ɪnðə lˈeɪt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti z ænd ˈɜːli nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti z, æz ɐ mˈɛmbɚɹ ʌvðə hˈaʊs mˈɪlətˌɛɹi ˌɑːpɚɹˈeɪʃənz sˈʌbkəmˌɪɾiː, hiː wʌzɐ stɹˈɔŋ ˈædvəkˌeɪt ʌv fˈɔːlaʊt ʃˈɛltɚz ænd sˈɛd ðætðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts ʃˈʊd "bˈɪld ɐ nˈeɪʃənwˌaɪd sˈɪstəm ʌv ˌʌndɚɡɹˈaʊnd ʃˈɛltɚz".
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, as a member of the House Military Operations Subcommittee, he was a strong advocate of fallout shelters and said that the United States should "build a nationwide system of underground shelters".