During the Eisenhower Administration, scientists sought a remote location where sensational military breakthroughs would remain national secrets. A pair of engineers in a single-engine plane over the Nevada desert spotted an abandoned airstrip near the dried-up bed of an ancient lake. The government referred to the wasteland as Paradise Ranch, but rumors that spread around the world called it by its map designation, Area 51.
This is the only book that offers the CIA’s newly declassified report on a subject that’s been top secret for decades. Written by CIA historians Gregory Pedlow and Donald Welzenbach, the illustrated account features an informative Introduction by military historian and researcher L. Douglas Keeney, the author
of the acclaimed Lost Histories of World War II series. Fascinating and highly readable, this official document finally reveals historic details related to the Cold War and advances in aviation.
Originally Released by the Central Intelligence Agency as: The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954–1974
