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During the Cold War with the Soviet Union one target on their radar was the small central Massachusetts town of Amherst. Nearby was the Westover Air Force Base, home of eight fully armed nuclear bombers kept ready in case the Soviets attacked. The HQ for the Strategic Air Command was in Omaha, if that facility was ever out of operation the Amherst bunker would have taken control of the entire nuclear arsenal. Commanding the bombers was the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and in 1957 they built a hardened Post Attack Command and Control System (PACCS) bunker in Bare Mountain in the Holyoke Range in Hadley, MA. This was known by several names including the East AUX (Auxiliary), EAUX, Amherst, Westover, Westover Communication Annex, The Notch, Achieve, and Delta Two. It was a three story deep, 44,000 sq. ft. concrete bunker built in secrecy. It took every concrete truck in the Connecticut River Valley 3 months working 24 hours a day to complete the bunker. Drivers were directed to a particular spot to dump their haul and told not to look left or right - only to go straight to the spot and straight back out. In 1962 the bunker was expanded to its current size. The bunker is self contained and includes it's own filtered water supply, electric generators, a large "War Room" for Senior Battle Staff, and can accommodate up to 300 people for over a month. The thinnest wall is 7ft thick of concrete and lead making it secure from a nuclear blast miles away, as well as safe from other harms such as electro magnetic interference. Because of the top secret nature of the bunker there isn't alot known about it's active use. It was put on alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis and on Red Alert when President Kennedy was killed. In 1973 the secret bunker was closed as the SAC centralized it's operation in other areas. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston bought the bunker for an emergency back up and record storage for $60,000. They rented some of the space out to New England Telephone, who raised the floor in the Battle Staff room to fit in wiring. The flooring from this is still in place. The Federal Reserve Bank of NYC also rented space and when the renters moved out the bunker was put up for sale and was purchased by Amherst College. The bunker ranges from 5 to 20 feet underground and is not effected by seasonal temperature changes, which means it's perfect for storing records, books and other items. 
Wiki: Post Attack COmmand and Control System Facility in Hadley MA |
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