Three stories deep into the mountain and a crematorium: in which bunkers will the US government hide in the event of a nuclear war
Where will American government officials hide in the event of a nuclear disaster? The Raven Rock complex in southern Pennsylvania is the most famous, but not the only, secret nuclear bunker of the US government. Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow's Netflix original "House of Dynamite," released last month, drew a wave of criticism from viewers, primarily because of its ambiguous ending.
The Pentagon didn't like the film too much either, even issuing a public statement criticizing the film's portrayal of the government's anti-missile interceptor program. Either way, the film sparked a debate about the nuclear threat, giving an idea of how the US government might respond to such an attack. Fokus translated an article by military journalist Peter Suchiu for The National Interest portal, which mentioned the Netflix film about the nuclear threat.
Suchiu talked about the secret bunkers of the US government, in which, in the event of a nuclear war, the events shown on the screen could actually take place. [There will be small spoilers for the movie "House of Dynamite" below]. Many viewers wondered not only whether Chicago (the target of the mysterious missile that is central to the film's plot) would be destroyed in a nuclear attack, but also whether the top-secret Raven Rock complex actually existed. The short answer is yes.
This facility, known as the "Underground Pentagon", is located in Adams County, Pennsylvania. The Raven Rock Mountain complex is known by many names, including Site R, Alternate Joint Communications Center (AJCC), Alternate National Military Command Center (ANMCC), Raven Rock National Military Command Center (NMCC-4), The Rock, and Harry's Hole. The latter name is associated with President Harry S. Truman, who authorized its construction at the beginning of the Cold War.
The complex was and remains intended to ensure the continuity of government work in the event of a nuclear conflict. Although "Raven Rock" appears in the Fallout video game series, which reminds us that the complex's existence is top secret, it does not look like the "Shelter" from that game, which was recently adapted into an Amazon Video original series. The complex is hardly similar to the "bunkers" from the original Apple series "Shelter", based on the trilogy of novels by Hugh Govey.
It is reliably known that the object "Raven Rock" actually exists, but the US government does not share details about what is actually under the mountain. It is one of the most heavily guarded secret military facilities in the country, roughly comparable to Area 51 in southern Nevada. The facility, located in the mountains of southern Pennsylvania, on the border with northern Maryland, is, of course, surrounded by unprecedented security measures.
It is autonomous and equipped with a power plant, a water supply system and an air filtration system. According to a 2017 NPR report, a "self-contained city" consisting of several three-story buildings exists inside the hollowed-out mountain. "It has the same things as any small town -- a fire department, a police station, medical facilities, cafeterias," national security reporter Garrett Graff told NPR.
The NPR report cites Graff's research from his book Raven Rock: The Story of the US Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself—While the Rest of Us Die. Graff also said that after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the need for Raven Rock became less obvious. However, on September 11, local residents reported seeing unprecedented convoys of black SUVs in the area, allegedly carrying high-ranking government officials.
The facility was relaunched and expanded, and by 2017 it "could accommodate up to 5,000 people in an emergency. " The goal is not to ensure the survival of humanity in the event of a nuclear war or other global catastrophe, but to ensure the continuity of the US government. This means that most of these five thousand residents will not be able to take their families with them.
Despite the autonomy of the underground city, conditions there are likely to be harsh and more like a refugee camp, with shared bathrooms, showers and bunk beds instead of luxury apartments. "Raven Rock" is just one of several still-active government bunkers scattered throughout the United States. The Cheyenne Mountain complex in Colorado, operated by the US Space Force, could serve a similar role for high-ranking military personnel in the event of a crisis.
Another such facility is the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (Mount Weather), located in northern Virginia. Perhaps the most accessible of America's secret nuclear facilities is The Greenbrier, a former bunker located beneath a luxury resort in the scenic Alleghany Mountains near White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.
The Greenbrier resort had hosted "princes and politicians since it opened in 1778," and then suddenly "in late 1958 began construction on a new wing," Smithsonian magazine reported. Such an expansion was not unusual for a luxury hotel. However, the new project was not connected with the construction of a new swimming pool, conference halls or even "rooms for debauchery" for the powerful. On the contrary, it was connected with something more sinister.
Local residents noted that the expansion required huge volumes of concrete and massive steel doors. It is not surprising that in the era before the advent of social networks and the current distrust of government, all these suspicions did not go beyond the boundaries of the local community. However, they gave a decent reason for crazy conspiracy theories.
Under the Greenbrier, a new wing of the hotel was built in the form of a secret nuclear bunker to provide "living and working space" for "every member of the United States Congress" in the event of a nuclear war. The Greenbrier Hotel expansion, dubbed Project Greek Island, was completed just before the Cuban Missile Crisis, but lawmakers never visited.
The bunker remained one of the government's most closely guarded secrets from 1961 to 1992, even as the Watergate and Irangate scandals hit the headlines. Rumors circulated for years, but were always denied. Local residents were proud to know about the existence of this place, but kept it a secret. The secret of "Greenbrier" was finally revealed in 1992, when the Washington Post reported its existence. In the same year, the object was declassified, and since 1995 it has been open to visitors.
We already know that the bunker had a thousand bunk beds and a dining room for four hundred, as well as two chambers for legislators, one for the House of Representatives and one for the Senate. There was even a "waste incineration complex that could serve as a crematorium. " This was supposed to help legislators survive underground for weeks or months.
It's now well known that there are several "doomsday shelters" around the country, but for those who survive — usually leaving their families to fend for themselves — it's hardly a life, much less a life of luxury. Peter Suchiu is a journalist with 30 years of experience, who has published more than 3,200 articles in more than four dozen magazines and websites. It covers military technology, firearms history, cyber security, politics and international relations.