Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base
Encyclopedia
Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base is a book by American journalist Annie Jacobsen
about the secret United States
military base Area 51
.
The book, based on interviews with scientists and engineers who worked in Area 51
, addresses the Roswell UFO incident and dismisses the alien story. Instead, it suggests that Josef Mengele
was recruited by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
to produce "grotesque, child-size aviators" to be remotely piloted and landed in America to cause hysteria in the likeness of Orson Welles
' 1938 radio drama War of the Worlds, but that the aircraft crashed and the incident was hushed up by the Americans. Jacobsen writes that the bodies found at the crash site were children. Grotesquely but similarly deformed, aged around 12, each under five feet tall, with large heads and abnormally shaped oversize eyes. They were neither aliens nor consenting airmen, but human guinea pigs.
called it "highly readable" and "deeply researched...a dream for aviation and military buffs." TIME
.com wrote that "Area 51 suffers one flaw," referring to the Roswell craft that Jacobsen reports was a Soviet hoax. The Daily Beast
called it an "explosive new book." The New York Times
wrote: "Although this connect-the-dots U.F.O. thesis is only a hasty-sounding addendum to an otherwise straightforward investigative book about aviation and military history, it makes an indelible impression. Area 51 is liable to become best known for sci-fi provocation." The Times noted that "the book is noteworthy for its author’s dogged devotion to her research."
Other reviews have been less positive. Space historian Dwayne Day, for instance, called Area 51 a "poorly-sourced, error-filled book" in which the author makes an argument that "defies common sense" and is reliant on one anonymous source. Jeffrey T. Richelson
and Robert S. Norris, critiquing Jacobsen's factual errors on the blog Washington Decoded
, stated that "[t]here are so many mistakes that it is hard to know where to begin... Area 51 is a case study of how not to research and write about top-secret activities." Historian Richard Rhodes
, writing in The Washington Post
, also criticized the book's sensationalistic reporting of "old news" and its "error-ridden" prose.
Annie Jacobsen
Annie Jacobsen is an American journalist who writes about business, finance and terrorism for a variety of national and international magazines and webzines and, in particular the Los Angeles Times Magazine....
about the secret United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military base Area 51
Area 51
Area 51 is a military base, and a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield...
.
The book, based on interviews with scientists and engineers who worked in Area 51
Area 51
Area 51 is a military base, and a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield...
, addresses the Roswell UFO incident and dismisses the alien story. Instead, it suggests that Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
was recruited by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
to produce "grotesque, child-size aviators" to be remotely piloted and landed in America to cause hysteria in the likeness of Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' 1938 radio drama War of the Worlds, but that the aircraft crashed and the incident was hushed up by the Americans. Jacobsen writes that the bodies found at the crash site were children. Grotesquely but similarly deformed, aged around 12, each under five feet tall, with large heads and abnormally shaped oversize eyes. They were neither aliens nor consenting airmen, but human guinea pigs.
Reviews
The book received mixed reviews. The Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called it "highly readable" and "deeply researched...a dream for aviation and military buffs." TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
.com wrote that "Area 51 suffers one flaw," referring to the Roswell craft that Jacobsen reports was a Soviet hoax. The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...
called it an "explosive new book." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote: "Although this connect-the-dots U.F.O. thesis is only a hasty-sounding addendum to an otherwise straightforward investigative book about aviation and military history, it makes an indelible impression. Area 51 is liable to become best known for sci-fi provocation." The Times noted that "the book is noteworthy for its author’s dogged devotion to her research."
Other reviews have been less positive. Space historian Dwayne Day, for instance, called Area 51 a "poorly-sourced, error-filled book" in which the author makes an argument that "defies common sense" and is reliant on one anonymous source. Jeffrey T. Richelson
Jeffrey T. Richelson
Jeffrey Talbot Richelson is an American author and academic researcher who studies the process of intelligence gathering and national security...
and Robert S. Norris, critiquing Jacobsen's factual errors on the blog Washington Decoded
Washington Decoded
Washington Decoded is a monthly online newsletter presenting articles on American history. Founded in March 2007 by editor Max Holland, the site publishes new pieces on the 11th of each month, with additional "extra" features. The site features book reviews and articles by authors, journalists,...
, stated that "[t]here are so many mistakes that it is hard to know where to begin... Area 51 is a case study of how not to research and write about top-secret activities." Historian Richard Rhodes
Richard Rhodes
Richard Lee Rhodes is an American journalist, historian, and author of both fiction and non-fiction , including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Making of the Atomic Bomb , and most recently, The Twilight of the Bombs...
, writing in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, also criticized the book's sensationalistic reporting of "old news" and its "error-ridden" prose.