A startling revelation emerged during a recent congressional hearing when a former military intelligence officer-turned-whistleblower exposed the existence of unidentified anomalous phenomena, commonly referred to as UAPs or UFOs. This ex-intelligence officer, David Grusch, presented evidence suggesting that executive branch agencies have been concealing information about these enigmatic objects for an extended period.
This ancient fascination with life beyond the one we know on Planet earth has been rekindled after the recent ground-breaking testimony of the congress whistle blower.
The History of “Alien Encounters” in the U.S
One of the earliest well-known UFO sightings dates back to 1947, when businessman Kenneth Arnold reported witnessing a group of nine high-speed objects near Mount Rainier in Washington while flying his small plane. Arnold described their motion as resembling "saucers skipping on water," leading to the misinterpretation that the objects were saucer-shaped, hence coining the term "flying saucer."
Similarly, in the same year, rancher W.W. Mac Brazel discovered a mysterious 200-yard-long wreckage near an Army airfield in Roswell, New Mexico, sparking further interest in UFOs. Local newspapers reported it as the remains of a flying saucer, but the U.S. military dismissed it as a weather balloon.
During the 1950s, the flames of conspiracy were stoked when military vehicles allegedly hastily collected dummies with latex "skin" and aluminum "bones," which were dropped from the sky over New Mexico. To some, this appeared to be a government cover-up, while the Air Force explained that it was a way to test survival techniques for pilots.
Decades later, the military admitted that the Roswell wreckage was part of Project Mogul, a top-secret atomic espionage project. In the Soviet Union, UFO sightings often coincided with tests of secret military rockets, further fueling speculation.
Moreover, Project Blue Book was initiated in 1948 by the U.S. Air Force to investigate the increasing reports of unidentified aerial phenomena. The project spanned from 1952 to 1969 and amassed more than 12,000 sightings, with only about 6 percent remaining unidentified due to insufficient information.
The Robertson Panel, a group of scientists established by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1953, concluded that 90 percent of UFO sightings could be explained by astronomical or atmospheric phenomena, as well as human-made objects. They found no evidence to support the extra-terrestrial hypothesis (ETH). However, the classified report's secrecy fostered suspicions of a government cover-up.
Subsequently, the Condon Report, released in 1968, also debunked UFO sightings, leading to the dismantling of Project Blue Book in 1969. Despite these findings, some scientists, including J. Allen Hynek, founder of the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), still believed that a small fraction of the most reliable UFO reports indicated extra-terrestrial involvement.
Apart from Project Blue Book, other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, and Greece maintained UFO sighting records. In the Soviet Union and China, sightings were often linked to secret military activities.
Various explanations have been proposed for UFO sightings and alien abductions. Witness accounts have been notoriously unreliable, influenced by optical illusions, psychological interpretations, and hoaxes. While radar sightings appear more credible, they can still be confounded by natural atmospheric phenomena.
"Contact events," such as abductions, have also been linked to UFOs, but the extra-terrestrial explanation is disputed by psychologists, who suggest phenomena like sleep paralysis might be responsible.
Investigating UFO Sightings in the U.S.
There has recently been a flurry of reports about unidentified flying objects (UFOs), triggered by a whistleblower's claim that the United States had found the remains of a crashed alien spacecraft. Although the Pentagon refuted the allegation, the interest from the U.S. Congress remained unyielding. As a result, the House Oversight Committee conducted a hearing on these enigmatic objects, known by the U.S. government as "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" (UAPs). A spokesperson for the committee stated, "In addition to recent claims by a whistleblower, reports continue to surface regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena."
Such reports of UFO sightings have been surfacing for several decades. The modern era of UFO sightings began after World War II, with an abrupt surge in unexplained accounts.
The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union played a significant role in shaping how U.S. officials perceived UFOs. Rather than eagerly anticipating extra-terrestrial encounters, American leaders viewed UFOs as potential threats from rival nations. Although aliens never invaded, UFO sightings and subsequent investigations have persisted over the years.
Keeping track of these UFO reports and investigations has been a daunting task. Here is a timeline that reflects humanity's enduring fascination with UFOs:
1947-1969: Project Blue Book
Over two decades, the U.S. Air Force meticulously documented 12,618 UFO sightings as part of Project Blue Book. These reports came from various sources, including military and civilian pilots, weather observers, astronomers, and others. The sightings ranged from unusual lights to objects with unexplained radar readings.
In 1969, Project Blue Book concluded, as the University of Colorado's study led by Edward U. Condon found no evidence to support the notion that UFOs originated from other worlds. The study attributed most sightings to natural phenomena or even hoaxes. Condon stated, "Our general conclusion is that nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge." The study deemed further investigation unwarranted.
Despite the study's conclusions, UFO rumors and sightings persisted, much to the chagrin of the original investigators. In 1985, the Air Force issued a fact sheet asserting that there were no extraterrestrial visitors or equipment at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where the investigation was headquartered.
1995: A U.S. Senator Takes Interest
The Condon report did not quell interest in UFOs. "UFOlogists" continued to file open records requests with federal agencies, seeking information about these mysterious sightings.
In 1995, businessman Robert Bigelow organized a meeting in Las Vegas to explore the possibility of alien life. The group, known as the National Institute for Discovery Science, included two former astronauts, Ed Mitchell and Harrison Schmitt, and U.S. Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada. Despite concerns about his career, Reid remained involved and eventually became a key figure in driving the U.S. government's UFO investigations.
2004: An Encounter off San Diego
In November 2004, two Navy pilots were directed to intercept a peculiar craft during a training mission. They witnessed and captured video footage of an oval-shaped craft, about 40 feet long, hovering over the Pacific Ocean, approximately a hundred miles off the coast of San Diego. The object swiftly vanished, outrunning the pilots' F-18s. One of the pilots, Cmdr. David Fravor, admitted, "I have no idea what I saw. It had no plumes, wings, or rotors."
2007: A New Pentagon Investigation
With support from Senator Harry Reid, who was now the U.S. Senate's majority leader, the Pentagon initiated the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program to investigate the latest UFO sightings. The agency stated in briefing papers, "What was considered science fiction is now science fact." The program, led by military intelligence official Luis Elizondo, collaborated with aerospace research company run by Robert Bigelow.
2014: A Near-Collision
On the East Coast During this period, Navy pilots recorded video footage of several encounters with unidentified craft near Florida and Virginia. These enigmatic objects exhibited high-altitude and hypersonic capabilities, leaving the pilots baffled. One pilot reported a near-collision in 2014. Speculation arose that these craft might be surveillance vehicles from foreign countries.
2017: Going Public with UFO Sightings
Most of these incidents and investigations remained undisclosed to the public until December 2017, when the New York Times published an article about the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. While Pentagon officials claimed the program had ended in 2012, Luis Elizondo revealed that he continued its informal work in collaboration with the Navy and CIA until he resigned in 2017. This revelation triggered renewed interest in UFOs among the public, media, and scientific community.
2020: A Scientific Call to Action About UFOS
In July 2020, NASA scientist Ravi Kopparapu and astrobiologist Jacob Haqq-Misra wrote in Scientific American, advocating a reevaluation of the Condon report's conclusions. They acknowledged that some UFO events might be attributed to classified military aircraft, strange weather formations, or misidentified mundane phenomena. Nevertheless, they emphasized the importance of investigating genuinely puzzling cases.
In August 2020, the Pentagon established the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force to improve their understanding of these unidentified objects and their origins.
2021: DNI Report
In April 2021, the Navy confirmed the authenticity of a video depicting unidentified objects buzzing U.S. warships near California. This incident was added to the list of sightings under investigation.
In June, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released its "preliminary assessment" of UFO sightings from 2004 to 2021. The report suggested that UAPs could be classified into five likely categories, including airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, aerospace developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a miscellaneous "other" category. The report called for more funding and reporting to shed light on the matter.
2022: NASA Joins the Investigation of UFOs
In April 2022, the Pentagon established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office to investigate objects that could potentially pose a threat to national security.
In the following June, NASA announced its independent study program dedicated to approaching the UFO phenomenon from a scientific standpoint. The study team leader, David Spergel, outlined their plan to identify existing data from various sources and determine the best methods for analysis.
2022 also witnessed a change in terminology, as "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" officially became "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena."
2023: The Truth of UFOs Remains Elusive
Despite ongoing investigations, the truth behind UFOs continues to elude us. In June 2023, the DNI released a follow-up report identifying an additional 510 sightings, out of which 171 remained unexplained. In these cases, the unidentified craft exhibited unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, according to the report.
A former intelligence official named David Grusch came forward in June with a whistleblower report, claiming that the U.S. government possessed "intact and partially intact vehicles" from UFO crash sites. He asserted that these craft were of "non-human" origin. However, skeptics, including Boston University's Joshua Semeter, questioned the specificity of Grusch's claims. Despite the evidence being inconclusive, the questions, sightings, and investigations into UFOs continue unabated.
Revelations from a Whistleblower's Testimony on UAPs
David Grusch, who served for 14 years in the Air Force and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, appeared before the House Oversight Committee's national security subcommittee. Accompanying him were two former fighter pilots who had personally encountered UAPs during their service.
Alien Biologics
Having been a representative for two Pentagon task forces dedicated to investigating UAPs until earlier this year, Grusch shared startling details about a secretive "multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program." However, when he sought access to these classified programs, he was denied, prompting him to accuse the military of misusing funds to prevent congressional oversight. Furthermore, Grusch claimed to have interviewed officials with direct knowledge of aircraft possessing "nonhuman" origins, and even revealed that some "biologics" were retrieved from these crafts.
Both Republicans and Democrats present at the hearing expressed concern about the lack of transparency surrounding UAPs and called for a thorough investigation. Representative Tim Burchett from Tennessee, a Republican, boldly stated, "We're going to uncover the cover-up, and I hope this is just the beginning of many more hearings and many more people coming forward about this."
In recent years, the UAP issue has garnered significant attention from Congress and the public, primarily due to the release of multiple video recordings capturing these unexplained encounters. These videos often depict seemingly ordinary objects moving at incredibly high speeds without any discernible method of propulsion.
To address the rising concerns, Congress established the Pentagon's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to investigate these incidents. As of May, AARO has examined around 800 reports of UAPs. While some cases have been explained as having innocuous origins, many others remain unsolved. Lawmakers are convinced that the military possesses more information about these objects than it has disclosed to Congress.
Sue Gough, a spokesperson for AARO, stated that no verifiable information exists to substantiate claims about past or present programs related to extraterrestrial materials' possession or reverse-engineering. She assured that the department is committed to promptly and thoroughly reporting to Congress.
During the hearing, three witnesses presented their testimonies. Ryan Graves, a former Navy pilot, shared his encounters with UAPs during training missions. He described the objects as "dark grey or black cubes… inside of a clear sphere, where the apex or tips of the cubes were touching the inside of that sphere." Graves revealed one incident where an object, ranging from 5 to 15 feet in diameter, flew between two F-18s, coming within 50 feet of the aircraft. Despite such incidents, there was no mechanism to report these encounters at the time.
David Fravor, another witness, recounted his 2004 encounter with an object off the coast of California. He described a smooth, seamless oval-shaped object that hovered over the water before soaring about 12,000 feet into the air and then rapidly disappearing. Fravor's description suggested capabilities beyond current scientific understanding, leaving him convinced that these objects are a matter of national security or scientific significance.
The hearing further highlighted the inadequacy of existing reporting systems for investigating UAP encounters. Witnesses emphasized that stigma still surrounds pilots and officials who seek transparency about their experiences, discouraging open disclosure.
To address the growing concern and demand for transparency, lawmakers have taken steps to reveal more information regarding these mysterious incidents. A bipartisan group, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, proposed an amendment to the defense spending bill. The amendment would compel executive branch agencies to submit UAP records to a review board with the presumption of immediate disclosure, forcing agencies to justify keeping records classified.
With mounting public interest and bipartisan determination, Congress seems resolved to bring the truth about UAPs to light. Both Democrats and Republicans expressed frustration with the military and intelligence agencies' reluctance to share vital information, accusing them of overclassification, and are eager to uncover the truth behind these unidentified objects in U.S. airspace.
For now, the enigma surrounding UAPs remains unsolved, but the commitment to transparency and investigation signals a new chapter in understanding these perplexing phenomena.
Misbar’s Sources:
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