Finishing up: "Raven Rock: The Story of the US Govt's Secret Plan to Save Itself

[FSogol]

While the Rest of Us Die" by Garrett M. Graff

Highly recommend.

From Amazon's reviews:

The shocking truth about the government’s secret plans to survive a catastrophic attack on US soil—even if the rest of us die—is “a frightening eye-opener” (Kirkus Reviews) that spans the dawn of the nuclear age to today, and "contains everything one could possibly want to know" (The Wall Street Journal).

and

Every day in Washington, DC, the blue-and-gold first Helicopter Squadron, codenamed “MUSSEL,” flies over the Potomac River. As obvious as the Presidential motorcade, most people assume the squadron is a travel perk for VIPs. They’re only half right: while the helicopters do provide transport, the unit exists to evacuate high-ranking officials in the event of a terrorist or nuclear attack on the capital. In the event of an attack, select officials would be whisked by helicopters to a ring of secret bunkers around Washington, even as ordinary citizens were left to fend for themselves.

“In exploring the incredible lengths (and depths) that successive administrations have gone to in planning for the aftermath of a nuclear assault, Graff deftly weaves a tale of secrecy and paranoia” (The New York Times Book Review) with details "that read like they've been ripped from the pages of a pulp spy novel" (Vice). For more than sixty years, the US government has been developing secret Doomsday strategies to protect itself, and the multibillion-dollar Continuity of Government (COG) program takes numerous forms—from its potential to evacuate the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to the plans to launch nuclear missiles from a Boeing-747 jet flying high over Nebraska. Garrett M. 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 for 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. Equal parts a presidential, military, and cultural history, Raven Rock tracks the evolution of the government plan and the threats of global war from the dawn of the nuclear era through the War on Terror.

[Nitram]

1. Um, well, yeah. We do want our central government to survive an attack so the they can direct the

counter attack and organize the recovery. Nothing to see here folks. Just another nowhere conspiracy theory.

[FSogol]

2. Um, the book is a history of the preparations & facilities the govt made to protect itself.

It isn't about politics and has nothing to do with conspiracy theories.

[Nitram]

3. FSogol, did you actually read the post? I quote, "The shocking truth about the government's

secret plans to survive a catastrophic attack on US soil—even if the rest of us die—is a frightening eye-opener!” Did you catch the hysterical conspiracy words? "Shocking", "frightening eye-opener", "even if the rest of us die." And then there's "even as ordinary citizens were left to fend for themselves." The point of keeping the central government functioning is to prevent ordinary citizens from being left to fend for themselves. I haven't read the book, but the review reads like a paranoid conspiracy theory.

[FSogol]

4. Sales candy. The book isn't hyperbolic. There were periods when the planning was geared

toward letting citizens fend for themselves and some people involved admitted it. Early forms (the mutual destruction days) were concerned with destroying the Soviets in lieu of limiting casualties. Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger stopped paying attention to planning because they wouldn't let his wife join him.

The book has a good insight into all the administrations from FDR to present day. The origins of FEMA, the Emergency Broadcast System, the origins of text messaging, the hot line, the nuclear football, Mt Weather, Raven Rock, Presidential succession, and much more. Jimmy Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski come off particularly well.

The nuclear age did cause paranoia, but the book is a factual history of the events.

[Nitram]

5. I suggest that if the book is a factual and objective history of events that hyperbolic and

sensationalist quotes be left out of the OP. I would avoid a book based on the quotes provided.

[FSogol]

6. LOL, please add me to your ignore list. I've never seen someone be so disagreeable about a book rec.

Happy reading!