What's a Bunker Doing Beneath a Luxury Resort?
   As we learned on our tour, in 1958, at the height of the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated Project Greek Island. This was a top secret plan to build a bunker beneath what the public thought was a grand, yet mundane expansion of The Greenbrier resort, then owned by the CSX Corporation. The resort had existed in one form or another for nearly 200 years at that time, so an expansion (known as the “West Virginia Wing”) was nothing unusual. In fact, it made for a great cover story. 

   The purpose of the bunker (located 720 feet beneath the new wing) was to create a secure and secret relocation facility where members of Congress (and their support staff) could be evacuated to in the event of a nuclear attack, in order to ensure the continuity of government. The President and Vice President would be taken to different locations, which have never been disclosed. 

   The bunker could sustain about 1,000 people for approximately 60 days. It included living quarters, meeting rooms, a communication center, a clinic (apparently loaded with anti-depressants and valium), a cafeteria and a decontamination room that each visitor would pass through before entering the living space. The facility was designed to be entirely self-sufficient. It contained its own power generators, water supply and air filtration system, all of which are stops on the tour, as are the various living and working areas and the massive tunnels that were built to reach the bunker! 

   The Greenbrier was chosen because it is located in a mountainous and secluded area, yet it’s relatively close to Washington D.C. It also contained the necessary infrastructure to operate such a facility, not just the amenities of the luxury resort, but also a rail line nearby and an airport located about five miles away. Many people believe Eisenhower’s love of golf also played a role in the decision.

   Many of the details about the actual construction process are still top secret, but we do know that the bunker was in full operation by the early 1960s. It was so secret that even the workers at the hotel had no idea it was there, or at least never said anything about it. Instead, a small group of people disguised as television repairmen (actually Federal agents) maintained the facility. These agents were trained to perform basic television repairs and maintenance tasks for the actual resort, but their primary role was to ensure that the bunker’s true purpose remained concealed. Members of Congress were informed about the facility, but were sworn to secrecy. 

   Everything was going as planned until 1992 when a former employee at the resort leaked the location of the bunker to a reporter from the Washington Post who then wrote a front page article exposing it. However, as you learn on the Bunker Tour, this “leak” was actually done on purpose because the facility had become outdated and a new one was needed. Nobody knows where the new one is, but if you do the research, it seems like it might be somewhere else in this remote part of the eastern United States…

   After being exposed, the bunker was immediately decommissioned and, three years later, the U.S. government was no longer involved with The Greenbrier. Based on the public’s fascination with the bunker, by the mid 1990s, tours began being offered at the resort, and continue to this day.