It's a Very Exciting Time

In March of 2021, I saw a post in r/aliens on Reddit by the title “Retired Defense Intelligence Officer with a CE5 Experience to Share.” It got a lot of attention with a great story and some pretty phenomenal claims. The author, a woman named Anjali, who is a former defense intelligence officer, claims to have met a man in 2018 who excavated a tunnel to find an alien base in a mountain on his land in the Mojave Desert. He took her there, and she met beings from a council overseeing life on earth. They told her that she needed to wake up and remember why she’s here, because humanity’s days are numbered and those who fail to evolve will not transcend. I'm super excited about today's topic, because the excitement surrounding Anjali's reddit post and the subsequent months of drama are what really got me fully back into the UFO topic, and started Chuck and I talking about it even before we thought of doing a podcast.  References: Congressman Says Alien UFO Tech Is Being 'Reverse Engineered' in Secret Lockheed Martin Challenged On UFO Legacy Programs, As Politicians Talk Hearings Avi Loeb and the DoD’s Chief UAP Investigator Sean Kirkpatrick Say Solving Aerial Mysteries Requires Known Physics Pentagon UFO chief says alien mothership in our solar system possible Anjali’s original Reddit post Anjali’s press conference Wayne comes forward, says they were high and there were no aliens Anjali says we have been “invaded by a more advanced race”

Y'all, it has been a *wild* two weeks since the US shot down three UFOs that turned out to be hobby balloons. The Pentagon is being weird about the balloons, the Senate is being weird about UAP, some sources claim the Navy told Biden that the Air Force is lying to him about UAP, and possibly as a result, Biden created his own independent UAP task force. Oh, and also, the Obama Library has thousands of pages of records about UAP? What is happening? References: Daily Mail: Pentagon's UFO office had only THREE staffers until recent weeks Debrief: Excessive Secrecy Could Undermine U.S. Efforts to Evaluate UAP Biden: Intelligence community says they’re private balloons Aviation Week: Hobby Club’s Missing Balloon Feared Shot Down by USAF John Kirby: We have not identified those responsible for the objects BBC: US and Canada abandon search for three flying objects shot down Debrief: US Senators Leave Classified Briefing on UAP with More Questions Debrief: Pentagon has no plans to release images of objects CNN: National security advisor will lead new “interagency team” to study UAP Marco Rubio: Why create a new team when we have AARO? Wall Street Journal: Pentagon’s UAP Office is Underfunded, Senators Say Gillibrand: Bipartisan push for full funding of AARO Lou Elizondo: comments on AARO vs new NSC team Ross Coulthart: Navy commander told Biden about USAF coverup Sen. Blumenthal: “The American people should be given more information.” Liberation Times: Pentagon’s Silence on UFOs Threatens to Undermine Biden Black Vault: Jackpot! 3k page & 23k electronic files in Obama Library Black Vault: 16 years to review! Black Vault: 5,196 classified electronic records in Obama Library

We've got a jam-packed episode for you today. In addition to our planned topic, we open by discussing the news that the US has shot down a Chinese spy balloon, as well as two other UFOs! After discussing why they're likely balloons, but that's still interesting for the UFO community, we get to the main topic: The 2001 Disclosure Project press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. At this conference, Dr Steven Greer (who has become a controversial figure in the UFO community) brought over 20 military, intelligence, and government witnesses together to testify to what they know about UFO incursions in our airspace, and the off-the-books crash retrieval programs hidden in from proper government accountability. It's gonna be a wild ride! Resources: Balloon Overflights: New Details on Unidentified Objects Shot Down Over the U.S. and Canada Here is what we know about the unidentified objects shot down over North America U.S. shoots down 'high-altitude object' over Alaskan airspace, White House says Chris Mellon on radar detecting balloon overflights Chris Mellon on recent shoot-downs “Someone is getting quite a bargain.” Disclosure Project Press Event: Video: 2001 Disclosure Project National Press Club Event Disclosure Project Briefing Document Executive Summary of the Disclosure Project Briefing Document New Yorker: How the Pentagon Started Taking UFOs Seriously Ed Mitchell Most Unhappy With Greer Using His Name As Disclosure Witness Unfriendly skies: The extraordinary flight of JAL 1628, Alaska’s best known UFO encounter The Malmstrom AFB UFO Missile Incident Rendlesham Forest Incident Rendlesham Forest UFO sighting 'new evidence' claim

This week we're talking about one of the foundational cases in the world of ufology: Betty and Barney Hill, who had an unusual encounter with a UFO while driving through the mountains late at night in 1961. They arrived home late, unable to account for 2-3 hours of time during their drive. They later recovered memories of being taken aboard the craft by aliens who conducted medical tests. It's a foundational story that introduced the world to some common elements of abduction stories including missing time and grey aliens. It's also got lots of room to be skeptical, and we're going to dig into it. Resources Wikipedia: Barney & Betty Hill Incident Ben H. Swett: Betty & Barney Hill Testimony History.com: How Betty & Barney Hill’s Alien Abduction Story Defined the Genre Strange Arrivals podcast Repressed Memory Recovery: Useful Tool or Misleading Practice? Skeptoid: Betty & Barney Hill: The Original UFO Abduction Astronomy Magazine: Zeta Ridiculi Incident Jim Macdonald debunking David Halperin “ancestral trauma” theory

It's finally here! We've been waiting for the 2022 annual UAP report since halloween. We'll talk about what the report says, ask some questions about what it means, and dig into the community reaction to it. Let's go! References: 2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Reddit: "They took 8 pages to say: You asked us to keep track of UAPs. We did that…" Reddit: "We have only the best people reporting plastic bags maneuvering at high rates of speed." Post Disclosure World: "I'd argue the US government wants it to go away. But know it can't." Stand For Better: "several people are testifying with AARO regarding historical UFO crash retrieval programs." Chris Mellon isn't mad, just disappointed: "If the intent was to make the report as anodyne, unremarkable, and boring as possible, the authors did exceptionally well."

In 2004, the USS Nimitz carrier group tracked hundreds of anomalous radar signals while preparing for a training exercise. Commander David Fravor, flying an F/A-18 Super Hornet, was dispatched to investigate one signal and encountered an unusual flying craft he described as the "tic-tac." This incident was discussed in the 2017 New York Times coverage of the Pentagon's UAP office, including the now-famous "FLIR" video. Today we're going to discuss the incident in detail, and why it marks a turning point in the UFO conversation. References: Detailed Official Report On Harrowing Encounter Between F/A-18s and UFO Surfaces What The Hell Is Going On With UFOs And The Department Of Defense? Multiple F/A-18 Pilots Disclose Recent UFOs Encounters, New Radar Tech Key In Detection Carrier Group In Recent UFO Encounters Had New Air Defense Tech Like Nimitz In 2004 Incident Recent UFO Encounters With Navy Pilots Occurred Constantly Across Multiple Squadrons Stunned by UFOs, ‘exasperated’ fighter pilots get little help from Pentagon

The 2022 UAP Report was due on October 31. It's December now, so where is it? Today we'll dive into what we know about the delay, and whether there are dueling factions in the US government on the topic of UFOs. But the good news is that the 2023 NDAA just passed, and it includes several really exciting additions regarding UAP, including protection for whistleblowers! References: 10/28 — NYT: Many military UFO reports are just foreign spying or airborne trash 10/31 — Daily Mail: Only half of UFO sightings can be explained 10/31 — Exoacademian: "vast majority of hits in baseball are not home runs" tweet 10/31 — Eric Weinstein: "high performing seagulls" tweet 11/07 — The Hill: Pro- and anti-UFO factions in government? It wouldn't be the first time 11/16 — John Greenewald's FOIA request shows UAP report not released to Congress yet 11/29 — Ross Coulthart discusses the late UAP report and the "shameful" NYT story 12/03 — Chris Mellon discusses the late UAP report and the NDAA UAP provisions 12/08 — NDAA passes (more info on UAP provisions)

Chuck's out sick this week, so I've got a mini-episode for you. If you've enjoyed the topic so far, you might be interested in going a bit further. If so, here are some books, TV series, documentaries, and podcasts that I'd recommend. Books In Plain Sight: An investigation into UFOs and impossible science by Ross Coulthart, 2021 — Came out just before 2021 UAP report, feels like a good summary UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record by Leslie Kean, 2010 — Covers nuts-and-bolts credible witnesses The Believer: Alien Encounters, Hard Science, and the Passion of John Mack by Ralph Blumenthal, 2021 — Explores how a well respected Harvard psychiatrist risked his career to study abductees and experiencers Sekret Machines: Chasing Shadows (fiction) by Tom DeLonge and A.J. Hartley, 2016 — Interesting insight into what Tom believes. NOT recommended: Sekret Machines non-fiction series Series Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation, by History Channel, 2019 — The TTSA series focused on Lou Elizondo and Chris Mellon Hangar 1: The UFO Files, by History Channel, 2014 — Netflix series that goes over famous cases in MUFON files UFO by JJ Abrams, 2021 — A four-part Showtime series, good summary Documentaries The Phenomenon by James Fox, 2020 — Well-regarded in the UFO community as a summary Ariel Phenomenon by Randall Nickerson, 2022 — Covers a famous incident at the Ariel School in Zimbabwe Unacknowledged, by Michael Mazzola, 2017 — A bit breathless, but decent summary of what Steven Greer believes Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers by Jeremey Corbell, 2018 — Perhaps overly credible, but interesting Podcasts The UFO Rabbit Hole, by Kelly Chase — Easily my favorite, Kelly is a great speaker, and thoughtful Point of Convergence, by ExoAcademian — Get ready to go deep and weird Need to Know, by Ross Coulthart and Bryce Zabel — Excellent discussion of UFO news by investigative journalists

Bob Lazar is arguably the most controversial figure in the world of UFOs. In a nutshell, Bob is a whistleblower who came out in 1988 with claims that he worked in a reverse engineering program for recovered alien craft that are kept at Area 51. Today we're going to get into it: Who is Bob, what does he claim, why did he come forward, and what are the points that make him more or less credible. Because if anything Bob claims is true? …It's a very exciting time! References Bob Lazar’s site Jeremy Corbell documentary Joe Rogan interview (I know, I know, Joe Rogan is awful. But the interview is quite good and you get to hear from Bob firsthand) Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers, Explained Robert Bigelow clears the air about Bob Lazar Bob Lazar Says the FBI Raided Him to Seize Area 51's Alien Fuel. The Truth Is Weirder Bob Lazar Speaks Out About Area 51 And S-4 Bob Lazar's story, is it believable? Google Maps: Area 51

The Admiral Wilson Memo — aka, The Wilson-Davis Notes, The Core Secrets Memo, etc — is a document that records an alleged conversation between astrophysicist Dr. Eric Davis and Admiral Wilson, the recently retired director of the DIA. They discuss Wilson's attempts to locate a secret UFO program in the military, which he found, and was denied access to. The document is controversial to say the least, but the story is fascinating, and if it's true, reveals the existing of a secret crash retrieval and reverse engineering program! References: Complete Summary of Wilson Davis Memo ‘UFO leak of the century’ contained in 15-page document, historian says The Amazing Wilson-Davis Documents Stanford Prof. & US Navy Vet’s Claims Might Prove Wilson-Davis UFO Memo Is Authentic The Wilson-Davis Memo is Authentic

We're talking about how all the big UFO news we discussed in our last episode — from the 2017 New York Times article to congressional hearings — can be traced back to Tom Delonge. Yes, that Tom DeLonge. The lead singer of Blink 182. Buckle up, this one's a wild ride. References: Politico: How Harry Reid, a Terrorist Interrogator and the Singer From Blink-182 Took UFOs Mainstream UFO Rabbit Hole: Mr. DeLonge Goes to Washington, part 1 UFO Rabbit Hole: Mr. DeLonge Goes to Washington, part 2 That UFO Podcast: Tom DeLonge Profile, part 1 That UFO Podcast: Tom DeLonge Profile, part 2

"Really? You wanna be the UFO guy?" Yeah, actually, I do! Because I think most people don't understand that since 2017 there has been a rapid increase in astonishing information about UFOs. From the 2017 New York Times article disclosing the existence of a secret Pentagon UFO program, to the release of confirmed Navy videos of UFOs, to Congress demanding an annual report about what the military knows about UFOs, to the recent proposal to grant immunity to UFO program whistleblowers — there's been a LOT! When I was growing up, UFOs were treated as a joke. News reports would include the X-Files theme, and anyone talking about the subject seriously would get teased about "little green men." But that seems to be changing. More and more, the topic is taken seriously. And the thing is, once you accept, as Congress and the Pentagon seem to have, that there are unidentified craft flying around the sky… what else is real? If it's true? It's a very exciting time! References: New York Times 2017: Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program New York Times 2019: ‘Wow, What Is That?’ Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects Politico 2019: Senators get classified briefing on UFO sightings Politico 2020: Senators want the public to see the government's UFO reports New York Times 2020: No Longer in Shadows, Pentagon’s U.F.O. Unit Will Make Some Findings Public June 2021 ODNI: Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Politico 2021: ‘This is urgent’: Bipartisan proposal for UFO office pushes new boundaries Politico 2022: Pentagon getting more UFO reports now that 'stigma has been reduced' War Zone 2022: UFO Whistleblowers Would Get Immunity Under New Amendment Motherboard 2022: Congress Admits UFOs Not ‘Man-Made,’ Says ‘Threats’ Increasing ‘Exponentially’

A delight for the senses!