
Raven Rock
The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself - While the Rest of Us Die
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $22.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Jacques Roy
-
By:
-
Garrett M. Graff
About this listen
A fresh window on American history: the eye-opening truth about the government's secret plans to survive a catastrophic attack on US soil, even if the rest of us die - a road map that spans from the dawn of the nuclear age to today.
Every day in Washington, DC, the blue-and-gold 1st Helicopter Squadron, codenamed MUSSEL, flies over the Potomac River. As obvious as the presidential motorcade, most people assume the squadron is a travel perk for VIPs. They're only half right: While the helicopters do provide transport, the unit exists to evacuate high-ranking officials in the event of a terrorist or nuclear attack on the capital. In the event of an attack, select officials would be whisked by helicopters to a ring of secret bunkers around Washington, even as ordinary citizens were left to fend for themselves.
For 60 years the US government has been developing secret doomsday plans to protect itself, and the multibillion-dollar Continuity of Government (COG) program takes numerous forms - from its plans to evacuate the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to the plans to launch nuclear missiles from a Boeing-747 jet flying high over Nebraska. In Raven Rock, Garrett M. Graff sheds light on the inner workings of the 650-acre compound (called Raven Rock) just miles from Camp David as well as dozens of other bunkers the government built for its top leaders during the Cold War, from the White House lawn to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado to Palm Beach, Florida, and the secret plans that would have kicked in after a Cold War nuclear attack to round up foreigners and dissidents and nationalize industries. Equal parts presidential, military, and cultural history, Raven Rock tracks the evolution of the government plan and the threats of global war from the dawn of the nuclear era through the War on Terror.
©2017 Garrett M. Graff (P)2017 Simon & Schuster AudioPeople who viewed this also viewed...
-
UFO
- The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For as long as we have looked to the skies, the question of whether life on earth is the only life to exist has been at the core of the human experience, driving scientific debate and discovery, shaping spiritual belief, and prompting existential thought across borders and generations. It’s one of our culture’s favorite conversations, and yet, the idea of extraterrestrial intelligence has been largely banished to the realm of fantasy and conspiracy. Now, for the first time, the full story of our national obsession with UFOs is told.
-
-
A wide ranging look at the Phenomenon but not all.
- By Josh on 12-31-23
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
The Dead Hand
- The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy
- By: David E. Hoffman
- Narrated by: Bob Walter
- Length: 20 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Dead Hand is the suspense-filled story of the people who sought to brake the speeding locomotive of the arms race, then rushed to secure the nuclear and biological weapons left behind by the collapse of the Soviet Union—a dangerous legacy that haunts us even today.The Cold War was an epoch of massive overkill.
-
-
Eye opening
- By Brian on 11-16-10
By: David E. Hoffman
-
Command and Control
- Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety
- By: Eric Schlosser
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 20 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Famed investigative journalist Eric Schlosser digs deep to uncover secrets about the management of America's nuclear arsenal. A groundbreaking account of accidents, near misses, extraordinary heroism, and technological breakthroughs, Command and Control explores the dilemma that has existed since the dawn of the nuclear age: How do you deploy weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them? That question has never been resolved - and Schlosser reveals how the combination of human fallibility and technological complexity still poses a grave risk to mankind.
-
-
A miracle that we escaped the Cold War alive....
- By A reader on 02-16-14
By: Eric Schlosser
-
Masters of Chaos
- The Secret History of Special Forces
- By: Linda Robinson
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Special Forces soldiers are daring, seasoned troops from America's heartland, selected in a tough competition and trained in an extraordinary range of skills. They know foreign languages and cultures and unconventional warfare better than any US fighters, and while they prefer to stay out of the limelight, veteran war correspondent Linda Robinson gained access to their closed world. She traveled with them on the frontlines, interviewed them at length on their home bases, and studied their doctrine, methods, and history.
-
-
Story of Special Forces
- By Austin Pearson on 02-28-18
By: Linda Robinson
-
Watergate
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy, Garrett M. Graff
- Length: 25 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early hours of June 17, 1972, a security guard named Frank Wills enters six words into the log book of the Watergate office complex that will change the course of history: 1:47 AM Found tape on doors; call police. The subsequent arrests of five men seeking to bug and burgle the Democratic National Committee offices—three of them Cuban exiles, two of them former intelligence operatives—quickly unravels a web of scandal that ultimately ends a presidency and forever alters views of moral authority and leadership.
-
-
Elucidating
- By J.B. on 02-23-22
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
The Threat Matrix
- Inside Robert Mueller's FBI and the War on Global Terror
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 28 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Covering more than 30 years of history, from the 1980s through Obama's presidency, The Threat Matrix explores the transformation of the FBI from a domestic law enforcement agency, handling bank robberies and local crimes, into an international intelligence agency - with more than 500 agents operating in more than 60 countries overseas - fighting extremist terrorism, cyber crimes, and, for the first time, American suicide bombers.
-
-
Best Bob Mueller book; still not worth your time
- By D. Martin on 01-24-18
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
UFO
- The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For as long as we have looked to the skies, the question of whether life on earth is the only life to exist has been at the core of the human experience, driving scientific debate and discovery, shaping spiritual belief, and prompting existential thought across borders and generations. It’s one of our culture’s favorite conversations, and yet, the idea of extraterrestrial intelligence has been largely banished to the realm of fantasy and conspiracy. Now, for the first time, the full story of our national obsession with UFOs is told.
-
-
A wide ranging look at the Phenomenon but not all.
- By Josh on 12-31-23
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
The Dead Hand
- The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy
- By: David E. Hoffman
- Narrated by: Bob Walter
- Length: 20 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Dead Hand is the suspense-filled story of the people who sought to brake the speeding locomotive of the arms race, then rushed to secure the nuclear and biological weapons left behind by the collapse of the Soviet Union—a dangerous legacy that haunts us even today.The Cold War was an epoch of massive overkill.
-
-
Eye opening
- By Brian on 11-16-10
By: David E. Hoffman
-
Command and Control
- Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety
- By: Eric Schlosser
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 20 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Famed investigative journalist Eric Schlosser digs deep to uncover secrets about the management of America's nuclear arsenal. A groundbreaking account of accidents, near misses, extraordinary heroism, and technological breakthroughs, Command and Control explores the dilemma that has existed since the dawn of the nuclear age: How do you deploy weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them? That question has never been resolved - and Schlosser reveals how the combination of human fallibility and technological complexity still poses a grave risk to mankind.
-
-
A miracle that we escaped the Cold War alive....
- By A reader on 02-16-14
By: Eric Schlosser
-
Masters of Chaos
- The Secret History of Special Forces
- By: Linda Robinson
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Special Forces soldiers are daring, seasoned troops from America's heartland, selected in a tough competition and trained in an extraordinary range of skills. They know foreign languages and cultures and unconventional warfare better than any US fighters, and while they prefer to stay out of the limelight, veteran war correspondent Linda Robinson gained access to their closed world. She traveled with them on the frontlines, interviewed them at length on their home bases, and studied their doctrine, methods, and history.
-
-
Story of Special Forces
- By Austin Pearson on 02-28-18
By: Linda Robinson
-
Watergate
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy, Garrett M. Graff
- Length: 25 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early hours of June 17, 1972, a security guard named Frank Wills enters six words into the log book of the Watergate office complex that will change the course of history: 1:47 AM Found tape on doors; call police. The subsequent arrests of five men seeking to bug and burgle the Democratic National Committee offices—three of them Cuban exiles, two of them former intelligence operatives—quickly unravels a web of scandal that ultimately ends a presidency and forever alters views of moral authority and leadership.
-
-
Elucidating
- By J.B. on 02-23-22
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
The Threat Matrix
- Inside Robert Mueller's FBI and the War on Global Terror
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 28 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Covering more than 30 years of history, from the 1980s through Obama's presidency, The Threat Matrix explores the transformation of the FBI from a domestic law enforcement agency, handling bank robberies and local crimes, into an international intelligence agency - with more than 500 agents operating in more than 60 countries overseas - fighting extremist terrorism, cyber crimes, and, for the first time, American suicide bombers.
-
-
Best Bob Mueller book; still not worth your time
- By D. Martin on 01-24-18
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
The Doomsday Machine
- By: Daniel Ellsberg
- Narrated by: Steven Cooper
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Doomsday Machine is Ellsberg's hair-raising insider's account of the most dangerous arms buildup in the history of civilization, whose legacy - and renewal under the Obama administration - threatens the very survival of humanity. It is scarcely possible to estimate the true dangers of our present nuclear policies without penetrating the secret realities of the nuclear strategy of the late Eisenhower and early Kennedy years, when Ellsberg had high-level access to them.
-
-
Fascinating Insider Story
- By Terry Masters on 12-07-17
By: Daniel Ellsberg
-
Dawn of the Code War
- America's Battle Against Russia, China, and the Rising Global Cyber Threat
- By: John P. Carlin, Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 16 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The inside story of how America's enemies launched a cyberwar against us - and how we've learned to fight back. In this dramatic audiobook, former assistant attorney general John P. Carlin takes listeners to the front lines of a global but little-understood fight as the Justice Department and the FBI chases down hackers, online terrorist recruiters, and spies.
-
-
Exhausting
- By Raz on 01-08-19
By: John P. Carlin, and others
-
Restricted Data
- The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States
- By: Alex Wellerstein
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawing on troves of declassified files, including records released by the government for the first time through the author's efforts, Restricted Data traces the complex evolution of the US nuclear secrecy regime from the first whisper of the atomic bomb through the mounting tensions of the Cold War and into the early 21st century. A compelling history of powerful ideas at war, it tells a story that feels distinctly American: rich, sprawling, and built on the conflict between high-minded idealism and ugly, fearful power.
-
-
Alright. Some interesting facts
- By Dustin C. on 07-28-24
By: Alex Wellerstein
-
When the Sea Came Alive
- An Oral History of D-Day
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Garrett M. Graff, full cast
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A visceral drama, When the Sea Came Alive is the most comprehensive account of D-Day that we have yet to see, and an unforgettable, fitting tribute to the men and women of the Greatest Generation.
-
-
Just a great "oral" history of d day
- By PAUL on 07-25-24
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
Brute
- The Life of Victor Krulak, U.S. Marine
- By: Robert Coram
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the earliest days of his 34-year military career, Victor "Brute" Krulak displayed a remarkable facility for applying creative ways of fighting to the Marine Corps. He went on daring spy missions, was badly wounded, pioneered the use of amphibious vehicles, and masterminded the invasion of Okinawa. In Korea, he was a combat hero and invented the use of helicopters in warfare.
-
-
Leaves a deep impression while also entertaining
- By PaulaD on 04-26-15
By: Robert Coram
-
The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States
- By: Jeffrey Lewis
- Narrated by: Neil Hellegers
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States is an exciting piece of "speculative fiction." The novel posits that there was a nuclear attack against the US on March 21, 2020 by North Korea, and that a national bipartisan commission was created to investigate what and how it happened. It's pretty scary stuff.
-
-
Speculation, but, well done.
- By brian on 10-16-18
By: Jeffrey Lewis
-
World on the Brink
- How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century
- By: Dmitri Alperovitch, Garrett M. Graff - contributor
- Narrated by: Will Collyer
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A leading national security expert, who publicly predicted Vladimir Putin's intention to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine months before it took place, lays out the case for why China's Xi Jinping is preparing to conquer Taiwan in the coming years and the dire stakes for America and the whole world if he is not deterred.
-
-
a must read book!
- By Val Lendaro on 06-02-24
By: Dmitri Alperovitch, and others
-
Phenomena
- The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis
- By: Annie Jacobsen
- Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than 40 years, the US government has researched extrasensory perception, using it in attempts to locate hostages, fugitives, secret bases, and downed fighter jets, to divine other nations' secrets, and even to predict future threats to national security. The intelligence agencies and military services involved include CIA, DIA, NSA, DEA, the navy, air force, and army - and even the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Now, for the first time, New York Times best-selling author Annie Jacobsen tells the story of these radical, controversial programs.
-
-
Phenomenally mediocre narration of a good book
- By philip on 05-18-17
By: Annie Jacobsen
-
Operation Mockingbird
- The Controversial History of the CIA’s Efforts to Manipulate American Media Outlets
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Freedom of the press isn’t just a fundamental right in America but a key part of the democratic process. When the United States secured its independence against Britain in the War of Independence in 1783, there was no certainty about what the new country would look like in terms of national governance. In 1787, delegates from the various states convened in Philadelphia to draft a constitution that would define this.
-
-
Limited
- By Cozz on 11-27-24
-
The Only Plane in the Sky
- An Oral History of September 11, 2001
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York City, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker underneath the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard the small number of unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down.
-
-
This should be required listening
- By LManc on 09-13-19
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
Atoms and Ashes
- A Global History of Nuclear Disasters
- By: Serhii Plokhy
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Atoms and Ashes recounts the dramatic history of nuclear accidents that have dogged the industry in its military and civil incarnations since the 1950s. Through the stories of six terrifying major incidents—Bikini Atoll, Kyshtym, Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima—Cold War expert Serhii Plokhy explores the risks of nuclear power, both for military and peaceful purposes, while offering a vivid account of how individuals and governments make decisions under extraordinary circumstances.
-
-
This was a pretty sensational and biased book.
- By J. Seawright on 06-11-22
By: Serhii Plokhy
-
Minuteman
- A Technical History of the Missile That Defined American Nuclear Warfare
- By: David Stumpf
- Narrated by: Douglas R Pratt
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David K. Stumpf demystifies the intercontinental ballistic missile program that was conceived at the end of the Eisenhower administration as a key component of the US nuclear strategy of massive retaliation. Although its nuclear warhead may have lacked power relative to that of the Titan II, the Minuteman more than made up for this in terms of numbers and readiness to launch - making it the ultimate ICBM.
-
-
Enough with the acronyms!
- By Julie K. on 08-08-21
By: David Stumpf
the only thing for me was the narrator. Almost makes you want to sleep on such an amazing historic events.After this book I am not as afraid of EMP ATTACKS as I used to be but horrified by federal and state government stupidity even after all that taxpayer money funneled in defense contractors. Gives a real nice insight into presidencies from FDR to OBAMA.
Incredible Book with HORRIBLE narration
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well researched interesting information.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really enjoyed
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What did you love best about Raven Rock?
Story is fascinating, and a topic rarely discussed.What was one of the most memorable moments of Raven Rock?
Understanding the scope of government contingency planning.Have you listened to any of Jacques Roy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
N/AWas this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. Was a multi-hour listen.Awesome book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Interesting info. Lackluster Reading Performance
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
So much history and secrets
Informative
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Whoa. Better start prepping!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
very interesting
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A fascinating story backed by outstanding research
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fascinating presidential accounts
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.