Updated at 1:42 p.m. ET
LAS VEGAS The CIA is acknowledging in the clearest terms yet the existence of Area 51, the top-secret Cold War test site that has been the subject of conspiracy theories for decades.
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The recently declassified CIA documents have set Area 51 buffs abuzz, though there's no mention of flying saucers, bug-eyed aliens or staged moon landings.
A CIA history released Thursday not only mentions Area 51 and describes some of the activities that took place there — but it places the site on a map.
George Washington University's National Security Archive obtained the CIA history of the U-2 spy plane program through a public records request and released it Thursday.
National Security Archive senior fellow Jeffrey Richelson reviewed the history in 2002, but all mentions of Area 51 had been redacted.
Richelson said he requested the history again in 2005 and received a version a few weeks ago with mentions of Area 51 restored.
Richelson told CBS Radio News that Area 51 was an open secret.
"People have certainly known about the area and its relation to various secret aircraft programs," Richelson said.
Former President Clinton acknowledged the "location near Groom Lake," and other government references date back to the 1960s.
But those convinced "the truth is out there" are taking the document as a sign of loosening secrecy about the government's activities in the Nevada desert.
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