Posted on 06/25/2002 10:51:37 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
FOUNTAINDALE -- Blasted into a mountain near here, the military's nuclear-proof command bunker known as Site R was once so secret the federal government denied its very existence.But the folks at Sunshine Lanes knew, because about 20 men from Site R bowl on Friday night. And workers at Chubbies sub shop knew, because Site R workers sometimes order subs and pizzas to be delivered.
"They meet us at the gate," Chubbies owner Dave Sander said.
Since Sept. 11, with Site R buzzing almost daily with helicopters and fighter jets, the secret is out.
Stories about Site R have run in newspapers in Cleveland; Pittsburgh; Austin, Texas; even Halifax, Canada, and London. Some indicated that a "shadow government" has been working there in case of a major terrorist attack in Washington, D.C. Others suggested it was Vice President Dick Cheney's "undisclosed location." Some stories named nearby roads. One Web site even posted a diagram of the underground complex, complete with the location of reservoirs and power plants.
Even the Pentagon now publicly acknowledges Site R. It announced in March, for example, that it was seeking $74 million to upgrade the site's computers, cooling system and power.
"Just a general modernization," said Jennifer Lafley, spokeswoman for the Army's Military District of Washington, which oversees Site R.
For the last several years, she said, the Pentagon has provided a standard two-sentence description to inquiring media:
"Site-R is located in Adams County, Pa. This facility includes the National Military Command Center-Site-R and tenants representing each of the military services." Beyond that, however, the Pentagon keeps quiet.
Lafley said she visited Site R earlier this year via helicopter.
"There's no windows," she offered. "There's certainly a cafeteria."
Built between 1950 and 1954, Site R was one of a handful of bunkers designed to withstand a Soviet nuclear attack. Others include one in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and inside Cheyenne Mountain near Colorado Springs.
A June 1951 Army planning memo -- posted on several Web sites -- describes three floors and more than 200,000 square feet of space "exclusive of corridors, toilets, utility rooms, restaurant." The declassified memo estimated it could hold as many as 5,400 people.
Military expert John Pike, director of globalsecurity.org, estimates there are between a few dozen and 500 workers there on any given day -- and that number has almost certainly increased since Sept. 11, he said.
Its annual funding is probably $10 million to $50 million, assuming a Pentagon-typical estimate of $100,000 per person, he said.
There's a brisk flow of cars in and out of one gate, and a blue bus delivers other workers. Its impact on the local economy is minor, business officials say, and there's been no recognizable change since Sept. 11.
Military officials won't say how many are inside the mountain or if, in fact, Cheney goes there. There are no signs, of course, aside from a few saying "U.S. government property." It's illegal to take any photographs of the site. A caravan of Ford Expeditions full of military police descended on a newspaper photographer who tried.
"I can't answer any questions about Site R," said Eileen Mitchell, a spokeswoman at Fort Detrick, which oversaw Site R until the February transfer to the Military District of Washington.
Rep. Todd Platts, R-York County, referred questions to the Pentagon.
Local residents, many of whom know people who worked at Site R, have heard all kinds of rumors: that the mountain opens up and fighter jets come flying in and out; that the woods are full of microphones and motion detectors, that there's an entire underground city ready for occupation beneath the mountain.
"To me, it's sort of an Atlantis," said Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carol Henicle, whose brother worked there and whose father helped build it.
"There's a lot of wild and fancy ideas about it in people's minds," said Bob Gunder, who retired four years ago as the manager of Site R. Not, he said, that he will clarify anything about it.
"It's more valuable today than what it was in the Cold War," he said. "Just use your imagination."
As early as 1981, The Associated Press reported on a "Site R" in a story about President Reagan touring nuclear doomsday sites. The story placed Site R "in Maryland near the Pennsylvania border."
A Washington Post story in 1992 said the "underground Pentagon" at Site R included a reservoir, barbershop, chapel and all the communications equipment needed to run a government.
With the Cold War ending and the bunker seemingly a relic, the government cut back its 24-hour staffing, and one local commander at Maryland's Fort Ritchie even gave a few tours -- though that was quickly stopped, Gunder said.
Some local residents are angry or at least a little worried about the increased publicity since Sept. 11.
"I don't think it should be broadcast," said Crystal Miller, 49, Waynesboro. "I know it's there. I know what it does. Other than that, I don't want to know anything. It's none of my business."
The Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce's Henicle said the increased publicity has been "a little worrisome, especially in today's age. You think with 9-11 just maybe something could happen there."
Advocates for more government openness say the site was never really much of a secret.
"As far as it being public, it really always was," said Wayne Madsen, a former National Security Agency specialist. "I don't see any danger in the American people knowing about where their shadow government meets."
Believe me, I do realize the need for security. The public can access any search engine and it will have this info. Discern the links that others have provided.
O.K., I got a little carried away. I used to work at Site R and I can remember signing all sorts of secrecy agreements. After checking some links, it appears that most of the basics on Site R have long since been made public. However, I don't think it was necessary for the author of that article to describe recent increases in flight activity around Site R.
O.K., I got a little carried away. I used to work at Site R and I can remember signing all sorts of secrecy agreements. After checking some links, it appears that most of the basics on Site R have long since been made public. However, I don't think it was necessary for the author of that article to describe recent increases in flight activity around Site R.
That had to be one of the most well-known secrets in history.
That, combined with increasingly accurate Russian ICBMs, is why it was pretty much mothballed. The terrorist nuke & bio/chem threat is why it is now being geared up again.
I always felt bad for the people living near there. Kinda like living your whole life with a bullseye on your back.
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