The Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) was organized by Democratic president Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) on December 1, 1950, and became an official government agency on January 12, 1951. The agency distributed posters, programs, and information about communism and the threat of communist attacks.

In 1979, President Carter signed Executive Order 12179 merging the successor to the Federal Civil Defense Administration (The Defense Civil Preparedness Agency–DCPA) into today's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In 2003, FEMA was merged into the US Department of Homeland Security.  

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