Page 54 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Febrary/March 2020 Edition

54 AREA 51 - Facts, Fiction, Myths & Truth

AREA 51 - The Facts, The

Fiction, The Myths, The

Truth

It’s the most famous secret military base
in the world.
Those who worked at Area 51 were told
in no uncertain words to keep their mouth shut
as their life and the lives of others depended on
it.
It is only now that the men that worked
at Area 51are telling their stories for the first
time.
There has been a lot of misinformation
that has been fed by people’s natural curiosity.
They have no idea what is going on behind the
secure boundaries of Area 5, but one thing is for
certain - they would like to find out.
Area 51 was established by the CIA in
1955 to develop and test America’s most secret
military projects. Area 51 was named after a grid
number on a map.
While officially Area 51 does not exist,
that purpose. It was also protected by the interested in working on a “black op.” The
today satellite images of the Nevada desert show
mountain range around it so it wasn’t very candidate told the interviewers that he was, but
seven runways and more than 25 hangers.
visible.” he would need to go home and discuss it with his
Shrouded in secrecy, access has always
Groom Lake, according to those who wife.
been highly restricted.
travelled on it claim that it was as “smooth as The next day when the candidate
Finally, the early programs that started it
glass.” Those working at Area 51 would take the returned to the hotel where the interview had
all are being declassified and memories can be
staff car onto the dry lake bed and would drive been conducted the day before, the two
brought to light.
the car as fast as it would go and the car would interviewers had gone.
Jim Freedman, Area 51 field
not even hit a bump. A person who needed to “check with his
administrator says, “It was a real cold war. You
In the early days of Area 51, Groom wife” was not Area 51 material. Secrecy was the
are talking about nuclear bombs aimed at every
Lake was very sparse. There were a group of standard order of the day.
major city, and it’s like two people…who’s
trailers that housed the workers and then there Area 51 was created for one Top Secret
going to throw the first punch?”
was an all-purpose building where the workers project called “Aquatone.”
Ed Lovick, a radar & stealth specialist at
would eat. There was no TV, there was no radio. In 1955, men from the CIA, the Air
Area 51 explained, “There are a lot of times
The only woman in the early days of Force and a secret division of Lockheed, came to
when democracy just has to give way to strict
Area 51 according to Col. Hugh Slater, Area 51 Paradise Ranch to begin work.
control like the military so you can accomplish
Commander, “There was one woman who was Those who had been selected work at
something that will allow for your country to
with the finances of the CIA that came up there Area 51 were told that they were basically going
survive and that’s the way we all thought about
and spent one night, and that is the only one I to be working “a pig in a poke,” and the majority
it, I think.”
ever knew of.” of people did not take the job.
According to hypersonic flight
The first name that was ever given to However, when the pilots who were
specialist, T. D. Barnes, “When we had a
Area 51 was “Paradise Ranch.” The powers to selected for Area 51 were fitted for pressure
meeting, no pencil and paper was allowed. Even
be thought it was soften the blow of the suits, they knew that whatever their mission was
the pilots did not talk to each other, because
austerity in the attempt to, perhaps, convince going to be, it would be at high altitudes.
nothing was written down. It was all in their
people that it wasn’t quite as bad as it looked. Your blood boils above 50,000 feet
heads.”
“The charm of Area 51 is that it only had without pressurization. If for example the engine
When new people enter “The Program,”,
one job to do,” according to Albert Wheelon, of the aircraft cut off, the pressure suit would
they were given a code name. In the case of Col.
Deputy Director of the CIA, “and anybody that save the pilot.
Ken Collins, a USAF test pilot, “ My first name
wasn’t needed didn’t go there, probably didn’t A manufacturer for the pressure suits had
was ‘Ken’, and the last name started with a ‘C’
want to go there because it wasn’t that grand a been selected in Boston that made the pressure
for Collins, but it was ‘Colmar.”
vacation spot. It was pretty tough duty.” suits to order. The suits had to be tailor made and
For Lt. Col Tony Bevacqua, who was not
The CIA needed a certain kind of man to skin tight.
that curious, “Considering the secrecy part of it.
work at Area 51. Pilots went to “David Clark” who made
I mean, if I don’t need to know it, I’m not going
It was decided by those responsible for braziers for Sears which took a couple of
to ask.”
the selection of those to work at Area 51 that fittings. While there, pilots were under strict
Those within the Area 51 program were
they were to be “quiet warriors.” The security orders not to explain why they needed pressure
told not to try and find their level of clearance,
screening had eliminated a fair number of suits or where they were stations.
that they had just been cleared by the highest
people who were “show offs.” The modified MA2 partial pressure suits
groups in Washington, DC. Jim Freedman stated
Those who were selected to work at Area were personally fitted for each pilot. A loss of
that “They have an apparatus to know what
51 had no idea what they were going to be only two pounds in the pilots’ weight could
you’re doing, what you’re saying and where
working on. make the suit ineffective.
you’re going.”
Area 51 Security Agent Richard Mingus The men looked like nothing seen on
Area 51 is built along a dry lake bed
said, “They were told that the project that they earth and rumours about what was going on
known as Groom Lake. It offered obvious
were going to be working on was very sensitive inside Area 51 started to swirl.
advantages.
and that they were not to discuss it with
Former Area 51 test pilot, Ray Goudey
anybody.”
explains, “We needed a good place to land, that
Interviews for Area 51 “black ops” were (Continued on Page 55)
we could land in any direction, depending where
conducted in hotel rooms. In one case, after an
the wind came from and Groom Lake served
interview a candidate was asked if he would be