The Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal.

But in the eyes of the US government,

its citizens are actually carved up

into two very distinct groups.

In the event of a nuclear war, there will be those who can get

into a bunker, and those who can't.

Today, we're going to take a look

at what it's like inside the bunkers designed

to keep the US government safe during a nuclear war.

But, before we get started, be sure to subscribe

to the Weird History channel.

And let us know in the comments below what

other related topics you would like to hear about.

[SHUDDERS]

All right, go get your jacket.

We're headed into a nuclear winter.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Located in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia,

the Greenbrier Resort was a top tier hotel,

with bright, luxurious grounds.

However, beneath the hotel, the US government

built a bunker intended to be used as a living

facility for members of Congress in the event of a nuclear war.

Despite the importance of the people meant to live there,

the bunker--

nicknamed "Project Greek Island"--

was a dreary, sterile place that was

roughly the size of a Walmart which, come to think about it,

most Walmarts are pretty dreary too, so--

1,100 bunk beds were arranged in long rows.

A name was assigned to each bunk bed,

possibly to prevent congressmen from bickering over

who got to sleep where.

Speaking of bickering, government officials

weren't even allowed to bring their families with them

to the shelter.

They were expected to abandon their loved ones

to a terrifying nuclear apocalypse

while they themselves fled to safety.

If that sounds psychologically traumatic to you,

well, it did to a few senators, as well.

To help the situation, the infirmary bunker

was heavily stocked with anti-depressants.

The scenario pretty much assured that the people making

the country's decisions in the most crucial hour

of an atomic war were not only isolated and depressed,

but heavily medicated.

The Greenbrier bunker was decommissioned

after being exposed by the Washington Post in 1992.

It's now open for tours during non-pandemic times.

So you can go see the cavern the officials would have had

to endure with your own eyes.

Maintaining the Greenbrier bunker was no easy task.

It required a large team to perform general maintenance,

replace filters, restock expired pharmaceuticals,

and continuously refresh the food supply.

None of that sounds too hard in itself,

but you have to keep in mind the bunker was top secret.

So they had to do it all without attracting

any unwanted attention.

To facilitate this, the government

created a fake company called Forsythe Associates, which

would serve as a cover for employees of the bunker.

As part of the cover, the employees of Forsythe

would actually repair televisions

for the nearly 800 rooms of the resort itself.

They managed to keep the rooms up for 30 years.

But it was the presence of these maintenance employees

that ultimately alerted civilians to the fact

that something strange was afoot at Greenbrier

or, more accurately, underfoot at Greenbrier.

The Pennsylvanian Raven Rock complex

is one of the larger bunkers.

Equipped with fully functional police and fire departments,

as well as its own power plant, this bunker

looks and operates like a full-fledged underground city.

Construction on the complex began in 1951,

but it almost never happened.

The Department of Defense wasn't sure there was actually

a contractor capable of constructing what

was essentially a three-story city

inside the core of a mountain.

Turns out, there was.

Parsons Brinkerhoff, the same firm

that was responsible for the original IRT

line of the New York City subway system

was able to complete the job.

The project, which was originally

approved by President Harry S. Truman,

was nicknamed Harry's Hole by the media.

I'll wait a second while you post your Harry's Hole comment

right now.

Keep it clean.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

As the Cold War came to an end, the fear of nuclear attack

tapered off, which was probably a good thing.

Many officials eventually began to question

the need for the Raven Rock bunker,

as it was incredibly expensive to maintain.

Even worse, it was becoming technologically obsolete,

which meant it would need pricey upgrades

on top of everything else.

One government official who visited Raven Rock even

remarked, "You feel like you're walking into a dinosaur

because the place is so outdated."

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush halted 24 operations

at Raven Rock.

The budget was slashed and the facility was all but abandoned.

However, after the attacks of September 11, 2001,

the government reversed course, even though those attacks

had no nuclear weapons.

With a renewed emphasis on national security,

Congress committed $652 million to upgrades at the bunker.

New fuel reserves were eventually

included in the project.

And, suddenly, Raven Rock's annual budget skyrocketed.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

When Raven Rock opened in 1953, it

was originally intended to be a second home

for the Department of Defense in the event of a nuclear war.

The space was built to include offices, bathrooms,

dining facilities, infirmaries, and communication areas,

and was designed to hold somewhere

in the neighborhood of 1,400 people.

And while it seems like such a project would

be highly classified, it was actually quite the opposite.

The media was briefed on what was

going on right from the start, and many facts about the bunker

were common knowledge.

For example, it was widely known the complex was protected

by 34-ton blast doors, which were bolstered

with long tunnels to protect inhabitants

in case of an attack.

The Raven Rock complex was one of the nation's most

active doomsday bunkers.

As such, it received fairly regular upgrades,

including a major one in 2012, when contractors

added 27 new fuel tanks that held up to 20,000

additional gallons of gasoline.

Originally, just 100,000 square feet, the complex

eventually increased to 900,000, to accommodate an estimated

3,000 to 5,000 employees.

However, as usual, no family members

were invited to live at the facility.

While there were plans to let family members visit

in case of disaster, you might have

to cross a Mad Max-style wasteland

to get to the complex.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Cheyenne Mountain is one of the most secure places on Earth.

And if you're lucky enough to make it through both security

checkpoints, you'll find yourself at a massive door.

Situated at a 90 degree angle away from this entrance

is a huge tunnel that extends all the way from one side

of the mountain to the other.

The man-made tunnel was designed by architects

to direct any nuclear radiation away

from the entrance of the facility.

The door, which weighs 23 tons, is shaped like a giant plug.

This means that, in the event of an exterior blast,

the seal it creates would actually tighten and expel

any toxic fumes.

It's like a giant panic room.

Imagine it's the end of the world.

Nuclear missiles are flying.

Entire cities are being annihilated,

and people are dying by the millions.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[EXPLOSIONS]

You, however, are in the mood for a hearty meatball sub.

Well, if you had a Level 1 security clearance,

and were one of the people lucky enough

to be in the Cheyenne Mountain bunker,

we've got some good news.

Employees of Cheyenne Mountain had their very own Subway

fast food restaurant where they could pick up

some grub on their way to monitoring

for potential airborne threats.

The facility even had TV screens that

could live stream the outside world,

and a 24-hour cafeteria that could serve intricate meals.

It was a pretty sweet setup as far as post-apocalyptic living

goes.

But, in case of long lasting disaster,

a military cook was always on standby to begin rationing.

The Cheyenne Mountain complex, which is still in use today,

had a lot of the same amenities you'd find in any community.

For example, fitness classes were said to be popular,

with spin class being a particular favorite.

On a normal day, you were likely to find

the area filled with employees SoulCycling

to some awful techno music.

But, of course, everything in the complex

serves an emergency purpose, as well.

In disaster situation, the facility's gym

was designed to double as a hospital station.

Curtains located at the front of the gym

would actually shield the hospital bay when closed.

Hopefully, when functioning as a hospital,

they would turn down that terrible EDM.

[IMITATING EDM BEATS]

The Cheyenne Mountain bunker has not one

but two underground lakes.

Rowboats could be taken out on the water

to inspect the large man-made reservoir.

But they're also used for other purposes.

For example, a long-standing Naval tradition

holds that sailors should renew their enlistment at sea.

The reservoir boats give Naval personnel

stationed at the complex a chance to honor that tradition,

if they choose to.

Each reservoir is roughly the size of a football field.

And both were designed to slope downward into the Earth

to control spillage in the event of a bomb-related quake.

The water supply could keep the complex hydrated for weeks.

Well, this this reservoir is like 20-feet deep

and it holds about a million five-gallons of water.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

To allow staff to freely practice their religions,

the Cheyenne Mountain complex, like many of the other bunkers,

was built with a nondenominational chapel.

The chapel at Cheyenne Mountain is

known to have been used during the September 11 attacks.

When the country reeled in the aftermath,

all employees were locked into the bunker

and compelled to work.

Most employees did their duty.

But a story holds that one man complained

and asked to be released to see his family.

He was sent to the bunker chapel, where

he spent some time with a chaplain, who offered prayer

and mental health services.

The employee is said to have re-evaluated his situation

and returned to work.

All in all, pretty understandable.

Cheyenne Mountain is also home to the North American Aerospace

Defense, also known as NORAD.

It was built to protect the United States in the event

all of their systems failed.

In the event of a nuclear attack,

the NORAD buildings are shielded by massive expanses of rock.

The springs located beneath the space

provide cushion and shock protection.

And the buildings are built with enough slack

to allow them to sway up to 18-feet in either direction,

kind of like how many West Coast buildings are

built to withstand earthquakes.

[MUSIC - "DUCK AND COVER THEME SONG"]

(SINGING) He did what we all must learn to do.

You, and you, and you, and you, [BLAST] duck and cover.

So what do you think?

How do you think you'd feel about living