Area 51

4 Pages 1050 Words

The United States government keeps many secrets away from the American public. One such secret that has gained increasing attention over the past four decades is

the top secret air base Area 51. There are many rumors about the operations and contents within Area 51. The air base officially does not exist; therefore, most rumors are speculation and hearsay.
The history of Area 51 dates back to the early fifties. After World War II the biggest question posing the American people was, ”Do the Soviets have a nuclear weapon?” The government also wanted to know the extent of the Soviets’ military build up in eastern Europe. The United States government had several failed attempts at flying over the Soviet Union in order to take reconnaissance photographs. In 1953 Major John Seaberg came up with the idea for a plane to acquire these pictures. It would fly at an altitude of 70,000 feet, at a high rate of speed, while taking detailed photographs over the U.S.S.R. Lockheed’s Kelly Johnson stole Seabergs design and went straight to the CIA with it, guaranteeing the delivery of the U-2 spy plane in eight months.
The normal test site for this spy plane would have been Edwards Air Force Base. The United States government and the CIA felt that this project was too top secret for a normal base testing site. They then set out searching the southwest for a dry lake testing area. They came across Groom Lake, Nevada, which turned out to be an ideal location for top secret projects. Groom Lake is located in the Nevada Test Site and is adjacent to the Atomic Energy Commission Proving Grounds which was used for target practice during World War II. It was an unpopulated area due to the frequent spraying of radioactive fallout from the Proving Grounds. In July of 1955 the CIA had obtained its secret base. (UFOs and Underground Bases)
Sloan 2
Area 51 is the most popular, unofficial name for the CIA’s secret air base loca...