1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: and a lot of all things tech. Is time for 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: a classic episode. This episode originally published back on September two, 6 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: thousand fourteen. It is the first part of a multi 7 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: part episode, so we're gonna be doing this over the 8 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: next couple of Fridays. This is titled The History of 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: Area fifty one, Part one. Area fifty one has gone through, obviously, 10 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: cycles of infamy as being a top secret location where 11 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: all sorts of stuff whereas going on. Some people just said, okay, 12 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: well that's just it's it is a top secret facility, 13 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: but it's one where regular terrestrial kind of aircraft are 14 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: being tested. Others were saying, no, no, no no. Area fifty 15 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 1: one is a secret base where alien technology exists and 16 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: is being studied. Um, so let's listen in on the 17 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: actual history of Area fifty one. So we decided I 18 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: had talked about doing an episode about Area fifty one 19 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: for years. Threatening might be the better word for it. 20 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: I've been threatening to do an episode about Area fifty 21 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: one for years. And just it was one of those 22 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: things that we kept on putting off because it's a 23 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 1: it's a big topic, and it's so big that Ben 24 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: has been very generous with his time and he and 25 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: I are going to be doing three episodes about this subject. 26 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: So the first two episodes are a history of this 27 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: facility and what what is actually documented as having happened there, 28 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: the real history, mind you. The third episode will be 29 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: the mythology of Area fifty one and some of the 30 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: stories that have been attributed to that area, some of 31 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: which border on um whacka doodle. I think it's a 32 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: good way of putting in. Yeah. So yeah, So we're 33 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: gonna cover all of that. So this episode we're gonna 34 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,119 Speaker 1: look at the history. And if you've heard the term 35 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: Area fifty one, but you've only seen the depictions in 36 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: pop culture, like in science fiction, you probably aren't entirely 37 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: sure what it is now. First of all, Area fifty 38 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: one isn't necessarily the the proper designation for this facility. 39 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: It's the popular one, but really it's more often referred 40 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: to within within UM documents official documentation as Groom Lake, 41 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: and that's because there's a big dry lake bed in 42 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: Nevada called Groom Lake. And this facility is built right 43 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: on there, right, and it's built there for a reason. 44 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: It's in Nevada. And you you've got some great notes 45 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: on this all the way down to latitude and longitude. Yeah, 46 00:02:57,639 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: because because this was the thing, you know, for years 47 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: and years and years, the government would would very very 48 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: carefully disavow any inform any knowledge of such a facility. 49 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: They would say that, you know, nothing out there exists 50 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: Groom Lake. What what is that? Why would you groom 51 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: a late there's purpose a dry lake. You are speaking 52 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: crazy talk. So yeah, but but one of the big 53 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: reasons why it's out there is cause a dry lake 54 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: bed in Nevada tends to be pretty darn flat. And 55 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: if you want to say have a remote location where 56 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: you can develop and test secret aircraft, and you need 57 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: that space in order to take off and land the aircraft, 58 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: a big dry lake beds a pretty good you know location, right, Yeah, 59 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: it's fantastic. It's also far enough inland that the any 60 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: foreign observers at the time of Groom Lakes construction would 61 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: have a really difficult time observing anything happened there without 62 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: being noticed. First absolutely, because at the time. This is 63 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: before we get into satellites, right, So if you are 64 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: trying to spy upon the construction of Area fifty one, 65 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: it was built back in the fifties, then you essentially 66 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: had to have a spy plane flying over the United States, 67 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: which was a pretty risky thing to do. But meanwhile, 68 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: that's exactly what was going on at Area fifty one 69 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,160 Speaker 1: was the development and testing of spy planes. So it's 70 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 1: also known as Homey Airport. That's more. That's a more 71 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: recent moniker over there. Um and it's uh, it's probably 72 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: I have it in my notes. I have it as 73 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: the most famous secret facility, worst kept. Yeah, it's the 74 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,840 Speaker 1: it's the secret facility everyone has heard of, which is 75 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: kind of funny. But but they still managed to keep 76 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: the actual activities within the the facility itself largely secret. 77 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,919 Speaker 1: There's been some reports that have come out. Some of 78 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: them are credible, some of them are less so. But 79 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 1: it's it's one of those things that that secrecy has 80 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: also led to some serious issues that will get to 81 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: more in the second part. Some things that have happened 82 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: that that bring up the question of accountability, like how 83 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: can you be accountable if you can't acknowledge the stuff 84 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: that goes on at that site, right, And it's no 85 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: wonder we know that whenever there is a lack of transparency, 86 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: we find a plethora and I'm using that word correctly 87 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 1: of speculation, absolutely, because we have to fill in the gaps. Right. Yeah, 88 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 1: it's like a Hitchcock movie. The monster you don't see 89 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: is always going to be worse than the monster on screen. Absolutely. 90 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: But let's go to UH as as they say in 91 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 1: Alice in Wonderland, let's start at the beginning. What do 92 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 1: you say? Absolutely, So let's say that you are uh, 93 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,919 Speaker 1: you are a country that is involved in a little 94 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: altercation called World War two, and as a result, you 95 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: need to start building out your own military uh capabilities. Well, 96 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: the United States was very much concerned with this and 97 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,160 Speaker 1: started to look for all sorts of places where they 98 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: could build various airport, landing strips or military purposes. So 99 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: they identified this one spot. And you mentioned I had 100 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: the latitude and longitude. I'm gonna go ahead and give it. 101 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 1: It's at thirty seven degrees fourteen minutes north latitude and 102 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: one fifteen degrees forty eight minutes west longitude, which means 103 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: it's right. It's within a hundred miles or hundred sixty 104 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: one kilometers of Las Vegas. Uh, that's that's to the 105 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: south of Every fifty one. And then the closest town 106 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,039 Speaker 1: is actually called Rachel, Nevada, and that's about twenty five 107 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: miles or forty kilometers to the north. And uh, the 108 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: the original purpose of the facility, which wasn't really even 109 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: a facility, was just a couple of landing strips, like 110 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: more like a little compound or small airport. Yeah, it 111 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: was meant to be a training place for gunner schools, 112 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: for for people who are actually working on on gun 113 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:04,840 Speaker 1: are positions within aircraft. So it's a training facility. And 114 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: uh it was created by the Army Air Corps. Notice 115 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: we didn't say Army Air Force. Yeah, this is before 116 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: the Air Force was ever a thing. So yeah, it 117 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: was Army Air Corps. Uh. They ended up using it, 118 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: like I said, during the forties. By the end of it, 119 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 1: they essentially they didn't formally decommission it because there wasn't 120 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: really enough there to do that. Yeah, they just sort 121 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:31,840 Speaker 1: of stopped using it. Yeah, they're kind of like, well, 122 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: the war is done, let's pack up and go and 123 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 1: they left it kind of where it was. Now, that 124 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 1: didn't mean that that was the only you only organization 125 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: to use that area. Uh, there was something else that happened. 126 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: So in the nineteen fifties, and this is jumping around 127 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: a little bit because I don't actually have it right 128 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: here in my notes, But in the nineteen fifties, two 129 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: things are going on. One is you have the rise 130 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: of the Cold War, which means that now we no 131 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: longer have an active armed conflict going on, but we 132 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: do have an escalating political conflict between the United States 133 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: and the Soviet Union. And a bunch of spine, Yes, 134 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: a bunch of spine, which would factor in heavily. We 135 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: also had that same time on both sides. Both the 136 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: United States and Soviet Union had an era of developing 137 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: nuclear weapons. Right, so the part of the developing them 138 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 1: was testing them to make sure that one they worked 139 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: and two you you wanted you wanted other countries to 140 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: know you had them without knowing specifically what your armament was, 141 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: right and without you explicitly admitting that you had them either, right, 142 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: it was tricky stuff. So the the waste lands of 143 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: Nevada were often areas that uh, the Atomic Energy Commission 144 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: would use to test this stuff. And there was this 145 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: grid of land that they were using to test various 146 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: types of atomic weapons, including some that were developed by 147 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 1: Edward Teller. Joe McCormick and I recorded an episode about 148 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 1: five technologies that were supposed to bring an into World 149 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,439 Speaker 1: War but didn't. And Edward Teller is the father of 150 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: the hydrogen bombs, so several of his designs were tested 151 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: in this area. That grid had thirty squares in it, 152 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: and each square was called an area alright, so he 153 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: had areas one through Area thirty. This particular parcel of 154 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:27,080 Speaker 1: land where the former Army Air Corps facility was was 155 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: more or less adjacent to a square known as Area fifteen. 156 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: So it's possible that the Area fifty one name comes 157 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: from transposing the one in five and saying, all right, 158 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: well that was Area fifteen. This is Area fifty one. 159 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: It was not part of the grid originally. In fact, 160 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 1: when when the facility was constructed, the grid had not expanded. 161 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: It did expand gradually. I think it eventually had something 162 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: like two squares to it. Testing increased and they built 163 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: the fake towns and everything right right, yeah, And then 164 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: you see Indiana Jones getting the refrigerator. Knew. I knew 165 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:02,199 Speaker 1: we were going to say that, Yeah, that's the new 166 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:04,599 Speaker 1: Jump the Shark, isn't it. Yeah. Yeah, there's Jump the 167 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: Shark and Jump in the Fridge, which which did not 168 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: work out for Punky Brewster but did work out for 169 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 1: Indiana Jones. Um. So, I mean, while we've got this 170 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: testing going on in this remote part of Nevada, which 171 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: I don't know if you're aware of. This turns out 172 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:22,680 Speaker 1: that if you're testing lots of nuclear weapons in an area, 173 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: it tends to be a deterrent for people to come 174 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: snooping around. Oh that's what we did wrong. We weren't 175 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 1: we weren't actively testing new devices around the office. Oh yeah, 176 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: so yeah, that's true. There's a there's a profound effect. 177 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: And I know it sounds like we're jokingly noting something 178 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:48,959 Speaker 1: that is glaringly obvious. But even at that time, before 179 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,439 Speaker 1: there had been the before we had had such extensive 180 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: research on the effects of this sort of weaponry. Uh, 181 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 1: everybody kind of saw the writing on the wall. Yeah. 182 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: So at that same time, like you were saying, with 183 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: all the spying going on, and there was a lot 184 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: of it, we've we've done episodes on tech stuff about 185 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:10,080 Speaker 1: spy tech before, and we've even done episodes on specific 186 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 1: spy planes, like the the YouTube plane being one of 187 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: the most famous. There needed to be some way of 188 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: developing this technology and testing it without people being aware 189 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 1: of it, so that we can maintain that superiority of 190 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,720 Speaker 1: folks not knowing what we're we are and are not 191 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:32,479 Speaker 1: capable of doing so. That led to the Central Intelligence 192 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: Agency trying to find a good spot for this. And 193 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: you might say, wait, the c i A. Aren't they 194 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: for an intelligence They are foreign intelligence. So these were 195 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: going to be mostly spy plane spying on other places, 196 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:46,839 Speaker 1: not the United States. We have plenty of agencies that 197 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 1: are here to spy on us, and it isn't the 198 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 1: Air Force already involved. So that's what you would think, right, like, 199 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:55,960 Speaker 1: why why the CIA? Why not the Air Force? Well, 200 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: it comes down to and been I know you've heard 201 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 1: this to black budgets, right, Yeah, the idea that you 202 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 1: need to have a budget that is impenetrable people. People 203 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: approve them, but they cannot see what the budgets are 204 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:14,559 Speaker 1: actually for. And it's all under the umbrella of national security. 205 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 1: And the reason that this exists now. I know these 206 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: get a tough time nowadays, and and they should. There's 207 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:25,560 Speaker 1: a great argument for the transparency at this time. Just 208 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:28,520 Speaker 1: to be fair we have to play devil's advocate and 209 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: say that the argument against transparency is, of course, during 210 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: the Cold War, when people are trying to mask their capabilities, 211 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:43,199 Speaker 1: anyone with the right amount of subterfusion influence could find 212 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: uh something that wasn't a black budget all the way 213 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: down to individual components, the literal nuts and bolts. So 214 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 1: at the time their argument will be that this is 215 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: necessity and if you want something secret, you put it 216 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,760 Speaker 1: under At this time in America history, you put it 217 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: under the CIA. Yeah. Yeah, because the Air Force would 218 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: end up having a budget that was reviewable by Congress, 219 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 1: right exactly. And so this would at least mean that 220 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 1: everyone in Congress and plus all the congressional aids would 221 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: have access to those budgets, which could mean that that's 222 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: a security risk that that information could leak out and 223 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: it would get into the hands of of of foreign 224 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:26,680 Speaker 1: agents that would end up having the advantage because now 225 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: they know what we were capable of. By having it 226 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: as a black budget, you take that out. It also 227 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: means that again, you don't have that transparency and you 228 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,680 Speaker 1: leave the world wide open to just speculate on what's 229 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: actually going on. So there's a there's another edge to 230 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 1: that sword. So the CIA is in charge of this. 231 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:46,000 Speaker 1: They work with the Air Force, but I mean when 232 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 1: we talk about testing these planes, it was CIA pilots 233 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:52,200 Speaker 1: that we're doing the testing, right, not Air Force pilots. 234 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,719 Speaker 1: It's very important distinct. So they were civilians who then 235 00:13:55,840 --> 00:14:00,720 Speaker 1: got classification of top secret access through the c I A. 236 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: I think I've talked about this before, way way back. 237 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: But top secret, by the way, does not mean you 238 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: automatically have access to everything that's classified top secret right 239 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: spot on intelligence at that level is often what they 240 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:17,760 Speaker 1: call compartmentalized altely. Yeah, so you have access to one 241 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: specific branch, but anything outside of that you don't. So 242 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: you may be able to go to the very furthest 243 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 1: lengths in that branch, but it doesn't mean you have 244 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: access to everything. It doesn't mean, for instance, So then 245 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 1: just to illustrate this, the c i A pilot let's 246 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: call him Mr. Smith because that's not a sketchy name, 247 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: that's perfect. Mr Smith might be They call it being 248 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: read onto a program. So Mr Smith might be read 249 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: onto a program for a particular plane, or even something 250 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: as small as just a particular engine or design of 251 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: a plane. Everything else about that is a mystery, and 252 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 1: it is understood that he is not even supposed to 253 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 1: pretend that he thought of asking. We're gonna take a 254 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: quick break, but will be back to talk about more 255 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: of the history of Area fifty one in just a moment. 256 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: Everyone who was working at Area fifty one, whether you're 257 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: a pilot or an engineer, you were only really allowed 258 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:21,280 Speaker 1: to know about whatever it was your specific project was 259 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: was concerned with, right, yeah, Yeah, even if you're in 260 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: the private industry, which also was involved with this. A 261 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: couple of people are familiar with this story. You're probably 262 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:35,680 Speaker 1: waiting and they're saying, Jonathan Ben sure, the CIA, the 263 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: Air Force, but why aren't you talking about the people 264 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: who actually built the planes. So you're talking about Lockheed 265 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 1: hold On one. So Lockheed is a military contractor among 266 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: other things, but they do a lot of work with 267 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: the United States military, and so Lockheed was going to 268 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: be the company that was largely responsible for building the 269 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 1: planes that we're going to be tested at Area fifty one. 270 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 1: So when we get down to this point where the 271 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 1: CIA is ready to find a site for this, they 272 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: work with Lockeed And there is a designer at Lockeed 273 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 1: who is absolutely famous in the spy world, Clarence Kelly Johnson. Yeah, 274 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:21,600 Speaker 1: it's you if you've heard some of the stories about 275 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: this stuff. He's definitely famous in the spy world. But 276 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: he is a I think we're a family show here, 277 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: so I'll just say he is a gosh darn good designer. Absolutely. Yeah. 278 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, he's the top dog at Lockey. 279 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:38,880 Speaker 1: Jonathan earlier mentioned the YouTube spy playing that is our 280 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: boy Kelly. Yeah. He also ended up largely defining skunk 281 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: Works at Lockeed, and we've done an episode on Tech 282 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: Stuff about skunk Works as well. Skunk Works now is 283 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: just a general term that a lot of companies used 284 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: to describe their secret R and D projects that aren't 285 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: aren't meant for public consumption. This is stuff that is 286 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 1: going to end up becoming part of products maybe five 287 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: or ten years down the line. But that was defined 288 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:11,200 Speaker 1: at Lockheed. That was the top secret development lab where 289 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: anyone outside of that lab was not aware of what 290 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:16,880 Speaker 1: was going on, and even people within the lab may 291 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: only be aware of very small parts of what is 292 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:23,880 Speaker 1: going on. So uh with you two and skunk Works. Obviously, 293 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: he had already kind of developed this reputation of being 294 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 1: the go to guy when it comes to this kind 295 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:31,639 Speaker 1: of thing. So the CIA consulted with him as well 296 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 1: as some other military folks, and they started looking around. Now, 297 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,960 Speaker 1: Johnson had said that the facility needed to be remote 298 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,280 Speaker 1: enough to escape casual attention, so you couldn't have it 299 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 1: close to any kind of metropolitan area or or settlement. Um, 300 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: it also had to be close enough to a major 301 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: city so that you could get supplies for all the 302 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,600 Speaker 1: stuff you need in order to do the testing, the 303 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:57,159 Speaker 1: building and and all of that kind of stuff. Now, 304 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,400 Speaker 1: a lot of these vehicles were not actually constructed at 305 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 1: Area fifty one. They'd be built in another facility and 306 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: then would be transported Area fifty one for all the testing. 307 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: But even so, like you have to get all the 308 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 1: food there, you have to you know, all the all 309 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: the basic the fuel that you would need, you would 310 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: have to have all of that shipped to Area fifty 311 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:17,879 Speaker 1: one in some way. So there were a lot of 312 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: logistics involved, which meant that it had to be far 313 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,439 Speaker 1: enough away from a city to avoid uh notice, but 314 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:24,640 Speaker 1: not so far as to make it impossible to get 315 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: stuff there. It had to be inconvenient but not inaccessible. 316 00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:31,879 Speaker 1: There's a Goldilocks zone here, uh, sort of like in 317 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:35,400 Speaker 1: Star Trek where everybody's looking for an M class planet. 318 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: That's a very good way of putting it. So as 319 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:40,879 Speaker 1: they were looking around, uh, there was a member on 320 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: the search team named Colonel Osman Ritland who had actually 321 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,120 Speaker 1: trained at the gunnery school that had existed at Groom Lake, 322 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:51,239 Speaker 1: and so he said, hey, you know, there was this 323 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: place that I had to work at when during World 324 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,160 Speaker 1: War Two that might be worth checking out. And so 325 00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 1: they ended up going there and as soon as Johnson 326 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:01,359 Speaker 1: saw it, he said that that was the perfect spot. 327 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:03,440 Speaker 1: It would mean that they would have to do obviously 328 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,959 Speaker 1: a lot of work to make it ready for it 329 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 1: to actually be a test facility, but he said, this, 330 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:11,680 Speaker 1: this meets all the requirements I had in mind. So 331 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: he called it Paradise Ranch, right, which, uh, you have 332 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 1: a great note about this. Yeah, it says, uh, it's 333 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,199 Speaker 1: a little more attractive than quote site adjacent to a 334 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,679 Speaker 1: former nuclear test area end quote. Uh. In fact, it 335 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: wasn't even former, it was a current nuclear test area. 336 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:32,880 Speaker 1: There were times when the Atomic Energy Commission in later 337 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: the Nevada Test site ended up having to evacuate Area 338 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:38,959 Speaker 1: fifty one because they were going to be doing some 339 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:42,640 Speaker 1: tests and it's possible that wind could carry radioactive particles 340 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: over towards the facility. I mean, you win some, you 341 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: lose some, right, Yeah. So the other term you could 342 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 1: have used is desolate hell whole, but that also not 343 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 1: so attractive if you're trying to get uh, civilians interested 344 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: in helping out. So they actually did employ civilians to 345 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: help construct, right, Yeah, from us surrounding Las Vegas area 346 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: and from Rachel, Nevada as well. Yeah, and it meant 347 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,440 Speaker 1: it meant that people had to pass some pretty stringent 348 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:19,080 Speaker 1: background checks and they had to sign silence oaths. And 349 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:21,399 Speaker 1: for the most part, people have been really good at 350 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:23,160 Speaker 1: keeping those oaths. I mean there's only been a few 351 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 1: people who have ever talked about Area fifty one, which 352 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:28,440 Speaker 1: is pretty amazing because we talked about how it's really 353 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:32,920 Speaker 1: hard to keep secrets, right, especially in that that difficulty 354 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: increases exponentially the more people involved with this secret. But 355 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 1: in this in this part too, It's important for us 356 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 1: to remember that even the people who had signed the 357 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:48,120 Speaker 1: secrets didn't really have that much access. They were they 358 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: were limited by necessity, which meant that even first of all, 359 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,720 Speaker 1: if you were to communicate outside of area fifty one, 360 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: it would very quickly become obvious who was talking because 361 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,199 Speaker 1: it would all be dependent upon what they knew. So 362 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:05,199 Speaker 1: if you were talking about stuff that you knew but 363 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 1: you didn't know other things, that narrows down that list 364 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:12,360 Speaker 1: of suspects, and there could be some pretty serious penalties. 365 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:16,439 Speaker 1: We're talking like scary, scary penalties that could go against 366 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:19,159 Speaker 1: you if you were to spell the beans and those people. Also, 367 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,239 Speaker 1: this is a side note, but I think this is 368 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: a illustrative of the kind of scrutiny that these folks 369 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 1: were under. Afterwards. The I R s UH keeps a 370 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: tab for on these people afterward to verify that they're 371 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: not suddenly coming into inexplicable amounts of income, to make 372 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,640 Speaker 1: sure that they're not like secrets, right what even though 373 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: if you I mean, even though, if you think about it, man, 374 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,440 Speaker 1: those secrets I'm air quoting so hard here, folks. Those 375 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:52,159 Speaker 1: secrets would be things like, um, I was paid to 376 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:57,639 Speaker 1: drive a truck from Rachel to this location drop off fuel. 377 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 1: Right and and I did you know there were three gates? 378 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:04,479 Speaker 1: I got into one or something like that. Um, And 379 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 1: that's you know, that's for sake of example. I don't 380 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: know if there was a number of tiered gates. Please 381 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: don't don't come after us. We have not been there, 382 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:18,480 Speaker 1: nor have we tried to look. Um. So, the during 383 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: the lifetime of the the test site, which again bordered 384 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: Area fifty one, it was pretty active. They did a 385 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 1: hundred and five above ground explosions and more than eight 386 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 1: hundred underground explosions. They would do their last test in 387 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,199 Speaker 1: nine two, So this was kind of a just a 388 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: fact of life at Area fifty one, is that nuclear 389 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: testing was going on. I mean several miles away. I 390 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: don't want to give the implication that it was like 391 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,880 Speaker 1: just outside the gates, but it was certainly close enough 392 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: for it to be a concerned Yeah. Because and also 393 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:55,400 Speaker 1: a lot of people are probably surprised to hear that 394 00:22:55,400 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: that continued until nineteen two. So, you know, most people 395 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,199 Speaker 1: will place the end of the Cold War in the 396 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:08,640 Speaker 1: late eighties. But this doesn't mean that the testing would 397 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:12,440 Speaker 1: stop completely because just as a cold war has kind 398 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: of a hazy conflict zone. It also has a hazy 399 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: beginning and end, whereas we can trace World War Two 400 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: with some concrete dates, right yeah, I mean, if nothing else, 401 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: you can go with the declaration of war and the 402 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: treaties that ended it exactly. But when you get down 403 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:31,800 Speaker 1: to this, you also have the first acknowledgement that there 404 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: was actually something there, which comes in a booklet that 405 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: the Atomic Energy Commission put out that was titled Background 406 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 1: on Nevada Nuclear Tests, and it came out in nineteen 407 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 1: fifty seven, and it mentions a facility at Groom Lake. 408 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: But in that one it's called the Watertown Project, and 409 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: that it was meant to study the weather. Ah, And 410 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen, remember that last fact, because it comes 411 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:00,720 Speaker 1: into play later. Right in two episode we will cover 412 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: the the weather part of the mythology of Area fifty one. 413 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 1: It's interesting, though, because it gives you yet another name 414 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,119 Speaker 1: for this place. You know, I tend to call it 415 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:12,440 Speaker 1: Area fifty one when I mentioned it to other folks, 416 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,639 Speaker 1: I usually say Groom Lake because that's the official designation. 417 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 1: But Area fifty one, being probably the popular term, is 418 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:21,919 Speaker 1: the one that I tend to say in this in 419 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 1: my notes here. Yeah, Area fifty one is sort of 420 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: the street name for groom Lake nickname, but there's uh. 421 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:30,640 Speaker 1: I think one thing that we should talk about real 422 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: quick is the nature of secrecy, because we we mentioned 423 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: a little bit about how people who are helping, even 424 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: in a small way, had things that are essentially gag 425 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:45,119 Speaker 1: orders for life, and again that this comes under the 426 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:48,480 Speaker 1: curtain of national security or the purview rather, and which 427 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: gives the the acting government agencies tremendous powers in pursuit 428 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 1: of that goal. So one of the big questions is, 429 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,359 Speaker 1: you know, if Area fifty one was first publicly knowledge 430 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:04,160 Speaker 1: shall be under another name in nineteen fifty seven, then 431 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 1: clearly the people at least in Rachel, Nevada knew something 432 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 1: was there, just like the people in the town surrounding 433 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: Oak Ridge knew something was there. Yeah. And the fact 434 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 1: that you had people commuting in from places like Las 435 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 1: Vegas or from California who are flying in the construction 436 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,199 Speaker 1: crews who are coming in to build out the facility 437 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: meant that there's some folks who know that something is 438 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,719 Speaker 1: going on. They may not know the full extent of 439 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:35,439 Speaker 1: what the purposes, but It's what's really interesting is that 440 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:37,880 Speaker 1: a lot of the documents that have come out since then, 441 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: most of them avoid naming the facility at all, or 442 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: the name has been redacted, it's been blacked out. Um. 443 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: And a lot of the information I've read has suggested 444 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:53,360 Speaker 1: that in the two or three times that it hasn't 445 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: been that it's been in an official document, they think 446 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: that it was an oversight, that someone had failed to 447 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 1: black it out exactly. Yeah, they were like, do you 448 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:08,440 Speaker 1: have another sharpie? And no one's got so. Yeah. It's 449 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,359 Speaker 1: funny that the only reason why we really have a 450 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: lot of information on it at all is because it 451 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: could just have been an oversight from someone who failed 452 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 1: to mark that part out. Thank you for being in 453 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: a hurry at work, uh, the Uncle Sam employees. But 454 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 1: but with this idea about privacy, one of the big 455 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:30,160 Speaker 1: questions is, well, of course we know it's near Las Vegas, right, 456 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:34,560 Speaker 1: Las Vegas at this point already big airport hub, right, 457 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:39,480 Speaker 1: So so how do they keep these planes from figuring 458 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,360 Speaker 1: out what's going on? Yeah? They ended up creating a 459 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 1: restricted air zone where not even military aircraft were allowed 460 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: to pass through without authorization, and by authorization, I usually 461 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:53,680 Speaker 1: mean that the military aircraft probably took off from Area 462 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,120 Speaker 1: fifty one, went on some sort of test flight which 463 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:59,920 Speaker 1: could go outside the restricted airspace, but then would be 464 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 1: allowed to come back in if it were any other 465 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,960 Speaker 1: military flight. Let's say it's a training exercise from Nellis 466 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:09,919 Speaker 1: or something along those lines. They expressly were told they 467 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: could not fly through this particular zone, which originally was 468 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 1: five by nine nautical miles, which is about nine by 469 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:21,479 Speaker 1: seventeen kilometers, and the uh it went all the way 470 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,879 Speaker 1: up to space. It's time for another quick break, but 471 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:36,359 Speaker 1: we'll be right back. So not the time. Your commercial 472 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 1: aircraft tended to fly at an altitude of around twenty ft, 473 00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: and your military aircraft might go up to forty feet. 474 00:27:43,359 --> 00:27:45,440 Speaker 1: But we're talking spy planes that were designed to fly 475 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 1: at sixty ft or higher. So these altitudes meant that, 476 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: you know, you didn't want aircraft coming in and seeing 477 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 1: something flying above them. They could actually have a pretty 478 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 1: good view of that. In fact, that did happen quite 479 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:01,840 Speaker 1: a few times, which lent uh some it end up 480 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,119 Speaker 1: being not as big an issue because a lot of 481 00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:08,919 Speaker 1: people assumed it was something otherworldly that they were seeing. Right. Yes, 482 00:28:09,119 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: and this this is one of the big facts that 483 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:18,720 Speaker 1: later will later we'll see um provides an explanation to 484 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:22,119 Speaker 1: some of this because at this time, for people surrounding 485 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:27,360 Speaker 1: the area who were just you know, just your regular civilians, 486 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:31,200 Speaker 1: they would they would eventually turn to one another and say, 487 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 1: what the heck is going on up there? Did you 488 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: see that? Well, especially since a lot of these test 489 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 1: flights took place at night, so instead of being able 490 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: to actually see an aircraft, all you see are the lights. 491 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: And some of these aircraft were designed to travel at 492 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,600 Speaker 1: remarkable speeds, particularly compared against the state of the art 493 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 1: aircraft in other fields, like a commercial aircraft, could not 494 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,120 Speaker 1: hope to keep up with some of the Some of 495 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 1: these were going mock three. I mean, we're talking supersonic 496 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 1: speeds here, and at that speed, seeing a light travel 497 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 1: that quickly could be a real head scratcher if you 498 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:10,040 Speaker 1: didn't know that. In fact, this was a spy plane 499 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:12,360 Speaker 1: developed by the United States government, right. And that's how 500 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 1: these things, that's how these things can evolve. Just imagine, 501 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:19,800 Speaker 1: if you will, and this is hypothetical, an ex airline 502 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:24,480 Speaker 1: pilot saying, well, I flew planes, or a World War 503 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 1: Two veteran saying you know, I was a pilot in 504 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: the Pacific Theater, and there is no earthly craft that 505 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 1: could do this. So that's where we see people making 506 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: the leap, and again in the absence of transparency, going 507 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 1: with what they think is the I want to say, 508 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 1: the most probable idea, but really it's the most exciting 509 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: and the coolest. Yeah, And it's one of those things 510 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 1: where if you can't conceive of people being able to 511 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 1: accomplish that, then what else could it be? Right? So 512 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:58,640 Speaker 1: it's one of those things where you think, I have 513 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 1: never in my life traveled in a vehicle that is 514 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:04,280 Speaker 1: capable of moving at that speed. I don't know of 515 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:06,720 Speaker 1: anything that humans have built that could do it. Then 516 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 1: you start saying, well, if humans didn't build it, who did? 517 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: And then you go to the little gray men or 518 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,520 Speaker 1: a little green men? Right, And it's weird because we 519 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 1: you know, if I could do a little bit of 520 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:20,280 Speaker 1: a cibar here, man. We see this kind of reasoning 521 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,080 Speaker 1: pop up throughout history absolutely, right, yeah, Yeah, Like no 522 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: one could build the Pyramids because look at how big 523 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 1: they are. There's no way they have the technology. Therefore, 524 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,200 Speaker 1: aliens had to do it right, exactly and in a 525 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 1: lot of times that situation is bound up in assumptions 526 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 1: about human potential. Absolutely, and we don't want to we 527 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 1: don't want to take away from right now the frankly 528 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:46,760 Speaker 1: astonishing and extraordinary things that human beings were doing at 529 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: Groom Late. Yeah, the engineering was phenomenal. So that's relatively 530 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 1: small restricted airspace I talked about. By nineteen sixty two, 531 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:58,000 Speaker 1: when they started working on other projects besides the U 532 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 1: two spy plane, which again wasn't developed at Groom Lake, 533 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 1: but it was. It was tested there quite a bit. 534 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:05,960 Speaker 1: Um They would expand it to an area of twenty 535 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: two by twenty nautical miles which is forty one by 536 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: thirty seven kilometers, and it became known as Groom Box 537 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,719 Speaker 1: or just the box. That you were not allowed to 538 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: enter the box unless you were expressly told to. So 539 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 1: there were a few times where pilots might accidentally or 540 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 1: perhaps cheekly skirt the box and we're told in no 541 00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 1: uncertain terms to get the heck out of it before 542 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:36,640 Speaker 1: they might yeah, yeah, like be forced to the ground 543 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 1: or fired upon. I mean, we're this serious business. So 544 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,360 Speaker 1: the first spy plane they started to really work on 545 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:46,720 Speaker 1: at Groom Lake after the U two was the A twelve. 546 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:50,280 Speaker 1: You're gonna get a lot of letters numbers in these episodes. Um. 547 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:55,480 Speaker 1: This was part of Project ox Cart. So in nineteen two, 548 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:59,040 Speaker 1: the first A twelve spy plane arrives at Groom Lake 549 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:01,440 Speaker 1: and it wouldn't to be until I think the following 550 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: year that CIA pilots would actually be able to fly it. 551 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 1: So it had been at groom Like for about a 552 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 1: year before it was being flown in tests. So it 553 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:16,440 Speaker 1: was meant to be a more capable spy plane than 554 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: the YOU two. And it's major difference was that it 555 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: traveled way faster, right, and this this was I mean, 556 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:27,040 Speaker 1: clearly there's an advantage there, but also uh, while it 557 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: was traveling faster, it was reducing the footprint that it 558 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 1: leaves on a radar. Yeah, so it was partly to 559 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,480 Speaker 1: try and find a way because the YouTube has very 560 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,560 Speaker 1: very wide wings, right, It's it's very long and very wide. 561 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 1: It's also from why I understand a true bear to 562 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:45,440 Speaker 1: fly like it's it's supposed to be one of the 563 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,920 Speaker 1: hardest planes to fly in land. Yeah, I like that 564 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:52,400 Speaker 1: you added and land. That's a really good point because 565 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: it was built for the SPECS for which was built, 566 00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 1: and the expectations of this plane are in some ways 567 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:05,120 Speaker 1: contradictory to what makes a good plane. Yeah, it made 568 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 1: it possible to fly it at incredibly high altitudes, which 569 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 1: was important for the spying purposes and also just to 570 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:16,080 Speaker 1: evade UM things like like missile fire, although what was 571 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:19,880 Speaker 1: happening was missile technology was catching up to aircraft technology, 572 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,120 Speaker 1: which was again the reason why they had to start 573 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,440 Speaker 1: developing things like the A twelve. So the ox Cart 574 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:30,800 Speaker 1: program required the groom like facility to expand and include 575 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:35,080 Speaker 1: more facilities just for military and civilians alike. So it 576 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 1: had to had to have more buildings, and that means 577 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,120 Speaker 1: you have to hire construction crews and figure out what 578 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 1: you're gonna do. Uh. The A twelve also needed a 579 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 1: longer and stronger runway than what was that groom like, 580 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:49,440 Speaker 1: so they had to reinforce the existing um runway and 581 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: extend it out further or else this plane would not 582 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:55,320 Speaker 1: be able to take off and land. So cleared construction 583 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: workers these are civilians security clearance, they would take exactly, 584 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:02,960 Speaker 1: they would take either a C forty seven out of Burbank, California, 585 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:05,320 Speaker 1: or a D eight teen at a Las Vegas. So 586 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:09,919 Speaker 1: both of those planes were military transport aircraft, and uh, 587 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 1: the secrecy around those aircraft fueled the rumors and suspicion 588 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:14,839 Speaker 1: about what was going on at Groom Lake for years, 589 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:19,719 Speaker 1: because you'd have these aircraft lining up at various airports 590 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:23,839 Speaker 1: and there'd be no designation, like you had to know 591 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: about it in order to be able to get on 592 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:28,040 Speaker 1: it and be cleared for it, which meant that if 593 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:30,759 Speaker 1: you were paying attention, just as a commuter going through 594 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:35,160 Speaker 1: these air airports, you think, what's going on over there? Yeah, 595 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: there's no there's no indication of what's happening here. And 596 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:42,399 Speaker 1: they weren't flown back immediately either, right, They weren't doing 597 00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:46,279 Speaker 1: this every day because that's just not that's just not uh, 598 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,520 Speaker 1: you know, efficient. So what they had to do was 599 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:53,680 Speaker 1: build some some uh like sleeping facilities essentially trailers originally 600 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:56,920 Speaker 1: out at Groom Lake, and people would spend the week 601 00:34:57,080 --> 00:34:58,719 Speaker 1: there and then over the At the end of the 602 00:34:58,719 --> 00:35:01,120 Speaker 1: week they could fly back and go home, but for 603 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:04,080 Speaker 1: the duration of the week they would be at the facility, 604 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:06,400 Speaker 1: you know, pretty much cut off from the world, working 605 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:09,280 Speaker 1: on this stuff. And you have a great side note 606 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:13,120 Speaker 1: that I thought was fascinating this is something that I 607 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:16,239 Speaker 1: did not know. So you're talking about how in Nevada, 608 00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:19,359 Speaker 1: if you work forty eight hours or longer in the 609 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:23,240 Speaker 1: state for any given project, you are required by law 610 00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:26,839 Speaker 1: to have your name recorded so that you would have 611 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:31,640 Speaker 1: to show up on a state document somewhere. Well, the 612 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:35,279 Speaker 1: folks over at Area fifty one, the CIA in particular, 613 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:38,920 Speaker 1: didn't really like that idea too much because in theory, 614 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,680 Speaker 1: if you got hold of that list and you made 615 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:44,840 Speaker 1: you cross reference and you figured out where everybody was 616 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:48,000 Speaker 1: from what companies they worked for, you could then start 617 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,839 Speaker 1: to figure out weight based upon what this company does. 618 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:53,880 Speaker 1: I have an idea of what's going on at this 619 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:57,200 Speaker 1: secret facility that they're going to uh in Nevada that 620 00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:59,359 Speaker 1: you know. I know they're going there because their names 621 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:02,520 Speaker 1: are showing up on the state list. So, again, out 622 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,080 Speaker 1: of the concern for national security, they had to figure 623 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:07,720 Speaker 1: out a way, well, how do we keep people's names 624 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:10,160 Speaker 1: off this list, and how do we do it so 625 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:13,799 Speaker 1: it's legal, because if you start doing illegal things and 626 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 1: that catches up to you, it's the same problem. So 627 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:19,280 Speaker 1: they say, ha ha, we found a loophole. It turns 628 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:24,839 Speaker 1: out that government workers were exempt from this forty eight 629 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:28,840 Speaker 1: hour work rule in Nevada, if you work for the government, 630 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:31,839 Speaker 1: you did not have to have your name recorded. So 631 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:37,720 Speaker 1: every single person who worked on that construction crew became 632 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,920 Speaker 1: listed as a government consultant. Everyone became a government consultant 633 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,200 Speaker 1: for the purposes of working at Area fifty one, which 634 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:50,400 Speaker 1: is a lot better than some of the alternatives, which 635 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:54,000 Speaker 1: would just be not having a job. But also it's 636 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:56,040 Speaker 1: very it's it's strange when you think about it, because 637 00:36:56,040 --> 00:37:00,759 Speaker 1: when we say construction, we also mean like the caterers. Absolutely, 638 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:04,960 Speaker 1: there are stories that that the food at Area fifty 639 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 1: one was actually quite good. They said that they would 640 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:11,920 Speaker 1: fly down occasionally, uh a, a chef from Las Vegas 641 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:15,080 Speaker 1: who would cook, which means that someone like chefs in 642 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:19,040 Speaker 1: Las Vegas, had to sign secrecy oaths so that they 643 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:20,759 Speaker 1: could go there. Now, granted, when you were when you 644 00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: were going there, you might have a lot of secrecy, 645 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:26,960 Speaker 1: not just the fact that you know you're flying on 646 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:29,959 Speaker 1: a plane that's not listed anywhere else where you're going. 647 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:32,440 Speaker 1: You might you might be put into a transport that 648 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:34,360 Speaker 1: has curtains all along it, so you don't get a 649 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:37,080 Speaker 1: real view of what's going on. All the different buildings 650 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,279 Speaker 1: are essentially hidden from view from each other, so you're 651 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:42,560 Speaker 1: not gonna be able to look in and see what 652 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: people are working on. So it's it's really I mean 653 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,840 Speaker 1: like there were times where people were acquired to stay 654 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:52,479 Speaker 1: in their office while an aircraft was being wheeled either 655 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:54,560 Speaker 1: in or out of a hangar because they weren't allowed 656 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:57,440 Speaker 1: to see that aircraft, which again makes sense because in 657 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: retrospect as paranoid as this sounds, in red respect, we 658 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:06,399 Speaker 1: know uh a little bit about the extent of KGBS 659 00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:09,840 Speaker 1: uh spine in the United States. Yeah, yeah, there have 660 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:13,440 Speaker 1: been KGBS KGB spies that have infiltrated the CIA and 661 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:17,080 Speaker 1: the FBI. I mean, you know, the their their entire stories, 662 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 1: fascinating stories about people who were able to do that, 663 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,279 Speaker 1: double agents and all this kind of stuff. And and 664 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:26,040 Speaker 1: with that in mind, you know, yeah, it sounds paranoid. 665 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:29,839 Speaker 1: But if you don't take these incredible precautions, you set 666 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:33,719 Speaker 1: yourself up. And now these precautions are oh I never 667 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:38,000 Speaker 1: get to do this catchphrase now more than ever, the 668 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,120 Speaker 1: the government was saying to various departments of the government. 669 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:43,880 Speaker 1: Departments were saying to one another, we have to have 670 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:49,960 Speaker 1: this secrecy because business a groom Lake is booming. Yeah, 671 00:38:50,239 --> 00:38:53,839 Speaker 1: they ended up for some of the buildings. You know, 672 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:58,319 Speaker 1: you're trying to you have a black budget, which it's 673 00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:02,320 Speaker 1: hard to tell where money is gonna go to a 674 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: blank check. Yeah, but they were still being pretty careful. 675 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:08,800 Speaker 1: I mean, they didn't just build state of the art facilities. 676 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 1: It's not like if you were to go to Area 677 00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:14,040 Speaker 1: fifty one, especially if you went to Area fifty one 678 00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:17,279 Speaker 1: back in nineteen five or so, it's not like you 679 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:20,239 Speaker 1: were going to walk into a super awesome, state of 680 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:25,520 Speaker 1: the art facility. They bought surplus buildings from the Navy. 681 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 1: They had Navy hangars and Navy surplus housing buildings that 682 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:35,280 Speaker 1: had been disassembled, packed into cargo planes or on on trucks, 683 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:38,680 Speaker 1: shipped out to Groomla and then reassembled on the site. 684 00:39:38,719 --> 00:39:42,080 Speaker 1: So we're not talking like yeah, no, they were not 685 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:46,120 Speaker 1: cushy accommodations. So getting back to the ox Card aircraft, 686 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:49,920 Speaker 1: I have an account of a test flight the explains 687 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:54,080 Speaker 1: how quick quickly this thing traveled and and sort of 688 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:56,120 Speaker 1: the extent of the test flight. So remember I said, 689 00:39:56,680 --> 00:40:00,840 Speaker 1: these test aircraft weren't confined to that stricted airspace. They 690 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:04,760 Speaker 1: could actually leave that restricted airspace depending upon the actual 691 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:09,239 Speaker 1: requirements of the test. So an impressive demonstration of the 692 00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:13,239 Speaker 1: ox carts capability occurred on twenty one December nineteen sixty six, 693 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 1: when lockeed test pilot Bill Parks flew ten thousand one 694 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:22,560 Speaker 1: statute miles in six hours. The aircraft left the test 695 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:26,399 Speaker 1: area in Nevada and flew northward over Yellowstone National Park, 696 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:30,799 Speaker 1: thence eastward to Bismarck, North Dakota, and onto Duluth, Minnesota. 697 00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:36,000 Speaker 1: It then turned south and passed Atlanta en route to Tampa, Florida, 698 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:41,000 Speaker 1: then northwest to Portland, Oregon, then southwest to Nevada again. 699 00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:44,920 Speaker 1: The flight turned eastward, passing Denver and St. Louis, turning 700 00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:49,160 Speaker 1: around at Knoxville, Tennessee. It passed Memphis in the home 701 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:53,360 Speaker 1: stretch back to Nevada. This flight established a record unapproachable 702 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:56,799 Speaker 1: by any other aircraft. It began at about the same 703 00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: time a typical government employee starts his work day and 704 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:03,400 Speaker 1: into two hours before his quitting time. So that's a 705 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:07,480 Speaker 1: pretty interesting tour of the United States right there. It's amazing. 706 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:10,239 Speaker 1: That was literally a whirlwind tour. Yeah. No, the fact 707 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:12,319 Speaker 1: that it goes to just about everywhere in the US 708 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:16,920 Speaker 1: besides the northeast, right or the you know, the not Alaska, 709 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:21,360 Speaker 1: Hawaii obviously, but yeah, it's pretty impressive. So during the 710 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:25,239 Speaker 1: whole history of the twelve, only thirteen were built, and 711 00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:29,160 Speaker 1: out of those thirteen, four crashed in some sort of 712 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:33,000 Speaker 1: case or another. Um so that was that it was 713 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:35,640 Speaker 1: never meant to be this is going to be the 714 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:38,239 Speaker 1: replacement you two. It was more like, we are going 715 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:41,799 Speaker 1: to test all of these technologies that we've developed with 716 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:44,640 Speaker 1: this plane and then see which ones work best, and 717 00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:48,240 Speaker 1: that those will inform the design of what will become 718 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:52,000 Speaker 1: the U two successor, right. So one important part for 719 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:56,040 Speaker 1: us to remember about that is that this means the 720 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:00,880 Speaker 1: four that crashed, as well as the ale that we're built, 721 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:05,000 Speaker 1: the remaining nine are all going to be a little 722 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:09,359 Speaker 1: bit different, their variations on a theme with further improvements. Absolutely. Yeah, 723 00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:13,279 Speaker 1: it's not like they are cookie cutter designs that are 724 00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:16,840 Speaker 1: coming out of this. And that concludes Part one of 725 00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:20,000 Speaker 1: the History of Area fifty one, a series that originally 726 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:24,480 Speaker 1: began publishing back on September fourteen. We will be back 727 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:28,600 Speaker 1: next week with the continuation of these classic episodes. If 728 00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:30,920 Speaker 1: you have any suggestions for topics I should cover in 729 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:33,959 Speaker 1: future episodes of tech Stuff. Let me know the best 730 00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:36,160 Speaker 1: way to do that is over on Twitter. The handle 731 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:39,080 Speaker 1: for the show is text Stuff hs W and I'll 732 00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:47,319 Speaker 1: talk to you again really soon. Text Stuff is an 733 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:51,040 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 734 00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:54,520 Speaker 1: visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 735 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:56,160 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.