Inside secret underground labyrinth of tunnels dubbed ‘the safest place on Earth’
Hidden under layers of ice far, far away from the US, a labyrinth of tunnels was built to create the 'safest place on Earth'.
It might sound like an odd place to try and protect yourself, with many people preferring the space behind the sofa or the dark spot under the bed covers to stay safe from outside threats.
US officials of the past obviously didn't consider the duvet a good enough solution, though, and instead sent two Army officers to Greenland, where they took measurements for a new military installation.
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To members of the public, the installation was presented as a 'research center' called Camp Century.
In reality, the establishment was every conspiracy theorists' dream come true as it was actually home to a secret network of tunnels and missile silos, all connected by rail cars.
Known as 'Operation Iceworm', the project came amid the Cold War and aimed to leave the Soviet Union guessing about where its enemies' missiles were hidden.
It took two years to dig hundreds of feet into the snow to create the vast structure, which was complete with everything from laboratories and offices to sleeping quarters, showers, a library and a barber shop.
At the time, the public believed the structure demonstrated how ordinary Americans could live and work in a remote location.
It wasn't until 1997 that the public learned the truth about Project Iceworm, though visitors had been to visit the tunnels being constructed when they believed it to be a research center.
In a 1960 article for Popular Science, Herbert O. Johansen described Camp Century as about 'as safe a place as you could find in case of an atomic attack', noting it would be 'would be hard for an enemy to find'.
But while it's safe location was a plus, unfortunately Project Iceworm didn't quite work out as planned due to the walls of snow and ice which kept moving and squeezing the train tracks.
The creators ran into another hurdle when they found problems with the nuclear reactor at the base, which ultimately led to its removal in 1964.
By 1966, the Army abandoned the camp, leaving the tunnels behind with the assumption they would eventually become covered by ice.
Unfortunately, they didn't account for global warming.
In 2016, scientists reported that melting ice in Greenland could result in the exposure of the base, and with it the radioactive, toxic and human waste that remains there.
At the time, study author Mike MacFerrin said it was only a 'matter of time' before the waste would make its way to the ocean.
Topics: US News, World News, Conspiracy Theories
Emily Brown