Deep in the Nevada desert, about 180 km north of Las Vegas, lies a military base wrapped in a veil of conspiracy and mystery, known as Area 51. People often wonder what happened there and what purpose it serves today.
Are there aliens in the top-secret military base? Is the government conducting investigation into political forces that threaten our national security? Is it all just disinformation sponsored by the CIA to fool our enemies?
Beginning of the Mystery
In 1954, President Eisenhower signed an executive order for the development of a high-altitude reconnaissance plane called U-2. They needed testing grounds for the new spy plane program. Area 51 in the southern Nevada desert region of the country met all the criteria required for the tests.
As soon as the U-2 took its first test flights in 1955, the first stories and reports of UFOs began to circulate in news and radio reports. Pilots flying in the area reported many of the sightings themselves.
At that time, aircraft flew at an altitude of 10,000 feet maximum, but the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft reached an incredible 40-60,000 feet. Seeing planes traveling at such height and speed led to speculation about otherworldly visitors. These reports helped distract people from the real top-secret activity at the base.
The Legend of J-Rod
A persistent legend involving Area 51 concerns a supposed “gray” (a term used for an alien archetype described by many as short, gray, and with large eyes) named J-Rod. He allegedly survived a UFO crash in Kingman, Arizona in the early 1950s, and the government took him to Area 51.
Dan Burch, a microbiologist who worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency, first reported the story. Dan stated he worked at Area 51 Groom Lake, the runway section of the base. Dan claimed the government had him take tissue samples from the captured alien. J-Rod and Burch became friends over the course of the two years Dan worked on the project.
J-Rod communicated with Dan through something called “shared consciousness,” telling him many stories about J-Rod’s civilization and past. J-Rod related that his race inhabited Earth thousands of years ago, but they were forced to leave due to global natural catastrophes. He alleged that the “grays” wanted to return to Earth to establish relations with humans and recover some genetic variance through human DNA.
Burch’s story becomes even less credible as he ends his tale by claiming to have saved J-Rod by taking him to Abydos in Egypt and sending J-Rod through a natural “Star Portal.”
Conspiracy Theories and Jesse Ventura
Famous WWF wrestler, actor, author, Navy SEAL, and successful politician, Jesse Ventura, took a keen interest in Area 51 for practical reasons. Every year, hundreds of millions of taxpayer’s monies funds the mysterious events at Area 51, but no one, including politicians, knows what happens there.
Ventura conducted his own investigation. He met with ex-workers and aeronautical engineers who worked at the facility. Ventura reported that Michael Schratt, a former aeronautical engineer at the site, says there are no aliens at the base. He claims Area 51 houses various experimental technologies that are at least 50 years ahead of anything currently in use.
“Things you saw in Star Wars and Star Trek, we’ve been there, done that, and either put it to use or realized it is not worth the effort,” Schratt said.
Schratt describes some of the experimental aircraft as lighter-than-air vehicles called Natural Buoyancy Craft. These crafts, along with the Super Stall and Flux Liner, use naturally-occurring electrical charges and do not require batteries to operate.
Schratt claims the Flux Liner appears similar to craft described in the ancient Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita. According to this engineer, the government uses the belief in UFO phenomena to hide what really transpires at Area 51.
Infamous Facts About the Secret Base
Many believe that the U.S. Government has no qualms about resorting to extreme methods, like kidnapping or even assassination, to protect what goes on at Area 51.
Environmental laws exclude Area 51. Some employees have alleged that the practices at the base caused them to suffer from health issues, but the courts have dismissed the cases based on complicated issues of jurisdiction.
Rumors continue to circulate that anyone who came close to discovering the real purpose of Area 51 died under mysterious circumstances or were persuaded to stay silent, due to threats and pressure from the government.
Unknown government agents have raided homes and confiscated material of people involved in investigating Area 51. The base has no direct congressional oversight.
Despite the more mundane explanations of secret government experimental aircraft testing, many still believe aliens and UFOs form a part of the work at Area 51.
Who knows? Perhaps someday the government will finally reveal the secrets of one of the most mysterious places on earth.
