From this episode
Recommended books
The UFO Experience: Evidence Behind Close Encounters, Project Blue Book, and the Search for Answers
Authors:
J. Allen Hynek,
Paul Hynek
Cited by the New York Review of Books as “the best brief for visitation,” this classic study presents an analysis of UFO reports and concludes that many sightings cannot be easily dismissed. The case against UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) has not been put to rest.
Cited by the New York Review of Books as “the best brief for visitation,” this classic study presents an analysis of UFO reports and concludes that many sightings cannot be easily dismissed. The case against UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) has not been put to rest. Although UFOs “officially” did not exist for decades according to the government, reports of sightings continue to be made, and the latest releases from the government and related hearings have surprised the world. While the scientific community has put UFOs out to pasture, the evidence used to dismiss them is rare and unscientific. Dr. Hynek, a scientist himself, and the only government-paid ufologist in history, looks at the decisions made by officialdom in the early days of ufology and how these decisions have held us back—to the point that we are still naively talking about UFOs as we were in the 1950s. Has seventy years of research made no difference at all in our understanding? Dr. Hynek proves that there is a conspiracy afoot to hide the facts and that there are many cases that still need to be explained by mainstream science—not dismissed with facile jokes and stupid logic. Citing specific cases, Hynek challenges those in the ivory tower by raising questions that have still not been answered and refuting mainstream arguments that have yet to be proven.
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The UFO Evidence - Volume 2 : A Thirty Year Report
Author:
Richard H. Hall
Patterned after the first volume published in 1964, The UFO Evidence, Volume II is much anticipated by the research community. The book reports 30 years of UFO sightings since 1964 with related data and descriptive features organized by category.
Patterned after the first volume published in 1964, The UFO Evidence, Volume II is much anticipated by the research community. The book reports 30 years of UFO sightings since 1964 with related data and descriptive features organized by category. Among the topics discussed are the now strongly established patterns of UFO sightings, the growing evidence worldwide that UFOs represent someone's technology, the history of government sponsored UFO investigations, and political and human responses to UFO sightings. The master chronology is an incredibly complete listing, which also refers the reader to pertinent sections in the book for fuller descriptions.
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American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology
Author:
D.W. Pasulka
More than half of American adults and more than seventy-five percent of young Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life. This level of belief rivals that of belief in God.
More than half of American adults and more than seventy-five percent of young Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life. This level of belief rivals that of belief in God. American Cosmic examines the mechanisms at work behind the thriving belief system in extraterrestrial life, a system that is changing and even supplanting traditional religions. Over the course of a six-year ethnographic study, D.W. Pasulka interviewed successful and influential scientists, professionals, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who believe in extraterrestrial intelligence, thereby disproving the common misconception that only fringe members of society believe in UFOs. She argues that widespread belief in aliens is due to a number of factors including their ubiquity in modern media like The X-Files , which can influence memory, and the believability lent to that media by the search for planets that might support life. American Cosmic explores the intriguing question of how people interpret unexplainable experiences, and argues that the media is replacing religion as a cultural authority that offers believers answers about non-human intelligent life.
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Episode overview
Earlier this month, a news outlet called The Debrief published a story that included, to put it mildly, some explosive material.
The story, reported by Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, centered on David Grusch, a decorated former combat veteran who has worked in multiple government intelligence agencies and served on the Pentagon’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. In the story, Grusch said he had decided to come forward as a whistle-blower, testifying under oath to Congress that there are longstanding covert programs within the U.S. government that possess crash materials of “nonhuman origin.” His claims are backed by multiple on-the-record sources from the intelligence community.
The main reactions to this story have been to either embrace it as definitive truth or dismiss it out of hand. I wanted to approach it differently. What is actually being claimed here? Which claims have evidence, and which don’t? How does this story fit into the broader context of U.F.O. revelations over the past few years? There is a lot to be curious about here. There is also a lot to be skeptical about.
Leslie Kean is an independent investigative journalist who has contributed reporting to many of the major U.F.O. stories in recent years, including this most recent one, and she is the author of the 2010 book “UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record.” I asked her on the show so I could get some of my questions answered, and hopefully yours as well.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this episode and transcript misstated how David Grusch gave information to Congress. He provided information to the general counsels for the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. He did not testify directly before members of Congress.