What is Area 51?
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com | Above: An old 'Area 51' warning style sign on a gate
Area 51: Top secret alien meeting point or simply an American Air Force base?
Area 51 is located about 90 miles north of Las Vegas. It is a highly secretive American air force base. The exact use of Area 51 is unknown as it is strictly guarded and cut off from the public.
In fact, it was only publicly acknowledged by the CIA in 2013, when the CIA released the official history of some of its projects in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Released documents
60 declassified documents were handed over, which particularly focused on activity in the 1960's and 1970's and the need to develop stealth (spy) aircraft to monitor the Soviet Union. Other documents described the need to take photographs of Area 51 by satellite to see what the Russians may also see if they were spying on them with satellite.
Aliens?
One thing these documents make no mention of is UFOs. That's right, no mention of flying saucers, little green men or of anything remotely to do with extraterrestrials. So why is Area 51 so commonly linked to aliens?
Well there's a couple of reasons:
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The Roswell Cover-Up
In July 1947 there was a crash in Roswell, New Mexico. Many believe it to be that of a UFO, specifically a spacecraft and some even claimed to see aliens leave the craft. However, the police and US government claimed it was actually a crashed military air balloon, and absolutely nothing to do with extraterrestrials.
Many alien conspiracy believers claim that it was indeed an alien spacecraft that crashed and dead aliens were found. They claim their bodies and the spacecraft were transported to Area 51 by the military for further research and investigation.
They believe that today both the alien remains and the spacecraft are housed at Area 51 and regard these events as “the Roswell cover-up”. Photographs and film have even emerged supposedly showing alien autopsies dating back to 1947, but sceptics claim they are simply hoaxes.
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UFO Photographs
Tourists have been flocking to Area 51 (or as near as they get to it) for decades hoping to spot a UFO. Many UFO photographs have been taken and published, and while their authenticity has come into question, many alien believers take them as proof of alien existence.
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Area 51 Employee Claims
Several people have come forward over the years claiming to have worked for Area 51 and involved in top secret projects connected to aliens and their space crafts. For example, Bob Lazar claims to have worked at Area 51 and that he was hired to help guard an alien spacecraft that the US military had in its possession. However, this (and other claims) have been widely criticised by sceptics, especially as there is no evidence that Lazar ever worked there.
Area 51 today
Today Area 51 is still shrouded in mystery. While we know that it is indeed a US air force military base, the public are not allowed to enter. There are many warning signs of no-entry and an advanced use of sensors and signal devices are used to protect the area. Many tourists who have dared to trespass into the area have been almost instantly stopped by armed guards, who were able to detect their whereabouts through sensors and hidden cameras.
