In March 1997, a several members
of the Cold War Studies program drove down to White Sulphur Springs,
West Virginia, to the luxurious Greenbriar Hotel. Although the
hotel itself was quite a spectacle (you have to see it to believe
it), what interested us most was what lay under the West Virginia
wing: the Congressional bunker. Built between 1959 and 1962 and
maintained until the 1990s, this facility would have served as
the center of the United States government in the event of a
nuclear war. Assuming of course that members of Congress could
be informed and transported to the site (250 miles and 5 hours
from Washington DC) and would leave behind their families (the
bunker could only house 800 people). This photo shows the top
page of a set of blueprints for the bunker. For the full story
about the Congressional Bunker see the story by Ted Gup in the
Washington Post, "The
Ultimate Congressional Hideaway."
For information about touring the bunker, see the info at
the Bureau of Atomic
Tourism.
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This photo shows the main exterior entrance
to the bunker. The white sign on the door reads "Warning:
High Voltage" and was designed to discourage curious visitors
and townspeople from exploring. The bunker can also be accessed
from the hotel. |
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This is the corridor leading
from the main door to the bunker facilities. The hall is wide
and high enough to accomodate large trucks and has a turnaround
space halfway down its length. C-rations and other supplies were
stored on a low shelf along the length of the corridor. |
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