Discovering Area 51

Hosted byGeorge Knapp

Discovering Area 51

About the show

Aviator John Lear and screenwriter Gene Huff joined George Knapp to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Area 51 mystery. The duo discussed their role, alongside Bob Lazar, in bringing the Area 51 story to the world. "It sounds a lot more convenient than it was. It was a lot of synchronicities, a lot of sheer coincidences that made things turn out the way they did," Huff said about the series of events that brought them together two decades ago.

They reminisced about their initial visits to the outskirts of Area 51, sharing a number of details surrounding the events. Huff revealed that their first expedition to the area was primarily motivated by Lazar's desire to impress his wife and that "we were excess baggage. I was just happy to be in on it and I'm sure John was too." Lear recounted watching a flying disc on his telescope that night and laughed about the series of events which prevented Huff from having the same view. "As I stepped back, I hooked my foot around the tripod, and moved the telescope. And, of course, Gene's never forgiven me," Lear joked.

Having known Bob Lazar before he became infamous for his involvement in Area 51, the pair speculated on a number of theories that have surrounded his story over the last twenty years. Regarding skeptics' claims that Lazar was unqualified for the job at Area 51, Lear theorized that perhaps stellar credentials weren't necessarily the primary factor behind his employment, rather "it was who they could probably discredit the easiest, if he said anything about it." Huff was skeptical of the idea that Lazar was a disinformation agent working for the government, saying "he would be the worst guy in the world to make up a lie and try and perpetuate a lie. He's too busy being productive doing other things."

Above photo: Getty Images

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