The intense secrecy surrounding the base, the very existence of which the US Government barely acknowledges, has led it to become the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and UFO folklore.
Many of the hypotheses concern underground facilities at Groom or at nearby Papoose Lake, and include claims of a transcontinental underground railroad system, a disappearing airstrip which briefly appears when water is sprayed onto its camouflaged asphalt, and engineering based on alien technology.
Another hypothesis is that Area 51 is a place which simulates the environment of the moon, and it`s suggested that the entire moon landing in 1969 was a hoax and was filmed in parts of Area 51.
In July 1996, a man named "Victor" announced on local radio show that he had a videotape of an alien interrogation which had taken place in Area 51. He claimed that he had made a copy of the tape during a scheduled transfer of analogue videotape files on the base into digital form, and had then smuggled the copy out of Area 51. The video appears to show the head of an alien creature in a dark interrogation room, allegedly using telepathy to communicate with military personnel and scientists.
