The BL Lacertae object PKS 1413 + 135 - Is it within or behind a spiral galaxy?

New observations of the very red quasar or BL Lac object PKS 1413 + 135 are presented. Optical imaging and spectroscopy confirm the claim that the host galaxy to this BL Lac is a spiral, and H-band imaging shows the point source centered in the galaxy to within 0.1". A reanalysis of Einstein X-ray data finds evidence for an extremely large column density in this source of n(H)>= 2 x 10^22^ cm^2^. The A_v_>= 30 mag suggested by this n(H) can produce the unusual near-IR exponential decline in the spectrum of PKS 1413 + 135, at variance with previous interpretations. While the astrometric evidence supports the hypothesis that PKS 1413 + 135 is the very unusual case of a BL Lac object in a spiral galaxy, a highly extincted nuclear source would produce other observable features in this galaxy that are not observed: narrow emission-line region and large thermal IR flux. Their absence argues for this source being background to the spiral.