Pictures of the US secret base, known as Area 51, are available on the Internet now.

Pictures of the US secret base, known as Area 51, are available on the Internet now. The base, located in Nevada, is a testing area for modern weapons. The pictures were taken by a Russian satellite "Kometa" from an altitude of 220 km in 1998 and have been distributed by the company Sovinformsputnik. Prior to this development, FBI Director Louis Freeh announced that Russia and China have been stepping up espionage against the US. The American authorities say they are primarily concerned about Russian espionage in the field of computer systems and information technology. The recent scandal involving Russian citizen Stanislav Gusev, who was expelled from the US after being caught checking a bugging device in the Conference Hall of the US State Department, is a clear example of the increase in espionage activity. Yet, let the sinless throw stones. The European Commission has started an investigation following allegations that the US and the UK have been carrying out economic espionage. The authors of the report accuse British and American special services of intercepting satellite signals transmitted via the Echelon global network. The data obtained was given to the US Trade Department for the use of American companies.