Book · 2011 · History
Area 51
An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base
Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen, Annie Jacobsen has been mentioned in 9 episodes across 7 podcasts (1 episode recommends it and 8 episodes discuss it), through . Most frequently brought up by Sam Lessin (1 episode), Joe Rogan (2 episodes) and Jason Calacanis (1 episode) on The Joe Rogan Experience (3 episodes), Lenny's Podcast (1 episode) and Lex Fridman Podcast (1 episode).
- episodes
- 9
- podcasts
- 7
- people
- 7
- episode recommends it
- 1
Annie Jacobsen wrote this crazy book where she interviewed a guy from Area 51, some high-up guy. He said back in the 50s or 60s, I think it was the 60s, our government was taking severely autistic children and mutating them to look like extraterrestrials to scare the Soviets.
Questions about Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen, Annie Jacobsen
Who recommends Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen, Annie Jacobsen on podcasts?
Sam Lessin (1 episode) has recommended Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen, Annie Jacobsen on podcasts. In all, 7 people brought it up across 7 podcasts (1 person recommended it).
Which podcasts mention Area 51 the most?
The Joe Rogan Experience (3 episodes), Lenny's Podcast (1 episode), Lex Fridman Podcast (1 episode), Stuff You Should Know (1 episode) and The Shawn Ryan Show (1 episode), among 7 podcasts in all.
Is Area 51 recommended, or only discussed?
Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen, Annie Jacobsen was recommended in 1 episode and discussed without a recommendation in 8 episodes, as of 2026-07-31.
What do people say about Area 51?
Mentioned on Timcast IRL (2024-11-16): "Annie Jacobsen wrote this crazy book where she interviewed a guy from Area 51, some high-up guy. He said back in the 50s or 60s, I think it was the 60s, our government was taking severely autistic children and mutating them to look like extraterrestrials to scare the Soviets."
When was Area 51 last mentioned on a podcast?
Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen, Annie Jacobsen was last discussed on The Joe Rogan Experience by Joe Rogan on 2026-07-31.
What they say about it
- Discussed by Joe Rogan“Area 51 book”3
The best things said about it
Area 51, an uncensored history of the top secret military base. Not very ariodite. Great book.
I interviewed this journalist who wrote a book called Area 51. It was freaking amazing and it was all about the extreme boundary pushing nuclear testing that they did at Area 51.
Jason Calacanis This Week in Startups · Feb 2023 Well, this is from a book by um an author named uh Annie Jacobson, I believe, and she this book came out in 2011, and she based this whole thing on an alleged Area 51 insider, who was her source, who said that he worked on a project um that had to do with this somehow, some way, but that.
The following is a conversation with Annie Jacobsen, an investigative journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and author of several amazing books on war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security, including the books titled Area 51.
Lex Fridman Lex Fridman Podcast · Mar 2024 Where and when it comes up
Most episodes, by podcast
7 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen is an investigative history of America's most secretive military base, drawing on extensive interviews with former workers and insiders to uncover decades of classified projects. The book has been referenced widely across cultural and historical podcasts. Sam Lessin recommended the uninhibited history on Lenny's Podcast as a compelling recent read. The book has also served as a focal point for deep-dive discussions on major shows. Joe Rogan welcomed the author on The Joe Rogan Experience to examine government transparency and the evolution of military secrecy since the book's publication. Similarly, Shawn Ryan highlighted the title while introducing the author's extensive bibliography on national security. On Stuff You Should Know, Josh Clark referenced the investigative reporting to trace the origins of bizarre Cold War conspiracy theories. On Timcast IRL, the host cited the book's controversial claims regarding experimental government programs. Lex Fridman acknowledged the text during an episode introduction as part of the author's acclaimed body of work on war and intelligence. Finally, Jason Calacanis discussed the book on This Week in Startups, praising its reporting on the extreme boundary-pushing nuclear testing conducted at the site.
Every mention
Sam Lessin You know what's great? Area 51, an uncensored history of the top secret military base. Not very ariodite. G… 1
“You know what's great? Area 51, an uncensored history of the top secret military base. Not very ariodite. Great book.”
Joe Rogan Um I wanted to talk to you about your Area 51 book because uh in the time since you released that book when… 2
“Um I wanted to talk to you about your Area 51 book because uh in the time since you released that book when we first talked, a lot has changed.”
“thank you very much for this uh first edition copy of your area 51 an uncensored history of america's top secret military-based book”
Jason Calacanis I interviewed this journalist who wrote a book called Area 51. it was freaking amazing and it was all about… 1
“I interviewed this journalist who wrote a book called Area 51. it was freaking amazing and it was all about the extreme boundary pushing nuclear testing that they did at Area 51”
Josh Clark Well, this is from a book by um an author named uh Annie Jacobson, I believe, and she this book came out in… 1
“Well, this is from a book by um an author named uh Annie Jacobson, I believe, and she this book came out in 2011, and she based this whole thing on an alleged Area 51 insider, who was her source, who said that he worked on a project um that had to do with this somehow, some way, but that”
Lenny Clarke and I think I think I read the book area 51 two years ago 1
“and I think I think I read the book area 51 two years ago”
Lex Fridman The following is a conversation with Annie Jacobsen, an investigative journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist,… 1
“The following is a conversation with Annie Jacobsen, an investigative journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and author of several amazing books on war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security, including the books titled "Area 51", "Operation Paperclip", "The Pentagon's Brain Phenomena", "Surprise, Kill, Vanish", and her new book, "Nuclear War".”
Shawn Ryan You've written best-selling books including Area 51, Operation Paperclip, The Pentagon's Brain, Surprise Ki… 1
“You've written best-selling books including Area 51, Operation Paperclip, The Pentagon's Brain, Surprise Kill, Vanish, Nuclear War: A Scenario, and your newest release, Biological Warfare: A Scenario.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“I always like to say this, too, when talking about aliens: Annie Jacobson wrote this crazy book where she interviewed a guy from Area 51, some high-up guy. He said back in the 50s or 60s, I think it was the 60s, our government was taking severely autistic children and mutating them to look like extraterrestrials to scare the Soviets.”
Other mentions (14: passing, ad reads, own books)
“So, when I was writing Area 51, I interviewed the CIA's first director of the Directorate of Science and Technology.”
“My first six books were written in the past tense. Like, you know, the Nazi scientists who came to America, Area 51, um The Pentagon's Brain.”
“He's now dead, but I interviewed him for my book, Area 51, which was sort of my first foray into nuclear weapons.”
“Is when I was writing Area 51, I interviewed the first director of the CIA's Department of Science and Technology. His name was Dr. Bud Won.”
“And when I was interviewing Dr. wheelon for Area 51. My handler, when you interview these kind of former CIA guys you have, I call them a handler. They're called like a liaison. And uh this person said to me, "You may not talk to, you know, Dr. Wheel will answer all your questions about 51, about the spy planes,”
“The short version is I report in Area 51 that they were not UAPs, that they were something else, a terrible, you know, human experiment program. But, you know, that really is a longer conversation because it's so dark, so ugly, and deeply controversial. But I have no reason to believe that it that you know offplanet extraterrestrial beings or”
“you have to read the whole Area 51 book to kind of swallow that. Um but that is that was the position he maintained until he died.”
“you're an author of seven books and best known for your book so far Area 51 in uncensored history of America's top secret military base”
“so the early book I wrote the first book I wrote ER 51 um is about a CIA base in the middle of the Nevada desert inside the Nevada test and training range where we set off nuclear weapons”
“My first book, Area 51, is about a a joint CIA Air Force base out there in the Nevada desert inside a secret test and training range where the United States government used to explode nuclear weapons.”
“When I wrote the book Area 51 the word Area 51 was still classified.”
“The following is a conversation with Annie Jacobsen, an investigative journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and author of several amazing books on war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security, including the books titled 'Area 51', 'Operation Paperclip', 'The Pentagon's Brain Phenomena', 'Surprise, Kill, Vanish', and her new book, 'Nuclear War'.”
“I mean, my first learning about the CIA came from the work I did on the "Area 51" book about their aerial reconnaissance programs, which were set up again to prevent World War III, nuclear World War III.”
“she did the other famous book on Area 51”