Lost Worlds: Inside Secret US Bunkers (S2, E5) | Full Episode | History

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Narrator: IN 1949, THE SOVIET UNION DEMONSTRATED THAT, LIKE THE U.S., IT POSSESSED THE ATOMIC BOMB. 2 SUPERPOWERS HAD THE MEANS TO DESTROY EACH OTHER. EVERY DAY, WE WORKED WITH THE IDEA NOT IF IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN BUT WHEN IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. WHATEVER FOLLOWED, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD STILL HAVE TO FUNCTION. THE PRESIDENT AND KEY PERSONNEL HAD TO BE PROTECTED. THERE'S A NETWORK OF CLASSIFIED FACILITIES FROM THIS TIME ACROSS THE U.S. THAT HAVE ONLY RECENTLY BEEN DEACTIVATED. OUR INVESTIGATORS ARE GOING TO UNLOCK THEIR SECRETS. THEY'LL EXPLORE THE BASIC SHELTER CONSTRUCTED FOR J.F.K. ON AN ISLAND NEAR HIS FLORIDA MANSION. AND THE FACILITY BURIED BENEATH A 5-STAR HOTEL FROM WHICH CONGRESS WOULD OPERATE IN THE EVENT OF WAR. THEY'LL ENTER A BUILDING WHICH STOOD FOR 3 DECADES IN A STATE OF READINESS AND IS NOW FROZEN IN TIME. FOR THE TIME, IN THE 1950s AND 1960s, THIS WAS STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT. THEY'LL ENTER THE HIGH-TECH MOUNTAIN FORTRESS STRONG ENOUGH TO SURVIVE A DIRECT HIT FROM A NUCLEAR WARHEAD. FOR ALMOST HALF A CENTURY, THESE FACILITIES WERE ON CONSTANT ALERT. THIS IS THE LOST WORLD OF SECRET U.S. BUNKERS. IN THE 1950s, RUSSIAN EXPANSION AND AGGRESSION THREATENED GLOBAL WAR. THE PROSPECT OF A NUCLEAR CONFLICT WAS REAL AND TERRIFYING. THE U.S. MILITARY CALCULATED THE PROBABLE EFFECT OF AN ATTACK ON AMERICA AND PLANNED ACCORDINGLY. IF A BOMB WAS DROPPED ON WASHINGTON, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WOULD IMMEDIATELY BE VAPORIZED. [explosion] LETHAL RADIATION WOULD SPREAD ACROSS HUNDREDS OF SQUARE MILES. IN READINESS, THE GOVERNMENT STARTED STOCKPILING FOOD RATIONS AND BUILDING FALLOUT SHELTERS FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION. BUT IN A FAR MORE AMBITIOUS AND TOP-SECRET PROGRAM, THEY ALSO BEGAN TO CONSTRUCT A SERIES OF BUNKERS. IF THE THIRD WORLD WAR STARTED, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD CARRY ON. OUR INVESTIGATORS ARE RETURNING TO THESE ONCE-CLASSIFIED FACILITIES TO UNCOVER THEIR SECRETS. CHRIS CARROLL IS A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. HE WANTS TO USE HIS SKILLS TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX DESIGNS BEHIND THESE TOP-SECRET STRUCTURES AND HOW THEY WERE BUILT TO WITHSTAND NUCLEAR BLAST PRESSURES. Chris Carroll: TO SEE THE ENGINEERING THAT GOES INTO THESE, I MEAN, EVERYTHING FROM THE BLAST DOORS TO THE THICKNESS OF THE WALLS, JUST IS COMPLETELY AMAZING. FEELS LIKE I'VE BEEN LET IN ON A SECRET THAT I SHOULDN'T KNOW. BEVERLY GAGE IS A YALE HISTORY PROFESSOR. HER AREA OF EXPERTISE IS 20TH-CENTURY AMERICAN HISTORY, AND SHE WANTS TO DISCOVER WHAT PART THE BUNKERS PLAYED IN THE EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS OF THE COLD WAR. Beverly Gage: TO ACTUALLY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WALK INTO THE BUNKER AND FEEL WHAT IT IS THAT A CONGRESS PERSON MIGHT HAVE FELT IN 1962 IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, IT'S REALLY QUITE AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE. LORTON CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX, 20 MILES FROM WASHINGTON. IN 1959, THE BASEMENT OF A BUILDING HERE WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A TOP-SECRET OPERATIONS CENTER. THE SECURE NATURE OF THE 3,000-ACRE SITE PROVIDED THE PERFECT CAMOUFLAGE FOR COVERT WORK. THE WHOLE AREA HAS BEEN ABANDONED SINCE 2001. IT WAS ONLY WHEN HISTORIAN GARY POWERS EXPLORED IT A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT HE DISCOVERED A COLD WAR BUNKER WITH A VITAL NATIONAL PURPOSE. THIS BUNKER WAS USED IN CASE OF A NATURAL OR NUCLEAR DISASTER IN WASHINGTON, D.C. PEOPLE WOULD RELOCATE HERE TO DO THE COMMAND CENTER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OPERATIONS WERE GOING SMOOTHLY AFTER THE DISASTER. THE PLAN WAS THAT, IN THE EVENT OF WAR, A TEAM OF EMERGENCY SERVICE CHIEFS WOULD COME HERE TO TRY TO COORDINATE THE CIVIL RESPONSE. WHEN GARY AND HIS TEAM ENTERED THE BASEMENT, THEY FOUND A SITE THAT HAD BEEN FROZEN IN TIME. Powers: WHEN WE FIRST GOT ACCESS TO THIS LOCATION, IT WAS AS IF THEY LEFT YESTERDAY. IT WAS DUSTY, BUT THERE WERE COFFEE MUGS ON THE DESKS. THERE WERE MAPS AND MANUALS THROWN AROUND. IT WAS AS IF THEY PICKED UP, PACKED UP, LOCKED THE DOOR, AND WALKED AWAY. BEVERLY AND CHRIS ARE GOING TO EXPLORE THIS SITE FOR THEMSELVES. WHILE CHRIS EXAMINES HOW THE BUNKER WAS CONSTRUCTED, BEVERLY GOES INSIDE TO FIND OUT ABOUT ITS PURPOSE. Gage: FIRST THING THAT YOU NOTICE IS THAT THESE WERE NOT LUXURY QUARTERS EVEN AT THEIR BEST. DOWN AT THIS END, WE HAVE WHAT IS LARGELY AN EMPTY, ABANDONED ROOM, BUT IF YOU THINK THERE WERE GOING TO BE 20 PEOPLE LIVING IN HERE POTENTIALLY FOR DAYS, WEEKS AT A TIME, IT'S NOT MUCH SPACE, EVEN THOUGH IT STRETCHES QUITE A WAYS DOWN. THIS 4-ROOM FACILITY HAD TO MANAGE ALL EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR A CITY OF ONE MILLION PEOPLE. THESE MUST HAVE BEEN THE COMMUNICATION BOOTHS WHERE EVERYBODY WOULD HAVE SAT. IN SOME OF THE OLDER PHOTOS, THEY HAVE IDENTIFICATION OVER THE BOOTHS AS TO WHERE THE POLICE WOULD BE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE ARTICLES LEFT BEHIND HERE INDICATE THAT THIS WAS A PLACE INTENDED FOR SHORT-TERM, BASIC SURVIVAL, THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF AN ATTACK. AGAIN, WHAT WE HAVE LEFT IN HERE, OVERTURNED TABLES, FILING CABINETS, SOME OF THEM STILL WITH THE CIVIL DEFENSE LOGO ON THEM. OVER HERE, WE CAN SEE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS INTERESTING. HERE WE HAVE "CIVIL DEFENSE ALL-PURPOSE SURVIVAL BISCUIT," VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD. WHEAT, FLOUR, SUGAR, VEGETABLE SHORTENING, NOT MUCH ELSE. EACH MEMBER OF THE TEAM STATIONED HERE WOULD HAVE HAD TO MAKE DO WITH ONLY 700 CALORIES A DAY, THE BARE MINIMUM NECESSARY TO KEEP AN INDIVIDUAL HEALTHY ENOUGH TO DO THEIR JOB. OUTSIDE, CHRIS CARROLL WANTS TO KNOW WHY THE BASEMENT OF THIS PARTICULAR BUILDING WAS CHOSEN TO HOUSE A BUNKER. IF WE ACTUALLY LOOK AT A COMPASS, YOU CAN SEE HERE WASHINGTON, D.C. IS MORE KIND OF NORTHEASTERLY IN REPRESENTATION TO THE BUILDING. SO, TYPICALLY THE BLAST WOULD ACTUALLY COME FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. THE FACT THAT THIS BUILDING FACED AWAY FROM WASHINGTON MEANT THAT THE BUNKER HAD A DEGREE OF EXTRA PROTECTION. AS YOU LOOK AT THE 3 SIDES OF THE BUILDING, IT'S ACTUALLY SURROUNDED BY EARTH AND BACKFILL. THIS ADDS SECURITY TO IT TO WITHSTAND THE BLAST PRESSURE, SAY IF A NUCLEAR BOMB DID HIT WASHINGTON, D.C. [soft explosion, wind] THE PRESSURE OF A BLAST RADIATING FROM WASHINGTON WOULD BE ABSORBED BY THE WALL OF EARTH THAT SITS AT THE BACK OF THE BUNKER. MUCH OF THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS ORIGINALLY FITTED HERE STILL REMAINS. WHEN GARY FIRST LEARNED OF THE BUNKER'S EXISTENCE FROM NEWLY-DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS, HE DISCOVERED NUMEROUS COLD WAR ARTIFACTS WHICH, WITH GOVERNMENT PERMISSION, HE'S REMOVED AND PRESERVED. THIS COLLECTION TAKES US RIGHT BACK TO THE TIME OF THE BUNKER'S CONSTRUCTION. WHAT DO WE WANT TO START WITH? EASY THING HERE. WE HAVE ONE OF THE CIVIL DEFENSE BIKES THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SALVAGE. BRING IT DOWN OUT OF THERE. OK. THERE WE GO. AND THIS IS PRESUMABLY NOT JUST FOR EXERCISE? NO, THE ORIGINAL BIKE HAD A FAN RIGHT UP HERE ALONG WITH A GENERATOR. 2 PEOPLE WOULD SIT ON HERE AND PEDAL. IT WOULD BE DONE IN 24-HOUR INCREMENTS, PROBABLY 2 HOURS PER SHIFT. THEY COULD USE THIS TO GENERATE POWER AND CIRCULATE THE AIR. IT WAS ON BASIC EQUIPMENT SUCH AS THIS THAT WASHINGTON WOULD HAVE TO DEPEND IN A TIME OF WAR. AND HERE, BEVERLY, WE HAVE A NEAT PIECE. ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MOTOROLA RADIOS. FOR THE TIME, IN THE 1950s AND 1960s, THIS WAS STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT. THIS MUST HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF EQUIPMENT IN THE WHOLE BUNKER. NOTHING THAT HAPPENED DOWN THERE MATTERED UNLESS YOU COULD COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TROOPS ON THE GROUND. THAT'S CORRECT. EACH ONE OF THESE RADIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN ONE OF THE CUBICLES, AND THEY WOULD BE USED BY THE FBI, THE POLICE, THE FIRE RESCUE TO COMMUNICATE TO THEIR TEAMS IN THE FIELD OUTSIDE OF THE BUNKER. AT SOME POINT, THE BUNKER'S OCCUPANTS WOULD HAVE TO DETERMINE WHEN IT WAS SAFE TO LEAVE. HERE WE HAVE A CIVIL DEFENSE RADIATION MONITORING BOX. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH EQUIPMENT AND OTHER ITEMS USED TO MONITOR RADIATION AFTER A NUCLEAR BOMB WOULD HAVE GONE OFF IN THE AREA. IT WOULD HAVE CONTAINED ITEMS SUCH AS THE DOSIMETER THAT WOULD HELP TO MONITOR OUTSIDE RADIATION LEVELS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW IF THEY COULD GO OUTSIDE OR NOT AFTER AN ATTACK. AND THERE ARE PAMPHLETS IN HERE AS WELL. THIS ONE SAYS "NUCLEAR ATTACK." DESCRIBES THE QUOTE-UNQUOTE "NATURE OF THE THREAT"-- "IF THE UNITED STATES WERE TO BE ATTACKED WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS, "MUCH OF THE COUNTRY COULD BE COVERED BY LETHAL RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT." BY EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE AND EXPLORING THE SITE, OUR INVESTIGATORS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD A PICTURE OF WHAT THIS BUNKER LOOKED LIKE WHEN IT BECAME OPERATIONAL. IT REMAINED HIDDEN BENEATH THE JAIL IN A STATE OF CONSTANT PREPAREDNESS FOR 40 YEARS. THE TECHNOLOGY IT CONTAINED WAS STATE-OF-THE-ART IN 1959. IT QUICKLY BECAME OBSOLETE, BUT, NONETHELESS, THE LORTON BUNKER WAS ONLY DECOMMISSIONED IN 2001. THIS FACILITY WAS AIMED AT OFFERING A FIRST RESPONSE TO AN EMERGENCY, BUT PLANS WERE IN PLACE TO ENSURE THE LONG-TERM SURVIVAL OF THE GOVERNMENT. IN THE SAME YEAR AS THE LORTON BUNKER CAME ONLINE, CONSTRUCTION BEGAN ON A FACILITY DESIGNED TO HOLD 1200 PEOPLE. IN A TIME OF WAR, THIS WOULD BE THE HOME OF THE U.S. CONGRESS. OUR INVESTIGATORS ARE SEARCHING AMERICA FOR A NETWORK OF TOP-SECRET BUNKERS BUILT BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DURING THE COLD WAR. NOW THEY'VE COME TO A LUXURIOUS HOTEL WHICH FOR 30 YEARS HID ONE OF THE LARGEST AND BEST-KEPT SECRETS IN THE COUNTRY. IN 1955, PRESIDENT EISENHOWER DECREED THAT A RELOCATION FACILITY WAS NEEDED SO THAT CONGRESS COULD STILL FUNCTION IN THE EVENT THAT WASHINGTON WAS BOMBED. IN AN EXTRAORDINARY MOVE, IT WAS DECIDED TO CONSTRUCT A BUNKER AT WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA, UNDERNEATH THE EXCLUSIVE GREENBRIER RESORT. 5 HOURS FROM WASHINGTON, IT WAS ONCE A FAVORITE HAUNT OF HOLLYWOOD STARS AND ENGLISH ROYALS. BUT THE PLAN WAS THAT IT WOULD ALSO BE READY AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE TO TAKE THE PLACE OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING. IT WOULD KEEP THE GOVERNMENT MACHINE WORKING. IN 1959, A DEAL WAS MADE WITH THE RESORT OWNERS. THE GOVERNMENT WOULD FUND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW WING TO THE HOTEL, AND AT THE SAME TIME, IN SECRET, THEY WOULD CONSTRUCT A BUNKER. IN PEACE TIME, PARTS OF THE FACILITY WOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO HOTEL GUESTS UNAWARE OF THE HIDDEN PURPOSE OF THE ROOMS THROUGH WHICH THEY WERE PASSING. BUT WHEN THE ALERT WAS SOUNDED, A NETWORK OF DOORS WOULD SWING SHUT TO CREATE A HERMETICALLY-SEALED PLACE OF REFUGE. NOW, WE'RE HEADING HERE INTO WHAT APPEARS TO JUST BE THE BACK END OF THE HOTEL. NOTHING SPECIAL, BUT IF YOU STOP BEFORE YOU GET THERE, YOU NOTICE A FEW INTERESTING THINGS. ONE, THIS HINGE HERE. ANOTHER, AN OPEN SPACE BEHIND A PART OF THE WALL. AND WHAT THIS REALLY IS, IS A FALSE WALL THAT'S COVERING UP THE BLAST DOOR. AND IF YOU'RE ALREADY IN THE KNOW, IT'S INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS. BUT IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW, HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY IMAGINE WHAT'S BACK HERE? 25 TONS OF REINFORCED STEEL BUILT TO WITHSTAND ANYTHING BUT A DIRECT HIT. FOR 30 YEARS, HIGH-PAYING HOTEL GUESTS STROLLED STRAIGHT PAST, UNSUSPECTING. HERE WE HAVE THAT MASSIVE BLAST DOOR THAT WAS HIDDEN BEHIND THE FALSE WALL. THIS WAS ONE OF 3 HIDDEN BLAST DOORS PROTECTING ENTRANCES TO THE BUNKER. THE OTHER 2 OPENED DIRECTLY TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. CHRIS CARROLL HAS COME TO THE WEST TUNNEL ENTRANCE. THROUGHOUT THE TIME THAT THE FACILITY WAS ACTIVE, IT WAS DISGUISED AS A SERVICE DOOR. BUT, AGAIN, BEHIND THIS FACADE IS A HUGE PIECE OF TOUGHENED STEEL. SO HERE WE HAVE ONE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCES TO THE BUNKER, WHICH IS PROTECTED BY THIS 25-TON BLAST DOOR. AND WHAT THE BLAST DOOR DOES IS IT'S ABLE TO WITHSTAND A BLAST PRESSURE FROM A NUCLEAR BOMB UP TO 20 MILES AWAY. AND WHAT YOU MAY NOTICE, IS IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET STARTED, BUT IT'S REMARKABLY EASY TO MOVE ONCE YOU DO GET STARTED WITH IT. THIS BLAST DOOR'S PERFECTLY BALANCED ON HINGES WEIGHING AN INCREDIBLE ONE TON EACH TO ALLOW FOR EASY MOVEMENT. THE DOOR IS SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO ABSORB THE POWERFUL AND DESTRUCTIVE SHOCKWAVE CAUSED BY A NUCLEAR BOMB. [beeping] IT WORKS LIKE THE DOOR OF A BANK VAULT. IT'S MADE FROM STEEL STRENGTHENED WITH CONCRETE. IN THE EVENT OF A BLAST, IT WOULD BEND AND ABSORB THE SHOCKWAVE. AS THE WAVE PASSED, IT WOULD SPRING BACK INTO SHAPE. THE BUNKER WAS ONLY SAFE IF IT COULD WITHSTAND THIS INITIAL FORCE. THE ONLY WAY THAT THIS FACILITY COULD HAVE BEEN BUILT ON THIS SCALE AND IN SECRET WAS BY INTEGRATING ITS DESIGN INTO THE HOTEL. THIS WAS EFFECTIVELY THE BUNKER'S LOBBY BUT DOUBLED AS THE HOTEL'S EXHIBITION HALL. OVER THE YEARS, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ATTENDED CONFERENCES AND TRADE SHOWS HERE. WE'RE HEADING INTO THE BUNKER NOW, AND THE FIRST THING THAT YOU FEEL IS THIS FIERCE BLAST OF AIR. AS YOU WALK IN, IT BEGINS TO FEEL LIKE ANOTHER BUILDING ALL TOGETHER. ALL OF THE ORNAMENTATION IS GONE. THERE ARE NO MORE COLORS. THERE ARE NO MORE CARPETS. THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW SPACES IN THE BUNKER THAT THE PUBLIC ACTUALLY HAD ACCESS TO. WHEN THE WARNING OF AN IMPENDING ATTACK WAS GIVEN, THIS 16,000-SQUARE-FOOT CONFERENCE ROOM WOULD HAVE BEEN SHUT OFF FROM THE HOTEL AND TRANSFORMED INTO WORKSPACE FOR CONGRESSIONAL AIDES. ACCORDING TO THE HOTEL'S HISTORIAN, BOB CONTE, ALLOWING PEOPLE INSIDE PART OF THE BUNKER WAS A DELIBERATE TECHNIQUE INTENDED TO DIVERT ATTENTION FROM ITS REAL PURPOSE. HOW DO YOU BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN SECRECY? WELL, YOU EMPLOY A TECHNIQUE CALLED HIDING IT IN PLAIN SIGHT. THAT IS, YOU BUILD THE SECRET UNDERGROUND BUNKER IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN ABOVE-GROUND WING IN ADDITION TO THE GREENBRIER. SO YOU BUILD 2 BUILDINGS AT ONE TIME-- AN OVERT BUILDING AND A COVERT BUILDING. AND THE WHOLE REASON FOR BUILDING THE ABOVE-GROUND WING, THE WEST VIRGINIA WING, CREATES A COVER STORY. IT CREATES A PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR THIS LARGE-SCALE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. THE WEST VIRGINIA WING AND THE BUNKER BENEATH IT TOOK 2 AND A HALF YEARS TO CONSTRUCT. THE PROJECT COST $14 MILLION. THEN, IN 1961, THE WING, BUILT INTO THE HILLSIDE ABOVE THE MAIN HOTEL, WELCOMED ITS FIRST GUESTS. THE DETAILS OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUNKER THAT WAS CONCEALED BENEATH IT REMAIN CLASSIFIED. BUT ENGINEER CHRIS CARROLL WANTS TO SEE WHAT HE CAN UNCOVER. WHAT WE CAN SEE HERE IS THIS WALL IS ACTUALLY APPROXIMATELY 4 FEET THICK. A TYPICAL 2-STORY BUILDING MAY ONLY HAVE WALLS ANYWHERE FROM-- FROM ONE FOOT TO 2 FEET THICK. AND SO HERE YOU CAN SEE THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS STRUCTURE, AND HOW AMAZING IT REALLY IS. TO BUILD ON THIS SCALE IN SECRET WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT. TO INVESTIGATE WHAT HE'S SEEN AT THE GREENBRIER, CHRIS HAS BUILT A MODEL BUNKER AT HIS VIRGINIA TECH LAB. HE WANTS TO DEMONSTRATE HOW THE CONCRETE USED IN THE BUNKER WAS REINFORCED TO WITHSTAND THE HUGE BLAST PRESSURE FROM A NUCLEAR BOMB. WHAT WE'VE DONE HERE IS WE'VE BUILT A SMALL-SCALE BUNKER AGAIN THAT IS 6 FEET LONG, IT IS 5 FEET WIDE, AND 5 FEET TALL. CHRIS WANTS TO SEE HOW CONCRETE REACTS WHEN SUBJECTED TO EXTREME STRESS. IF YOU HAD A CONCRETE BEAM, AND YOU BENT IT LIKE THIS, THE TOP PART OF THE BEAM IS IN COMPRESSION, THE BOTTOM PART IS IN TENSION. THE CONCRETE, IF IT WAS BENT LIKE THIS, WOULD ACTUALLY CRACK ON THE BOTTOM. BECAUSE OF THIS, ORDINARY CONCRETE IS BRITTLE, A POOR MATERIAL TO INSULATE AGAINST A BOMB. TO GIVE CONCRETE EXTRA STRENGTH AND DURABILITY, BUILDERS REINFORCE IT WITH STEEL RODS KNOWN AS REBAR. SO HERE YOU CAN SEE JUST AN EXAMPLE OF REINFORCING STEEL THAT WE'VE PLACED INSIDE THE WALLS AND THE CEILING SLAB OF THIS BUNKER. IN ACTUAL BUNKERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, YOU MAY SEE REBAR IN THE RANGES OF THIS, MAYBE EVEN BIGGER. CHRIS WANTS TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH REINFORCED CONCRETE IS NEEDED TO PROTECT STRUCTURES LIKE THE GREENBRIER BUNKER FROM NUCLEAR ATTACK. Carroll: TYPICALLY, BLAST PRESSURES FROM ATOMIC BOMBS DETONATED, SAY, 20 MILES AWAY FROM HERE WOULD ACTUALLY ACT ON THE SIDE OF A BUNKER, NOT REALLY ON TOP OF IT. BECAUSE IF YOU DID, IT WOULD ACTUALLY DESTROY THE BUNKER ITSELF. BUT IN ORDER TO SIMULATE THIS TYPE OF A LOAD, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS 3,000-POUND WRECKING BALL AND WE'RE GOING TO DROP IT ON TOP OF THE BUNKER. THE WRECKING BALL IS FIRST DROPPED FROM A HEIGHT OF 6 INCHES ONTO THE BUNKER'S 5-INCH-THICK REINFORCED CONCRETE ROOF. THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO NEARLY 14 POUNDS OF BLAST FORCE PER SQUARE INCH-- ROUGHLY COMPARABLE TO BEING WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OF A BOMB AS POWERFUL AS THE ONE DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA. THE STRUCTURE HOLDS. WE'VE GOT A CRACK, BUT YOU CAN'T SEE IT YET. THE BALL IS NOW LIFTED TO 12 INCHES TO DOUBLE THE BLAST PRESSURE. AGAIN, THE BUNKER HOLDS, BUT ONLY JUST. THE DAMAGE IT HAS SUSTAINED WOULD HAVE BEEN ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO BEING ONLY 350 YARDS FROM HIROSHIMA'S GROUND ZERO. ORDINARY CONCRETE AND ALMOST ALL OTHER BUILDING MATERIALS WOULD HAVE DISINTEGRATED. BUT ALTHOUGH THE BUNKER HAS SURVIVED, IT HAS REACHED WHAT ENGINEERS CALL ITS ULTIMATE LOAD. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE GOT SOME CRACKS HERE. ACTUALLY, WE HAD A CIRCULAR CRACK ON THE TOP. ALL THE WAY THROUGH. SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE ACTUALLY HAD TENSION AROUND THE OUTSIDE EDGES, WHICH IS TYPICAL IN A SLAB. SO YOU GOT TENSION ON THE TOP AS WELL. YOU GOT CRACKS DOWN EACH SIDE OF THE WALL. HAD WE NOT PUT REINFORCING STEEL IN THE BUNKER, THE BUNKER WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY FALLEN APART IN MULTIPLE PLACES. CHRIS'S SIMULATION GIVES US AN IDEA OF HOW STRONG THE WALLS OF THE GREENBRIER BUNKER WERE. THEY HAD TO BE. IN THE SAME YEAR AS THE BUNKER WAS FINISHED, THE SOVIET UNION TESTED A BOMB AT LEAST 3,000 TIMES AS POWERFUL AS THE ONE THAT WAS DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA. EVEN AT MORE THAN 250 MILES FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., THE LIKELY CENTER OF A BLAST, THE GREENBRIER WOULD HAVE HAD TO WITHSTAND ENORMOUS PRESSURE, AND NOW WE CAN REVEAL HOW. 10,000 TONS OF EARTH WERE EXCAVATED. THEN, 720 FEET INTO THE HILLSIDE, THE 2-STORY BUNKER WAS CONSTRUCTED. MADE FROM REINFORCED CONCRETE, IT COVERED 112,000 SQUARE FEET. A 50-FOOT LAYER OF EARTH SAT BETWEEN THE TOP OF THE BUNKER AND THE HOTEL ABOVE. IN WEST VIRGINIA, HIDDEN IN THE BUILDINGS OF THE LUXURY GREENBRIER RESORT, OUR INVESTIGATORS HAVE FOUND A HIGH-TECH BUNKER. IT WAS CONSTRUCTED ALMOST 5 DECADES AGO. ITS MISSION-- DEPENDENT ON TOTAL SECRECY-- WAS TO PROVIDE A HAVEN FOR CONGRESS IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR ATTACK. NOW, THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS BUNKER WAS EQUIPPED TO PROTECT THE NATION'S LEADERS IN A TIME OF WAR AND HOW A PROJECT OF THIS SCALE WAS KEPT SECRET. IN 1972, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FRITZ BUGAS WAS SENT TO THE GREENBRIER. WITH A TEAM OF 12 MEN, HE WAS TASKED WITH KEEPING THE BUNKER IN A STATE OF READINESS. HIS COVER WAS THAT HE WAS THE HOTEL'S TV ENGINEER, WORKING FOR A FRONT COMPANY CALLED FORSYTH ASSOCIATES. MY ROLE HERE AT THE GREENBRIER AS HEAD OF FORSYTH ASSOCIATES WAS TO ENSURE THAT WE PROVIDED THE NECESSARY-- NECESSARY AUDIO AND VIDEO SUPPORT TO THE HOTEL. THAT TOOK UP ABOUT 20 PERCENT OF OUR TIME. THE REST OF THE TIME, WE WENT METHODICALLY THROUGH THE BUNKER. WE ENSURED THAT EVERYTHING WAS IN AN OPERATIONAL STATE. IF THE ORDER EVER CAME TO EVACUATE CONGRESS, FRITZ AND HIS MEN WOULD TAKE CONTROL OF THE HOTEL. THE REGULAR GUESTS WOULD DISCOVER THAT THEY WERE STANDING IN WHAT WAS SUDDENLY A HIGHLY-RESTRICTED GOVERNMENT AREA, AND THEY'D HAVE TO LEAVE. THE CONGRESS WOULD INFILTRATE INTO THE AREA. AND THEY WOULD COME DOWN HERE, POSSIBLY BY AIR, POSSIBLY BY RAIL, OR THROUGH GROUND TRANSPORTATION. THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN PROCESSED INTO THE REGISTRATION DESK OF THE GREENBRIER. AFTER PROCESSING, EACH OF THE 1100 PEOPLE DEEMED AS CENTRAL TO THE RUNNING OF CONGRESS WOULD BE USHERED THROUGH A SET OF GLASS DOORS INTO WHAT WOULD BE THEIR NEW HOME. THEY'D PASS THROUGH A DECONTAMINATION AREA. THEY'D BE GIVEN NEW CLOTHES. FOR FEAR OF FALLOUT, EVERYTHING THAT THEY WERE WEARING WOULD BE TAKEN AND DESTROYED. POWERFUL SHOWERS WERE INTENDED TO WASH AWAY ANY RADIOACTIVE PARTICLES. IT'S CRAMPED AND CONFINED, AND IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A CONGRESS PERSON'S FIRST INTRODUCTION TO THE BUNKER. AND ONCE THE LAST PERSON HAD PASSED THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THE BLAST DOORS WOULD HAVE BEEN SEALED. IT WAS PLANNED THAT THEY WOULD STAY SEALED FOR 3 WEEKS. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER CHRIS CARROLL TALKS WITH HISTORIAN BOB CONTE. HE WANTS TO SEE THE SYSTEMS THAT KEPT MORE THAN A THOUSAND PEOPLE SUPPLIED WITH CLEAN AIR. SO WHAT EXACTLY WAS THIS USED FOR? I MEAN, IT JUST LOOKS LIKE A TYPICAL MAINTENANCE FACILITY TO ME. WELL, EXACTLY. IT'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE A TYPICAL MAINTENANCE FACILITY. BUT, IN FACT, THIS IS WHERE THE AIR WAS BROUGHT INTO THE BUNKER. SO RIGHT THROUGH THESE VENTS HERE, THE AIR WOULD BE SUCKED IN. AND FROM THIS STRUCTURE TO THE BUNKER PROPER IS ABOUT 100 YARDS. AND IT'S CONNECTED BY A LARGE UNDERGROUND-- WELL, IT'S A PIPE, A BIG CULVERT. OK, SO THIS WAS ACTUALLY THE TRUE LIFELINE TO THE BUNKER ITSELF? EXACTLY. WITHOUT THIS, THE BUNKER WOULDN'T FUNCTION. TO DO ITS JOB AND KEEP THE PEOPLE INSIDE SAFE, THESE BUNKERS HAD TO SUCK IN AND FILTER 80,000 LITERS OF AIR AN HOUR, 24 HOURS A DAY FOR 3 WEEKS. THE ACCOMMODATION WAS IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE LUXURY OF THE HOTEL THAT LAY ABOVE. EVERYONE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SLEEP IN ONE OF 18 LARGE DORMITORIES. Gage: IF YOU CAN IMAGINE ROW AFTER ROW AFTER ROW OF THESE EXTENDING, ALMOST LIKE A NORMAL MILITARY BARRACKS. THIS IS ONE OF THE LOCKERS THAT 2 PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SHARED. AGAIN, NOT MUCH SPACE, NOT MUCH PRIVACY. Bugas: WE ACTUALLY HAD A SENIORITY LIST. WE DESIGNATED THAT PARTICULAR BED FOR THAT SENATOR OR FOR THAT CONGRESSMAN. WE SIMPLY GAVE THE LOWER BUNK TO THE MORE SENIOR AND THE UPPER BUNK TO THE LESS SENIOR, AND WE FILLED IT OUT IN THAT MANNER. FOR THE ENTIRE TIME THAT THE BUNKER STOOD PREPARED, IT WAS CONTINUALLY UPGRADED AND RESTOCKED. THERE WERE ALWAYS 3 WEEKS' WORTH OF FUEL, 3 WEEKS OF FOOD, AND 3 WEEKS OF MEDICINE. WELL, THE IDEA IS THAT YOU HAD TO HAVE EVERYTHING HERE TO BE PREPARED FOR WHATEVER MIGHT HAPPEN. SO YOU HAD TO HAVE EVERYTHING IN PLACE AND READY TO GO-- AND THAT INCLUDED MEDICAL FACILITIES. SO THERE WAS A 12-BED CLINIC HERE. THEY COULD DO SURGERY. THERE WAS A DENTAL UNIT. THERE WAS AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. BECAUSE PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN INJURED ON THE WAY DOWN. PEOPLE WOULD ARRIVE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS SO YOU HAD TO HAVE A FULLY-STOCKED PHARMACY. ALL OF THAT WAS ON HAND. ALL THAT WAS ROTATED AND KEPT UP-TO-DATE FOR 30 YEARS. AT A TIME WHEN THE FUNDAMENTAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE STATE WERE UNDER IMMENSE STRAIN, GUARANTEEING SECURITY AND ORDER WAS A PRIORITY. THE BUNKER HAD ITS OWN ARMORY. BUT THE BUNKER'S JOB WASN'T JUST TO KEEP ITS OCCUPANTS SAFE. THEY HAD TO BE ABLE TO CARRY ON THE BUSINESS OF RUNNING THE COUNTRY. THERE WAS A COMMUNICATIONS STUDIO, STATE-OF-THE-ART WHEN IT WAS CONSTRUCTED, AND THE MEANS TO BROADCAST ACROSS THE WORLD. PUBLIC ADDRESSES WOULD BE MADE AGAINST THESE PAINTED BACKDROPS. ON THE ONE HAND, IT SEEMS COMPLETELY ABSURD, THE IDEA THAT SOMEONE WAS GOING TO STAND DOWN HERE IN THE EVENT OF NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST, A NUCLEAR ATTACK ON WASHINGTON, AND STAND IN FRONT OF THE WHITE HOUSE OR STAND IN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL AND HAVE THAT SUGGEST THAT, "DON'T WORRY, ALL IS WELL." BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND, IT ACTUALLY MAKES A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SENSE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO PROJECT FROM A ROOM LIKE THIS IS SOME SORT OF SENSE OF REASSURANCE, OF NORMALCY. YOU'D STILL WANT TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT IN SOME WAY TO THE WORLD. THIS ABILITY TO SEND AND RECEIVE MESSAGES WAS VITAL. CHRIS WANTS TO KNOW HOW TV SIGNALS FROM THE SEALED BUNKER WOULD REACH THE OUTSIDE. SO, WHERE EXACTLY ARE WE HERE? AND WHAT WAS THIS FACILITY USED FOR? WE'RE ON TOP OF CATES MOUNTAIN. THE GREENBRIER AND THE ENTRANCE INTO THE BUNKER ITSELF IS ABOUT 4 1/2 TO 5 MILES BEHIND WHERE I'M STANDING. AND THERE'S A BLOCK HOUSE BEHIND US WITH A 100-FOOT TOWER. AND OFF THAT TOWER ARE SIGNAL-GATHERING DEVICES. THIS WAS A MICROWAVE RELAY FACILITY. THIS TOWER WAS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE, AGAIN, IT ALLOWED US, ONCE WE WENT INTO A BUTTONED-UP CONDITION, TO TALK TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. [crowd talking] THE CLOSEST THE GREENBRIER EVER CAME TO BEING ACTIVATED WAS IN THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS OF 1962. AS TENSIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE SOVIETS DEEPENED, THE U.S. STOOD READY. I HAVE DIRECTED THE ARMED FORCES TO PREPARE... FOR ANY EVENTUALITY. THE EMERGENCY PASSED, AND THE GREENBRIER WASN'T NEEDED. BUT FOR THE NEXT 29 YEARS, THE GOVERNMENT SPENT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON KEEPING THIS FACILITY READY FOR ACTIVATION. Gage: WELL, IT REALLY IS STUNNING TO COME INSIDE THE BUNKER JUST TO SEE THE LEVEL OF DETAIL, AND, ON THE OTHER HAND, TO REALIZE THAT ALL OF THIS WAS VULNERABLE TO A SINGLE PERSON... EXPOSING IT. IN 1991, THE ACTIONS OF ONE MAN RENDERED THE GREENBRIER OBSOLETE OVERNIGHT. JOURNALIST TED GUP WROTE AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE BUNKER IN THE WASHINGTON POST. FRITZ BUGAS STILL FINDS IT HARD TO DESCRIBE HIS FEELINGS ON THE MATTER. DEVASTATION. JUST, UH, UH... TREMENDOUSLY HURT BY THE-- THE... THE ARTICLE THAT APPEARED AND--AND WHAT IT WAS GOING TO MEAN. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CONGRESS FELT THAT THIS FACILITY WAS NO LONGER SUITABLE FOR ANY SORT OF RELOCATION THINKING ON THEIR PART. WHEN THE STORY GOT OUT, THE GOVERNMENT HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO DEACTIVATE THE BUNKER. IT WAS STRIPPED OF ALL ITS EQUIPMENT. NOW, NEARLY 2 DECADES LATER, WE CAN RECREATE WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE ON COMPLETION IN 1961. COVERING 112,000 FEET, IT WAS EQUIPPED FOR EVERY EVENTUALITY. ITS KITCHEN HAD A 60-DAY STOCKPILE OF PROVISIONS FOR 1100 PEOPLE. THERE WERE 18 DORMITORIES, EACH SLEEPING 60 INDIVIDUALS. ITS CLINIC COULD HANDLE ANYTHING FROM SIMPLE MEDICAL EMERGENCIES TO MAJOR SURGERY. AND A STATE-OF-THE-ART COMMUNICATIONS STUDIO MEANT THAT THE PEOPLE SEALED IN HERE COULD STILL SPEAK TO MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. BUT MOST IMPORTANT WAS THAT CONGRESS COULD CONTINUE TO FUNCTION EVEN IN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES. AND SO THIS REPLACEMENT FOR CONGRESS WAS BUILT, A TESTAMENT TO THE BELIEF THAT THE CONSEQUENCES OF ANY ATTACK COULD BE FACED, ENDURED, AND OVERCOME. TODAY, ITS SECRET WELL-KNOWN, THE HOTEL CONTINUES TO WELCOME GUESTS. AND YET A LARGE PART OF THE BUNKER IS STILL OFF-LIMITS, AS IT WAS DURING THE COLD WAR AND USED AS A SECURED DATA STORAGE FACILITY. OUR INVESTIGATORS ARE EXPLORING THE NETWORK OF BUNKERS BUILT SECRETLY ACROSS AMERICA DURING THE COLD WAR. THEY'VE SEEN THE EXTRAORDINARY FACILITY CONSTRUCTED TO HOUSE CONGRESS IN THE EVENT OF NUCLEAR WAR. NOW, STRUCTURAL ENGINEER CHRIS CARROLL IS IN PALM BEACH, FLORIDA TO FIND THE BUNKER CONSTRUCTED FOR PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY AND HIS FAMILY. IN 1961, EVEN AS TENSIONS MOUNTED BETWEEN RUSSIA AND AMERICA OVER CUBA, J.F.K. CONTINUED TO USE HIS PRIVATE RESIDENCE IN PALM BEACH. IT STOOD ONLY 300 MILES AWAY FROM HAVANA. THE MILITARY HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO BUILD HIM AN EMERGENCY BUNKER. TODAY, PALM BEACH REMAINS A PLAYGROUND FOR THE RICH AND FAMOUS. CHRIS MEETS WITH LOCAL HISTORIAN JOHN GRANT, WHO SUGGESTS THAT THE BUNKER HERE WAS NOT JUST BUILT TO INDULGE A PRESIDENT BUT AS A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY. DID THE KENNEDYS SPEND A LOT OF TIME DOWN HERE, OR WAS IT JUST A SUMMER HOME, A WINTER HOME, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? WELL, NO, THEY SPENT A LOT OF TIME DOWN HERE. AND, UH, THEY CALLED IT THE-- THEY USED TO CALL THIS THE KENNEDY WINTER WHITE HOUSE. AND HE WAS DOWN HERE VERY REGULARLY ON WEEKENDS AND FOR MANY EVENTS. HE BROUGHT THE CABINET DOWN HERE AND HE TALKED TO THEM DOWN AT HIS FATHER'S MANSION. THE LOCATION CHOSEN FOR THE BUNKER WAS THE UNINHABITED 86-ACRE PEANUT ISLAND. IT WAS JUST ACROSS THE WATER FROM THE KENNEDY COMPOUND AND ALREADY OWNED BY THE MILITARY. CHRIS MAKES THE SHORT JOURNEY TO PEANUT ISLAND TO EXPLORE THE BUNKER ITSELF. THIS LETTER SENT TO THE CONSTRUCTION DIVISION OF THE U.S. NAVY IS THE ONLY OFFICIAL REFERENCE TO THE PROJECT. IT SAYS 10 MEN BUILT IT IN JUST ONE WEEK. GIVEN ITS IMPORTANCE, IT'S A VERY MODEST STRUCTURE. THIS IS NOT REALLY WHAT I WAS EXPECTING FOR A PRESIDENTIAL BUNKER, COMPARED TO WHAT CONGRESS GOT AT THE GREENBRIER. [metal creaking] COMPARED TO THE DOOR UP THERE, I THINK IT WEIGHS ABOUT 25 TONS. THIS ONE MAY WEIGH ABOUT 100 POUNDS, IF WE'RE LUCKY. THIS RIGHT HERE LOOKS LIKE WHAT WOULD BE THE VENT-- SOME TYPE OF VENTILATION, AIR VENT. IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR ATTACK, WE WOULD ACTUALLY TURN THIS. I CAN'T REALLY TURN THAT ONE TO CLOSE IT. WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE HERE WHICH ACTUALLY STILL DOES TURN. SO WHAT WE DO IS WE COULD ACTUALLY TURN THIS ONE AND CLOSE IT. AND BY DOING THIS, WE WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE THE BUNKER AIR-TIGHT TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER CONTAMINATION FROM ENTERING THE BUNKER. I'M NOW WALKING DOWN THE ENTRY TUNNEL TO THE BUNKER, AND, BASICALLY, WHAT IT IS IS CORRUGATED STEEL PIPE. IT KIND OF FEELS A LITTLE CLAUSTROPHOBIC IF YOU LOOK AROUND. THE FACILITY'S DESIGNERS WERE CLEARLY MORE CONCERNED WITH ENSURING SURVIVAL THAN PROVIDING LUXURY. IT SAYS HERE THIS IS A RADIATION CHECK. "PLEASE SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING." SO BASED ON THAT, I WOULD ASSUME THAT THIS IS A DECONTAMINATION SHOWER. WHICH IT IS. SO HERE WE HAVE THE SHOWER HEAD AS WELL AS A DRAIN IN THE FLOOR. SO WHAT I WOULD DO IS I WOULD ACTUALLY COME INTO THIS ROOM. I WOULD THEN SHUT THE DOOR. FROM THERE, I WOULD STRIP DOWN MY CLOTHES AND PLACE THE CONTAMINATED CLOTHES BACK THROUGH THIS WINDOW. I WOULD THEN SHOWER OFF AND THEN RECEIVE CLEAN CLOTHES FROM THIS WINDOW. AND THEN FROM THERE, NOW THAT I'M DECONTAMINATED, I CAN ACTUALLY ENTER THE BUNKER AND NOT BE A THREAT TO ANYONE INSIDE OF IT. THE MAIN PART OF THE BUNKER CONSISTS OF ONLY ONE ROOM. NEVER INTENDED TO BE A LONG-TERM SOLUTION, THIS WAS A STOP GAP OFFERING BASIC SHELTER TO AMERICA'S FIRST FAMILY. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED BACK THEN IS, IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR ATTACK, PRESIDENT KENNEDY, ALONG WITH HIS ENTOURAGE, WOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT HERE TO THE BUNKER. YOU KNOW, STANDING HERE BY MYSELF, THE ROOM'S PRETTY SPACIOUS, BUT WITH 30 PEOPLE IN HERE, IT COULD HAVE GOTTEN PRETTY CRAMPED AND CLAUSTROPHOBIC FOR EVERYBODY. IN CASE THE MAIN DOOR WAS OBSTRUCTED, AN EMERGENCY EXIT ROUTE WAS BUILT IN. OK, THIS MUST BE THE OTHER WAY OUT OF THE BUNKER. THIS ROUTE HAS BEEN SEALED WITH CONCRETE, BUT IT'S STILL VISIBLE. AT THE REAR OF THE BUNKER, IT'S POSSIBLE TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES USED IN ITS CONSTRUCTION. BUILDING THIS BUNKER ORIGINALLY, WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IS THEY WOULD HAVE DUG DOWN, SAY, 15 OR 20 FEET, AND PLACED A CORRUGATED STEEL PIPE, WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE. IT'S TYPICAL TO CULVERTS THAT YOU WOULD SEE THESE DAYS. THEY WOULD PLACE THOSE IN, AND THEN THEY COME BACK AND JUST FILL IN ON TOP OF IT. THIS BUNKER WAS NEVER GOING TO WITHSTAND A DIRECT HIT. BUT CONSTRUCTION WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY QUICK AND VERY EFFICIENT. IF PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S HOUSE WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISLAND, CAN YOU KIND OF GIVE US AN IDEA OF THE PROCESS TO GET PRESIDENT KENNEDY FROM HERE TO PEANUT ISLAND? YEAH. THE PRESIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN WHISKED OVER FROM HIS MANSION TO THE DOCKS HERE AT THE SAILFISH MARINA IF HE WERE GOING TO GO BY BOAT, IF WEATHER WERE PERMITTING AND SO FORTH. ALSO, HE WOULD HAVE ANOTHER METHOD OF GETTING OVER THERE WHICH WOULD BE A HELICOPTER, AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE PROBABLY THE PREFERRED METHOD, LEAVING THE BOAT TO TAKE HIS ENTOURAGE OVER TO PEANUT ISLAND TO GET INTO THE BUNKER. THE PLAN WAS THAT THE PRESIDENT COULD MAKE THE JOURNEY TO THE BUNKER FROM HIS HOUSE IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. THIS FACILITY WAS ONLY ACTIVE FOR 4 YEARS. AFTER J.F.K.'S ASSASSINATION IN 1963, IT WOULD SERVE NO FURTHER PURPOSE. HAVING LAIN EMPTY FOR MORE THAN 3 DECADES, IT CAN BE VISITED TODAY BY SPECIAL APPOINTMENT. WE CAN NOW REVEAL WHAT THE BUNKER WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE WHEN IT WAS OPERATIONAL. WITH A MAIN ROOM OF ONLY 800 SQUARE FEET, THIS STARTLINGLY SIMPLE BUNKER-- EQUIPPED WITH OFFICE AND COMMUNICATION FACILITIES-- WAS THE ONLY THING THAT STOOD BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND THE DANGERS OF NUCLEAR FALLOUT. AS SOON AS THE IMMEDIATE THREAT HAD PASSED, THE PRIORITY WOULD HAVE BEEN TO SPEED THE PRESIDENT ONTO A WARSHIP OR SUBMARINE. FROM THERE, HE WOULD BE ABLE TO DIRECT THE NATION'S RESPONSE TO AN ATTACK. IN LATER YEARS, THAT RESPONSE WOULD COME FROM THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY OF ALL THE COLD WAR BUNKERS. OUR INVESTIGATORS ARE EXPLORING THE NETWORK OF SECRET BUNKERS BUILT TO PROTECT TOP U.S. OFFICIALS DURING THE COLD WAR. NOW HISTORIAN BEVERLY GAGE HAS COME TO ONE OF AMERICA'S LAST GREAT WILDERNESSES WHERE BENEATH THESE GRANITE PEAKS IS HIDDEN A HIGHLY-SECURE BUNKER BUILT THOUSANDS OF FEET BELOW GROUND LEVEL AND ABLE TO SURVIVE A NUCLEAR ATTACK. SHE'S GAINED ACCESS TO THIS SECURE MILITARY FACILITY UNDER CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN WHICH TODAY IS NO LONGER OPERATIONAL. IN 1961, IN RESPONSE TO THE GROWING SOVIET THREAT AND AT A COST OF $140 MILLION, A PLAN WAS CONCEIVED TO BUILD A HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED BUNKER A FEW MILES FROM COLORADO SPRINGS. ITS PURPOSE-- TO MONITOR THE SKIES FOR BALLISTIC MISSILES APPROACHING U.S. AIRSPACE AND TO CREATE A STRATEGIC DEFENSE PLAN TO PREVENT THE UNTHINKABLE FROM HAPPENING. MAJOR TOM VEALE IS SHOWING BEVERLY AROUND THIS COMPLEX. NOW, WE HAVE LEFT DAYLIGHT BEHIND. WE'RE ENTERING A VERY DARK, CLOSED SPACE. WHAT'S AROUND US HERE? WE JUST CAME IN THROUGH WHAT WE CALL THE NORTH PORTAL. WE'RE GOING TO WALK 1/3 OF A MILE TO THE BLAST DOORS. OVERHEAD, WE HAVE 2400 FEET OF GRANITE. IT GOES TO THE TOP OF CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN. THIS GRANITE PROTECTION WAS CRUCIAL TO THE PLANNING BEHIND THIS BUNKER. IT WOULD BE BUILT TO WITHSTAND A DIRECT HIT FROM A BOMB AS POWERFUL AS THE ONE THAT WAS DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA. IN 1961, CONSTRUCTION ON CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN BEGAN. A SERIES OF ACCESS TUNNELS, EACH OVER A MILE LONG, WERE BORED INTO THE MOUNTAIN. TO HOUSE THE BUNKER COMPLEX, THE ENGINEERS REMOVED MILLIONS OF TONS OF GRANITE. THEY EXCAVATED CHAMBERS COVERING 4.5 ACRES AND UP TO 60 FEET TALL. THE ENTRANCE TO THE BUNKER COMPLEX ITSELF WAS PROTECTED BY A SERIES OF 25-TON BLAST DOORS. THEY WERE LAST CLOSED ON 9/11, AND, ONCE SHUT, THEY CAN CUT THE BUNKER OFF COMPLETELY FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD. TO ADD STRUCTURAL STRENGTH IN SUCH A SCENARIO AND TO MAKE UP FOR ALL THE TONS OF ROCK THAT WERE REMOVED, 113,000 BOLTS MEASURING BETWEEN 6 AND 32 FEET IN LENGTH ARE DRILLED INTO THE EXPOSED ROCK THROUGHOUT THE FACILITY. 2 OFFICERS ARE EMPLOYED FULL-TIME TO MAKE SURE THOSE BOLTS ARE TIGHT. BEYOND THE BLAST DOORS, THE TOP-SECRET BUILDINGS HOUSING THE MISSILE DETECTION TECHNOLOGY ARE SITUATED IN A VAST, HOLLOWED-OUT SPACE RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE MOUNTAIN. I'M STANDING HERE BETWEEN PART OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN AND A BUILDING OVER HERE, AND IT JUST GOES UP AND UP AND UP. YOU FEEL VERY SMALL STANDING DOWN HERE. AND, IN FACT, THE BUILDINGS THEMSELVES ARE ENTIRELY SEPARATE FROM THE MOUNTAIN. THEY ARE INSIDE. YOU CAN SEE THE MOUNTAIN OVER HERE. THIS IS THE GRANITE. THIS IS THE BUILDING. THE 2 DO NOT MEET. WE CAN REVEAL HOW THE ENGINEERS DESIGNED THE BUNKER BUILDINGS TO SIT SEPARATELY FROM THE MOUNTAIN ROCK, ONLY CONNECTED AT FLOOR LEVEL. THIS ENSURES THAT, IN THE EVENT OF A DIRECT HIT, THE IMPACT OF THE SHOCKWAVES ON THE BUNKER WOULD BE MINIMIZED. ANOTHER MEASURE WAS PUT IN PLACE TO REDUCE THE EFFECT OF SHOCKWAVES. Tom Veale: RIGHT NOW, WE'RE UNDERNEATH BUILDING ONE, UNDERNEATH THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO THE COMPLEX. THERE ARE 15 BUILDINGS INSIDE THE COMPLEX, AND THEY'RE ALL SUPPORTED BY THESE, THESE SPRINGS. THEY WEIGH 1,000 POUNDS EACH. AND THERE ARE 1,319 OF THEM THAT HOLD THE BUILDINGS UP. IN THE EVENT OF A BLAST, THESE MASSIVE SPRINGS PLACED UNDER EVERY BUNKER STRUCTURE WOULD ENABLE EACH OF THE BUILDINGS TO MOVE UP AND DOWN INDEPENDENTLY, ABSORBING THE SHOCK WAVES AND SUSTAINING MINIMAL DAMAGE. AND THEY ALLOW THE BUILDINGS TO BOB AND SWAY UP TO ONE FOOT IN ANY DIRECTION. NOW, EACH BUILDING IS INDEPENDENTLY SUPPORTED. THEY DON'T TOUCH EACH OTHER, AND THEY DON'T TOUCH THE ROCK. AND THEY'RE CONNECTED BY METAL BRIDGES AND VINYL VESTIBULES, SO THAT IF ONE SHOULD SHEAR AWAY OR BE CRUSHED, IT WON'T AFFECT THE OPERATIONS FROM BUILDING TO BUILDING. ALL OF THESE ENGINEERING INNOVATIONS-- THE SPRINGS, THE BLAST DOORS, PLACING A BUNKER INSIDE A MOUNTAIN-- WERE DEVISED TO PROTECT THIS-- MISSION CONTROL. Gage: AFTER 3 OR 4 HOURS OF WAITING, AFTER MULTIPLE SECURITY CHECKS, WE HAVE AT LAST REACHED THE PLACE THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE EVER REACH-- THE BATTLE CAB AND COMMAND CENTER OF CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN. TODAY, THIS STRONGHOLD WOULD ONLY BE USED IN AN EMERGENCY, BUT FOR 40 YEARS UNTIL 2006, IT HOUSED MISSION CONTROL FOR NORAD-- NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND. PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEARD THE LEGENDS OF CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN WOULD THINK WE'D LOOK OUT HERE, WE'D SEE PEOPLE SITTING WITH THEIR FINGERS ON THE NUCLEAR BUTTON. ACTUALLY, THERE ARE NO NUCLEAR BUTTONS DOWN THERE, AND THAT'S A POPULAR MYTH. ACTUALLY, WHAT WE DO IS WE FUSE AND DISSEMINATE INFORMATION. AND THAT WOULD, IN TURN, GO TO THE NATIONAL COMMAND AUTHORITIES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO DECIDE WHEN TO USE WEAPONS. RADAR SOURCES ACROSS THE WORLD CAN SEND IN DATA ABOUT ANY OBJECT IN ANY AIRSPACE. SUPERCOMPUTERS HERE CAN TRACK AND ANALYZE EVERYTHING FROM AN INCOMING BALLISTIC MISSILE TO AN UNEXPLAINED AIRCRAFT. AND IN THE EVENT OF A CRISIS, THEY CAN RUN THEIR OWN MISSIONS, SENDING OUT A DEFENSIVE STRIKE FORCE. THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA HAD 20 FIGHTER AIRCRAFT ON STANDBY TO FLY NORAD MISSIONS. SO IF THERE WERE TO BE A PENETRATION OF OUR AIR DEFENSE IDENTIFICATION ZONE, THE ORDER TO SCRAMBLE THOSE JETS WOULD BE COORDINATED THROUGH CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN. THE BUNKER'S ROLE AT CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN WAS TO GUARANTEE U.S. AIR SOVEREIGNTY, AND IT WAS VITAL THAT THIS FACILITY WAS KEPT OPERATIONAL AT ALL COSTS. WE CAN NOW SHOW THE EXTRAORDINARY ENGINEERING BEHIND THIS STRONGHOLD, REVEALING HOW IT WAS BUILT TO WITHSTAND A DIRECT NUCLEAR STRIKE FROM A DEVICE WITH A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE OF THE HIROSHIMA BOMB. [rumbling] THIS IS THE SUPREME EXAMPLE OF COLD WAR BUNKER TECHNOLOGY. IT'S PROOF OF THE LENGTHS THE U.S. WAS PREPARED TO GO TO IN THE INTERESTS OF NATIONAL SECURITY. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, LIKE MANY OF THE BUNKERS THAT DOT THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE, WAS THE PRODUCT OF A REALLY DARK PERIOD IN THE AMERICAN PAST-- A PERIOD WHEN THE PROSPECT OF GLOBAL NUCLEAR WAR WAS A REAL AND LIVED THREAT, AND IN WHICH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SPENT EVERY DAY THINKING ABOUT AND PLANNING FOR THE UNTHINKABLE. WE'VE SEEN HOW BUNKERS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES WERE BUILT THROUGHOUT THE U.S. DURING THE COLD WAR. IN THE FACE OF A NUCLEAR ATTACK, THESE WERE AMERICA'S BEST HOPE-- THE PRODUCT OF GREAT INGENUITY AND VAST CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS MAINTAINED THROUGH DECADES OF SECRECY. THESE ARE THE PLACES WHERE THE THIRD WORLD WAR WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUGHT. CAPTIONED BY FEATURE SUBTITLING & TRANSLATION www.featuresubtitling.com

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Channel: HISTORY

Views: 457,907

Rating: 4.7723579 out of 5

Keywords: history, history channel, history shows, history channel shows, lost worlds, history lost worlds, lost worlds show, lost worlds full episodes, lost worlds clips, full episodes, lost world, lost worlds season 2 episode 5, lost worlds se2 e5, lost world s2 e5, lost worlds s02 e5, watch lost worlds, watch history shows, watch history full episodes, lost worlds season 2 clips, lost worlds full episode clips, watch lost world, watch lost world fullepisodes, Secret US Bunkers

Id: zy0jUpm-Wfo

Channel Id: undefined

Length: 44min 9sec (2649 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 05 2020