The story of Deus Ex relies heavily on conspiracy theories and myths about mystic men controlling everything. Last week we did a story on Majestic 12. (You might want to read that to catch up on our The Story Behind... series). Today we'll try to give you an explanation about the government facility called Area 51. What exactly goes on out there in the desert? Do they have UFOs hidden somewhere? Here are some answers to shed light on another part of Deus Ex's great story.
Unidentified Flying Objects?
Area51 has long been a favorite subject to talk about amongst the group of people that believe in government conspiracies and flying saucers and several factors seem to back their (insane?) claims. The isolated position of the base has led some people to the conclusion that the U.S. Government is doing things that are not entirely legal out there. Several sightings of strange plane-like objects in the area and a (supposedly) crashed UFO are also parts of the lore surrounding the base. The official no-talk policy hasn't helped dampen the outbreak of theories either.
That something is going on in Area 51 is without a doubt. But the notion that the U.S. Government should be hiding aliens and their spacecrafts seems a little far fetched to me.
The Base In The Desert
Area51 isn't the name of the base itself as most people believe, but is actually a large piece of government owned property in the Nevada desert near the Groom Dry Lake. The name supposedly originates from an old map of the region. The area is offlimits to people (as indicated on the signs below), but nevertheless draws thousands of tourists to the desert. The perimiter of the base is guarded by armed guards nicknamed the 'Cammo Dudes', which again add to the UFO myth. I reckon these fellows greet strangers with just about the same lack of warmth as the MiBs in Deus Ex, but that's just a guess.
The base itself is used by the U.S. Military as a test site, where new and unproven airplanes are testflown with the utmost of secrecy. Some of the planes flown here include the Stealth-bomber (used in Bosnia) and the Blackbird. The mysterious objects in the sky seen by some people might well be these planes out on a testspin, which sounds very plausible.
"Don't enter beyond level 1... the guards will shoot on sight."
I chose to edit it in PS, because it didn't look grainy/blurry enough. UFO pics have to be grainy, you know ;)
They Didn't Use Hazmats
Apparently the base also doubles as some kind of dumping ground for toxic wastes. Several workers have stood forward with this claim (some anonymously, some not) and have told the media about this. Apparently the workers have literally been pouring toxins into the ground, thus not only polluting the earth, but also damaging their own health. They have tried taking it to the courts in order to get some kind of compensation, but to no avail.
At first glance they seem to have the advantage: They have the proof to back up the claims (some of the workers even died because of the toxics), they have a dedicated lawyer and they have got the attention of the media. What is missing here? The defendant, that's who. They haven't got somebody to sue, because -- and now it gets truely ironic -- the U.S. Government doesn't recognize the existence of Area 51, thus effectively eliminating any possible lawsuit whatsoever. Bummer, huh?
Come back next week for the third and final installment. It will answer questions about the Illuminati, a hidden organization whos existence dates back to 17th century Germany. Some believe that the Illuminati still are in power and that they seek to rule the world from the hidden. Find out next week right here on Deus Ex Incarnate.
Further reading
About.com has extensive coverage of Area 51. Another site worth trying out is ufomind... albeit a bit messy designwise it still is a great UFO resource.
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