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Colonel Hugh “Slip” Slater (1922– ). Base commander at Area 51.

Army Air Force, USAF, CIA, A-12, YF-12, D-21 drone, commander of the U-2 Chinese Black Cat Squadron, commander for Operation Black Shield, the 303 Committee.

Interviews: November 13, 2008; December 20, 2009; January 7, 2009; March 4, 2009; April 25, 2009; June 25, 2009; July 14, 2009; October 7, 2009; October 8, 2009; January 13, 2010

Alfred O’Donnell (1922– ), early Manhattan Project member. Armed, wired, and fired 186 nuclear bombs at the Nevada Test Site and the Pacific Proving Ground.

Nuclear weapons, World War II, Battle at Okinawa; timing, wiring, and firing system on atomic bombs; timing, wiring, and firing system on thermonuclear bombs; Operation Crossroads, Operation Greenhouse, Operation Ivy, Operation Castle, Operation Plumbbob, Operation Hardtack, Nevada Test Site.

Interviews: May 9, 2009; May 25, 2009; May 27, 2009; June 24, 2009; June 25, 2009; July 15, 2009; September 7, 2009; September 8, 2009; October 6, 2009; October 7, 2009; November 17, 2009; December 14, 2009; December 15, 2009; December 16, 2009; January 13, 2010; January 14, 2010; February 11, 2010; March 6, 2010; June 28, 2010, June 29, 2010; written correspondence: May 2009–October 2010

Colonel Hervey S. Stockman (1922–2011). First man to fly over the Soviet Union in a U-2.

Army Air Forces, USAF, U-2 pilot, atomic-sampling pilot, fighter pilot in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; POW at the Hanoi Hilton and other prisons from June 12, 1967–March 4, 1973.

Interviews: August 24, 2009; September 17, 2009; March 24, 2010

Colonel Sam Pizzo (1922– ). Navigation expert for the A-12 at Area 51 and escort to Nikita Khrushchev from Moscow to America in 1959.

Strategic Air Command, USAF, A-12 Oxcart, Operation Home Run, celestial navigation, General Curtis LeMay.

Interviews: April 22, 2009; April 24, 2009; May 19, 2009; May 21, 2009; October 3, 2009; October 7, 2009; December 2, 2009; written correspondence: April 2009–September 2010

General Hsichun “Mike” Hua (1926– ). Flew with U-2 Chinese Black Cat Squadron.

CIA U-2 pilot, CIA air base at Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Interview: March 12, 2010; written correspondence: winter/spring 2010

Ralph James “Jim” Freedman (1927– ). Procurement manager at Area 51, EG&G weapons test engineer, and nuclear explosion photographer.

EG&G, CIA, nuclear test liaison to Howard Hughes from Area 51, Nevada Test Site, Operation Greenhouse, Operation Ivy, Operation Castle, A-12 Oxcart, Project Aquiline.

Interviews: May 7, 2009; May 8, 2009; April 25, 2009; June 24, 2009; September 8, 2009; October 8, 2009; December 15, 2009; June 28, 2010; August 4, 2010; November 30, 2010.

Brigadier General Raymond L. Haupt (1927– ). The only man to fly all three models of the Oxcart at Area 51.

USAF, U-2, A-12 Oxcart, YF-12, SR-71 Blackbird, Blackbird flight manuals, Lockheed pilots, Area 51 operations.

Interviews: October 3, 2009; October 8, 2009

Major General Patrick J. Halloran (1928– ). Squadron operations officer for the U-2, wing commander for the SR-71 Blackbird.

USAF, U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, U-2 shoot-downs over China.

Interview: June 12, 2009

Dr. Albert D. “Bud” Wheelon (1929– ). CIA’s first deputy director of Science and Technology, also known as the mayor of Area 51.

Project Palladium, A-12 Oxcart, Cuban missile crisis, satellites, early missile systems, TRW, defense contracting, MIT, President Kennedy, James Killian, General Ledford, John McCone, Richard Helms, Lyman Kirkpatrick.

Interviews: May 29, 2009; November 9, 2009

Colonel Kenneth B. Collins (1930– ). A-12 Oxcart pilot for the CIA.

USAF, CIA, A-12 Oxcart pilot, SR-71 Blackbird pilot, Korean War, Vietnam War, Operation Black Shield, Jack Weeks, Walt Ray.

Interviews: October 29, 2008; January 20, 2009; March 17, 2009; April 14, 2009; April 28, 2009; May 19, 2009; June 1, 2009; June 13, 2009; August 4, 2009; October 20, 2009; December 2, 2009; January 20, 2010, April 4, 2010, August 6, 2010; written correspondence: October 2008–October 2010

Lieutenant Colonel Francis J. “Frank” Murray (1930