In the Beginning: U-2s at Watertown
Nevada's Groom Lake was chosen for the first base of operations for America's then-new U-2 aircraft in 1955; Area 51 was its simple map designation, and "Watertown" would become its code name. The Lockheed father of the U-2, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, called the new base "Paradise Ranch", which would then be shortened to just "the Ranch", with many of the workers there referring to themselves as "ranch hands".
The following stills are from the previously classified "Secret" film, The Inquisitive Angel, which was declassified on August 2, 2006. You can view The Inquisitive Angel declassified film in its entirety by clicking the button below:
Sources: In the Beginning DVDs from The Inquisitive Angel LHF Archives |
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