Recent mobilization efforts to provide urban security in the American ‘War on Terrorism’ recall the expanding military–industrial complex during the nation’s preparations for the Cold War. This article suggests the current generation of American city leaders can learn much from history. Juxtaposing recent mobilization efforts alongside analogous episodes from the nation’s past reminds us that many powerful economic and political interests are well–served by the unbridled expansion of urban fear. This comparison raises important questions to be asked of current and future domestic urban security measures in the ‘War on Terrorism’.