While individual households and communities prepared to defend the home front, U.S. businesses and industrial plants also were expected to develop civil defense plans. In its January 3, 1942, issue Business Week magazine published a brief article titled "Wartime Plant Protection: An Engineering Problem," which offered the following advice for plant operators:

Don't write, wire, or phone the Washington Office of Civilian Defense for advice on blackouts or related problems. If you are an important Army or Navy supplier and your plant is considered vulnerable to air attack, you have already received your instructions. If not, get in touch with your city or county Defense Committee.

Working by States—If your local authorities can't give you the answers, go to your State Defense Council. OCD has already supplied the states with more information than they can use for many months to come, and the state...