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the country its official name), has
been a neutral state since 1815.
The Swiss people, once among
the most militant in Europe, havc
decided that they will never go to
war, will neve r serve in other
nations' armies, and never attack
unless they themselves are a t–
tacked. But for that neutrality to
be c redible the Swiss have a lso
decided that they must be heavily
a rmed. Thi s po l icy is called
"armed neu trality. " The Swiss are
prepared to defend their declared
state of neutrality.
If the Swiss are attacked , they
are well equipped to defend them–
selves. Within hours, this most
neutral nation can be on a war foot–
ing. lt is no secret. The Swiss want
the world to know that the cost of
invading Switzer land would be
high, and the invader would stand
to lose more than he
gained .
That's why Hitl er
avoided direct confron–
tation in World War
11- he knew the loss
of manpower and time
were not worth it.
As we drove through
the gentle country be–
tween Zurich and Bern,
Andreas pointed out
mo re of the "arrow
beneath the cloak." The
center divider of the
fou r-lane super high–
way was designed to be
easi ly removed . The
long stretch of highway
then becomes an air–
str ip for the severa!
hundred jet fighters of
the Swiss air force. And
hundreds of strategic
bridges. and overpasses
are permanently mined, ready to be
destroyed by designated individuals
at a moment's notice, to impede the
path of an invader.
Almost every able-bodied Swiss
maJe between the ages of 20 and 50
is a well-trained soldier. Tbe genial
farmer, the c heerful barman, the
mailman have their uniforms hang–
ing in the closet at home along with
an assault rifle and 24 rounds of
live ammunition. Through regula r
training, which they take very seri–
ously, this citizen army maintains
itself at a high s tate of readiness.
32
Eacb man knows exactly where to
go and what is expected of him,
should he be called upon to defend
his country.
In effect, Switzerland cou ld
mobilize an army of more than half
a million within a few hours.
" Don't misunderstand. We aren't
looking for a fi ght," explained
Andreas. " But we Swiss are real–
ists. We Jive in a dangerous world
and we have planned to survive."
Switze rland Underg round
Just how thoroughly the Swiss plan
to survive can be seen by what can
be described as one of the wonders
of the atom ic age-the Swiss
"Zivilschutz" or C ivil Defense Sys–
tem. This little nation has always
had reason to be shelter-conscious.
Neutrality has not a lways guaran–
teed that thc Swiss will emerge
un scathed from Europe's wars.
During World War
JI
Switzerland
suffered more than 100 bombard–
ments-accidental, but no less
destructive for that.
But with the threat of nuclear
war the Swiss have made c ivi l
defense a major priority. A nuclear
confiict and the ensuing fallout and
contamination would be no re–
specter of nat ional boundaries. No
nation, however neutral , would be
safe.
Even the most secluded moun–
tain valley would be a potential war
zone. And so in 1971 the Swiss
upgraded their already ambitious
civil defe nse program. The goal
now is to ensure that just as the
nation is ready to defend itself if
attacked, it should also be able to
offer protection and a high proba-
bility of surv iva l to
most every inhabi tant
of Switzerland in the
event o f na tural or
man-made disaster .
The Swiss , always
realists, know that be–
cause of Switzerla nd's
small area who le-scale
evacuation of the popu–
lation to "safe zones" is
impossi ble . Shelter
must be provided where the people
are: at homc, at school or at work.
Thus since the late 1960s every
new building in Switzerland must
have provision for adequate shelter.
The additional cost is s ha red
between the builder and the gov–
ernment.
Shelter f o r All
The backbone of the program is the
basic home shelter. Every home or
apartment must provide two and a
half cubic meters of basement
shelter space for each room of the
The
PLAIN TRUTH