Columbia Organizes Its Defenses To Meet Threat of A-Bomb Attack

Columbia University has named nine of its officials to a committee to protect life and property on Morningside Heights in the event of an atom bomb attack.

One division of this committee is responsible for establishing a control unit in each of the campus buildings. Each of those smaller units, in turn, will be headed by a building control director, who will be responsible for his building in accordance with the directives supplied by the council.

While work is going forward as fast as possible on the preparation of signs which will direct the students and staff to places of shelter, a study is in progress to determine the choice of areas to be used as shelter zones. All large buildings on campus have been designated as possible sites for these shelters.

A special committee was also established to take care of University records in case of an emergency. Microfilming of the most important documents is already under way, and lesser papers may soon be photostated under the conservation program.

Harvard has not yet announced any "if war comes" proceedings though the Cambridge City Council and the State House have been swamped with anti-air-raid plans, including one for a 300,000 person shelter in Boston.