Ever wonder where former Vice President Dick Cheney went in the weeks following Sept. 11? When all the Bush administration would tell the press and the public was that Cheney was at an "undisclosed location"?
Well, it turns out one of these undisclosed locations was near Waynesboro, Pa., less than three hours from State College.
According to my exhaustive investigative reporting (read: wikipedia search), the vice president sometimes resides in an underground complex near Blue Ridge Summit on Raven Rock Mountain when he is "at an undisclosed location" in case of an attack on the United States. The complex is most commonly called "Site R", but also Raven Rock Mountain Complex or the Alternate Joint Communications Center. It was created in 1951 as a command center in the event of attack on Washington, D.C. when the threat of Soviet nuclear attacks had the nation in a frenzy.
Rock Raven Mountain is also known as the backup, or underground Pentagon, and many of the facility's activities are classified. We do know, however, that the facility runs more than 38 communications systems for its users, which include several U.S. military and intelligence organizations.
Of course, many of us would love to go there, but no such luck. On May 25, 2007, the Federal Register published a Defense Department policy declaring that it is unlawful for any person "entering in or on the property ... to make any photograph, sketch, picture, drawing, map or graphical representation of the Raven Rock Mountain Complex without first obtaining the necessary permission."
Even if Cheney is no longer in residence, the U.S. government does not want you as its univited guest.
It's easy to see why even before he was wheelchair-bound and top-hat-wearing, comparisons between Dick Cheney and Dr. Strangelove were hardly a leap. After all, what better hideout for the malevolent archnemisis of the Bush Administration than a clandestine fallout shelter?
In an unsurprising VP development, newly inaugurated Joe Biden announced today that "undisclosed locations" aren't really his style. According to politico.com, the new vice president's aides plan to issue a "daily guidance" e-mail to reporters Friday night detailing where he has been for the past three days and where he's going over the weekend.
As a member of the media, I can't exactly complain about this move toward significantly greater transparency. But I also can't hide my disappointment that Biden's megawatt smile and immaculate hairplugs won't be gracing one of the government's coolest underground fortifications.
Though most of us can hardly say we miss him, I'd have to agree with Jon Stewart's famous segment and assert that perhaps we still "don't know Dick."
- Leslie