The Effectiveness of the NIKE Missile Defense Program in San Francisco During the Cold War

From 1952 until 1974, the United States and the Soviet Union were in a very tense arms race, this rush for military superiority; now called the Cold War brought new military weapon developments and countermeasures faster then any other time in our history. Along with offensive advances, the militaries of both sides worked to create defenses for securing important ports, manufacturing plants and shipping lines; such as: Hidden Carriage Artillery, Air to ground NIKE missiles and RADAR scrambling stations. One of these strategically protected locations was the San Francisco bay. The protection of goods such as food, cars, and technology was vital in case of an attack; and although that war was never declared, the security provided by coastal defenses was worth the money and resources that it took in order to protect this vital port, populous city and cultural epicenter from potential loss of life, culture and economic fortitude.

San Francisco is an important economic location for the United States. San Francisco bay has the port of Oakland, which according to the Port of Oakland was “becoming the second largest port in the world” (Port of Oakland) in terms of gross tonnage in the 1960’s. This was a very valuable asset to the United States, being “300 nautical miles closer to Asia and its [Growing] economy than Southern California ports” (Port of Oakland) and therefore it was very well protected by the government.

Along with the economic importance of San Francisco, there was also a very strong political force in San Francisco. During the time of the Vietnam war (1964-1973) there was a very strong movement for peace in the country. The heart of the movement was in San Francisco. This made the government have to protect the people, and further created reason for increased coastal defenses.

The cold war was one of the few times in recorded history where there was a possibility of the total annihilation of the human race. This threat was because of the rapidly developing nuclear weapons. Although the primary deterrent of use was political talks and treaties, another very important aspect of insuring that the weapons would never be used was the weapons themselves. As long as every country with nuclear capabilities recognized that if they used their weapons in aggression against any other nation, that war would erupt and they would be at risk of losing their country, and possibly the world. The nuclear NIKE missiles in the Marin Headlands were invaluable to the United States, not only for defense from the physical weapons, but from the governments who could use them.

The last major reason for the military to defend San Francisco was because of their own interests in the location. Since its inhabitation as an urban area, the Bay Area has been a very important military emplacement. During WWII, it served as the command for the Pacific Theater, and during the Vietnam War, it was a repair and maintenance facility for the Navy. As stated by Christina M. Carlson and Robert Lyon, the NIKE ground to air missile systems that were sprinkled about the bay area were a good choice for the region because:

Nike installations ringed their protected cities and industrial centers – called, in military planning parlance, “vital areas.” Each vital area was surrounded by a buffer zone. The size of each buffer zone was determined by the amount of damage the enemy could theoretically inflict, as related to the ability of the area to absorb damage and continue operating.
(Carlson, Last Line)

This made the military consider the possible catastrophic incapacitating blow that an attack on San Francisco could have on the defense and security of the nation.

There were two major threats during the time period. The larger threat was from the Soviet Union. The USSR was a communist country, that had been labeled as an enemy by the United States’ government. The major threat from the USSR would be planes carrying payloads of napalm bombs, High explosive munitions or nuclear warheads. The second threat was from China. China is also a communist country, and although not as devastating of a blow could be dealt by the country’s comparatively low technology, still had a capacity to construct nuclear weapons. Although the threat from China was less because they did not have as advanced of weapons as the USSR, it was certainly a very real and dangerous one.

To defend San Francisco, many plans were proposed and considered by the Army Air Defense Command Post and the United States Department of Defense. Previous to the arms race, artillery had been used to protect the Bay Area form the largest possible threat, that of large warships, but with the new possibility of a nuclear airborne attack, the government had to rethink the defense of the city. Ultimately a plan was devised that would cover both Air and Sea attacks. For the sea, large artillery batteries with guns that could disappear beneath the battery itself were built into the Presidio. For air defense, the government spent over 100 billion dollars to develop the NIKE missile system, a ground to air rocket that could carry a high explosive, or nuclear warhead. The NIKE missiles used a triangulated radar signal to be guided to the plane, and blow up near it, knocking it out of the sky. In the event of a massive attack, the improved NIKE Hercules missile could destroy a fleet of aircraft, or a ballistic missile at “ranges in excess of 150,000 yards and at altitudes up to 100,000 ft.” (NIKE Missile Historical Society)

Although these systems did not see combat, it was more then worth the costs of maintenance to have them prepared because of the potential loss: both of life and of economic stability. Had there been a nuclear bomb dropped on San Francisco, tens of millions might have gone hungry, and even more would have been without affordable gasoline, clothing and other goods. This might have paved the way for the downfall of America and loss of democracy as we know it.