Diesel fuel Quote by Garrett M. Graff
““roadway, got trapped under an overpass. FEMA created its own mobile command center effort, known as Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) units—eventually building some 300 special vehicles and stationing them across the country at regional command centers. The convoys, the thinking went, would be able to range across the nation, one step ahead of any Soviet attacks, hiding in the vast portions of the country that would be unscathed by nuclear attack. The convoys were meant to be entirely self-sufficient for a month, carrying massive generators and specially equipped fuel tankers that could draw diesel fuel from abandoned gas stations across the country. Meanwhile, a network of as many as 500 radio towers known as GWEN, the Ground Wave””
About This Quote
Source Book: Dark Days: The Rise of the CIA, 1945‑1970, 2012
A Cold War plan envisioned mobile command units to survive nuclear attacks and outmaneuver Soviet forces, reflecting extreme preparedness paranoia.
In simple terms: A plan to build mobile command centers to survive nuclear war.
Key Takeaway
Consider the costs of extreme contingency planning.
Themes
military strategy
Cold War
survival
technology
politics
Mood
anxious
critical
historical
Type
analytical
historical
policy
When to use this quote
- government planning
- military exercises
- emergency preparedness
- policy analysis
Key Concepts
deterrence
logistics
civil defense
Questions to Reflect On
- Is endless preparedness worth the expense?
- How do we balance security with practicality?
A Different Perspective
Such massive projects may divert resources from diplomatic solutions.
![“Indeed, that is exactly what they [the Arctic convoys] were. We know that the conditions in which they fought were appalling. Time and again they faced death in the name of a common victory and we remember that.” quote by Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fbb/vladimir-putin-261_arctic_indeed-that-is-exactly-what-they-the-arc_1778157.jpg)
