Glen Campbell, who extensively researched the secretive base from the 1990s onwards, appears to goad the two security guards in a video of the encounter he posted to YouTube.
But if the US authorities wanted to shake of some of the mystery and conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51, their reaction didn't appear to go a long way to helping.
Area 51 is alleged by conspiracists to be a secret testing site for futuristic aircraft and, among other things, it is claimed a "flying saucer complete with aliens" said to have crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947 was taken for examination.
Lethal force authorized. To read more and view the video, click here.