Post by auntym on May 15, 2011 21:44:42 GMT -6
www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/behind_area_curtain_base_the_united_bGY4evIdSUxwF7LTISVvKM
Behind the curtain of the United States' most secretive military base, Area 51
After decades of denying its existence, former insiders speak out
By ANNIE JACOBSEN
May 15, 2011
Area 51. It’s the most famous military institution in the world that doesn’t officially exist. If it did, it would be found about 100 miles outside Las Vegas in Nevada’s high desert, tucked between an Air Force base and an abandoned nuclear testing ground.
Then again, maybe not — the US government refuses to say. You can’t drive anywhere close to it, and until recently, the airspace overhead was restricted — all the way to outer space. Any mention of Area 51 gets redacted from official documents, even those that have been declassified for decades.
AP
After Francis Gary Power was shot down in his U-2 spy plane in 1960 (above), the US redoubled secrecy efforts at Areas 51, where the A-12 OXCART - later the Blackbird - was tested. Sightings of the A-12's flat bottom led to many UFO stories.
It has become the holy grail for conspiracy theorists, with UFOlogists positing that the Pentagon reverse-engineers flying saucers and keeps extraterrestrial beings stored in freezers. Urban legend has it that Area 51 is connected by underground tunnels and trains to other secret facilities around the country. In 2001, Katie Couric told “Today” show audiences that 7% of Americans doubt the moon landing happened — that it was staged in the Nevada desert. Millions of “X-Files” fans believe the truth may be “out there,” but more likely it’s concealed inside Area 51’s Strangelove-esque hangars — buildings that, though confirmed by Google Earth, the government refuses to acknowledge.
The problem is the myths of Area 51 are hard to dispute if no one can speak on the record about what actually happened there. Well, now, for the first time, someone is ready to talk — in fact, five men are, and their stories rival the most outrageous of rumors. Col. Hugh “Slip” Slater, 89, was commander of the Area 51 base in the 1960s. Edward Lovick, 92, spent three decades radar testing some of the world’s most famous aircraft (including the U-2, the A-12 OXCART and the F-117). Kenneth Collins, 82, a CIA experimental test pilot, was given the silver star. Thornton “T.D.” Barnes, 72, was an Area 51 special-projects engineer. And Harry Martin, 79, was one of the men in charge of the base’s half-million-gallon monthly supply of spy-plane fuels. Here are a few of their best stories — for the record:
TO CONTINUE READING PAGES 2-3-4 CLICK ON ABOVE LINK
Behind the curtain of the United States' most secretive military base, Area 51
After decades of denying its existence, former insiders speak out
By ANNIE JACOBSEN
May 15, 2011
Area 51. It’s the most famous military institution in the world that doesn’t officially exist. If it did, it would be found about 100 miles outside Las Vegas in Nevada’s high desert, tucked between an Air Force base and an abandoned nuclear testing ground.
Then again, maybe not — the US government refuses to say. You can’t drive anywhere close to it, and until recently, the airspace overhead was restricted — all the way to outer space. Any mention of Area 51 gets redacted from official documents, even those that have been declassified for decades.
AP
After Francis Gary Power was shot down in his U-2 spy plane in 1960 (above), the US redoubled secrecy efforts at Areas 51, where the A-12 OXCART - later the Blackbird - was tested. Sightings of the A-12's flat bottom led to many UFO stories.
It has become the holy grail for conspiracy theorists, with UFOlogists positing that the Pentagon reverse-engineers flying saucers and keeps extraterrestrial beings stored in freezers. Urban legend has it that Area 51 is connected by underground tunnels and trains to other secret facilities around the country. In 2001, Katie Couric told “Today” show audiences that 7% of Americans doubt the moon landing happened — that it was staged in the Nevada desert. Millions of “X-Files” fans believe the truth may be “out there,” but more likely it’s concealed inside Area 51’s Strangelove-esque hangars — buildings that, though confirmed by Google Earth, the government refuses to acknowledge.
The problem is the myths of Area 51 are hard to dispute if no one can speak on the record about what actually happened there. Well, now, for the first time, someone is ready to talk — in fact, five men are, and their stories rival the most outrageous of rumors. Col. Hugh “Slip” Slater, 89, was commander of the Area 51 base in the 1960s. Edward Lovick, 92, spent three decades radar testing some of the world’s most famous aircraft (including the U-2, the A-12 OXCART and the F-117). Kenneth Collins, 82, a CIA experimental test pilot, was given the silver star. Thornton “T.D.” Barnes, 72, was an Area 51 special-projects engineer. And Harry Martin, 79, was one of the men in charge of the base’s half-million-gallon monthly supply of spy-plane fuels. Here are a few of their best stories — for the record:
TO CONTINUE READING PAGES 2-3-4 CLICK ON ABOVE LINK