Alfred O'Donnell's Area 51 saucer story
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 9
| Date | 28 February 2023 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Crashes & retrievals (topic), Beings & bodies (topic), Secrecy & cover-up (topic) |
| People | George Knapp, Alfred O'Donnell, Bob Lazar, Jacques Vallée |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 214 |
| Year | 2023 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 2023 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 4 |
In February 2023 Las Vegas journalist George Knapp said that Alfred O'Donnell, a senior manager at EG&G, the contractor that ran support operations at Area 51, had told him the company held a flying saucer recovered in New Mexico and a "live being".[1]
Knapp's account
Knapp said he interviewed O'Donnell many times, having been introduced by O'Donnell's son, Bill O'Donnell, a former Nevada politician. According to Knapp, O'Donnell said that at first they did not know what the being was or where it came from, could not communicate with it, and did not know what to do with it. Knapp said O'Donnell compared its appearance to Ross Perot rather than a classic "grey".[1]
Richard D'Amato
Knapp said he set up a meeting, with the approval of EG&G co-founder Herbert Grier, between O'Donnell and Richard D'Amato, a Senate staffer who had been asked in the early 1990s to look into UFO crash allegations. Knapp said O'Donnell told D'Amato nothing, and that his story changed after that. D'Amato has said publicly that he concluded the allegations did not merit further Senate investigation.[1]
The deathbed tape
Knapp said O'Donnell was warned not to speak to him again but agreed to record a tape before he died, and that both O'Donnell and his son later said he had made a deathbed confession. No such tape has surfaced.[1]
Context
EG&G's role at Area 51, including running the "Janet" flights that carry workers to the base, is well documented. Knapp first reported Bob Lazar's claims about the nearby S-4 site in 1989.[1][2]
Assessment
The account is second-hand, relayed by Knapp decades later, and no recording or document supports it.[1]
People and topics
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- George Knapp — Las Vegas journalist who broke the Bob Lazar story and co-wrote Skinwalkers at the Pentagon.
- Area 51 — The secret Nevada test site where spy planes and stealth aircraft were developed.
- EG&G — The contractor that ran support services at the Nevada Test Site and Area 51.
- Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
- Alfred O'Donnell — Former EG&G manager named by George Knapp.
- Department of Energy — The U.S. department that runs the nuclear weapons laboratories.
- Bob Lazar — Man who claimed in 1989 that he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51.
- S-4 — The site near Area 51 where Bob Lazar said he worked on alien craft.
- Jacques Vallée — Computer scientist and astronomer, author of the Forbidden Science journals and a central figure in UFO research.
On the Timeline
- NRO Sentient system (27 February 2023) — An NRO FOIA reply describes its AI system 'Sentient' detecting a Tic Tac-shaped object in 2021.
- Coulthart on Huntsville physicists and BAE (28 February 2023) — Ross Coulthart says some physicists in Huntsville disappeared and BAE deserves scrutiny.
See every 2023 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- Christopher Sharp, "Former chief for defense contractor that ran Area 51 claimed knowledge of recovered 'flying saucer' and 'live being'", Liberation Times (Feb 2023) · liberationtimes.com · archived copy
- Bob Lazar — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- George Knapp — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- EG&G — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
Further reading
- Area 51 — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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