Area 51 is one of the most enduring mysteries and sources of speculation in American history.
Located inside the Nevada Test and Training Range, the flat-dry
lake bed known as Groom Lake has been the home to some of the nation's
most advanced espionage and weapons technology, hair-raising tales of
Cold War brinksmanship, and possibly much worse, according to a new book
about the top-secret military base.
In writing "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base,"
Annie Jacobsen combed through thousands of pages of declassified
material on American spy plane development, nuclear testing at Area 51,
and the history of the CIA and Air Force's control of the base.
In the course of her research, she interviewed dozens of men who worked
or lived at Area 51 and are only now talking to one another and the
public about their time there. She also interviewed one anonymous source
who suggested a deeply dark side of the research conducted at Area 51:
human experimentation and psychological warfare (and, of course, a
high-level cover-up).
I interviewed Jacobsen, along with Jim Friedman, who was a senior field
administrator at Area 51 for 13 years, and TD Barnes, a radar specialist
who lived and worked at Area 51, in Nevada near the edge of the
enormous testing range and base. We drove up to the gate at Area 51,
talked at length about the planes and other technologies developed there
and dug into the controversy surrounding the most shocking parts of
Jacobsen's book.
The interviews and footage originally aired on CBS' "The Early Show,"
and these three videos are extra footage and longer interviews about the
topics covered in the book. First, a journey down the long Nevada
highway and desolate dirt road that leads to the back gate at Area 51:
the most intimidating gate you've ever seen. When we got there, there
was broken glass on the ground, an ominous camera gazing down at us, and
absolutely no one in sight. But I could feel the weight of eyes on me
with every moment we were there (and I expected a blow-dart in the back
at any second!).
Secrets of Area 51: The road to Area 51
The next video in our series is a deeper dive into the major
technologies developed at Area 51. The base was formed as a home for
development of the now-famous U-2 spy plane. Over time, it would also be
the building and testing ground for the unbelievably top-secret A-12
Oxcart spy plane--which, in Air Force hands, became the radar-invisible
SR-71 "Blackbird" stealth plane. I can't even imagine what tech they're
using now--but I certainly speculated that spy satellites were watching
us drive toward that back gate in high-definition, and probably using
facial recognition to identify us as we drove.
Secrets of Area 51: The history and technology of Area 51
Finally, the most controversial part of Jacobsen's book: the story of
Area 51's most enduring conspiracy theory, the Roswell UFO. The only
anonymous source in her book delivered still-classified details, if you
can believe them, about a disc-shaped aircraft engineered by Nazi
scientists and sent by Josef Stalin as part of a psychological warfare
campaign--and worse.
Secrets of Area 51: The alien controversy
As I mentioned in this piece, TD Barnes and other members of the
"Roadrunners," a group of mostly retired Area 51 alums, have been
increasingly vehement in their denials of this particular part of
Jacobsen's book--which I admit, I find particularly interesting. In my
interviews with him, Barnes was respectful of Jacobsen and gave high
praise to her research and journalism--despite being clearly
disappointed in the allegations in the book. Since then, the disagreement between Jacobsen and her sources has grown more intense in the media and in our follow-up e-mails with the Roadrunners.
For my part, I hope the controversial last chapter doesn't overshadow
the book in its entirety--although it's clearly the headline. The book
is absolutely fascinating. It's a story of, as Jacobsen says, men
pushing the limits of oversight and responsibility, highly skilled
technologists developing futuristic spying tools and weaponry, and an
unparalleled time of paranoia, fear, suspicion, and warfare in our
nation's history. At an absolute minimum, it's worth a read.
What do you think? Do you believe it's possible the U.S. government
engaged in human experimentation at Area 51? Tell us your thoughts in
the comments below.
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