The existence of extraterrestrial life has been subject to prolific debate in America since Kenneth Arnold’s UFO spotting in 1947. Even so, cases of inconsistencies and exaggeration have long held back the believer’s argument. To really understand what’s happening, we must pick apart myth from evidence. When it comes to UFOs, there’s no greater myth-maker than a man named Bob Lazar.
Lazar is a self-proclaimed MIT and Caltech alumnus who has made various claims he says confirm the existence of UFOs. In 1989, he stated that he worked at a secret site near Area 51 called “S-4,” and that he was hired to reverse-engineer alien spacecraft. The supposed spacecraft utilized element 115 (synthesized in 2003 and called “Moscovium”) to generate and amplify a gravitational field, propelling itself in air.
Skepticism should immediately flood one’s mind whenever such grandiose claims are made. That feeling is justified by the fact there are no records of Lazar ever attending MIT or Caltech. There’s also no evidence of a site called “S-4.” Lazar did, however, declare this base was
a government secret. For the sake of Lazar’s argument, let’s assume that S-4 is real. Surely Lazar had a prior employer before working for a top-secret government laboratory.
Lazar claims to have been hired by the government after working at Los Alamos, an organization most notable for their contributions to the Manhattan Project during World War II. Lazar did work at Los Alamos, though not as a physicist. Investigative journalist George Knapp found a Los Alamos phone book that listed Lazar as a contracted technician. Decades of research conclude that this is the one piece of evidence that links Lazar to Los Alamos.
Outside of anything UFO-related, Lazar has found other ways to tarnish his own credibility. Lazar was arrested for aiding and abetting a prostitution ring in 1990. It is best mentioned that this was reduced to felony pandering, nevertheless damaging his reputation.
By dismantling Lazar’s history, we find an extreme scarcity of integrity. Lack of educational records, zero proof of “S-4,” and his question-
able background all point towards one conclusion: his words shouldn’t be trusted. In my mind, until any acceptable evidence can confirm Lazar’s claims, he will remain as one of the most notable storytellers in a long history of UFO hoaxes.
