THE SECRETS OF AREA 51

One of the most intriguing mysteries in the field of UFO research can be found not in the sky or in outer space but in the Nevada desert about 190 kilometres, north-west of Las Vegas, North America, where the official map stops and Area 51 begins. If the rumours about this instillation are true, then this is one of thebiggest and best kept secrets of this or any other century...

 

Clearly there aresecrets of some sort in this area because the government will notadmit this place exists. Until the early 1980’s it was possible to drive up to the base of the Groom dry-lake basin in which the base is situated. You could park your car, and look across and actually see the base. It was a secret base, but an open secret.

During the mid 1980’s, however, the governmentseized an entire mountain range toprevent Soviet spies from looking down onto the site. It was at this point that the base became "non-existent". Now, on paper, none of the bunkers, buildings or the massive 9.5km runway exist. Public access to this zone isforbidden, and according to warning signs'Use of deadly force is authorised' within this area. Extremely high security is imposed within the base, with motion detectors and dozens of cameras in use.

A veil of mystery and intrigue surrounds what is known as Area 51. Ever since this site was established people have been reporting unusual looking objects in the sky above it. All of these claims have been disclaimed or ignored by the government. However they did suffer some embarrassment when Robert ‘Bob’ Lazar, one of their own men alleged that they were actively working with alien technology.

Mr. Lazar, a contract scientist who apparentlyworked on the basefor five months, starting in December of 1988, revealed all on television in May 1989. He said that the United States government was investigating nine flying saucers. He was filmed with his identity protected by the use of shadows, and used an alias ‘Dennis’. However, this secrecy did him little good, as he claimed the death threatshe and his wife were receiving increased and that his car was shot at. In November, he came out in the open. He revealed the location of the top secret ‘S4’ site, apparently next to thePapoose Lake within Area 51, wherealien craft were stored. He told how he was employed in a team of twenty-two engineers to figure out how the craft’spropulsion systems operated. At first Lazar thought he was working on highly-advanced human technology, but when he entered one of the discs, he became convinced it was from another worldbecause its dimensions and form did not appear to be man-made. While reading some briefing papers Lazarconfirmed his suspicions. He said they included an astonishing mass of UFO information, which stated that these ships and the aliens who flew them here were from the Zeta Reticuli Star System. This illustration is based on Lazar's notes about the spacecraft that he worked on. These are incredible claims. Was Lazar adapting UFO cliches about flying saucers? Or does his story prove that these rumours are true? The chicken-and-egg conundrum! What is fact and what is fiction?