22O..Assurning a "pure" counterforce strike, most productive resou"ces woulds'rvive vith 1itt1e naterial dsmage. yet, for some time the economic rife wo'ldbe expected. to have collapsed due to the hearry casualties from farrout and otherweapon effects and due to fear that stil1 BJrother attack night be inminent.The- fact that there night be little nai'eriaL damage to the civiLian socletywould not mean that there would be 1itt1e eccnonic di.sturbance. Eeononicactivities, especialty in contarninated areas, would be disrupted for months andperhaps years, T,ong-term damage to the economy would be caused by d.eaths andlong-lasting injuries to the vorking force: kej, persons in vari.ous organizations,etc. rt would tarre decades before the people Litred could be replaceJ in eitrrerthe demographie or econonic sense. 221. Radioactive fallout vould cause serious probl,ems to a€triculture. Livestockwould have J-ittJ.e protection against fal1out. .A. severe decline in meat supplywou-Ld therefore result after a certain period of tine, and nany years 'ou1d berequired to build up nev l-ivestock, A considerable decline irr tire supply ornilk, cheese a.nd- butter wou-r-d. result. Badiation effects on crops would dependon the season, an attack in spring causing more damage than one in the s,Jnmer orearLy autunn. ladioactive elements filtering dom into the ground water wou-ldbe ta.hen up by plants ard, through grazing, by cattle and other anima]s.Quantities of radioactivity could then enter lh. h,-rn system through consunption 20l R. Sullivan, et aI., Cirril Defense Needs of High_Fisk Areas of theUniteE-States , System pf """irigA/35 /39? Engli sh Anne x Page 8o of crop, meat and niLk products from contaninated areas' and this would take its to.I1 through ].ate ca.ncers in the s'r.rviving population and genetic defects in future generations. 222. Public health voufd be lowered for a long tine after the attack, causing extra denands on a ngtionrs nedical care facilities ' Individuals would be
**Analysis**
This text appears to be discussing the potential consequences of a nuclear attack on the United States, specifically the effects on the economy, agriculture, and public health. The text highlights the potential long-term damage to the economy, the disruption of food supply chains, and the impact on public health due to radiation exposure.

**Category**
Health, Agriculture, forestry and fishing