It is late 1 September night in 1997 in the borderlands of Nevada and California. Out on the

edges of the desert town of Perum, sits a simple double wide trailer, surrounded by a

monopoly of satellite dishes and radio receivers. 80 miles to the east, light the bright

lights of Las Vegas and just a little further to the north, past desolate valleys and dusty

mountain ridges, are placed known variously to some as Dreamland or Paradise Ranch, but

more commonly today as Area 51. Inside the trailer, late night radio DJ Art Bell

takes a drag on a cigarette, as the Charlie Daniels band thunders through the deathl went

down to Georgia. When suddenly he notices a call coming through on the Area 51 line.

Earlier in the show, Art had invited former employees of the secretive US Air Force Base

to call in on the dedicated line if they wish to share any information about their time

working there. It is shortly after 1 a.m. with millions listening across more than 400 radio

stations throughout the nation, when Art prematurely fades out the music and takes the call.

About a week ago, and I would kind of been running across the country, man, I don't know

where to start. They'll triangulate on this position really, really soon.

You can't spend a lot of time on the phone, so give us something quick.

Okay, what we're thinking of as aliens are, they're extra-dimensional beings that in

earlier precursor of the space program they'd contact with, they are not what they claim

to be. They have infiltrated a lot of aspects of military establishment, particularly the

Area 51. The disasters that are coming. As the caller went on to explain, disasters were

coming that would lead to the wiping out of major population centers, led by these apparent

aliens, and then silence. The signal completely cut out, not just for the call, but Art's

entire show. Though it would be a stretch to say that Art was shaken by the incident,

...