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-). A-12 Oxcart pilot for the CIA.
USAF, CIA, A-12 Oxcart pilot, F-101 pilot, Vietnam War, Operation Black Shield, USS Pueblo, General Ledford, Walt Ray.
Interviews: March 4, 2009; March 5, 2009; April 28, 2009; October 6, 2009; October 7, 2009; January 6, 2010; January 13, 2010; written correspondence: March 2009-May 2010
Lieutenant Colonel Roger W. Andersen (1930-). Area 51 command post operations for Area 51 and Kadena Air Base during Operation Oxcart.
USAF, CIA, Nevada Test Site, atomic tests, Operation Black Shield.
Interviews: March 5, 2009; May 26, 2009; October 7, 2009; September 24, 2010; written correspondence: May 2009-September 2010
Robert “Bob” Murphy (1930-). Lockheed Skunk Works engineer and project airplane manager at Area 51.
U-2, A-12 Oxcart, D-21 drone, U-2 missions out of Asia, Have Blue, F-117 Nighthawk.
Interviews: July 4, 2009; July 20, 2009; September 24, 2010 William “Bill” Weaver (1930-). Lockheed test pilot for the A-12,
YF-12, SR-71, and the only pilot to survive a Mach 3 bailout at 78,000 feet in an SR-71 Blackbird.
SR-71 Blackbird, high-speed bailouts, parachutes.
Interview: June 13, 2009
Captain Donald J. Donohue (1930-). Crew captain for A-12 Oxcart at Area 51.
USAF, A-12 Oxcart.
Interviews: May 8, 2009; December 9, 2009
Frank Micalizzi (1930-). Warehouse supervisor at Area 51. USAF, CIA, Kadena Air Force Base, A-12 Oxcart camera film storage.
Interview: May 8, 2009
Florence DeLuna (1930-). Area 51 transport pilot. USAF, C-47, Walt Ray, Dreamland airspace and air traffic control.
Interview: May 8, 2009
Ernest “Ernie” Williams (1930-). Atomic Energy Commission motor pool and food services coordinator, escorted the Apollo astronauts around the Nevada Test Site.
AEC, Nevada Test Site, astronaut training.
Interviews: October 7, 2009; December 14, 2009
S. Eugene “Gene” Poteat (1930-). Pioneer of electronic
countermeasures, first CIA officer assigned to the National Reconnaissance Office.
CIA, NRO, Project Palladium, Area 51 radar tests, U-2 and A-12, Caspian Sea Monster, Project Aquiline.
Interviews: September 27, 2010; September 28, 2010; September 30, 2010
Richard Mingus (1931-). Area 51 security, Nevada Test Site Security, and Lawrence Radiation Laboratory operations manager.
Atomic Energy Commission, Department of Energy, Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Federal Services, Inc., Wackenhut Security, Inc., U-2 security guard, Area 51 security, Area 52 security, Nevada Test Site, Tonopah Test Range, Project 57, Operation Plumbbob, underground nuclear testing.
Interviews: September 9, 2009; October 8, 2009; November 18, 2009; December 14, 2009; December 15, 2009; December 16, 2009; January 14, 2009; February 10, 2010; February 12, 2010; June 28, 2010; June 29, 2010
Harry Martin (1931-). In charge of the million-gallon fuel farm at Area 51.
USAF, CIA, fuels, A-12 Oxcart.
Interviews: November 13, 2008; March 5, 2009; May 26, 2009 Lieutenant Colonel Tony Bevacqua (1932-). Youngest pilot to fly U-2 at Area 51.
USAF, U-2 pilot, SR-71 Blackbird pilot, Vietnam War, Kadena Air Force Base, Gary Powers.
Interviews: June 12, 2009; June 13, 2009; October 8, 2009; written correspondence: June 2009-October 2010
Colonel Charles E. “Charlie” Trapp (1933-). Area 51 helicopter search-and-rescue pilot.
USAF, C-47, Walt Ray, Dreamland airspace and air traffic control. Interview: June 4, 2010; November 18, 2010; November 24, 2010
Troy Wade (1934-). Longtime Nevada Test Site official, former assistant secretary of energy for defense programs, ran Operation
Morning Light for the Department of Energy, Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation.
Atomic Energy Commission, Department of Energy, Nevada Test Site, Operation Morning Light, underground nuclear testing.
