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Gold9472
06-28-2005, 06:12 PM
China activates bomb shelters
Intelligence sources suspect reopening to public is part of strategic deception

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45001

Posted: June 28, 2005

China's decision to open up massive bomb shelters to the public, ostensibly to provide a respite from summer heat, has U.S. intelligence analysts concerned about a possible strategic deception by Beijing, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

The government made a high-profile public announcement, carried by the official Xinhua news agency, this week that bomb shelters in central Chongqing would be opened to the public to allow residents to cool off during a heat wave in which temperatures are reaching into the 90s.

Specifically, the announcement said, the government had decided to open 24 cool, underground air-raid shelters, most of them built in the 1960s and 1970s.

"A heat wave with high humidity has hit Chongqing since last week, making life unbearable to residents, many of whom only have electric or palm-leaf fans to cool off," the Xinhua report explained.

The government even planned to equip the shelters with free tea, chairs, books and newspapers for those trying to escape the heat.

The bomb shelters, the report said, covered an area of more than 70,000 square meters – or some 17.3 acres – and could accommodate tens of thousands of people.

While "civil defense" fallout shelters may sound like an anachronism to many in the West, the Chinese have maintained an elaborate, large and sophisticated system, as the size of the Chongquin facility suggests.

The shelters are built for quick and easy access to the public from home or work.

But some Western intelligence analysts believe there is more to this official announcement by the Chinese than public relations, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

"I don't think the Chinese leadership is only interested in appearing beneficent and caring toward its people," one well-placed intelligence source told the premium online intelligence newsletter. "That might be a side benefit to this announcement, but I strongly suspect there is much more to this story than meets the eye."

The Chinese specialist agreed with others knowledgeable about nuclear arms that such a maneuver – opening up large fallout shelters to the public on a regular basis would serve two strategic purposes for Beijing:

It would familiarize the Chinese people with the shelters, making it easier to evacuate the public in times of potential nuclear attack.

It would confuse Western intelligence analysts who monitor movements of the Chinese public by satellite as evidence of the government's intentions.
In addition to monitoring missile launches, U.S. national security officials keep an eye on large-scale public movements in countries like China. If, for instance, city residents were seen moving in large numbers into fallout shelters, it would be a sign the government might be preparing for an attack of some kind.

But if such massive movements became routine – because shelters are opened up in the heat of summer and in the cold of winter to provide shelters from the elements – then such movements would more likely be disregarded as militarily insignificant in the West.

"Think about it," said one U.S. intelligence source. "If you were planning, at some point in the future, to launch a pre-emptive first strike on some enemy, wouldn't it make sense to do what the Chinese are doing?"