The CIA and Air Force set up a secret test site at Groom Lake, Nevada, to fly the U-2 spy plane. The government officially acknowledges the site only in documents released in 2013.
Contested history
Consensus: Area 51 is a real Air Force test site used for secret aircraft such as the U-2, the A-12 and early stealth planes. CIA documents released in 2013 confirmed its role in the U-2 program.
Secret aircraft explain many UFO reportsEstablished
The CIA's own history of the U-2 program says its high-altitude flights accounted for many UFO reports in the 1950s and 1960s.
Alien craft are stored and studied thereUnsupported
Mostly based on Bob Lazar's 1989 claims. His stated education and employment records have not been verified.