New Book Describes US Government’s Plans to Save Itself From WWIII While You Burn
billj 06.27.17
A brand new book that just came out a bit over a month ago describes in detail the evolution of the US government’s plans to save itself from nuclear catastrophe. Sadly, as the book’s subtitle makes clear, those plans don’t include you and me.
I’ve ordered the book by Garrett Graff, called Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die, and will post a review when I’m done with it. But just reading the author’s comments in various bits of press coverage is eye opening.
First, here’s the publisher’s description, which gives you some idea of the scope of the project:
For sixty years, the US government has been developing secret Doomsday plans to protect itself, and the multibillion-dollar Continuity of Government (COG) program takes numerous forms—from its plans to evacuate the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia and our most precious documents from the National Archives to the plans to launch nuclear missiles from a Boeing 747 jet flying high over Nebraska.
In Raven Rock, Garrett Graff sheds light on the inner workings of the 650-acre compound (called Raven Rock) just miles from Camp David, as well as dozens of other bunkers the government built its top leaders during the Cold War, from the White House lawn to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado to Palm Beach, Florida, and the secret plans that would have kicked in after a Cold War nuclear attack to round up foreigners and dissidents, and nationalize industries.
The reviews so far are very positive, and it appears that people are surprised and depressed to learn it really and truly is the case that should the unthinkable happen, you are well and truly on your own. Check out Graff’s comments to Time:
“During the Truman, Eisenhower and the Kennedy years, there was a much better push with the idea that the civil population could be protected,” Graff said. “The scale of nuclear war grew to the point that that was no longer feasible.”
Graff said it was too difficult for nuclear disaster planners to figure out how save the entire country.
“It’s too hard to keep people scared enough that every family will have a shelter,” he said. “The planners were like, ‘This is going to be too much to save America. So, we’re going to try to figure out how to save the idea of America.'”
The book details how billions upon billions have been spent trying to ensure the folks who got us into Armageddon will be the only ones who survive it, while those of us whose only crime was voting these cowards into office will be the ones burned alive with our families.
If I had my way, we’d open up all these facilities to the public via lottery system based on social security numbers. As for the government muckety-mucks, they’d immediately have to surrender their spot to someone else upon joining the government. Instead of a spot in the bunker, there would be a set of manacles with their name on it on the outside of the bunker, and in the event of nuclear war they’d be chained there so the blast would take them first. After all, it would be their fault we’re in that mess, so they should be the ones to pay.
If we actually did something like this, I guarantee you the odds of a nuclear conflict would plummet, because these guys would do everything they could to avoid it. Such things have a way of clarifying the mind and instilling a sense of purpose.
Anyway, there’s a much longer and more substantial piece on the book in the WaPo, so you might look there if you want more.
