demolished, huge conflagrations started, per-
haps water and light and gas services disrupted, it doesn't take a very imagina-
tive mind to comprehend how much work—speedy, intelligent, well-planned
and well-supervised work—will be required to safeguard the health and other
interests of our population during such a crisis.

That is why the Maryland Council of Defense, appointed by me more than
a year ago, with the assistance of the Baltimore District Council of Defense,
the Eastern Shore Council, and similar groups in the other sections of the
State, which I later named, already have done most in/tensive work in pre-
paring for whatever type of invasion or disaster might accompany our forced
entry into active hostilities.

As an example of what has been going on throughout the entire State, let
me give you a brief review of what has transpired on the Eastern Shore with
regard to Civilian Defense preparations. The local Directors of Civilian De-
fense have been appointed for all counties, and a number of Chief Air Raid
Wardens have been designated. Local organizations are progressing steadily
in each county, and, in fact, one of the best records made to date in this
respect was in our own county, Worcester, at the county seat, Snow Hill.

Pursuant to the expressed desire of the Federal Director of Civilian De-
fense, that Fire Protection be given precedence, Maryland is exceptionally well
advanced in this work. In fact it is considered ahead of practically any State
in the Union. Our State plan has been adopted by the Federal agency as a