N. Korean nukes tension underscores theme of Graff's 'Raven Rock,' May 22 Book Rap

The National Press Club plans to host Garrett M. Graff for a Book Rap to discuss his new book, "Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself – While the Rest of Us Die," at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 22, in the Club’s conference rooms.

Tickets are $5 for Club members and $10 for the general public. Tickets and books are available online.

For four years, Graff dug through presidential libraries and examined recently declassified military and government documents for what he thought would be a fun history of how the United States government planned for Armageddon during the Cold War.

The result is "Raven Rock," a book release with impeccable timing as the world nervously watches North Korea flex its nuclear muscles and Russia openly prepare for war. And if that weren’t enough to concern us, according to Graff, the government isn’t as prepared as it should be even after decades of planning.

The book gets its name from Raven Rock, the Pennsylvania bunker prepared for top military officials and used only once beginning Sept. 11, 2001. It is a history of how the U.S. government would survive an attack – who and what would be saved and protected, and who and what would not.

Graff is a magazine journalist and historian. He served as editor of the Washingtonian and Politico Magazine and has written stories for various publications including Wired and the New York Times. He is the author of The Threat Matrix: The FBI War in the Age of Global Terror and The First Campaign: Globalization, the Web, and the Race for the White House.

The event features a presentation by the author, a question-and-answer session with the audience, and a signing session. No outside books are allowed at the event, which is a fundraiser for the NPC National Journalism Institute.