That May, Nelson Rockefeller, then-chair of the Civil Defense Committee of the Conference of Governors, encouraged Kennedy to initiate a national fallout shelter program. Eisenhower’s administration, the question of how to handle America’s increasingly contentious relationship with the Soviets was now in the hands of newly elected president John F. While Khrushchev had directed his comments at Dwight D. Issuing a taunting challenge to the United States government, he said, “Let’s have a peaceful rocket contest, just like a rifle-shooting match, and they’ll see for themselves.”įour years later, in 1961, the threat of nuclear war loomed large over the U.S. Here is what happened to the seven bunkers across the North East of England, according to submissions on the website.īoulmer Rotor Radar Station - Not open to the public.In November 1957, Soviet Communist Party chief Nikita Khrushchev bragged to an American reporter about the effectiveness of his country’s long-range missiles.

However, the history of the bunkers remains alive and well, and has been preserved by Subterranean Britanic. Of the 258 built, many fell into disrepair as tensions dissipated towards the end of the Cold War. More than 250 of the bunkers, which were designed to preserve society, were built across the nation, reports the Daily Star.īuilt for survival rather than comfort, the bunkers had little more than communication equipment and supplies for the small number of people they could hold. Nevertheless, uncertainty around whether Putin will press the big red button is terrifying and harks back to the Cold War, a time when tensions were so high that the Government built a network of bunkers across the UK.

Go here for the very latest breaking news updates from across the North East Vladimir Putin warned that Western nations would face 'consequences they have never seen' if they tried to intervene, but it is still hoped that a nuclear strike is still unlikely - with Russia and Ukraine hosting a second round of peace talks. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased the threat of nuclear war, which would irreparably change the face of the world as we know it. For most people, what a nuclear apocalypse would look like is something that's been restricted to disaster movies and video games.

Closest nuclear fallout shelter to me