Annie Jacobsen on Book, Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base. 1 of 3

- Located some 80 miles north of Las Vegas, the secret U.S. military base Area 51 in Nevada was established in the 1950s to build and test hi-tech spy and war planes including the U2, the stealth bomber and surveillance drones. Located inside the Nevada Test and Training Range, Area 51 also played a key role in nuclear weapon tests. For decades, the government denied Area 51 even existed, but in recent years many CIA and military documents have been declassified. Democracy Now! interviews Annie Jacobsen, author of the new book, “Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base.“ Watch Part 2 of 3: For the podcast, transcript, and for additional reports on Bahrain in the Democracy Now! archives, visit