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.
Comments
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?