Code Name: Cannonball - Presidential Microwave Communications Tower (1965)

Cannonball Tower

Continuity of Government Communications Proposal (1955)

Proposed Presidential Communications Facilities at the National Level

It was the 1950’s and the cold War was becoming a large National issue, President Eisenhower and his Administration was very concerned about the threat of Nuclear War. The federal Government realized that if an attack would occur that the area around Washington had to be protected so the Government would survive. A plan was approved and implemented, the construction of a communications network, around Washington which was included in this plan for the relocation of Government Agencies, including the White House at a few locations that already existed.   

This Proposal was prepared in 1955 and presents the magnitude and scope of certain Communications available today, at the National level. Included are communications in support of the following: 

1. The President of the United States;
2. The Joint War Room at the Pentagon;
3. The Secretary of State and The Joint Chiefs of Staff; at the Alternate Joint Communications Center (AJCC);
4. The NATO Standing Group both in its Primary and relocation sites;
5. The Office of Civilian and Defense Mobilization (OCDM) Continuity of Government Program.

 This Chart indicates the relative locations of the various sites involved. The sites are identified as the location of the President and his immediate stall at the White House and Camp David, Maryland, The Joint War Room at the Pentagon, the hardened Alternate Joint Communications Center (AJCC) at Raven Rock, Maryland, The Office of the Secretary of Defense Emergency Relocation Site at Fort Richie, Maryland, the NATO Standing Group Emergency Relocation Site at Mount St. Mary’s College, Maryland the National Security Agency at Ft. Meade, Maryland and High Point, the OCTM hardened Emergency Command Post and Relocation site for the Executive Branch of the Government at Mount Weather near Winchester Virginia.

Federal Relocation Arc and Microwave sites

The smaller of the principal Emergency Relocation Sites (ERS) of certain other Federal Departments and Agencies, such as the Atomic Energy Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department and the Interior Department, dispersed in the Federal Relocation Arc, an area of 30 to 300 in a westerly direction from Washington, D.C.

While communications to support these activities are provided by the Department of Defense (Army) through separate arrangements between the Secretary of Defense and the Director (OCDM), the inter-relationship of these agencies served under emergency condition dictates the need for integrated communications facilities which will integrate these agencies, and tie them in with the national communications complex. Indicated on This chart are the Communications connections between OCDM at High Point, the Pentagon JWR, and Camp David , the AJCC , Ft Ritchie ,and Mt Saint Mary.

These communications are extended to provide similar services while the President is at High Point, Camp David, or the AJCC. A department of the White House Army Signal Agency is currently stationed at each of these sites. When the President is in residence at one of these sites, these detachments are augmented. When the President is traveling in Continental United States (CONUS) or overseas, detachments from this agency, with necessary equipment, precede the President to establish communications prior to his arrival.

Equipment is also provided for contact between key world-wide military, communications ground stations and the Presidential plane. This equipment affords an opportunity for key persons within the Government to keep in touch with the plane by a secure teletype service and non-secure voice.

The Presidents communications needs are frequently only a short time before the services have been required. Therefore in some instances Presidential communications are not programmed for or budgeted. Under these circumstances, resources have to be diverted from some of the lower priority objectives.

With regard to communications for the President, they are provided primarily by the White House Army Signal Agency. This Agency provides the following communications services to the President:

1.     A complex of manual telephone switchboards and related equipment which is staffed 24 hours a day to provide secure, non-secure and specialized telephone services between the President and key members of his staff – the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other important officials.

2.     Other services include all still and motion pictures, radio and television facilities for recording and documenting Presidential Messages.

3.The President also has available to him special fixed and mobile radio facilities for worldwide communications.

4. A secure teletype terminal for message communications for the President while he is in residence or in travel status.

The Presidential Retreat at Camp David

Two examples of this are:

1. The Communications cost for President Eisenhower’s trip to Alaska, Philippines, Japan and Hawaii was $240,000. Although the President didn’t actually go to Japan, the necessary communications were installed beforehand.
2. 
   
3. The former Presidents trip to South America required direct telephone and teletypewriter circuits from the White House to Puerto Rico and to other points in South America. The cost of communications for this trip was $381,000.

From the Joint War Room in the Pentagon, secure voice and teletypewriter communications are available to the unified and specified commands. With the exception of the Commander in Chief Caribbean (CINCARIB), the requisite circuits are obtained from the commercial communication companies backed up by Government-owned and operated radio operated communications. This backup is obtained from the military department operated communications system’s gateway stations at Fort Dietrich, Maryland, Cheltenham, Maryland, and Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

(OCDM) High Point at Mt Weather

The third area of communications at the National level pertains to the AJCC at Fort Ritchie. The AJCC-Fort Richie complex is the relocation site for the secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Security Council, and elements of each of the Military Departments. The center is so designed as to provide communications support for 6,000 people during a full scale occupancy under emergency conditions. Approximately half of the people would be underground at the AJCC site itself, and the other half would be above ground within Fort Ritchie, Maryland.

ACJJ at Site R.at Raven Rock

Within the underground site, key personnel have access to a secure dial telephone system which, within the underground only, Top Secret voice Communications. The AJCC connects to the Bell Telephone, nationwide direct distance dialing system, which permits non-secure direct distance dial calls throughout CONUS and Canada without telephone company intervention.

                                        

Communications to overseas commands from the AJCC are provided primarily through the medium of the Army, Navy, and Air Force overseas networks, which includes channels in commercial ocean cables.                                                              

In the event the military radio networks or the ocean cables are not operating, the AJCC has radio facilities at the site, under its direct control for its immediate operation.

Secure and non-secure teleprinter, voice, and non-secure facsimile are available to both overseas and CONUS from the facility.

The WHCA Microwave Network remained in service until 1970, when a large portion was deemed obsolete and several towers were decommissioned.

Continuity of Government Communications

In the event the military radio networks or the ocean cables are not operating, the AJCC has radio facilities at the site, under its direct control for its immediate operation.

Secure and non-secure teleprinter, voice, and non-secure facsimile are available to both overseas and CONUS from the facility.

Cactus Tower at Camp David

To enable the Government to continue to function in the event of an emergency or enemy attack, the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization initiated the Continuity of Government Program. A major element of this program as previously mentioned, is the Emergency relocation plan which provides for the dispersal of essential elements of the Federal Government within the Federal Relocation Arc.

Presidential approval of the emergency relocation plan was dependent upon adequate communications between the emergency relocation sites. Because little or no reliable communications were available in the emergency relocation arc, the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization asked the Department of Defense for the Army Signal Corps to plan, design, engineer, install and maintain the communications services. The Secretary of Defense agreed to the U.S. Army Signal Corps would be responsible for, planning, designing, engineering, installing and maintaining the communications to support this Program at the National level.

Cannonball Tower on Cross Mountain  

Cowpuncher Tower on North Mountain in WV

The Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization would provide policy guidance concerning aspects of emergency relocation planning and for the necessary funding support.

A plan for a communications system was developed to meet the following requirements of OCDM:

1. To provide pretested communications between the Civilian Command Post at High Point and the heads of their agencies in their Emergency Relocation Sites (ERS).
2. To provide communications between the agencies themselves.
3. To have access to military and other Government Systems.
4. To have access to commercial telephone telegraph common user systems.
5. And finally to provide minimum communications for policy direction and control of executive departments and agencies in the program.

Crystal East and West Towers located at Mt Weather

Primary reliance of the OCDM Communications System was to be placed upon commercial upon commercial facilities. This is necessary in order that the resources of trained communications personnel of the commercial companies might be utilized for the operation of the communications system since military personnel would not be available to operate this system in an emergency.

The urgency of this project was such that time would not permit immediate implementation of the OCDM system. This was due primarily to a leak of communications facilities in the relocation arc.

Creed Tower on Raven Rock part of ACJJ 

It was, therefore determined that the system would be developed in three phases:

Phase I was to provide such communications as could be made available on short notice for OPERATION ALERT 1955.

Phase II was to provide an interim communications system by 1 April 1956. This interim system was to be operated until such time as additional communications could be made available.

Phase III was to provide a pretested communications system based on the area communications concept as soon after OPERATION ALERT 1956 as it could be made available without expediting costs.

The FIRST PHASE amounted to the communications that local telephone companies could provide. Facilities provided were very sparse, the communications capabilities of the present interim OCDM system.

The SECOND PHASE include: A leased private line telephone system which inter-connects the main site and the participating governmental agencies, this enables voice communications between the main site and the agencies, between agencies themselves, entrance into the nation-wide commercial bell network, and connection into the Government Code Dial Tandem System in Washington D.C.

The interim system also includes a leased private wire message communications or TWX facilities so that agencies have a means of passing record communications to and from the main site and between the agencies themselves.

The system includes a cryptographic network which consists of point to point or two way circuits between the main site and 20 of the more important agencies of the Government. 

All circuits and terminal facilities are leased, cryptographic equipment is Government owned. This network provides direct channels for exchanging classified messages between High Point and the 20 specified agencies.

This system also includes a one way broadcast system which provides for simultaneous transmission of classified and unclassified Executive Orders, Damage Reports, etc. from High Point and 40 agencies within the relocation arc.

Corkscrew Tower on Lambs Knoll in Boonsboro MD

Cartwheel Tower in Fort Reno MD

Finally this system also includes: A microwave system connecting sensitive agencies.

This consists of leased and Government owned facilities to provide a pretested system between High Point, and the emergency relocation sites of the State Department, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atomic Energy Commission, Department of Defense and Camp David. Circuits routed over this system include the Presidential secure voice network.

Non secure voice circuits from High Point to the sensitive agencies.

Secure Teleprinter circuits between the President and the heads of the sensitive agencies.

The broadcast network previously mentioned.

The Government owned portion of this microwave system which connects High Point and Camp David is operated and maintained by the White House Army Signal Agency. The remainder of this system is maintained by a commercial contractor.

A three channel mobile radio telephone system provides communications to and from the heads of key agencies while traveling in their automobiles in the area bounded by High Point, Washington and Fort Richie. In addition to the President, this system support 75 mobile subscribers, of which 56 are currently being served, included are the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretaries and the Chiefs of Staff of the Military Departments. This System is used on a daily basis. It provides telephone services to the Washington-High Point-Fort Ritchie Complex and provides interconnection to the Government code dialing system, as well as the commercial dial system.

Communications in support of the relocation site for the NATO Standing Group requires a complement of 47 people and an annual budget of $30,000 for full time operation.

The White House, including Camp David, requires 320 people and 2.5 million dollars annually.

The AJCC, Fort Ritchie complex, requires 537 people and an annual budget of 6.6 million dollars.

The OCDM program requires 329 people and 11 million dollars; however, the OCDM justifies and defends the amount required for its support.

This project was approved in 1955 and completed in total in 1962. The Microwave Network operated at full strength until 1970 when Crystal, Cowpuncher, Cannonball and Creed were deactivated.

The Presidential Retreat at Camp David (1965- 1970)-revised

Camp David Catoctin Mountain,  Md.
 Camp David Insignia
Elevation	1,900 ft. (579.1 m)
Location
Location	Frederick County, Maryland, USA
Range	Appalachian Mountains
Coordinates	+39.648333N  -77.466667 W

November of 1965 to Camp David

Camp David was originally built as a camp for federal government agencies and their families, by the WPA, starting in 1935, opening in 1938. About Camp David

On July 5 1942 the President inspected the retreat, which he had named "Shangri-La" in April. Among the names Roosevelt applied to individual buildings were "The Bear's Den" (the main lodge), "The Soap Dish" (the laundry), "The Baker Street Urchins" (Secret Service building), and "Little Luzon" (Philippine stewards' cabin).

Entrance to the Presidential Retreat (1942)

In April 1942 President Roosevelt visited the camp and chose as its nucleus and his personal residence an existing cabin, a one-room frame structure with a huge stone fireplace, an open porch, and an outside kitchen. Rebuilt by local laborers and the crew of the U.S.S. Potomac, which was transferred to the retreat in June, the completed structure, or lodge, contained a living-dining room, probably the original room; an enlarged, screened-in porch; a bedroom wing to the south; and a kitchen wing to the north. The exterior was constructed of local stone and hardwood; the interior, mainly of commercially obtained materials.

Laborers also assembled a communications building out of three existing cabins; combined two others to form a guest lodge; altered another structure for use as servants' sleeping quarters; and constructed a log gatehouse to guard the access road. Landscaping included selective removal of trees and shrubbery to accommodate the eastward view; additional planting in the vicinity of the main lodge; some clearing to aid in construction; and the obliteration of old service roads. Labor in the swimming pool area involved landscaping, road improvement, and the erection of a frame platform and tent for use as a dressing room. Utility work included the installation of water, power, and telephone lines and an underground intercommunication system.

Main Entrance to Camp David 

Roosevelt's successor, Harry S Truman, used the retreat only a few times. President Eisenhower, however, was a frequent visitor and renamed it Camp David in honor of his grandson. He also re-designated the main lodge as "Aspen." The Eisenhower’s not only repaired, repainted, and refurnished most of the cabins, but they also added a large flagstone terrace and picnic and outdoor cooking facility in the area of the main lodge and also installed a single golf green and several tees. President Eisenhower also had an Underground Bomb Shelter constructed behind Aspen Lodge.

Marine Guard Post at the Entrance to Camp David

Aspen Lodge (1965)

Aspen Lodge after renovations (1970)

Presidents Kennedy and Johnson rarely utilized Camp David.  It was President Nixon's favorite retreat when he was in Washington, not only for relaxing and meeting with foreign dignitaries, but also for working.  Nixon approved extensive modernization of the facilities at the camp, including major renovation to Aspen Lodge, installation of a helicopter pad, new figure-eight swimming pool, bowling alley, and skeet shooting range. There are now 11 residence cabins, the President utilizes a three-room cottage, named "Birch," as an office. And the main guest cabin, which is presently called "Laurel." In1971 there was a big upgrade to all the cabins including turning Laurel into big conference meeting room (Richard Nixon made 26 weekend visits to Camp David in 1971).

Aspen Lodge Bedroom

Aspen Lodge Living Room 
         

                   Aspen Lodge (1970)                                      President Nixon with Russian Premier Brezhnev

Camp David Mess Hall (1965)

Originally a barracks and mess hall Hickory was renovated in the early 60’s, it is now the center of activities while staying at Camp David. Hickory now contains a lounge and bar, a movie theater, as well as a two lane bowling alley and a game room with two pool tables. 

Hickory Lodge (1956)

As one of the permanent staff assigned to Camp David, we were allowed to use any of the recreational facilities as long as the President or any VIP's would be visiting.

The most popular facility used by the staff and their families was the swimming pool and bath house which was located near the Mess old mess hall and barracks. The pool also had a built-in trampoline where the kids loved to play.

Camp David swimming pool (1966)

The pool bath house (1965) 

Staff Swimming Pool (2014)

LBJ was the last President to use this pool, because when President Nixon took office he made numerous improvements to Camp David including a new pool behind Aspen lodge. The old pool remained for the use by the staff.

Aspen Lodge with new swimming pool (1969)

Navy Operations

Camp David is a U.S. Navy installation, commanded by a Naval Commander. Sailors are mostly Seabees and most officers are in the civil engineering field. The Navy Seabee Detachment performs maintenance and beautification. Some of the sailors include: grounds and maintenance personnel, electricians, carpenters, corpsmen, and the President's cooks (culinary specialists). 

The Marine Guard provided all of the physical security including the perimeter security for all arrivals or departures either by motorcade or helicopter and would continue as long as the President or visiting VIP remained at Camp David!

 Camp David was as dry as a Navy ship during its first years. (Not that beer sometimes didn't occasionally find its way in). The bar in Hickory was instituted in '59 or '60

 The lounge in Hickory Lodge with dance floor

Fully equipped bar in Hickory Lodge

The WHCA element at Camp David has always been a "Tennant Activity" at the Naval Support Facility (NSF), Thurmont, MD which is the official name of the Command. back in my era, there was often jealously concerning the WHCA troops always being in civilian attire, casual during non-visits, and business attire during visits.

The daily interface with NSF was frequent, they ran the Senior Petty Officer Mess (S.P.O.M.) which was the bar in Hickory, and also were in charge of the Medical Unit. There was a long-time icon, MCPO Adams who was in charge of the Medical Unit, and his "other assigned duties were to administer the rules and running of the bar in Hickory. They had a fully stocked bar, typical bags of chips, and a supply of Stewarts Infrared sandwiches that could be purchased. Draft beer was probably as cheap as $.25 a glass, and mixed drinks might have been $.45 each, a typical sandwich another $1.25. 

This was established as a NO CASH bar. Long before our Smartphone payment system was even dreamed . Each visit you would check out and initial a "Chit" which would be put in the register. Now remember, there were about 50 WHCA people, and Marine Security Detachment of 35, and another 50 NSF troops that all had access to the bar in Hickory. When you would be walking your rounds making Communications checks, it was not uncommon to meet MCPO Adams, (a.k.a. Doc Adams) on one of the trails. You would have the traditional courtesy of greeting and then he would repeat your name (no name tags) and tell you $14.85! That would be your current balance to date for the month. At the end of each month, you were required to go to the S.P.O.M. or his office and make payment.

I want to say, I think the only accepted method of payment was CASH! He knew to the penny what every person on the entire complex owed on their accounts. Of course, this was just one of his "other" assigned duties. I don't think I ever saw him in the Medical Unit building, he did have a very good staff that took care of regular "sick call" at 0800 each morning. (This was in the 1967-time frame) "Doc" was a legend. Total class act and bartender supreme. there was another obscure rule. You could not buy a round in the S.P.O.M. for your coworkers unless it was a published "Promotion Party". I always wondered if this was a way to monitor "drinking habits"

The White House Communications Agency (WHCA) provides all of the necessary voice and data communications and maintains the electronic fence surrounding the facility.

Marine One landing at Camp David

Army One (1967)

Motorola FM VHF Radio Training (1971)

Motorola Radio Training
Motorola’s Manufacturing Plant Schaumburg IL
Type Of Activity	Technical Training
Location
Location		Schaumburg IL
Date of Activity		Sep 19 1971 to Sep 25 1971
Coordinates		42° 4'5.20"N  88° 2'44.47"W

19 Sep 71 to Chicago IL-Motorola Radio  

I had been working on Motorola FM equipment for a number of years, all of my training had been on the job until 1971 when I was sent to Schaumburg IL to Motorola’s manufacturing plant to be trained on hand held FM radios and radio pagers.

Motorola’s Headquarters Schaumburg IL

WHCA used the Motorola brand exclusively for communications between the Secret Service, the White House Staff and WHCA our frequency spectrum was in the VHF range for these units.

We would use the P-33’s in all motorcade setups and all vehicles used by advance and staff. If the vehicle was assigned to the Secret Service they would receive a unit with Baker/Charlie frequency. The Staff would receive a P-33 radio on Sierra frequency.  

Motorola P-33 5w FM transceiver

The Secret Service Agents were all issued HT-220's on Baker/Charlie Frequency and certain Staff members would be issued HT-220's on Sierra. 

HT-220 1.5w FM Transceiver

The Staff frequency would also be set up with a Radio Paging system.  The Paging encoder would be set up at the switchboard at all trip locations or permanent installations. Any of the Staff and WHCA personnel authorized would receive a voice pager.

Paging system Encoder

Motorola  Page Boy radio paging unit

The San Clemente Detachment and CCT had hundreds of units that were used during Presidential visits or support on side trips for the Secret Service and the White House Staff.  This training would help us tremendously in our efforts to maintain our assigned equipment.

Since I had met and married my wife (Joanne)  while I was stationed in Chicago, I was pretty familiar with the area.  I was sent to this training with Bill Eadie who was also a CCT member.  We arrived at O’Hare and departed to check into our hotel.

The Motorola Plant was only two miles away from our hotel, so the next morning we started the week long class. We wrapped up training on Friday morning and was given a tour of the manufacturing plant after which we were released to return home. 

Bill and I departed O’Hare on Saturday to return to San Clemente

The Return of the Vietnam POW's (1973)

Operation Homecoming
Type of Activity	Return of our POW’s from Vietnam
Location
Location	Clark AFB PI
Date of Activity	12 February 1973
Coordinates	15°11'31.16"N 120°33'33.95"E

  

The End of the Vietnam War

It was early 1973, many years since the War in Vietnam started but two more years before the conflict fully ended, President Richard Nixon announced that ‘peace with honor’ had been achieved.

The Paris Peace talks with North Vietnam had been going on for a long time when the talks concluded on January 13, 1973 with the final agreement. The peace agreement was formally signed on January 27, 1973.  America's longest war was finally over!

This was great news for all of us in the Military as this unpopular conflict was coming to an end!  Ever since my first trip with President Johnson to Dallastown PA in 1966 there were always anti-war protesters present at every event that WHCA would support! Bomb threats at speech sites became so frequent that the US Secret Service would have Explosive Ordnance (EOD) teams sweep all locations where the President, Vice President or other VIP’s were scheduled to speak. I personally sat through many threats and demonstrations while working in the USSS command post.

This was not a pleasant time for anyone remaining in the Military and the POW’s that first returned were not welcomed home by all Americans, it would take many months before our nation forgot this controversial conflict.

America’s POW’s are finally on there way home!

Inside the C-141A, later known as the "Hanoi Taxi"

 

Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. The first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, later known as the "Hanoi Taxi" and now in a museum.

From February 12 to April 4, there were 54 C-141 missions flying out of Hanoi, bringing the former POW's home. Each plane brought back 40 POW's. During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POW's released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison. The first group had spent 6-8 years as prisoners of war.

The first of the POW’s arrive at Clark AFB, PI. 

POW's return home

After Operation Homecoming, the U.S. still listed about 1,350 Americans as prisoners of war or missing in action and sought the return of roughly 1,200 Americans reported killed in action and body not recovered.  These missing personnel would become the subject of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue.

Dr Henry Kissinger chief negotiator in the Paris Peace talks 

President Nixon welcomes John McCain upon his return from Vietnam

The American commitment to defend South Vietnam, described as unequivocal by President Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger, had been weakened by the Watergate scandal and Nixon's subsequent resignation. By that time, the Paris Accords seemed memorable only as the vehicle on which the United States rode out of Southeast Asia.

On April 30, 1975, a little over two years after the final agreement was signed by the United States of America, the North Vietnamese Army took over Saigon with little resistance, and Peace in Vietnam was restored!