Bob Lazar and Area 51

When Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO’s), hidden activity, and government coverup are all combined, some people may become a bit suspicious. All of these things occurred near Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico, causing everyone nationwide to become concerned about what was really going on in the area.  All of the suspicion in Area 51 and the areas around it is accredited to Bob Lazar, who uncovered United States (US) documents on extraterrestrial life while working at the facility. Because of his claims about Area 51 in 1989, the public has since been suspicious about Area 51, and along with this suspicion comes conspiracies. Dozens of conspiracies exist concerning all aspects of Area 51, but this essay will focus on Bob Lazar and his claims. Throughout this essay, the following questions will be discussed in order to determine the real story behind Bob Lazar:

1.      Is Bob Lazar credible?

2.      Was Bob Lazar telling the truth?

3.      Has Area 51 hid extraterrestrial evidence from the public?

During the years of suspicion surrounding Bob Lazar, he made many claims that were not easily believable. The bulk of his claims were centered around topics that the general public did not have a good knowledge about, and this was the very reason that suspicion was added to these claims. Bob Lazar’s character traits are confusing, unreliable, and sketchy in nature. There are many different pieces of evidence that all lead to Bob Lazar being a sketchy figure, but they can be condensed into three main points. Bob Lazar was very knowledgeable on everything he talked about, his experiments proved his knowledge, and he was able to pass lie detectors for all of the questions asked to him.

Bob Lazar was very smart in multiple areas of study (Lazar 1). He had knowledge on topics that no one else knew about at the time. One area of Bob Lazar’s sketchy claims is in his schooling. Bob Lazar claims to have attended two very prestigious universities: California Institute of Technology (Cal-Tech) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (1). Lazar has claimed to have master’s degrees from both of these universities, which is possible, but very unlikely (1). He is not in any of the records at either of these colleges, and he claims that his records have been erased for a government coverup (1). Many have argued that there is no way that this would have been possible for a man like Bob Lazar, who graduated in the bottom third of his graduating class in high school (1). Universities such as these would have been out of his reach with the grades he received in high school. Further than this, there is no record of him ever being in the area of either of these colleges, but records do point to Lazar taking classes at Pierce College in California (1). Aside from this, Bob Lazar supposedly worked in Area 51, researching topics like anti-gravity propulsion and engineering with new elements (1). Many of his studies and projects show that he was a very capable scientist and engineer in his field of study.

Bob Lazar not only had knowledge and on a wide variety of topics, but he was also capable of proving this knowledge through his experiments and tinkering (Synopsis 1). His knowledge on jet engines, computer software, electronics, and science in general was superior and more in depth than anyone else at the time, and this was shown through his projects. Lazar had a Honda car with a jet engine installed in it and was capable of making homemade explosives inside his own kitchen (1). Now, Lazar owns a company called United Nuclear (I-Team 1). This company sells raw chemicals, high voltage solutions, and nuclear material (1). All of these things go to show that Bob Lazar is not an average man, but very smart with sophisticated science and engineering.

Bob Lazar made many claims regarding extraterrestrial life in Area 51 (Redfern 1). All of these were made after uncovering documents that he saw while working in the S-4 facility of the top-secret base (1). Bob Lazar is the primary reason that alien conspiracies about Area 51 are common today (Editor). One specific document he uncovered tells of an incident where security personnel entered a spot where aliens were present, and they were not allowed to enter (Redfern 1). Because of this, the security guards were killed with “head wounds”, as told by Bob Lazar (1). Conspirators often wonder why this information was ever shown to Lazar, because the only information that should have been presented to Bob Lazar was what he needed to do his job. However, this information does not have anything to do with what he claims to have been researching in the S-4 facility.  To test the legitimacy of these claims made by Lazar, he was asked many questions about his claims. All of these questions took place under the readings of a lie detector, and his claims proved to all be true. This includes UFO activity in Area 51, extraterrestrial life, and what he participated in while working in the S-4 facility (Knapp 1). Bob Lazar proves to be a central figure when it comes to Area 51. This is why he is a suspicious figure, and why there is so much activity all around his name.

Many people, despite all of the evidence that Bob Lazar has given as far as his accomplishments go, still do not believe anything that he says (Lazar 1). Some argue that he has no credibility because he has shown that he has lied in the past. For example, as discussed earlier, Bob Lazar claimed that he has two master’s degrees from very prestigious universities (1). Both of the schools, California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have no record of Bob Lazar ever attending their universities (1). This is a huge piece of evidence for many people who think that Lazar is only full of lies. Lazar claims that the reason neither of these colleges have record of his studies is because the United States government removed them in order to discredit him (1). The universities have confirmed that this did not happen, and that there is not even a way that their records could be changed in this way (1). Furthermore, the degree he claims to have from California Institute of Technology, or Cal-Tech, has never even been an offered master’s degree (1). He claims to have mastered in Electronic Technology, and the closest degree that Cal-Tech offers to that degree is Electrical Engineering (1). Tom Mahood of Otherhand.org observed an interview between Bob Lazar and another individual regarding his schooling and concluded that “There is not the slightest hint that he may have been working away on a master’s degree at CalTech (1).” Because of this, Lazar has lost credibility to many of those who have studied his life and claims.

There is a major contradiction to this research, however. A journalist named George Knapp interviewed lazar on what he saw and experienced while working at the S-4 facility, the top-secret facility for studying and reverse engineering UFO’s and other gravity propelled aircraft. During this interview, Lazar was able to intricately describe the facilities, what he worked on, and the documents he was shown. He never seemed to be making up any of his claims. Lastly, he took a lie test in 1989 proctored by polygrapher Terry Tavernetti. In this test, Bob Lazar was asked questions regarding aliens, UFO’s, and the S-4 facility. After watching Bob’s eye contact, lack of fidgeting, and results of the polygraph test, Terry Tavernetti confirmed that there was no way that he could have lied about the topics discussed (Bob 1).

            This first theory is one that tries to discredit Bob Lazar in order to prove that his claims are all false. However, this theory all depends on what the reader thinks of the interviews and evidence that is presented in this case. Because of this, this theory cannot be proven or disproven. It is definitely to be considered when studying Bob Lazar and his claims on extraterrestrial life. This is why Bob Lazar’s credibility should be examined before researching his claims.

            Another theory regarding Bob Lazar’s claims revolve around him being brainwashed by the government. This theory is reaching a little more than the others, but in reality, could still be possible. Reddit user horse_architect1 describes how he believes that Bob Lazar was “subjected to chemical brainwashing at the (S-4) base (r/UFOs 1).” The basis of this theory revolves around Lazar not being able to recall a few of his visits to the S-4 facility (1). Even if he completely told the truth to anyone who ever confronted him about his time in the S-4 facility, did the government lie to him? Bob Lazar has been questioned as to why he was ever allowed to be exposed to all the documents that he got to see (Redfern 1). In reality, he should have only been allowed to see documents that would assist him in doing his role at the S-4 facility (1). This raises question as to what he was actually hired to do at the top-secret facility. When all of this evidence is considered, things do not line up and something in the scenario is not truthful. The question is: What is it? Could it be the government, Bob Lazar, or the theory of him being brainwashed? Or is Lazar too innocent to know what was actually going on all around him? Many of these questions have been asked over and over, but no one has seemed to be able to find the weak link in the theory.

            This theory looks less at Bob Lazar himself and more towards the information that he has conveyed to the public. Is he just a tool used by the government to give fake or real information to the public? Less people think that Lazar was physically brainwashed by the government while working at the S-4 facility, but the normal U.S citizen does not know what goes on daily at a top-secret U.S. military testing facility (Redfern 1). Because of this, the only useable information is the information presented by Bob Lazar and his peers.  Bob seems to be able to be trusted, as he is calm and cool while being interviewed and covering topics that he could very well make up what he would want the population to hear (1).

            Lastly, there is a possibility that everything that Bob Lazar has said is true. According to himself, he has claimed that he “Did not deliberately lie to any question” in an interview conducted by Terri Tavernetti (Bob 1). While listening to Bob Lazar, he never at any point seems to make anything up (1). His results of his lie detector test also support this theory, because he was able to pass almost all of the questions and showed no body language of a lying person (1). Many people believe him solely off of his lie detector interview, as it seemed to be very convincing (1). However, lie detector tests are not always completely accurate. One can learn how to pass a lie detector test and not show any fluctuations in the signs that a test will measure (1). However, to believe that Bob Lazar is completely credible, means that one would also have to believe the claims that he has made concerning his master’s degrees and his schooling. Many believe that he is wrong on this subject, and the evidence is clearly presented that he is lying (1). So, in order to believe that Bob Lazar is completely credible, means to ignore some very clear evidence regarding college. Along with this, a person that holds this theory will also need to believe in extraterrestrial life. According to a survey, more than two-thirds of people in a sample group do not believe in extraterrestrial life (Lightfoot 1). This definitely shows that individuals who believe in alien life are in the minority. This also means that according to the data, many people would not believe Bob Lazar to be completely credible just because of their views on extraterrestrial life.

            After all the research is done and opinions are formed, there can only be one true theory. Even with all of the evidence presented over the last forty years, there is still so much to be learned about the topic of extraterrestrial life and specifically what Bob Lazar has claimed to be true. Based off of the survey results, many people would not fall under the conspiracy of believing everything to be true (Lightfoot 1). Many people’s views could even fall between the conspiracies, grabbing certain parts from each theory to fit personal views. Because of this, we may never know the true theory that is completely correct, unless new evidence is brought up.

After researching the conspiracies of Bob Lazar, Area 51, and the S-4 test site, many conclusions could be drawn. These conspiracies can be narrowed down into three main conspiracies:

1.      Bob Lazar’s claims could all be false.

2.      Bob Lazar could have been brainwashed by the government or workers at the S-4 facility.

3.      Bob Lazar could have been completely truthful, telling crazy stories about alien life.

In 2018, almost thirty years later, we have yet to receive answers on which could be the right conspiracy. Will we ever get evidence to fully understand what went on in Bob Lazar’s life during these years?  We can only wait on more government evidence to show up, but until then, the most accepted theory will likely be somewhere in between Bob Lazar being truthful, and also being a liar.

Works Cited

Editor. “Bob Lazar Speaks Out After 25 Years: The Man Who Exposed Area 51 Defends UFO Information » The Event Chronicle.” The Event Chronicle, The Event Chronicle, 20 May 2014, www.theeventchronicle.com/editors-pick/bob-lazar-speaks-25-years-man-exposed-area-51-defends-ufo-information/.

“Bob Lazar's Lie Detector Test about Working on UFOs in Area 51 - FindingUFO.” YouTube, YouTube, FindingUFO. 16 Aug. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-3ZmAba7xg&t=4s. r

Knapp, George. “I-Team: Man Who Exposed Area 51 Defends UFO Information.” LASVEGASNOW, LASVEGASNOW, 24 June 2015, www.lasvegasnow.com/news/iteam-man-who-exposed-area-51-defends-ufo-information/70932280. Accessed 8 Oct. 2018.

“Lazar Flaws – Education.” OtherHand RSS, www.otherhand.org/home-page/area-51-and-other-strange-places/bluefire-main/bluefire/the-bob-lazar-corner/lazar-flaws-education/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2018.

 Lightfoot, Jacob. “Alien Life.” SurveyMonkey, 2018, https://www.surveymonkey.com/analyze/diNIwLQUonEqrt04iVHKyUl05nbphvn81weskwS2nXk_3D&tab_clicked=1&tab_clicked=1.

Redfern, Nick, and Paul Seaburn. “More Thoughts On Bob Lazar and Area 51.” Mysterious Universe, 11 Apr. 2018, mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/04/more-thoughts-on-bob-lazar-and-area-51/.

“r/UFOs - Bob Lazar Actually Did Change His Story, a Lot.” Reddit, horse_architect1. www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/6tcw8f/bob_lazar_actually_did_change_his_story_a_lot/.

“The Lazar Synopsis.” OtherHand RSS, www.otherhand.org/home-page/area-51-and-other-strange-places/bluefire-main/bluefire/the-bob-lazar-corner/the-lazar-synopsis/. Accessed 15 Oct. 2018.