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

Narrated by: Jacques Roy

Now a 6-part mini-series called Why the Rest of Us Die airing on VICE TV!

The shocking truth about the government’s secret plans to survive a catastrophic attack on US soil—even if the rest of us die—is “a frightening eye-opener” (Kirkus Reviews) that spans the dawn of the nuclear age to today, and "contains everything one could possibly want to know" (The Wall Street Journal).

Every day in Washington, DC, the blue-and-gold first Helicopter Squadron, codenamed “MUSSEL,” flies over the Potomac River. As obvious as the Presidential motorcade, most people assume the squadron is a travel perk for VIPs. They’re only half right: while the helicopters do provide transport, the unit exists to evacuate high-ranking officials in the event of a terrorist or nuclear attack on the capital. In the event of an attack, select officials would be whisked by helicopters to a ring of secret bunkers around Washington, even as ordinary citizens were left to fend for themselves.

“In exploring the incredible lengths (and depths) that successive administrations have gone to in planning for the aftermath of a nuclear assault, Graff deftly weaves a tale of secrecy and paranoia” (The New York Times Book Review) with details "that read like they've been ripped from the pages of a pulp spy novel" (Vice). For more than sixty years, the US government has been developing secret Doomsday strategies to protect itself, and the multibillion-dollar Continuity of Government (COG) program takes numerous forms—from its potential to evacuate the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to the plans to launch nuclear missiles from a Boeing-747 jet flying high over Nebraska. Garrett M. Graff sheds light on the inner workings of the 650-acre compound, called Raven Rock, just miles from Camp David, as well as dozens of other bunkers the government built for its top leaders during the Cold War, from the White House lawn to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado to Palm Beach, Florida, and the secret plans that would have kicked in after a Cold War nuclear attack to round up foreigners and dissidents and nationalize industries. Equal parts a presidential, military, and cultural history, Raven Rock tracks the evolution of the government plan and the threats of global war from the dawn of the nuclear era through the War on Terror.

Incredible Book with HORRIBLE narration

great book with a lot of insight
the only thing for me was the narrator. Almost makes you want to sleep on such an amazing historic events.After this book I am not as afraid of EMP ATTACKS as I used to be but horrified by federal and state government stupidity even after all that taxpayer money funneled in defense contractors. Gives a real nice insight into presidencies from FDR to OBAMA.

Well researched interesting information.

The information was fantastic, presented in a very complete manner. There were one or two spots where the information became a bit deep for the topic of the chapter, but Graff always brought the conclusion around nicely. Mr. Roy did a fine job reading the material.

Really enjoyed

I really enjoyed the stories and the wisdom in the audio book. I listened for almost a week and learned a lot not just about Lakota's but also what I can work on in my life as well.

Awesome book

What did you love best about Raven Rock?

Story is fascinating, and a topic rarely discussed.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Raven Rock?

Understanding the scope of government contingency planning.

Have you listened to any of Jacques Roy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Was a multi-hour listen.

Interesting info. Lackluster Reading Performance

Great Book, very interesting info about soooo much more that just the Raven Rock facility. Staggeringly boring narration. As a trucker I found it literally dangerous to listen to late in my shift. Lulled me damned near to sleep behind the wheel a couple times, had to switch to music!

Informative

Excellent and informative I’m glad I listened to this book
So much history and secrets

Whoa. Better start prepping!

Very interesting but also quite dense. Would definitely need to listen to this a few more times to better digest the information presented. But if you’re into US history you’ll probably enjoy this. Good narration too.

very interesting

the sort of book everyone should read. nothing is ever what it seems. please read.

A fascinating story backed by outstanding research

Stories about the Cold War and the omnipresent nuclear threat have always fascinated me; the stories told in this book shed light on some of the most obscure, chilling and fascinating facts about how politicians prepared for the ultimate nightmare. The book is packed with interesting facts and real stories, and provides a great new look at how humanity dealt with the absolute madness that are nuclear weapons. The performance is correct, but there are very abrupt changes in tone across chapters, which affect the understandability of the speech. AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Fascinating presidential accounts

loved listening to this book. fact filled about how we all perish during Thermonuclear war while the government tries to sus stain itsself in underground bunkers