Pine Gap was established in 1966, at the height of the Cold War and ostensibly as a 'space research facility'; but even from the start everyone knew it was an American spy base. In 2016 it quietly celebrated 50 years of existence, but there were no loud public fanfares - the local paper said they held a 'stealth party' - and the loudest noise was made by protesters, some of whom have recently passed through the courts.
Officially the less said the better. But for 50 years this facility, on which Alice Springs is financially dependent, has been the target of protest and paranoia. During that time it has played a critical role in many moments of global crisis. Tom Gilling digs deep to tell the fascinating, surprising and worrying story of a joint intelligence facility the US and Australian governments would rather we didn't know about.
