For over 50 years they have been some of America’s most closely guarded secrets. Now, American Doomsday takes viewers inside the ‘Doomsday Plans’. Working with the US Air Force, historians and security experts we explain how doomsday plans were used on 9/11 and show the critical role they would play in a future cataclysm.
Our cameras get rare access to the President’s Doomsday Plane, officially known as the E4-B. Viewers will see the highly trained E4-B crew respond to an alarm, what they call an alert response. Cameras roll as the klaxon sounds, personnel run out to the plane. Pilots hop into their seats, fire up the engines and the E4-B takes to the air. Then our cameras are on the flight deck as pilots perform one of the most dangerous moves in aviation, air refueling. The delicate process requires the E4-B, a militarised Boeing 747, to fly within mere feet of a refueling tanker. Back on the ground, commander of the E4-B, Air Force Colonel Marty Doebel takes our cameras behind the security lines and gives us a tour. He shows us the heart of the E4-B, where the president would direct an American response to a doomsday scenario.

American Doomsday also takes viewers inside Cheyenne Mountain Complex, where part of the Air Force response on 9/11 was directed. We interview the facility commander, who outlines the facility’s unique capabilities and explains why, despite its Cold War origins, Cheyenne Mountain may be more relevant that ever. The hour also explores the origins of doomsday planning with President Eisenhower. We outline the massive doomsday projects undertaken in the 1950s, including two of America’s oldest and most secret doomsday bunkers: Mount Weather and Site R.

Finally, our cameras go to The Greenbrier, one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, playground for world leaders and Hollywood stars. We reveal that hidden behind the colourful walls and opulent decor is a secret. For 30 years a congressional doomsday bunker was hidden here. We go inside The Greenbrier bunker and explain how it was prepared to support Congress in case of nuclear attack. It was finally exposed in 1992 and the government shut it down.

American Doomsday reveals surprising details that prove the President and other leaders are far better prepared to protect themselves during an attack than most people realise.