At the height of the Cold War the nuclear missiles in South Dakota and five other states presented a paradox; while Soviet satellites had pinpointed their locations, American citizens were scarcely aware of the arsenal in their midst. Thirty years ago, concerned peace groups undertook the task of mapping the missile fields with the intention of sparking debate about the weapons stored there.
When first published by the Wisconsin-based organization Nukewatch in 1988, the book Nuclear Heartland provided the first publicly accessible maps and driving directions to each of the 1,000 Minuteman Missile silos located in six fields across the United States. This year, the group published a revised edition of the book, which includes information on the 1990s "Drawdown" of the missile fields in rural Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota, as well as detailed accounts of peace actions in the missile fields from 1958 to the present.
At 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 23, John LaForge—activist and co-editor of the revised edition of Nuclear Heartland—will speak at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site's visitor center about the work that he and others continue to do in fostering a dialogue about nuclear weapons.
"The original edition of Nuclear Heartlandwas released during a critical time at the end of the Cold War. This new edition serves as a reminder that nuclear weapons are still keeping a constant watch on the high plains," said Superintendent Eric Leonard.
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site's headquarters and visitor center is located off of exit 131, Interstate 90. The park consists of three sites along a fifteen mile stretch of Interstate 90 in Western South Dakota. Established by Congress in 1999, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site preserves components of the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile system, interpreting the deterrent value of the land-based portion of America's nuclear defense during the Cold War era and commemorating the people and events associated with this recent period of American history.
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Comments
The guy should be in jail for treason rather than speaking at a National Historic Site.
For what? Letting fellow Americans know where the silos were? As the NPS notes, the Soviets already knew...
Or thought they knew. Did they know where every one was? Did they think some were someplace they weren't? Did he know at the time what the Soviets did and didn't know? Despicable.
And then there's the First Amendment...
Sorry Kurt, the First Amenment does not allow one to disclose national defense secrets.
And really, EC, if you traveled in Wyoming and the Dakotas when these missile silos were active, they were not exactly secretive. The barbed wire fencing and signs were dead giveaways.
But is does not permit giving away state secrets. Nor does it permit yelling "Fire" in a crowded room when there is no fire.
Haven't we gotten to the point by now where we can publicly recognise and admit that Mutually Assured Destruction was indeed MAD?
Again,, they weren't state secrets. If you drove around the Dakotas or Wyoming back in the 80s, you'd know where they were.
Whether that is true or not (I don't recall seeing WWIII) is moot. Giving away state secrets is treason and not protected by the 1st Amendment, even if they aren't so "secret". Though I challange you once again Kurt to demonstrate the Soviets knew every location (fake & real).
You forget, EC, that the Soviets were trademarking our missile sites, starting with Drs. Strangelove one, two, and three. Of course they knew them all--and had targeted them all. Each country had more than 6,000 warheads.
And, EC, the NPS mentioned in the first sentence above that the Soviets knew where the silos were. Any challenge would be for you to prove that statement wrong.
I'm visiting this site in Feb. (sump-to-tip tour) and can't wait to ask the usually fine NPS folks why/how they were forced to allow Mr. LaForge's event. I wish I could have attended his Jan talk. I'd like to ask the brave "activist" when he plans to concentrate on some real nuclear threats; I be interested in donating to a crowdfunding effort to send him and his fellow "activists" to North Korea, Iran, Pakistan where they can "...foster a dialogue" with those actually threatening to use nukes today.
Funny...I don't recall any Warsaw Pact counterpart to "Nukewatch" active during the Cold War. I guess Mr. LaForge and his ilk just expected the western democracies to disarm and count on the proven good nature of the Soviets to follow suit. He may not be a traitor per se, but at a minimum, he's terminally naive.
Trust me - the Soviets were well aware of the locations - I served in SAC during that era & we used to know exactly what time each satellite passed overhead, taking recon photos. There was NEVER any attempt to keep the locations "secret" - part of the program was to make them aware of what was stockpiled.
The idea that the sites were "State Secrets" is ludicrous - as is the concept of "treason" for talking about something that has been declassified for some 30 years.......
I see that NPT made the assertion. Whoever made the assertion, it is up to them to prove it right. But then again, whether the Soviets knew or not, is moot. It is illegal, and even treasonous, to give out classified information whether known or not known by the recepient. Should we be having Edward Snowden speak next?
And what would have happened to you if you had gone public with the locations? And the issue isn't him talking about it now, its about him revealing the locations in 1988. Are you claiming that information wasn't classified in 1988?
Ec, you are more slippery than a snakeoil salesman. The NPS pointed it out in the first sentence of this story. NPT didn't bring it up. It's been there since the story was first posted. This is why some folks consider you a troll. When the challenge is placed back on you, you disregard it and move in some other direction.
Yes, if military personnel gave out the locations, that likely would be considered treason. But the information was out there just the same. Hell, defense secretaries in the 60s even talked about how many nukes the military had -- on land, sea, and air -- in their budget docs. You can read all about it here:
http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB197/
As for Snowden, he actually spoke recently in Park City...via satellite.
Kurt, maybe I am missing something. The story by-line is "NPT Staff" not NPS. NPS is not quoted in the first line, or anywhere else in the article. Perhaps you copied an NPS story/release without attribution but there is no way of telling that from this post. And there is no documentation that the Soviets accurately and confidently knew.
Treason doesn't require you to be in a military position. Treason is treason military or civilian. Take a look at those that have been convicted in the past. Many weren't in military positions.
And no Snowden didn't speak "in Park City". He spoke somewhere else and it was transmitted to Park City. Why? Because what he did was treasonous and if he were in Park City he would have been arrested and tried.
Secret? I'd like to see some documentation that these sites were ever top secret. They were not.
I recall going west on a college geology field trip in 1961. We stopped in Mitchell, South Dakota so our professors could ask directions to a fossiliferous site they wanted us to see. I remember that the man they asked (he was some sort of geologist himself) gave instructions that included, "Drive umptee miles north on route whatever until you come to the missile silo, then turn left or right or whichever it was." We passed several more missile sites, all with prominent fences, big doors lying flat on the ground and menacing signs all around them. They probably were not storage places for corn silage.
What was inside the silos might have been secret, but where they were located certainly was not. In fact, somewhere out there we spotted a sign with a big bullseye on it that said something like "In case of mushroom cloud, kiss a certain portion of your anatomy goodbye." We passed many Air Force blue jeeps and trucks and even saw a huge white tractor trailer with the Air Force star emblem on it. There is one just like it on display at Hill Air Force Base Museum with a sign explaining that its purpose was to transport Minuteman Missiles to silos, stand them up, and lower them down into place below ground.
In fact, somewhere in my piles of slide files I have some photos taken on that trip. Here's a photo I pulled from online of a site very similar to the ones we saw in South Dakota. Don't know where this one was, but it's certainly a safe bet that all the neighbors for miles around knew exactly what it was and where it was. (Drat, the photo shows up in the draft comment, but disappears when I try to post it. Here's a link that might work https://www.google.com/search?q=were+missile+silos+secret&source=lnms&tb...
Top Secret? I really don't think so.
Awfully brave of you to defend our nation like this, Eric.
Sorry, but I missed it when you first mentioned it - when it was time to sign on the line to defend the nation with your body, which branch of service were you in?
I have full appreciation for all that have served in the military including my father "The Colonel" who was buried in Arlington Cemetery, along with my mother, with full honors. But one does not have to have served to "defend the nation" and one doesn't need to be in military to not commit treason. To suggest anyone that has not served is less than a patriot is absurd as it would put the vast majority of our population in that catagory. Whether I served or not has no bearing on what I believe to be treasonous acts by LaForge.
"Twenty-five years ago, a missile silo south of Tucson was one of the most top-secret places in America."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7284003
Ah, Comrade, you're missing the missile again. What happened INSIDE the silos was supposed to be secret, but the LOCATIONS of the sites was not -- and could not -- be secret. As usual, you're trying to split hairs with your arguments.
Most of the sites had been carved out of private land. Previous owners had SOLD the land to the government, often under threat of eminent domain. Construction of the places was a major, major undertaking as recounted in a picture caption in the NPR article you cite. By the way, an article from any source other than an official government document does not prove the secrecy of these places, no matter what the first attention grabbing line of the article may say.
If you are actually correct, it should be very easy for you to provide proof positive. All it takes is a reference to any official document that proves that LOCATIONS of these silos was top-secret.
As for being "traitors," for listing locations of these silos . . . haven't you in the past here vehemently howled about what you felt was government overreach? Shouldn't you be praising watchdogs who had the courage to stand up and speak out when necessary? For example, are the watchdog groups that exposed the recent anthrax problems involving Dugway Proving Grounds or the earlier safety problems at Tooele (too-ILL-ah) Army Depot's nerve gas incinerator traitors? Both of those installations are "secret" and have signs nearly identical to those I saw around those fences in the Great Plains back in 1961.
Everyone knew we had nukes. You could speak up without betraying your country and identifying where they were.
[added] And by the way, building a strong national defense is not government overreach. It is one of the responsibilities/powers actually granted by the Constitution.
So, the question goes begging: Is the "Bundy militia" that took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, who defaced federal property, and stole government vehicles, treasonous?
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/brian-levin-oregon-standoff-matters-a...
Of course they are, Kurt - no matter how clumsy a dolt is, he can still be a treasonous and dangeroius fool. They are armed and their avowed purpose is to overthrow the US government.
I don't know that it reaches the level of treason. No "aiding and abetting" the enemy. But, I don't approve of their methods.
That is a gross (and probably intentional) misrepresentation of their goals. A restoration of the Constituionally based US Government is far closer to the reality. But again, I don't agree with their methods nor with their view on the status of Federal Lands.
@Kurt Repanshek - A well functioning democracy requires a well informed public. A free and open press is key to that. It’s well known that official secrecy has been used to cover up embarrassing activities of our government. A free press can reveal such things, which can include a wasting of general funds. Some sectors of U.S. society feel that secrecy is essential and embarrassing activities of our government should remain hidden, especially from innocent children.
The activists, who published the missile map book were well aware that the Soviet Union already knew the location of each of the missile sites since they were easily visible on satellite images which most American citizens were largely unaware of at that time. U.S. government officials wanted the public to believe the sites were well hidden and invulnerable since the continued spending on these systems earned tends-of-billions of dollars for defense contractors.
Prior to reading the book I had come across several of the missile silos while driving the back roads in the northern central plains states. The surface facilities were obvious. I worked at an Air Force long range radar site during the Viet Nam war era. Those, who had made their career in the system had convinced themselves that they were doing something useful. On the other hand, I knew the system I worked with was quite obsolete and more of a tool to reassure the public that they were well defended. I was well aware that if the Soviets had launched their nuclear ICBMs at us our radar site would have turned into a massive blast crater long before the Soviet bombers got even close to the maximum detection range of our site. Sometimes it’s better to think for ones-self than to accept the party-line reassurances.
Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction (WMD) no matter who possesses them. The U.S. strategy remains based on mutual assured destruction. That is a strategy of terror. Humans should not engage in threatening the continuance of life on this planet due to their ideological obsessions. We are supposed to be smart apes.
I greatly admired the book Nuclear Heartland. It revealed aspects of U.S. defense spending that few Americans were aware of. It helped guide me on about a two-decade quest to reveal more wasteful spending. Eventually, I ran across an obscure technical report which estimated that a partial clean-up, at the Nevada Test Site where 824 underground nuclear test explosions had been conducted, could cost $7.29-trillion. That was rejected due to several impracticalities, including cost.
Thank you Vernon, others and traveler for this informative discussion.
'That is a gross (and probably intentional) misrepresentation of their goals.'
=================
They are armed. They have stated many times in many similar words that they wish to overthrow at least some of the federal government.
Your next note is the revealing one, where you sympathize with these traitors' view.
A restoration of the Constituionally based US Government is far closer to the reality.
In their, and apparently your, view. Your denial about their methods is meaningless, given your expressed sympathy.
How do your overthrow "some" of the federal goverment? Please show me any statement of their's where they want to "overthrow" the Constitutional goverment of the U.S.
It sure was pleasant around here for a couple of weeks. There were actually some coherent, thoughtful and interesting exchanges of ideas. What happened?
it bottles my mind that some of you still try to engage with someone who just wants to argue with you. why waste your time?
You're right, Lee. What is, is, and I need to just walk away. Apologies to the group for my anger.
Rick, nice exit to run from having to show the Bundy group wants to overthrow the government. Guess we will put that down as another baseless accusation. And Matt, someone has to engage these folks and expose them even if they are here just for argument.
In the meantime, I highly recommend a visit to Minuteman Missile. It's a fascinating place that relates just a small part of the history of the Cold War.
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2013/07/exploring-parks-minuteman-m...
And if you happen to be thawing out in Tucson, head a little way south on Interstate 19 where you'll find a Titan Missile site preserved for your visit. (Then drive a little farther south and you'll come to Tumacacori National Historical Park. Another must-visit place!)
A little documentation regarding the "secret" status of Minuteman Missile silos and their locations is available in an NPS PDF from Minuteman Missile. I haven't been able to get a workable link, but if you go to the park's website, and then look under BROCHURES below the BASIC INFORMATION selection, you should find it. The rest of the site makes very ineresting reading, too. Dunno why none of us seem to have thought of going to the original source right off the bat.
The following paragraph from the second page of the Launch Facility brochure puts to rest the false claim that these were secret sites and that anyone "disclosing" the site locations was somehow a traitor.
They were, according to this, DELIBERATELY not secret. The U.S. wanted the U.S.S.R. to know exactly how many of these things we had aimed at them.
The launch control facilities and missile silos of the Cold War, and even those that exist today, were never a secret. Many community members even participated in the construction. The locations of these sites were never kept secret from the Soviet Union, either. By making them visible, especially from the air, the Soviet Union
could count how many intercontinental ballistic missiles the United States possessed. By having 1,000, the U.S. hoped to outpace the Soviet Union in the nuclear arms build-up, to discourage an attack, and prevent a nuclear war.