Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself--While the Rest of Us Die

Thoroughly readable and enjoyable account across decades and generations that allows the reader the comfort of diving into details while also being more open to skimming by others. I appreciated that absolutely non-partisan viewpoint that doesn't seem to favor one administration or party over another; strengths and weaknesses of each fairly reported. It's also nice to learn what each successive administration absorbed and reimagined - or not - from the administration it succeeded.

Continuity of Government (COG)The advent of nuclear weapons also brought concerns of how to maintain a government during and after a nuclear attack. For a lack of a better term, this is called “continuity of government” or COG. Before nuclear weapons, it was virtually impossible to destroy a complete government in one attack. After nuclear weapons, this is an all to possible scenario!Ravenrock is an account of how the US Government planned for COG from President Truman to near present times. Much of the near term planning is classified and unavailable to the authors. But still there are clues of what exists.The sad fact is this: “Americans and their politicians believe hiding from a threat is cowardice.” The was seen during 9/11 when President Bush was at school in Florida, whisked away to Air Force One, forced to fly in holding patterns over the Caribbean, landing at Barksdale AFB, and the directed to Offutt AFB, despite his objects and his desire to return to the White House, while people in Washington tried to understand what had happened to the United States. Afterwards, a number of people accused him of cowardice. This greatly impairs the ability of planners for COG.In Ravenrock, of the 1950’s we see plans to ferret key people in government away to various underground bunkers while leaving their families. This proved infeasible for politicians and their families alike. So plans were changed to provide for families. But even these did not provide satisfaction, to the point where key politicians would not evacuate. Rather, the would send subordinates during the exercises and in certain real situations to the bunkers.Then, there was the issue of transportation. At first, the plan depended on traveling the roads about Washington, DC. But have you ever tried to get somewhere quickly in Washington, DC, particularly at 4:30 PM? In a nuclear attack, the thought initially was that you had 15 minutes!After trying to move President Eisenhower to Camp David, it was quickly found a better solution was necessary. At first a “bubble dome” helicopter from the Army was used. But after the first flight, when the President suffer severe heat exhaustion and dehydration from the heat in the helicopter, this had to be changed. After some deliberation, a Marine helicopter proved satisfactory. This was how the Marines got the helicopter services for the President which they retain to the present day.Clearly, the transportation difficulties still persist to this day for various other personages. Washington, DC, is not an easy place to escape from.We see the development of Air Force One in its various forms and the alternate command posts, both aerial and bunker based. Communications posed special problems requiring the coalition of various communications corporations in the planning for COG. We see the development of NORAD in Cheyenne Mountain and the advent of NORAD tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.And so, Ravenrock traces the billions of dollars spent on COG operations, the attempts to find feasible governmental operations, the exercise and failures of the plans, and what actually happened during several crises where the COG plans were potentially in effect.So where does Ravenrock leave us?Since there is security classification tied to most of the COG plans and operations, we can only surmise an answer from real events where COG operations were exercised, the most recent being 9/11. What we found was a reluctance of American Leaders to exercise their duties under the current plan. For example, the Secretary of Defense was assisting in immediate evacuations from the Pentagon and was incommunicado for a lengthy period of time rather than performing assigned duties! Despite movement orders for the principals, they sent subordinates. Most of the people did not know of the plans and those that did apparently with some exceptions did not follow their instructions!Thus, we are left to conclude that in a real emergency, much of the COG planning would be for naught: ad hoc decisions would be made. If a real nuclear attack hit Washington, DC, regardless of warning times, be they short or be they long, the US Government would be effectively decapitated, mainly because plans have been insufficiently exercised and plans would not be executed in full.No one knows what the future will bring but we are left with President Eisenhower’s words:“The President said that, of course, his imagination as to the horrors of a third world war might be overdeveloped, but he believed that every single nation, including the United States, which entered into this war as a free nation would come out of it as a dictatorship,” wrote Deputy Executive Secretary Everett Gleason in the meeting minutes. “This would be the price of survival.”

Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself--While the Rest of Us Die, by Garrett M. Graff, is a revealing history of the attempts by the US government to insure the continuity of government (COG) since the dawn of the Cold War, and with renewed and slightly shifted vigor after 911.The title is telling. At the beginning of the Cold War, there were plans in place to save large population centers through evacuations. But as nuclear weapons grew in size and strength, these efforts were largely abandoned. The government, particularly the Executive Branch, was widely acknowledged to be the only entity that could possibly survive a nuclear exchange with the USSR and govern what was left of the country.Graff’s book is detailed, knowledgeable, and for those of us who lived during the Cold War, frightening in the sense of how close we came to nuclear war through accidents, computer malfunctions, and faculty communications. At times only luck saved us from Armageddon.

If you lived through the cold war and have anxiety about nuclear destruction today, this book will interest you. The author has done a remarkable job explaining the contingency plans for government that our country has if there is a nuclear war as well as how these plans were arrived at. However, Presidents Truman and Eisenhower showed no interest in taking refuge in many of the bomb shelters that have been built around the country for the continuation of government. I think they resigned themselves to the futility of such an event. There are so many little nuggets of interest, that the book is fascinating. (At one point government discussed tattooing children with their blood types on their torsos, so if their arms were blown off, they would still know their blood type. Even racism had to be addressed by Eisenhower when black military staff could not find housing near their shelter protection assignments in Va. because of segregation.) Well researched and endlessly fascinating.

I am from Frederick County, Maryland. All the secret bunkers and hidden tunnels are the stuff of folklore where I'm from. Here is the straight dope. Mount Saint Mary's was for foreign diplomats. The golf balls at Detrick are for the Hot Line. Western Maryland College (now called something else) does have a secret basement. The water tower I ran by on the JFK is not a water tower at all. I feel vindicated.Most of the book is what you would call 'popular history.' But the final chapter might just be one of the best accounts of the September 11th attacks I have read. Dick Cheney as the right man at the right time. Imagine that!The book could have used one more pass by the editor as in places it repeats the same information.

I've not finished this yet, but felt compelled to write a review.I've been looking for a book that covers the political and practical aspects of the cold war. What the thoughts and policies were of the leaders, and how they turned that into preparedness for the horror that could come. I've always been particularly interested in the bunkers. the design, size, how they were equipped etc. This book does all of the above and more.I'm amazed by the sheer collation of data that the writer must have gone through to pull out the meaningful information that he's put in here. He talks about the initial rush and cash injection to get the US prepared for Armageddon, to the 'back-burner' politics of the late 60's and 70's (Vietnam was the priority then). The book goes into detail about costs, conversations and attitudes toward preparedness and continuity of government and what that would really mean for the people of the nation. I'll give you a hint - what's the point of having a government if there's no people left...Really great book, I'd recommend to anyone who's interested in the subject matter or wants to understand the history and possibly attitudes of the American leaders during the Cold War.

Its a good read. The source material the author had to work with was probably quite boring but he has managed to weave a very informative and entertaining story which shows the impact nuclear weapons have had on our modern world. The ability to rain down apocalyptic destruction in a matter of minutes, turning cities into craters and destroying millions of lives is something that no sane person wants to live through and this lies at the heart of this book.

This goes into everything in such depth, it is amazing. I think it is the best thing I've read ever.

Just a good, solid read about a part of history so close. Scary to see just how simultaneously clueless, ruthless, and strategic these figures were. A good parallel to current events, and a reminder that "this too shall pass".

This great book tells a compelling story about America's attempts to prepare for a nuclear war and its aftermath. It's a good mix of history, military theory, politics, and sociology.