In March 2021, a Tik Tok user created a video about an abandoned military base in South Dakota called the Stanley R Nickleson Safeguard complex. He claimed that the complex was made in 1975 and costs $6 billion to construct. The main questionable part of the video is that he claimed that the complex was operated on October 1st and was only operational until October 2nd. In other words, it was only used for a day. In this assignment, I’m going to see if this video was all true, partly true, or false.
- Source
https://www.tiktok.com/@benben.son/video/6939022709468843269?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
You have to first find the source of the video and see if it is reliable or not. Although Ben has 473 thousand followers, TikTok is not the best place to find reliable information because individual creators could post anything they want.
- Reliable source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_R._Mickelsen_Safeguard_Complex
I searched up the Mickelson complex on Wikipedia and it explained that it was a cluster of military facilities near Grand Forks, Dakota. This proved that it is an actually existing place.
- Snopes.com
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mickelsen-safeguard-complex-close/
I searched about the Mickleson Safeguard complex on a fact checker Snopes to see what information they have about the subject. It said that the statement was a mixture of true and false.
True:
The safeguard complex cost around 5.7 billion and had a radar system shaped like a pyramid. It also had a anti-ballistic missile system and opened on October 1, 1975. The next day, US house representatives voted to shut it down.
False:
The complex did not close right away and remained open until February of 1976. This early development of the Safeguard Program was reportedly used as a bargaining chip with Russia during the Cold War.
- Conclusion
In conclusion, most of the information was true from the video. However, do not believe everything on the internet and always fact-check before letting yourself fooled.