--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything that goes on at Area 51 is…" description: "\"Everything that goes on at Area 51 is classified 'top secret' when it's going on.\" — Annie Jacobsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/annie-jacobsen-9277_area_everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-cl_871264.jpg" --- # Everything that goes on at Area 51 is classified 'top… ![“Everything that goes on at Area 51 is classified 'top secret' when it's going on.” quote by Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/annie-jacobsen-9277_area_everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-cl_871264.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/annie-jacobsen-9277_area_everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-cl_871264.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/annie-jacobsen-9277_area_everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-cl_871264.jpg) > “Everything that goes on at Area 51 is classified 'top secret' when it's going on.” [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Classified information at a secretive base is often labeled “top secret,” indicating extreme secrecy and restricted access. **In simple terms:** Area 51’s activities are highly secretive. Key Takeaway Question the limits of secrecy. Themes secrecy government mystery Mood intrigued skeptical Type political investigative When to use this quote - discussing whistleblowing - researching declassified files Key Concepts national security information control Questions to Reflect On - Why are some operations kept secret? - What are the ethical implications? A Different Perspective Secrecy can hinder accountability and public trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [51 Classified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/51-classified-955652/) [Area](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/area/) [Area 51](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/area-51-287521/) [Classified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classified/) [Classified Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classified-secret-955650/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-going-955651/) [Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/top/) [Top secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/top-secret/) ## Related quotes > [I made an effort to find out what was in the building at Wright Patterson Air Force Base where the information is stored that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/i-made-an-effort-to-find-out-what-was-in-the-building-at-wright/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [In many previously classified documents relating to activities at the base, the words 'Area 51' are conveniently blacked out. There's always a euphemism for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/in-many-previously-classified-documents-relating-to-activities-at-the/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The programs that have been discussed over the last couple days in the press are secret in the sense that they are classified but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-programs-that-have-been-discussed-over-the-last-couple-days-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The secret: keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-secret-keep-going/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Here’s a little secret that’s going to save you a LOT of unnecessary grief in life. Are you ready? Your worth is not tied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/here-s-a-little-secret-that-s-going-to-save-you-a-lot-of-unnecessary/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [For decades, the men at Area 51 thought they'd take their secrets to the grave. At the height of the Cold War, they cultivated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/for-decades-the-men-at-area-51-thought-they-d-take-their-secrets-to/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [One of the few things the Air Force did admit to me existed out there presently without admitting that it was Area 51 is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/one-of-the-few-things-the-air-force-did-admit-to-me-existed-out-there/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Area 51 is located in southern Nevada desert about 75 miles north of Las Vegas. It's set inside a greater land parcel that's about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/area-51-is-located-in-southern-nevada-desert-about-75-miles-north-of/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The idea that Area 51 was this test facility working to move science and technology faster and further than any other nation is true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-idea-that-area-51-was-this-test-facility-working-to-move-science/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Many of the engineers I interviewed worked on reverse-engineering technology. It's a hallmark of Area 51.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/many-of-the-engineers-i-interviewed-worked-on-reverse-engineering/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [I believe it is called 'Area 51' because of a project, the very first project that went on out there, in 1951.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/i-believe-it-is-called-area-51-because-of-a-project-the-very-first/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Urban legend has it that Area 51 is connected by underground tunnels and trains to other secret facilities around the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/urban-legend-has-it-that-area-51-is-connected-by-underground-tunnels/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [As far as I know, all the presidents know about Area 51. It would almost be impossible for them not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/as-far-as-i-know-all-the-presidents-know-about-area-51-it-would/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The problem is the myths of Area 51 are hard to dispute if no one can speak on the record about what actually happened there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-problem-is-the-myths-of-area-51-are-hard-to-dispute-if-no-one-can/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The area out at Area 51 that was part of the Operation Plumbbob test continues to be contaminated. It was not cleaned up until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-area-out-at-area-51-that-was-part-of-the-operation-plumbbob-test/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) ## More by Annie Jacobsen > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“Over the next five years, DARPA’s biohybrid programs advanced at an astonishing pace. Microprocessor technology was doubling in capacity every eighteen months. By June…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/over-the-next-five-years-darpa-s-biohybrid-programs-advanced-at-an/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The activities that went on at Camp King between 1946 and the late 1950s have never been fully accounted for by either the Department…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-activities-that-went-on-at-camp-king-between-1946-and-the-late/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“By the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Eisenhower’s test ban had failed, and the United States and the Soviet Union had both returned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/by-the-time-of-the-cuban-missile-crisis-eisenhower-s-test-ban-had/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“By contrast, Dresher and Flood found that the minority of game players who refused to testify against their criminal partner were almost always of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/by-contrast-dresher-and-flood-found-that-the-minority-of-game-players/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“To address strength and endurance issues, Goldblatt initiated a program called the Mechanically Dominant Soldier. What if soldiers could have ten times the muscle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/to-address-strength-and-endurance-issues-goldblatt-initiated-a/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The area out at Area 51 that was part of the Operation Plumbbob test continues to be contaminated. It was not cleaned up until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-area-out-at-area-51-that-was-part-of-the-operation-plumbbob-test/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [I'm not an aviation historian, I'm not an Air Force aficionado, and I'm definitely not a ufologist. I'm not someone who studies UFOs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/i-m-not-an-aviation-historian-i-m-not-an-air-force-aficionado-and-i-m/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Back in the 1950s, there was a top-secret program code-named SUNTAN being conducted at a top-secret facility called Skunk Works. Its objective? To develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/back-in-the-1950s-there-was-a-top-secret-program-code-named-suntan/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [In the winter of 1973, the American POWs held captive in Vietnam were released according to the terms of the Paris Peace Accords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/in-the-winter-of-1973-the-american-pows-held-captive-in-vietnam-were/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [I examined a lot of CIA declassified UFO files, which are fascinating, because there was a huge UFO craze going on in America. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/i-examined-a-lot-of-cia-declassified-ufo-files-which-are-fascinating/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [You can absolutely drive through an atmospheric bomb test and not be affected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/you-can-absolutely-drive-through-an-atmospheric-bomb-test-and-not-be/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“The war in Europe was over. Germans called it die Stunde Null, zero hour. Cities lay in ruins. Allied bombing had destroyed more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-war-in-europe-was-over-germans-called-it-die-stunde-null-zero/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“Poindexter’s background was in submarines, and there was an analogy here, he told Tether. Submarines emit sound signals as they move through the sea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/poindexter-s-background-was-in-submarines-and-there-was-an-analogy/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The problem is the myths of Area 51 are hard to dispute if no one can speak on the record about what actually happened there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-problem-is-the-myths-of-area-51-are-hard-to-dispute-if-no-one-can/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) [Explore all 74 Annie Jacobsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) ## More Area quotes > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [Is it philosophical, is it quite allowable, to assume without evidence from fossil plants that the family or any of the genera was once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/is-it-philosophical-is-it-quite-allowable-to-assume-without-evidence/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) > [“Having no applicable skills, in any possible area whatsoever, effectively makes me the master of redundancy. But that info is obsolete, like my insults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/having-no-applicable-skills-in-any-possible-area-whatsoever/) [Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/) > [It was sort of that in-between area when people don't talk about their personal lives. That's the kind of life I think Kerry would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-innes/it-was-sort-of-that-in-between-area-when-people-don-t-talk-about/) [Laura Innes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-innes/) > [There have been trade-offs every day, every month, every year. There's a lot that I missed and I do have regrets in that area.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-woodruff/there-have-been-trade-offs-every-day-every-month-every-year-there-s-a/) [Judy Woodruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-woodruff/) > [Skating has always been a major area of interest to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-cohen/skating-has-always-been-a-major-area-of-interest-to-me/) [Sasha Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-cohen/) > [Until the Nineteen-Eighties, when Deng Xiaoping designated the area as China's first special economic zone, Shenzhen had been a tiny fishing village. Suddenly, eleven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/until-the-nineteen-eighties-when-deng-xiaoping-designated-the-area-as/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [In my opinion, the Bay is a trendsetting area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/too-short/in-my-opinion-the-bay-is-a-trendsetting-area/) [Too Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/too-short/) > [I just enjoy acting, whatever area - theatre, film, television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-just-enjoy-acting-whatever-area-theatre-film-television/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [For me, the greatest obstacles are never on the ice itself. That's the area I excel in. That's where my passion is. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-bancroft/for-me-the-greatest-obstacles-are-never-on-the-ice-itself-that-s-the/) [Ann Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-bancroft/) > [My grandmother and I would go see movies, and we'd come back to the apartment - we had a one-room apartment in Hollywood -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/my-grandmother-and-i-would-go-see-movies-and-we-d-come-back-to-the/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [I'm going to go back to the Bay Area, this is my thing, and I'm just going to open my own school of baseball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/i-m-going-to-go-back-to-the-bay-area-this-is-my-thing-and-i-m-just/) [Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/) > [I had a major surgery, a major abdominal surgery, and a mass was removed from my pelvic area, and I do have some more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-quivers/i-had-a-major-surgery-a-major-abdominal-surgery-and-a-mass-was/) [Robin Quivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-quivers/) > [What I will say is that business is not a nice area. And you might say that I am a business woman, but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-cole/what-i-will-say-is-that-business-is-not-a-nice-area-and-you-might-say/) [Cheryl Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-cole/) [Browse all 419 Area quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/area/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Everything that goes on at Area 51 is classified 'top secret' when it's going on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Jacobsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-classified-top-secret-when-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Area" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-classified-top-secret-when-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/annie-jacobsen-9277_area_everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-cl_871264.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/annie-jacobsen-9277_area_everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-cl_871264.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/annie-jacobsen-9277_area_everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-cl_871264.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Everything that goes on at Area 51 is classified 'top secret' when it's going on.” — Annie Jacobsen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Annie Jacobsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Everything that goes on at Area...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-classified-top-secret-when-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/everything-that-goes-on-at-area-51-is-classified-top-secret-when-it-s/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```