Book Talk Part II: Can the U.S. Government Survive Nuclear War?

Where would Donald Trump go in case of nuclear war? Is there a secret bunker at Mar-a-Lago? On this week’s second episode of The E.R., Sharon Weinberger, Elias Groll, Ryan Gallagher, and author of Raven Rock Garrett Graff continue the discussion of the U.S. government’s underground (no pun intended) plans to save the republic, or least the bureaucracies, in the case of nuclear war or other critical threats. During the Cold War, almost all government agencies created plans for a post-Apocalyptic era — the U.S. Postal Agency would be in charge of registering the dead and living, the U.S. Department of Agriculture would deliver food, and the National Park Service would run camps for the displaced.

While many of these programs have been modified post-9/11, government agencies still have plans in place for a nuclear or mass terrorism-related threat. The panel discusses how the U.S. government prepares for nuclear war in this day and age.

Garrett Graff is a journalist and author of Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself — While the Rest of Us Die, which was released in May 2017. Follow him on Twitter: @vermontgmg.

Ryan Gallagher is a U.K.-based investigative journalist for The Intercept, where he focuses on government surveillance, technology, and civil liberties. Follow him on Twitter: @rj_gallagher.

Elias Groll is a staff writer at FP, covering cyberspace, the FBI, and the Justice Department. Follow him on Twitter: @EliasGroll.

Sharon Weinberger is FP’s executive editor for news. She is the author of The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World. Follow her on Twitter: @weinbergersa.

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