Area 51… it’s a term that can evoke chills with its very mention, and one that has become synonymous with one of the more ominous presences in the modern study of UFOs. Located in a large dry lake bed in a remote corner of Nevada, the site allegedly serves as testing ground for an entire host of strange aerial vehicles, ranging from those believed to originate on this planet, to those whose design may have far more exotic origins.
During a recent phone call with fellow researcher David Weatherly, author of The Black Eyed Children, this familiar (and favorite) subject to most anyone in the ufological field came up in our conversation. David had recently made something of a pilgrimage to Alamo, Nevada, one of two towns closest to the infamous Area 51 site, from which he and his companion, UFO Highway author Anthony Sanchez, hoped to do a little late-night UFO watching.
The location has indeed garnered much intrigue over the years–enough to continue drawing researchers like Weatherly and Sanchez out into the chilly January night with hopes of seeing strange lights emanating from the direction of the infamous desert base. Much like my associates mentioned here, I too have long been intrigued by the place; but perhaps never so much as recently, when I learned that a lecture on alleged “reverse-engineering” at Area 51 is scheduled to be presented at the National Atomic Testing Museum, a facility in Las Vegas, Nevada that is associated with the Smithsonian Institution.
On the Radar: Area 51 and the Smithsonian?
With little need for debate, most would agree that Area 51 and The Smithsonian Institution would have to make for strange bedfellows. The paradox here is that, for one, The Smithsonian, which is administered under the U.S. Federal Government, is associated with the National Atomic Testing Museum in Nevada… a location which, according to their website, states not only that they will be discussing “the most secret place in America,” but in doing so, claims it will draw its information from former employees (!!!) who allegedly worked there.
The following statement appears at the NATM’s web page for the Area 51 exhibit:
“Learn about the most secret place in America. The first ever exhibit on Area 51 is being developed with the help of the very people that worked there. This exhibit will expore the real truth, the real programs and address the secrecy that surrounds the base at Groom Lake.”
This statement, appearing next to a cartoony-looking image of two Men in Black, is accompanied by the video linked at the top of this page. Heading back to the site’s homepage, I noticed small images in the lower right-hand corner depicting a link to a page with videos, featuring radio host and investigative journalist George Knapp, along with Col. John B. Alexander, whose association with government related UFO programs over the years have drawn interest (and suspicion, at times) in a number of conspiracy-minded circles.
It’s not to say that there is anything nefarious (nor do we mean to assert this in the least) with regard to a lecture series themed around Area 51. Then again, something about inviting folks to visit a national museum affiliated with The Smithsonian Institution, and to hear lectures about “the most secret place in America,” as told by “the very people that worked there,” more than merely raises a few eyebrows…
So far as what actually may be going on out there, our friend Jason McClelland and the folks over at Open Minds made a visit to the site, and produced this fine video in conjunction with the grand opening of the Area 51 exhibit:
