Area 51 REVEALED: Dissecting the CIA’s Declassified Proof of Mystery Base

After decades of obsessing over Area 51, conspiracy theorists and UFO enthusiasts might be upset when they read the document declassified by the CIA yesterday. The official history of the of the CIA's Overhead reconnaissance "U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954-1974," details the program's extensive use of Area 51 at Groom Lake, Nevada. The 407-page monograph is the first time a government document, outside of a few scraps that leaked in the 20th century, has used the phrase "Area-51." The document also propels the desolate military base to the center of U.S. military history by showing its prominent role in the Cold War and the war in Vietnam.

Here is the introduction of the 407-page monograph. The forward shows that the book chronicles the CIA's aerial surveillance program, specifically the development and operations of two planes: the U-2 and the A-12 OXCART.

Here is a map of Nevada and the area designated as Area 51.

The groom lake facility came into the hands of the United States military when they realized it would make a perfect location for testing new spy planes. The land, including Area 51, belonged to the Atomic Energy Commission, a remnant of the Manhattan Project.

Once the government established Area-51 as a premier sight for creating and testing advanced surveillance planes, the problem of where employees would come from quickly presented itself. In order to get experienced workers with the proper security clearance, the government began flying employees from Burbank to Area-51.

Above: Area-51 proves itself to be the center of U-2 development, testing, and pilot training.

It is easy to see how conspiracy theories could emerge from Area-51 when you look at this picture: Above are parts of a spy plane being transported into the base.

Area 51 became one of the most important bases in the training of pilots to fly the U-2 spy plane. The U-2 was the most advanced and radar-resistant plane of the era and an important tool in America's espionage campaign against the Soviet Union.

As the Cold War pressed on, the United States began the OXCART program at Area-51 which produced the even more radar-resistant A-12 plane.

A model of the A-12 plane is displayed above the sands of Groom Lake.

Rows of the newly developed A-12 stealth surveillance plane.

On May 29, 1967, the two A-12's took off from Kadena airbase for their first mission. The mission lasted over three hours and the planes were able to fly over North Vietnam and the DMZ without being noticed by radar.

This letter was sent to a curious citizen in 1998 and denied that the United States government operated any facility known as Area-51. The newly declassified documents prove otherwise.

Conspiracy theorists will probably not be satisfied with this book and continue to wonder what really happens beyond the desert, fences, and security patrols like the one photographed above.