Fears of a Soviet attack during the 1950s spurred the federal government to install four missile sites around the Twin Cities. The "Nike-Hercules" nuclear warheads stored in those bunkers stood ready to take down Soviet bombers headed for the Twin Cities.

Curious Minnesota host Eric Roper discusses the topic with reporter Michelle Griffith, a former Star Tribune intern who now works at the Fargo Forum newspaper.

Further reading:

Was Minnesota home to nuclear missiles during the Cold War? (April 2020 Curious Minnesota story)

When nukes in a cornfield protected the Twin Cities from the Soviet Union

Former Nike Hercules missile in St. Bonifacius stands as a reminder of the Cold War