Leonard, George H., Somebody Else Is on The Moon, David McKay Co., 1976.

I would love to believe any number of fun things. Atlantis was real, and its people were geniuses with crystal-powered airships. The pyramids were built with the help of aliens, not legions of sweating Egyptians. And, of course, that the Moon isn’t just a dead rock, but a bustling hub of extraterrestrial activity. Unfortunately, I have some regard for evidence, which is why Somebody Else is on The Moon by George H. Leonard is one of the most frustrating books I’ve ever read.

Leonard’s big idea is that the Moon is home to intelligent life—or, at the very least, to alien structures and machinery. According to him, NASA knows all about it but has chosen to keep the truth from the public. He claims that vast machines operate on the lunar surface, leaving behind clear tracks. He sees evidence of towering constructions, artificial tunnels, and geometric formations that supposedly couldn’t have formed naturally.

Sounds exciting, right? If only the book offered anything to back it up.

The main problem with Leonard’s argument is that it consists almost entirely of speculation. He builds his case on grainy NASA photographs from the 1960s and 70s, claiming they reveal structures and mechanical activity. But most of these images are vague at best—blurry smudges, oddly shaped craters, and shadows that he insists must be proof of something more. If you stare at the clouds long enough, you can see faces. If you stare at bad lunar photographs long enough, you can convince yourself that aliens are strip-mining the surface.

Leonard also makes a habit of jumping to conclusions. He’ll point to a formation on the Moon and declare, with absolute confidence, that it’s an artificial construct. How does he know? Because it looks artificial to him. This is not how evidence works. I could look at an oddly shaped rock and say it’s obviously the fossilised toe of an ancient giant, but that wouldn’t make it true.

Of course, no book like this would be complete without the obligatory claim that NASA is covering everything up. Leonard insists that the space agency knows all about the alien presence on the Moon but has chosen to keep the public in the dark. Now, I am happy to believe that NASA, like all government agencies, is incompetent and dishonest. But the idea that thousands of scientists, engineers, and astronauts have all kept quiet about a discovery of this magnitude for over 50 years is ridiculous.

If there really were machines on the Moon, somebody would have talked. You cannot get scientists to agree on anything, let alone maintain absolute silence about something this huge. And let’s not forget that other countries have sent probes to the Moon. The Soviets, the Chinese, the Indians—are they all in on the conspiracy too? It stretches credibility past the breaking point.

Reading Somebody Else is on The Moon is like watching someone solve a jigsaw puzzle by hammering random pieces together. Leonard starts with a conclusion—aliens are on the Moon—and then goes looking for anything that could be twisted to fit. This is the exact opposite of how you arrive at the truth. You gather evidence first, then follow where it leads.

It is worth comparing Leonard’s approach with the way real scientific controversies are handled. For example, the theory that meteor impacts led to mass extinctions was once controversial, but it gained credibility because researchers gathered actual evidence—crater sites, iridium layers in geological strata, and impact debris. That is how you build a case. Leonard, on the other hand, builds castles out of fog.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. The idea of alien activity on the Moon is fascinating. But wanting something to be true does not make it true. Leonard offers no solid evidence, just wild speculation and vague photographs. It is a perfect example of how people can convince themselves of anything if they want to believe badly enough.

If you want to read a fun work of fiction, go ahead and pick this up. If you are looking for anything resembling real evidence, save yourself the time. The Moon remains, as far as we can tell, lifeless. And no number of blurry photos is going to change that.