Case of the U-2 Spy Planes

 

One of the cases I will be using is the U-2 spy plane (pictured above.) Initially,  the land on Area 51 was a mining area, specifically for silver and lead. This was up until the late 1800s, and at the beginning of World War II, the government noticed the land because of its remoteness. Groom Lake, which is a dry lake located within Area 51, was used to practice bombs. Fast forward to 1955, post World War II, the CIA with Lockheed Aircraft wanted to build spy planes, the U-2, to spy on the Soviet Union. The U-2 was being designed and developed by Kelly Johnson and other engineers from Lockheed. The U-2 had technology that would help serve its purpose; it needed minimum energy, flew beyond the Soviet radar, and had cameras that could pick up even minuscule things. Before this time, testing of such aircraft was done at Edwards Air Force Base in California but, it wasn’t considered ideal as it was not secluded; because of this, they wanted an area that was away from the public eye.

After the CIA discovered Area 51, they transformed it into a more extensive base with a runway and accommodations for the CIA and Lockheed works. By July 1955, people were being flown into Area 51 along with supplies from California. At this point, the U-2 plane was developed elsewhere, and through cargo planes, were being shipped to Area 51. Succeeding this, on Mondays, Lockheed workers were regularly flown out from California to Nevada, and they were flown back on Friday. The planes in which they were transported were unmarked, and the workers dressed ambiguously. This was done so no one would question where they were going and for what. The U-2 began being tested at Area 51 in 1955, and within two years in 1957, “ [...] it was in service for the CIA and U.S. AirForce” (Prothero and Callahan 51). As intended, the plane took pictures in many countries such as the Soviet Union and China.

The idea that the U-2 would be undetected by the Soviet Union turned out to be false. In May of 1960, the Soviet Union took down a U-2 plane with the help of their missiles. The pilot of the plane, Francis Gary Powers, was then captured by the Soviets. This incident gained a lot of attention throughout the globe, and the Soviet Union demanded an apology from the United States of America. The CIA made a coverup saying that the U-2 was a test for NASA, but they did not know that Powers was alive and a hostage. Eventually, the Soviet Union revealed that Powers had confessed, and as a result, the U-2 planes were discontinued as it was no longer seen fit to do its job.

This case supports my argument as it proves that Area 51 was a military facility and was used to test planes. The case is also backed up by many veterans and is included in the CIA’s released documentation, strengthening the argument. This fits my frame of secrecy as it shows the lengths the CIA went to keep this under wraps. The planes and the people working on it were secretly shipped in and out of Area 51, and when the existence of the U-2 was abruptly revealed, the CIA attempted to cover it up by saying it was a NASA test.