Bob Lazar has been the subject of much controversy and speculation in the paranormal community. According to Lazar’s assertions, he supposedly worked with extraterrestrial technology by reverse-engineering UFOs at a top secret site known as S4 (Sector Four), close to the infamous restricted military site Area 51 in Nevada.
Lazar claims that S4 is a hidden military facility that serves as a research hub for the study of extraterrestrial spacecraft. Lazar says that he was contracted by the U.S.
Government in 1988 and 1989 to perform reverse engineering studies on several top-secret spacecraft held in their possession in underground bunkers at S4. He also contends that he has personally seen nine different types of extraterrestrial vehicles while working there.
Lazar claims to have qualifications as an engineer and scientist, purportedly obtaining a Masters in Physics from MIT and a Masters in Electronics from the California Institute of Technology. Both of these claims were refuted in 1993 after an investigation by the Los Angeles Times revealed that neither one of those institutions had any record of his alleged academic achievements.
Noted physicist, ufologist and investigator Stanton Friedman conducted extensive research into Lazar’s academic background as well, coming up empty-handed after several searches for transcripts, diplomas, memberships in professional organizations, and even pages in Caltech or MIT yearbooks.
The only aspect of Lazar’s education that Friedman could substantially verify was that Lazar did take some electronics courses at Pierce Junior College (in Los Angeles) in the late 1970s.
Several of Lazar’s supporters claim that his academic background was “wiped” or deleted by the government as an attempt to attack his credibility after coming forth with revelations about the top secret projects that he allegedly participated in during his time at S4.
To date, his educational and professional background is still the subject of much conjecture, and no concrete verifications have been brought to light, further fueling the contentions of Lazar’s supporters concerning government manipulation of his personal records.
Lazar’s W-2 forms and pay stubs have also emerged, purportedly showing that he did indeed work for the U.S. Government in 1989, but many detractors have claimed that the documents are forgeries.
Another question that is often raised in conjunction with Lazar’s work history is why he only worked for the government for a six-month period, and why they would need to relegate such high-level classified research to an outside contractor.
One of the most interesting aspects of Lazar’s story is the topic of Element 115, which Lazar claimed to have worked with first-hand while conducting his research. Temporarily named “Ununpentium”, Element 115 was officially discovered in 2003 and is classified as a superheavy synthetic chemical element.
Lazar claims that Element 115 was used as a nuclear fuel source that could power and propel the alien spacecraft that he researched. He further claimed that when Element 115 underwent proton bombardment, it would produce anti-gravity effects as well as antimatter-based energy production, enabling the spacecraft to not only propel itself but also simultaneously sustain its fuel requirements.
In a key 1989 television interview conducted by investigative reporter George Knapp, Lazar additionally claimed that the U.S. Government possesses 500 pounds of Element 115, and that he at one time was able to procure a small amount of it for himself, but that it was subsequently stolen back later.
Lazar also claimed to have worked as a physicist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Supporters of Lazar point out that this claim can be substantiated due to Lazar’s name appearing in a Los Alamos National Lab phone book.
The problem with this assertion is that this phone book also states that it includes contact information for employees of the DOE as well as an outside contractor by the name of Kirk Meyer. Lazar’s name is indeed listed in the phone book, but with a “K/M” notation after his name, indicating that he actually worked for Kirk Meyer and not for the Los Alamos National Lab.
During Lazar’s purported stint at S4, he also claims to have been briefed on the centuries-long involvement that extraterrestrial beings have had with this planet. In further testimonies, he described these extraterrestrial beings as originating from a binary star system known as Zeta Reticuli, an almost infamous segment of the Southern Hemisphere-based constellation Reticulum.
Many ufologists and other paranormal researchers claim that Zeta Reticuli is the homeland of a race of alien beings known as Zeta Reticulans, more popularly titled the “greys” due to the common descriptions given by purported alien abduction victims and other eyewitness testimonies.
Unfortunately, in more recent years Lazar has been mired in legal battles relating to other business ventures that he engaged in after his alleged employment at S4. He was arrested and charged with pandering after installing a computer system in a brothel in Clark County, Nevada in exchange for what we will call “business services” from the brothel.
Although prostitution is legal in the state of Nevada, it is illegal in Clark County. Subsequently, Bob was sentenced to 3 years probation and community service, some of which ironically included installing a computer system for the Clark County government.
In the year 2000 Lazar later opened up a scientific supply company called United Nuclear, which originated in New Mexico but now conducts its operations in Laingsburg, Michigan. United Nuclear sells several different kinds of scientific materials including high-powered magnets, various lab chemicals, and radioactive ores.
United Nuclear became the subject of a federal investigation after it was discovered that Lazar and his wife were shipping restricted materials across state borders, a violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. Lazar claimed that he was unaware of the fact that the materials were illegal due to obtaining misleading information from the Internet.
In more recent years, Lazar has kept a low profile, although he has become somewhat of a cult hero for his contributions to the UFO/paranormal community. He is currently involved in organizing an annual festival known as “Desert Blast,” which is commonly referred to as the largest “outlaw” fireworks show in the world.
Oddly enough, the festival has taken on the same secretive character as Lazar himself, since the date and location of the festival changes every year, and is only disclosed to those who are invited.
Although Lazar’s claims have been challenged and/or debunked by many people, there still remains somewhat of a stigma surrounding his assertions about S4 and Element 115. We may never know the full truth regarding these topics, but if nothing else, they continue to fuel the mystery surrounding the ubiquitous U.S. Government secrecy regarding extraterrestrial life.
