Atlas E Missile Site No. 9

Atlas E Missile Site #9 567th SMS is one of nine missile silos located in the Fairchild, Washington area. However it is the only one that is government owned. Built in 1960, this silo served during the Cold War on a military base in Spokane. This explains the missiles containing the 4-megaton nuclear warheads. Being the nation's first intercontinental ballistic missile site, this site was a place of great concern to the Soviets and therefore was pointed at Cuba during a proxy war. The site was put into high alert during the Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962 due to the threats of nuclear warfare. The destructive capabilities of the Atlas missiles played a large role in the Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) that ultimately prevented and discouraged the use of nuclear weapons. The idea of MAD was that if nuclear warfare were to occur both parties would be able to launch their nuclear weapons, completely destroying each other.

The need for the construction of ballistic missiles was brought about by an arms race between Soviet Russia and the US. This occurred shortly after the end of WWII as there was an opening for a new world power. Both Russia and the US wanted this position of power to enforce their economic ideals. With Russia supporting and spreading communist ideals through their global influence. Meanwhile the US was trying to spread and enforce free market capitalist ideals in order to secure their spot as the new world power. The Cold war was fought through indirect conflict, these conflicts were known as proxy wars.

Many proxy wars were fought to influence different regions such as the Vietnam war. This consisted of North Vietnam being supported by the communist party and South Vietnam being supported by the US. This war ultimately ended in the defeat of the US within Vietnam and many losses along with communist control over Vietnam. Another example would be the Cuban missile crisis. This conflict was brought about by the US housing nuclear missiles in Turkey which bordered Russian territory, and the Bay of Pigs crisis. (to be continued)

The launch sites had a strict set of specifications in order to make them as efficient as possible. This would include being 

"located within 5,000 miles from their target in the Soviet Union, that they be near support services, and that they be sufficiently inland enough to be out of range of Soviet submarine-launched intermediate range missiles"^[1]

With these given parameters Fairchild county became the perfect location for the construction of these sites. The initial planning began in 1958, with permission to proceed with the construction given in 1959, and construction being finished in 1960. Even though the site received its first Atlas E missile in 1960 it wasn't functional until the following year. During the second year of operation in 1962 the site was put into high alert due to the Cuban missile crisis.

Property ID: 51210 Atlas E Missile Site 9, WISAARD. Accessed June 7th 2022. https://wisaard.dahp.wa.gov/Resource/41220/PropertyInventory/18963.

567th SMS, Atlas Missile Silo. Accessed June 7th 2022. https://www.atlasmissilesilo.com/.

^[1] Bowman, Melinda Barlass. Missiles, Murder and Mystery Nuclear weapons, murder, and UF0s the strange happenings at Atlas No. 6., Spokane Historical. Accessed June 7th 2022. https://spokanehistorical.org/items/show/810#:~:text=Text,a%204%2Dmegaton%20nuclear%20warhead.

The Vietnam War, CVCE. Accessed June 7th 2022. https://www.cvce.eu/en/education/unit-content/-/unit/55c09dcc-a9f2-45e9-b240-eaef64452cae/5ad21c97-4435-4fd0-89ff-b6bddf117bf4.

Cuban Missile Crisis, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Accessed June 7th 2022. https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/cuban-missile-crisis.

Bay of Pigs Invasion, History.com. October 27th 2009. Accessed June 7th 2022. https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/bay-of-pigs-invasion.