Conelrad Emergency System Broadcast Eslpod Intended Messages Radio

The CONELRAD Emergency Broadcast System was intended to be used as a way to send messages to "the American public" (American citizens) if there were an attack during the "Cold War" (a long period of tension primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union between 1947 and 1991).

CONELRAD, which "stands for" (is an abbreviation for) "Control of Electromagnetic Radiation," would allow messages to be "transmitted" (sent) on radio channels and TV stations, changing the stations very quickly so that location of the "origin" (where something comes from) of the "signal" (communication information sent over a distance) could not be identified by the attackers. This was done to prevent the "enemy" (who one is fighting against) from attacking the source of the signal.

Former President Harry S. Truman "established" (created) CONELRAD in 1951, but the system was "somewhat" (partially) unreliable, especially during "lightning" (electricity in the sky) storms, and it was replaced by the Emergency Broadcast System in 1963. CONELRAD was intended only for wartime emergencies, not to notify people of "impending" (about to happen soon, usually something that is dangerous or bad) "natural disasters" (damaging natural events like fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes).

The "dials" (parts of a radio or another piece of electronic equipment that can be turned to indicate one's selection) of many radios sold in the past had a special "mark" (something that can be seen), a triangle around the letters "CD," which stood for "civil defense," that indicated where listeners should point their dial in order to hear the emergency "broadcasts" (messages).