NASA released an image of it, even though the CIA said not to
In 1974, astronauts accidentally took photos of Area 51, despite clear instructions not to. Cue a flurry of classified CIA memos insisting that publicizing the photo “would almost certainly provide strong stimulus for media questioning and the potential near-term revelation of the missions of the installation.”
In the end, NASA got its way (the Soviet Union already had its own satellite images of Area 51), and the photo went in the Skylab collection without any public outcry.
