A former U.S. government official has made a bold claim that the federal government secretly constructed a vast network of subterranean cities for the elite to survive a global catastrophe.

 Catherine Austin Fitts was Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George H. W. Bush.

She alleges that 170 underground bunkers have been built across the U.S. — and even beneath oceans off the country’s coasts — to prepare for a “near-extinction event.”

Trillions Spent on Subterranean Cities

According to Fitts, construction of these underground facilities began in 1998 and was completed by 2015, with approximately $21 trillion in taxpayer funds funneled into the project.

“It’s preparation for catastrophe,” Fitts said during a recent interview on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, as reported by Realtor.com.

No Evidence, Unless the Locations are Found

The former Housing official did not provide concrete evidence for her claim.

Instead, she referenced a 2017 study by economist Mark Skidmore of Michigan State University, which alleged large sums of unauthorized spending within the Departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development. 

Based on this, Fitts suggested that a portion of the unaccounted funds may have been used to construct these classified subterranean facilities.

“After two years of combing through records related to already documented underground military bases,” she said, “I looked into allegations of a wider bunker network.”

If the underground bunkers are ever located, they would provide physical evidence of Fitts' claims.

Underground Cities and Hidden Technology

Fitts also alleged that these bunkers are connected via an underground transportation system and powered by a classified energy source.

“I’m convinced that this energy exists. If you look at a lot of the really fast ships flying around the planet, they’re not using classical electricity,” she said, apparently referencing recent unidentified aerial phenomena sightings.

In addition to serving as doomsday shelters for the powerful, Fitts claimed the bases host “secret operations”, including a “secret space program.”

A Long History of Underground Construction

While her claims may seem far-fetched, underground facilities are nothing new. Civilizations have built subterranean cities for centuries, including ancient complexes in China, Greece, Egypt, France, and Gaza.

During the Cold War, the U.S. government constructed several hardened facilities, including the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado and a secret Congressional bunker beneath The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia.

The US also built an extensive network of underground bunkers housing a nuclear facility in Greenland in 1959. It was aptly code-named “Project Iceworm.”

MSN Coverage: US built underground cities for elites, ex-official claims

Fitts' Controversial Beliefs

Catherine Austin Fitts, who also worked as an investment banker, is known for promoting controversial views.

During her conversation with Carlson, she also claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine contains DNA-modifying substances. And that a shadowy global cabal is working to control the population through mind control.

While her claims about subterranean cities remain unverified, they have sparked curiosity and concern, especially given the historical precedent of governments building secret underground facilities in times of crisis.