#867: Robert Lazar

Robert Lazar is a UFO crank, and even among UFO cranks he is considered something of a loose cannon and a double-edged sword. The main benefit of partnering up with Lazar is that he runs United Nuclear, one of few chemical supply houses that still supply unrestricted chemicals to amateur chemists and probably your best shot if you wish to try your hand at building your own nuclear bomb.

On the other hand, Lazar is known to have some troubles with things like reality and accuracy. In particular, he claims qualifications as a scientist and engineer and has alleged that he worked with extraterrestrial technology at Area 51. According to himself, Sector Four of Area 51 serves as a hidden military location for the study and research of extraterrestrial spacecraft using reverse engineering. Lazar clams he saw nine different discs there and has provided detailed information on their mode of propulsion and other technical details. As his Wikipedia article laconically puts it, “Lazar's credibility has been challenged”, in particular after it was discovered that “schools he was supposed to have attended had no record of him, while others in the scientific community had no memory of ever meeting him.” His supporters, of course, argue that Lazar’s credentials and history have been sabotaged to facilitate the very questions of credibility his critics have emphasized.

A rather obvious source of doubt when it comes to Lazar’s credibility is of course recognizing that Lazar’s scientific claims, which he had elaborated on in his description of the alien spacecraft, are bullshit, particularly its propulsion systems and use of Ununpentium, or Element 115, and that, as Dr. David L. Morgan puts it, “Mr. Lazar on many occasions demonstrates an obvious lack of understanding of current physical theories.” The S4 Area 51 that Lazar talks about is pinched from the infamous Majestic 12 documents, which are obviously bogus.

Lazar claims that he was given introductory briefings describing the historical involvement by extraterrestrial beings with this planet for the past 100,000 years. The beings originate from the Zeta Reticuli 1 & 2 star system and are therefore referred to as Zeta Reticulans, popularly called ‘greys’.

At least Michael Salla is a fan. So, apparently, is the History Channel, who uncritically accepts Lazar’s claims to be a Nuclear Physicist.

Diagnosis: There is reason to think that Lazar believes his own stories, which is diagnosis enough.