UFOs: skeptics, disclosure, and contact

[Rick Hunter]

Somebody (John Keel maybe) wrote about how something happened to make Ruppelt go from objective but skeptical truth seeker to mainstream debunker in just the last few years of his life. He surmised that it was either the contactee weirdos or somebody within government. In the case of the former, he simply didn't want to be associated with them, and in the latter, someone told him he was getting too close and needed to back off.

 

[Dejan Corovic]

View: https://youtu.be/mKLdTgR89kc

 

[pigfarmer]

I still haven't finished Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen. Not a bad book, excellent historical summary if flawed.

Here's an amusing quote I never heard of regarding testing early jet technology. Initially fake propellers were fixed to jet aircraft to disguise their true nature, then one pilot hit upon pure comedy gold. Introducing an element of the completely absurd into an otherwise completely truthful account is brilliant and effective - and importantly, still in use. This is what keeps coming to mind when I listen to Grusch ad all the rest of the Hee Haw gang. Again, I must put in the standard disclaimer that there are quite a number of truly unexplained occurrences but they are an extreme minority.

“According to Edwards Air Force Base historian Dr. James Young, the chief XP-59A Bell test pilot, a man by the name of Jack Woolams, got an idea. He ordered a gorilla mask from a Hollywood prop house. On his next flight, Woolams removed the mock-up propeller from the nose of his jet airplane and put on the gorilla mask. When a P-38 Lightning came flying nearby for a look, Woolams maneuvered his airplane close enough so that the P-38 pilot could look inside the cockpit of the jet plane. The Lightning pilot was astonished. Instead of seeing Woolams, the pilot saw a gorilla flying an airplane—an airplane that had no propeller.

The stunned pilot landed and went straight to the local bar, where he sat down and ordered a stiff drink. There, he began telling other pilots what he had definitely seen with his own eyes. His colleagues told him he was drunk, that what he was saying was an embarrassment, and that he should go home.

Meanwhile, the concept of the gorilla mask caught on among other Bell XP-59A test pilots and soon Woolams’s colleagues joined the act. Over the course of the next few months, other P-38 Lightning pilots spotted the gorilla flying the propellerless airplane. Some versions of the historical record have the psychiatrist for the U.S. Army Air Corps getting involved, helping the Lightning pilots to understand how a clear-thinking fighter pilot could become disoriented at altitude and believe he had seen something that clearly was not really there. Everyone knows that a gorilla can’t fly an airplane. Whether or not the psychiatrist really did get involved—and if he did, whether he was aware of the gorilla masks—remains ambiguous to Dr. Craig Luther, a contemporary historian at Edwards Air Force Base. But for the purposes of a strategic deception campaign, the point is clear: no one wants to be mistaken for a fool.

Ockham’s razor is an idea attributed to a fourteenth-century English friar named William of Ockham. It asks when trying to explain a phenomenon, does the alternative story explain more evidence than the principal story, or is it just a more complicated and therefore a less useful explanation of the same evidence? In other words, according to Ockham, when man is presented with a riddle, the answer to the riddle should be simpler, not more complicated, than the riddle itself. Ockham’s razor is often applied to the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs.

— Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen

Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base

Quote shared via Kindle: "According to Edwards Air Force Base historian Dr. James Young, the chief XP-59A Bell test pilot, a man by the name of Jack Woolams, got an idea. He ordered a gorilla mask from a Hollywood prop house. On his next flight, Woolams rem...

a.co

 

[pigfarmer]

Eric Davis, more unverified claims.

Bush's Secret Alien Briefing: How a Former President Was Told 'You Don't Need to Know'

Story by Bernadette B. Tixon

George H.W. Bush ©Screenshot from YouTube© IBTimes

A new documentary alleges that the former US President George HW Bush was privately informed of alien contact at a New Mexico air base in 1964. The film, The Age of Disclosure, features testimony from astrophysicist Eric Davis, who claims Bush confirmed details of a face-to-face encounter between military officials and a non-human entity at Holloman Air Force Base.

Bush's Alleged Briefing​

According to Davis, Bush told him in 2003 that three spacecraft were seen approaching Holloman. One reportedly landed, and an extraterrestrial being emerged to interact with Air Force personnel and CIA officials. Davis said Bush sought further details but was denied access, being told he did not have a 'need-to-know'.

Bush, a decorated naval aviator and former CIA director, allegedly learned of the incident after his presidency. The claim adds to longstanding speculation about how much US leaders are told about unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs).

The Legacy Program​

The documentary centers on what it calls the 'Legacy Program', a supposed top-secret operation involving the CIA, the US Air Force, the Department of Energy, and private defence contractors. The programme is alleged to have retrieved crashed vehicles and alien bodies, though no physical evidence is presented.

Davis also claims alien remains were recovered in Russia in 1988 from a tic-tac shaped craft. Fellow disclosure advocate Hal Puthoff, a physicist and former member of the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), said multiple types of extraterrestrials have been reported, though he declined to provide specifics.

Injuries and Encounters​

The film includes accounts of military personnel who claim to have suffered injuries after contact with UAPs. Stanford immunologist Gary Nolan stated that he examined service members with burns and internal scarring, including damage inside the brain. Retired intelligence officer Mike Flaherty alleged he experienced biological effects after exposure to a craft.


These testimonies suggest physical risks associated with encounters, although they remain anecdotal and unverified.

Secrecy and Presidential Access​

The documentary argues that information about UAPs is withheld even from sitting presidents. Former senator Marco Rubio is quoted as saying that secret data on UFOs is deliberately kept from leaders, raising concerns about accountability. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand cautioned that terrestrial threats from adversaries such as China or Russia should remain the primary focus, even as questions about unexplained aerial phenomena persist.
The film highlights repeated reports of unidentified objects near restricted nuclear facilities, stressing that their origin remains unknown. Advocates argue that such incidents warrant serious investigation regardless of whether they are extraterrestrial or foreign technology.

Disclosure Debate

Director Dan Farah said he hopes the documentary advances the UFO disclosure movement, making it easier for future presidents to acknowledge the possibility of extraterrestrial life. 'It sets the table for a president to step to the microphone and more comfortably tell all of humanity that we're not alone in the universe,' he explained. While the film presents dramatic claims, it offers no new physical evidence. For sceptics, the absence of verifiable material underscores the need for caution. For believers, the testimonies reinforce suspicions that governments are concealing knowledge of alien contact.

 

[nivek]

US military accused of using nuclear weapons to bring down UFOs for secret tech grabs​

The US military and other nations around the world allegedly used nuclear weapons to shoot down UFOs and harvest their technology from the crashed remains.

The shocking claims were made by filmmaker and director Dan Farah, who spent four years secretly interviewing high-level members of the US government and military regarding the existence of extraterrestrials.

While speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Friday, Farah said he had learned from unnamed sources responsible for the retrieval of these UFOs that nuclear testing carried out in the 1950s was often done to secretly disable alien craft.

'One of the realizations early on was that atomic weapon testing, nuclear weapon testing, has a ripple effect that can down these things,' Farah explained.

He added that the US military started setting off high altitude nuclear tests to essentially 'shoot fish in a barrel,' a practice that the Russians quickly followed to disable UFOs for their own experiments.

'Which is crazy on multiple levels. A, you could accidentally provoke a nuclear conflict with another party that doesn't know what you're doing. B, you're picking a fight with a more intelligent, superior species,' Farah warned.

The revelations come from his documentary, called The Age of Disclosure, released this month, that allegedly detailed the 80-year global cover-up of alien life and the technology humans have created using pieces of UFOs.

Despite the claims from a plethora of high-ranking government officials, the US government has said proof of alien life has never been found, and the military has added there's 'no verifiable evidence' they've ever recovered an alien spacecraft.

(More on the link)

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[pigfarmer]

As far as I know atmospheric nuclear testing was banned after 1974. IIRC one of the first series was ill considered and 'not well instrumented' and if I remember the story correctly the first one did not detonate where it was supposed to, rather directly above the people who were conducting the test. Werner von Braun saw that and not to put too fine a point on it, it scared him ****less and he fled the area and did not involve himself any further.

 

[nivek]

Trump UFO announcement predicted to come in just days after mysterious 'insider' tip​

The odds of President Donald Trump revealing what he knows about alien life have suddenly skyrocketed, leading experts to believe full public disclosure is days away. A wagering pool on Polymarket called 'Trump declassifies UFO files in 2025?' has mysteriously exploded with activity, rising to over $7million bet, shifting the odds from six percent 'Yes' on December 6 to a staggering 98 percent Tuesday morning. Polymarket is a popular online prediction platform where people bet on the outcomes of real-world events, such as elections, sports, or even UFO sightings, using cryptocurrency, turning speculation into a crowd-sourced probability meter.

In this UFO market, the odds flipped dramatically because of a sudden surge in betting volume, likely fueled by rumors, insider tips, and viral buzz, causing the share prices to rocket as more people piled in on the 'Yes' side. In fact, UFO researcher and filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee told the Daily Mail he is convinced the recent trading in favor of Trump releasing UFO files has been sparked by someone with access to the White House. 'I think someone on the inside close to Trump knows this and has been buying, hence the rise,' Lee explained.

To this point, previous White Houses, the US military, and even NASA have all denied that humans have ever encountered UFOs, recovered crashed spaceships, or made contact with alien life. While Trump has remained skeptical about the existence of UFOs as well, he has repeatedly promised to release whatever his administration discovered to the public, telling the Lex Fridman Podcast in 2024: 'I'd love to do that. I have to do that. Polymarket has declared that for the 'Yes' bets to be correct, the Trump Administration must officially declassify 'any previously classified files about extraterrestrial life and/or unexplained aerial phenomena' by the end of 2025.

On Sunday, a string of aggressive purchases by a small group of traders triggered a surge of confidence that an announcement on UFO was coming. Some Polymarket users betting on Trump's promise to disclose the information have bought over $20,000 worth of 'Yes' shares in a single trade this week. The mysterious event that sent the Polymarket pool soaring after December 6 has yet to be identified. Since Monday at 6pm ET, more than $5million has been poured into the UFO wagering pool, sending the total wagered to over $7.3million.

The speculation has come as the Trump Administration faces pressure to fulfil its broader promises to declassify and release government records across a range of sensitive areas, including the Epstein files. A new federal law means the Department of Justice (DOJ) must publish all unclassified Epstein-related materials by December 19, which one Polymarket wagering pool says only has a 62 percent chance of happening.

As for UFO disclosure, prominent podcast host Joe Rogan recently said that whistleblowers who speak out about extraterrestrials must receive amnesty and protection from the federal government. Throughout 2025, the odds had been heavily stacked against Trump disclosing any UFO files, even after the November release of a bombshell new documentary called 'The Age of Disclosure.' The film, which interviewed a plethora of high-ranking government officials, detailed the alleged 80-year global cover-up of alien life and the technology humans have created using pieces of crashed UFOs.

In fact, the odds on Polymarket of Trump revealing what the US knows about aliens actually dropped after the film's release, reaching their lowest levels since April, when there was only a one percent chance of Americans seeing the files. Lee, who just released his own documentary called 'The Rendlesham UFO: The British Roswell,' which interviewed anonymous military sources about alien contact, told the Daily Mail there is a global feeling that a major announcement is coming. 'UFO researchers in the UK think that this is going to happen. Trump will be the disclosure president,' Lee said.

Lee added he agrees with whistleblower and retired US Air Force Major David Grusch, who recently claimed Trump could soon reveal that the US government has alien remains and has been visited by 'UFOs on numerous occasions.' Grusch said in November that Trump had been 'fully briefed' on incidents involving crashed spacecraft, the existence of multiple alien races, the origins of these beings, and their intentions here on Earth.

Reports have claimed that Trump has intensified his personal inquiries since the 2024 election and is preparing to tell the public what he's learned from his intelligence officials because he believes Americans 'have a right to know.'

.

 

[pigfarmer]

I know Coulthart & Co have been banging this drum hard as of late. UFO Twitter is all atwitter over it. Pardon my skepticism but I call BS on that. This is all from yet another 'unnamed insider'.

 

[nivek]

Government intelligence officer assigned to secret UFO investigation 'said wolf-like creature that walked on two legs appeared at his home afterwards'​

A rocket scientist who directed a top-secret investigation into UFOs has spoken about the bizarre things his colleagues claimed to have witnessed. Dr James Lacatski, an intelligence analyst previously with the Defense Intelligence Agency, revealed that during his time investigating UFOs, many witnesses recalled paranormal experiences after seeing the objects.

'We realized that people who openly say "I observed a UFO up close," maybe on the ground that they always seemed to have a paranormal connection in some ways, if you gently push them,' Lacatski told investigative journalist George Knapp in a recent interview with local CBS affiliate KLAS.

Lacatski directed the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, a top-secret initiative under the DIA in the 2000s. He recalled that many officials with the AAWSAP experienced a 'hitchhiker effect' where they seemed to come into contact with paranormal phenomena long after they left the program's home base in Nevada. Lacatski said that at least five highly experienced intelligence officers saw balls of light, shadowy figures, and even creepy creatures.

One investigator was plagued by mysterious orbs when he returned to his home on the East Coast, and even saw what he described as a wolf-like creature that walked on two legs, according to Lacatski. 'I mean, what, did it get on a train or a plane to come to Washington?' Lacatski questioned. 'It left deep scratch marks on the tree it was resting against; there was physical evidence.'

The AAWSAP launched in 2008 after officials at DIA became intrigued by reported paranormal experiences and UFO sightings in the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah. They determined that Bigelow Ranch, owned by Las Vegas aerospace titan Robert Bigelow, was a site of bizarre activity. 'I could see from my organization the threat potential, and we were uncovering many of the things you were observing, you know, strange creatures,' Lacatski told KLAS. 'I mean, think of inducing what might be called delusions by some people into an enemy force. We wanted to learn what can be weaponized here,' he continued.

Lacatski put together a team approved by DIA with his colleague Jay Stratton. Late Nevada Senator Harry Reid helped secure the funding for the project. Bigelow also became an integral part of the initiative, with his company becoming the program's contractor. The mission started as an investigation into UFO technology, but officials were also examining potential health impacts on witnesses who reported seeing UFOs.

(More on the link)

.

 

[pigfarmer]

Government intelligence officer assigned to secret UFO investigation 'said wolf-like creature that walked on two legs appeared at his home afterwards'​

A rocket scientist who directed a top-secret investigation into UFOs has spoken about the bizarre things his colleagues claimed to have witnessed. Dr James Lacatski, an intelligence analyst previously with the Defense Intelligence Agency, revealed that during his time investigating UFOs, many witnesses recalled paranormal experiences after seeing the objects.

'We realized that people who openly say "I observed a UFO up close," maybe on the ground that they always seemed to have a paranormal connection in some ways, if you gently push them,' Lacatski told investigative journalist George Knapp in a recent interview with local CBS affiliate KLAS.

Lacatski directed the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, a top-secret initiative under the DIA in the 2000s. He recalled that many officials with the AAWSAP experienced a 'hitchhiker effect' where they seemed to come into contact with paranormal phenomena long after they left the program's home base in Nevada. Lacatski said that at least five highly experienced intelligence officers saw balls of light, shadowy figures, and even creepy creatures.

One investigator was plagued by mysterious orbs when he returned to his home on the East Coast, and even saw what he described as a wolf-like creature that walked on two legs, according to Lacatski. 'I mean, what, did it get on a train or a plane to come to Washington?' Lacatski questioned. 'It left deep scratch marks on the tree it was resting against; there was physical evidence.'

The AAWSAP launched in 2008 after officials at DIA became intrigued by reported paranormal experiences and UFO sightings in the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah. They determined that Bigelow Ranch, owned by Las Vegas aerospace titan Robert Bigelow, was a site of bizarre activity. 'I could see from my organization the threat potential, and we were uncovering many of the things you were observing, you know, strange creatures,' Lacatski told KLAS. 'I mean, think of inducing what might be called delusions by some people into an enemy force. We wanted to learn what can be weaponized here,' he continued.

Lacatski put together a team approved by DIA with his colleague Jay Stratton. Late Nevada Senator Harry Reid helped secure the funding for the project. Bigelow also became an integral part of the initiative, with his company becoming the program's contractor. The mission started as an investigation into UFO technology, but officials were also examining potential health impacts on witnesses who reported seeing UFOs.

(More on the link)

.

I believe that was the basis for Skinwalkers at the Pentagon. It was an interesting book only because of who Lacatski is. Minus the gravitas that comes with his c.v. I'd blow it all off as more Fugal fodder.

 

[Rick Hunter]

Trump UFO announcement predicted to come in just days after mysterious 'insider' tip​

The odds of President Donald Trump revealing what he knows about alien life have suddenly skyrocketed, leading experts to believe full public disclosure is days away. A wagering pool on Polymarket called 'Trump declassifies UFO files in 2025?' has mysteriously exploded with activity, rising to over $7million bet, shifting the odds from six percent 'Yes' on December 6 to a staggering 98 percent Tuesday morning. Polymarket is a popular online prediction platform where people bet on the outcomes of real-world events, such as elections, sports, or even UFO sightings, using cryptocurrency, turning speculation into a crowd-sourced probability meter.

In this UFO market, the odds flipped dramatically because of a sudden surge in betting volume, likely fueled by rumors, insider tips, and viral buzz, causing the share prices to rocket as more people piled in on the 'Yes' side. In fact, UFO researcher and filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee told the Daily Mail he is convinced the recent trading in favor of Trump releasing UFO files has been sparked by someone with access to the White House. 'I think someone on the inside close to Trump knows this and has been buying, hence the rise,' Lee explained.

To this point, previous White Houses, the US military, and even NASA have all denied that humans have ever encountered UFOs, recovered crashed spaceships, or made contact with alien life. While Trump has remained skeptical about the existence of UFOs as well, he has repeatedly promised to release whatever his administration discovered to the public, telling the Lex Fridman Podcast in 2024: 'I'd love to do that. I have to do that. Polymarket has declared that for the 'Yes' bets to be correct, the Trump Administration must officially declassify 'any previously classified files about extraterrestrial life and/or unexplained aerial phenomena' by the end of 2025.

On Sunday, a string of aggressive purchases by a small group of traders triggered a surge of confidence that an announcement on UFO was coming. Some Polymarket users betting on Trump's promise to disclose the information have bought over $20,000 worth of 'Yes' shares in a single trade this week. The mysterious event that sent the Polymarket pool soaring after December 6 has yet to be identified. Since Monday at 6pm ET, more than $5million has been poured into the UFO wagering pool, sending the total wagered to over $7.3million.

The speculation has come as the Trump Administration faces pressure to fulfil its broader promises to declassify and release government records across a range of sensitive areas, including the Epstein files. A new federal law means the Department of Justice (DOJ) must publish all unclassified Epstein-related materials by December 19, which one Polymarket wagering pool says only has a 62 percent chance of happening.

As for UFO disclosure, prominent podcast host Joe Rogan recently said that whistleblowers who speak out about extraterrestrials must receive amnesty and protection from the federal government. Throughout 2025, the odds had been heavily stacked against Trump disclosing any UFO files, even after the November release of a bombshell new documentary called 'The Age of Disclosure.' The film, which interviewed a plethora of high-ranking government officials, detailed the alleged 80-year global cover-up of alien life and the technology humans have created using pieces of crashed UFOs.

In fact, the odds on Polymarket of Trump revealing what the US knows about aliens actually dropped after the film's release, reaching their lowest levels since April, when there was only a one percent chance of Americans seeing the files. Lee, who just released his own documentary called 'The Rendlesham UFO: The British Roswell,' which interviewed anonymous military sources about alien contact, told the Daily Mail there is a global feeling that a major announcement is coming. 'UFO researchers in the UK think that this is going to happen. Trump will be the disclosure president,' Lee said.

Lee added he agrees with whistleblower and retired US Air Force Major David Grusch, who recently claimed Trump could soon reveal that the US government has alien remains and has been visited by 'UFOs on numerous occasions.' Grusch said in November that Trump had been 'fully briefed' on incidents involving crashed spacecraft, the existence of multiple alien races, the origins of these beings, and their intentions here on Earth.

Reports have claimed that Trump has intensified his personal inquiries since the 2024 election and is preparing to tell the public what he's learned from his intelligence officials because he believes Americans 'have a right to know.'

.

I doubt that Trump, or any president within my 47 year lifetime, has the goods on UFOs. Just being president doesn't give you an all access pass to whatever you want. George Bush Sr. might have had something due to his many years in defense and intelligence prior to becoming president, but that's the only one I think would be likely.

 

[pigfarmer]

Good timing for this. One problem; it looks terrible

 

[nivek]

UK ordered agents to find UFO tech in bombshell 1990s secret files shocker​

The British military actively tried to obtain extraterrestrial technology in the 1990s as intelligence officers believed otherworldly innovations could bolster the country’s own defense capabilities, shocking once-secret files reveal. The UK’s Defence Intelligence Staff — now called Defence Intelligence — part of the country’s defense ministry, was given orders to investigate “unidentified aerial phenomena” after thousands of reported sightings over Belgium between November 1989 and April 1990.

“Logic would indicate that if significant numbers are reporting seeing strange objects in the sky then there may be a basis in fact. It could be argued that UAPs pose a potential threat to the defence of the realm since we have no idea what they are!” an unsealed internal memo from March1997 stated.

Earlier in the decade there was a rash of people reporting “large, silent, low-flying black triangles” demonstrating propulsion capabilities far beyond any known flight technology on Earth, prompting intelligence officials to seriously consider attempting to acquire the advancements for their own ends.

“A supplementary issue is the possibility of technology acquisition,” one report said, according to the Sunday Times. “UAPs do not appear to use conventional reaction propulsion. The Belgian deltas (confirmed by the country’s MoD) hovered for long periods and accelerated quickly to supersonic speeds, outrunning F-16s. If this represents real technology perhaps it should be acquired.”

Another report made reference to “the Rendlesham Forest ‘landing'” — a reference to a US Air Force base in Woodbridge, Suffolk — which it claims was the site of a glowing “craft of unknown origin” briefly touching down before zooming back into the heavens in 1980. The report said the landing was “confirmed by the US unit commander and others.” The document also referenced other countries that have taken an interest in harnessing UFO technology.

“In both [Belgian and Rendlesham Forest] cases the UAP apparently did not use any conventional propulsion system and could hover as well as move at considerable speed. The French have always had an interest in this topic … and I am aware that there is an informal intelligence grouping in the US.”

Although the correspondence concedes most of the alleged UFO sightings were not credible, a small number of them could not be explained by conventional science. “Some reports described objects in terms of maneuver, speed and shape which lie beyond our engineering knowledge and that which could be reasonably expected from hostile powers,” it stated. “There is considerable difficulty, therefore, in assessing and prioritising these reports sufficiently quickly to provide, where warranted, an active response … Any future concerns, terrestrial or extraterrestrial, are likely to require national or international coordination, responsive only within security alliances.”

Some of the unsealed documents even acknowledge that the ordered research would raise eyebrows among some intelligence officials, encouraging keeping an open mind. “Mention of UAPs is guaranteed to generate mirth and a range of Little Green Men jokes, possibly because of the fringe element of ‘crazies’ and the lack of conventional intelligence information.” The formerly secret documents have been placed in the National Archives at Kew in southwest London.

The UK’s minister for defense readiness, Luke Pollard, said in December, 2024 that the Ministry of Defence had “ceased to investigate reports of UFOs or UAP in 2009,” noting the ministry had “no current plans” to commit resources to investigating alleged sightings moving forward.

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[Dejan Corovic]

Very good video:


View: https://youtu.be/XvENOfDKe5A