Here are two photos of the decommissioned Safeguard ABM system (in northern North Dakota) developed to protect U.S. Minuteman ICBM bases from Soviet incoming. Originally, twelve sites were to be built in Montana, Missouri, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington D.C., and North Dakota. Construction only happened in North Dakota and Colorado before the 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
The site you see here became operational in 1975, but Congress closed it down only two months later. The Perimeter Acquisition Radar (not these photos) remained in use, aiding the North American Aerospace Defense Command stationed in Colorado.
Side notes: radar used to be mounted where you see the large circles at the top of the concrete pyramid. The actual silo launch site is located just off from the pyramid. Entire families lived on the base, but the pyramid sites could only hold the soldiers (as though a soldier is supposed to carry out his or her job knowing wife/husband and children are ducking and covering outside -- I suppose at that point it would have been FUBAR). The only bar in Nakoma, North Dakota (within a mile of the site) is called, "The Pain Reliever."
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7 comments:
Fascinating. The SALT talks you're talking about (Nixon if memory serves) were about the stupidest deal the US ever signed on to. It prevented us from developing ABM (as you point out), a technology (as were and are all advanced technologies) we were way ahead of the Russians on. Also, it allowed the Russians to retain an on-paper superiority in MT deliverable, again as I recall.
Why Kissinger went for this I can only guess, but I reckon it was to appease the dukes of Planet Pepe conjuring up treason on university campuses. Perhpas it was a way of getting the Chinese to relax.
Like with Chirac appeasing headhackers and bending over for Putin's Vile Pine, this bone thrown them did him precious little good with the left.
Hitchens did an article or bookreview on the latest piece of history that contextualized the depraved relationship (or non-relationship) between Kissinger and Nixon.
The Left merely acted as expected.
Returning to the missile defense: I also have a verticle cut-away of the specs of the pyramid (this is all public information), but it's hard-copy rather than digital. According to the specs, rooms lead all the way up to the apex of the pyramid. In the 1970s, row after row of computer banks lined the massive rooms. Not long ago, a buddy of mine visited the NORAD component that's still active in North Dakota. The administrator there pointed to a contemporary lap top and said, "This is more powerful than all those computers you see out there," while pointing toward the banks of 1970s military computers. The floor of that room is a massive steel plate (real thick) supported by springs underneath (shock absorption). Back in the '70s, I think a "direct hit" with an intercontinental missile was considered within 3-5 miles. Today, of course, miles has been converted into meters, and even feet.
Beer seems to taste a little bit better after seeing something like this, that close, and knowing that it all could've ended for us that much sooner. All the more reason to drink and enjoy more beer.
Why don't you scan that cut-away? I'd like to see it. Maybe it's somewhere on the Net. I'll have a look at those lnks you provide in a bit. Thanks.
I think Hitchens is OTT on the Chile thing and probably about right on tweaking VietNam for political reasons. Just my impressions having read over the years.
That's why I don't quite trust Hitchens. He goes into these phases that recall LaRouchism and then comes back to rationality as I see it.
The LaRouchism calls into quaetion the rest of what he says, I feel.
JJ: Wow! Well said. Have you absorbed the taechings of AI lately, or what? I'll take, anyhow.
Those bombastic ziggurats look perfect for the potential cult leader...now if only we can keep them hidden long enough from Travolta and co. to give me time to go all hubbard and conjure up a cult to get the dames [and so for that reason Planet Pepe is ruled out]
Make sure that cult leader is modelling himself on Christ with a crate of Mac-10s. Otherwise AI won't support him...
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