During the years of the Cold War, humanity lived in a state of permanent paranoia. The two superpowers of the time - the Soviet Union and the United States - tried to prepare for the day when their enemy would launch a nuclear attack. One of the biggest concerns was how to properly protect the president and the ruling elite when the ICBMs began to arrive. In the United States, one of the largest secret shelters in the world was built: the Greenbrier bunker. We invite you to get to know it.
The Origins of the Bunker
Once the Second World War ended, the two surviving superpowers engaged in a kind of diabolical chess game, where each move by one contender was immediately countered by its opponent. Far from any rational logic, the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union began manufacturing ever more powerful and faster weapons. After seeing what the American bombs did in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, it was clear that a nuclear attack could bring a country to its knees.
The civilian population, unfortunately, was destined to be cannon fodder. Cities with several million inhabitants were absolutely impossible to evacuate in the few minutes available between detecting an enemy launch and the arrival of the dreaded atomic bomb. Even if shelters large enough were built to house 3 or 4 million inhabitants, there was no time for them to take refuge inside. Obviously, running a country is impossible if its leaders are not safe, so the United States began to devise a plan to keep a handful of people safe: the president, senators, their aides and, according to some, their families. But... what could be done to protect them? The answer was the Greenbrier bunker.
Building the Secret Shelter
During the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, schoolchildren were trained to protect themselves under desks or in stairwells. This system - clearly completely ineffective - was not good enough for congressmen, so it was decided to build a huge underground shelter beneath an old four-star hotel called “The Greenbrier”. The building is located in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, was originally built in the 19th century, and has been renovated several times. In 1910 its facilities were expanded, and during the Second World War it served as a hospital and lodging for diplomats from other countries who were in the United States.
In 1950, with the Cold War and the nuclear threat hanging over the world, it underwent a secret restructuring. The project was named “Greek Island Project” and consisted of building a new wing of the hotel. The works were carried out between 1958 and 1961, and the workers “added” the shelter's facilities without the public knowing. The walls of the bunker are made of reinforced concrete, strong enough to withstand the consequences of a nuclear impact on Washington. If a bomb hit the hotel directly, no one would have survived, but its secret nature protected it and prevented the Russians from considering it an interesting target.
The bunker has two underground levels, accessed through four entrances protected by giant steel doors. Each weighs 25 tons and was built by the Mosler Safe Company. Two are wide enough to allow a truck to pass. Inside the shelter there are 53 rooms, and storage areas with clothing, food, water and fuel so that congressmen could remain safe and well supplied during a hypothetical enemy attack.
The Secret Comes to Light
At this point in the story you may be wondering how it is possible that we are telling you about the existence of these secret facilities. The answer is very simple: in 1992, journalists from the Washington Post discovered that there was “something strange” at the Greenbrier Hotel and published it. The government acknowledged the existence of the bunker and immediately closed it. Once the secret was violated, it was no longer useful. For 30 years the facilities had been kept secret by a group of hotel workers, whose salaries were paid by the national administration. Over time, the bunker's facilities were “recycled”, and today they are used as data storage for the private sector. Part of it can even be toured by tourists, who access the guts of a shelter that - thanks to their tax money - would have saved the lives of their congressmen.
For more information, visit the official website of the Greenbrier.
