Triage for a Famine That Never Came
Paddock Brothers' Famine 1975! Timed a Worldwide 'Times of Famine' and Triaged India Off the Food List
Their 1967 bestseller sold food-aid triage as hard realism; the Green Revolution undercut the premise before the deadline.
What was claimed (paraphrase)
this calamity will be upon us by 1975, the approximate date for the beginning of the "Times of Famine"
— William Paddock and Paul Paddock (Famine 1975! America's Decision: Who Will Survive?, 1967) · said 1967 · due By about 1975
No worldwide 'Times of Famine' began in 1975. Global cereal output and yields kept rising through the Green Revolution decades the Paddocks said were already too late.
The Story
William and Paul Paddock did not merely warn of hunger. They published a decision tree. By about 1975, they argued, food politics would force America into wartime triage: write off the hopeless, skip the walking wounded, feed only the salvageable. India made the discard pile. Then plant breeders, fertilizer, and irrigation did something rude to the premise. The Times of Famine kept missing their curtain call.
Receipts
Quote paraphrases Bullock's 1968 ASA review summarizing the book's claim. Book title and triage scheme confirmed in same review.
- Famine-1975! book review — Wilbur L. Bullock, ASA Journal (Dec. 1968)accessed 2026-10-24
- Famine 1975! — Wikipediaaccessed 2026-10-24
As of Oct 25, 2026
since it didn't happen
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