UFO: Inside the BlackVault, FOIA POSSE, MKULTRA, ARTICHOKE, BLUEBIRD

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https://www.theepochtimes.com/t-seti

UFOs Now on Official Radar in New US Defense Act Allocation

UFO Topic Continues To Stir Debate With More Sightings, Studies

Part of $817 billion budget to go toward protecting whistleblowers and
officials with information on sightings

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—On Dec. 27, President Joe Biden signed the 2023
National Defense Authorization Act into law allocating nearly $817
billion toward protecting the United States.

Buried deep in the massive 3,854-page document is subsection 1673. It
relates to “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) reporting
procedures.”

UAP is the government acronym used for unidentified flying
objects—popularly known as UFOs.

Among other things, 1673 establishes a “secure mechanism” for
authorized reporting of UAPs, with protections for whistleblowers,
programs, and government departments that have information on them.
Epoch Times Photo The Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., as it
appeared on Dec. 20, 2022. The late astronomer Percival Lowell founded
the observatory with its 24-inch refractor telescope in 1894, hoping
to discover intelligently made canals on Mars. (Allan Stein/The Epoch
Times)

Section 1673 also provides security for any government activity,
program, or contractor relating to UAPS such as “material retrieval
and analysis, reverse engineering, research, and development.”

Although 1673 makes no reference to UAPS being of extraterrestrial
origin, Melinda Leslie, of the UFO Research Center in Sedona, Arizona,
said the section’s existence is “huge.”

For years, the government denied the existence of UFOs.

Now, codified in the 2023 NDAA, 1673 has taken the debate in a whole
new direction.

“The NDAA is the real story,” Leslie told The Epoch Times, and most
previous investigations were mere distractions or coverups.

In a social media post, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Intelligence Christopher Mellon wrote that the UAP provision is
“unprecedented.”

“This is arguably the biggest story mainstream news organizations have
ever failed to cover,” he wrote.

“Even before this ‘whistleblower’ legislation was signed into law,
credible individuals were providing Congress information alleging that
the US government has recovered extraterrestrial technology.”

In other words, the truth about UFOs is still out there.

And every so often, the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, gets
a phone call about an unusual sighting in the night sky.

Is it a UFO—or something else?

Lowell Observatory historian Kevin Schindler says mostly it is a
natural occurrence, like the planet Venus shining bright after sunset.

And then those are tongue-in-cheek moments such as the letters that
suggested there were extraterrestrials from Cassiopeia.

“We do have a variety of people asking things like that,” Schindler says.

But, UFO researchers say some cases defy explanation and include
eyewitness reports from credible sources—from military people to
commercial pilots.
Epoch Times Photo Lowell Observatory historian Kevin Schindler stands
beside the 24-inch refractor telescope in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Dec.
20, 2022. The late astronomer Percival Lowell had the observatory
built in order to confirm the existence of canals on Mars. (Allan
Stein/The Epoch Times)

These sightings have taken the debate over UFOs to a more sober
level—to such an extent that the government formed an Unidentified
Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) in August 2020 to study the topic
in detail.

In its unclassified report, “Preliminary Assessment of Unidentified
Aerial Phenomena,” dated June 25, 2021, the task force concluded that
the subject of UAPs is worth further study and research funding.

However, the report would not acknowledge an extraterrestrial origin.

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena “pose a safety of flight issue and may
pose a challenge to U.S. national security,” the report to
congressional intelligence officials warned.

While available reporting on UAPs is “largely inconclusive,” the
report said sightings fall into five categories: airborne clutter,
natural atmospheric phenomena, U.S. Government or industry development
programs, foreign adversary systems, and “other.”

The report added that a few UAPs demonstrate advanced technology,
though most reports “probably lack a single explanation.”

In October 2022, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) announced the formation of an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
Study with 16 members versed in the subject.

“Exploring the unknown in space and the atmosphere is at the heart of
who we are [and] the language of scientists is data,” according to a
NASA fact sheet.

The independent study group will examine UAP data over the next nine
months and report on its findings around mid-2023.

NASA asserted it is “going in with an open mind, and we expect to find
that explanations will apply to some events and different explanations
will apply to others.”

“We will not underestimate what the natural world contains [and] there
is a lot to learn.”

NASA press secretary Katherine Rohloff said the study aims to identify
data from the civilian government, commercial, and other sources that
can shed light on UAPs.

Using that data, the space agency will recommend a “roadmap” for
future UAP analysis.

In July 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced the
establishment of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office to examine
and assess potential aerial threats near military installations.

The DoD said UAPs include anomalous, unidentified space, airborne,
submerged, and “trans-medium objects.”

“Put simply, UAPs are objects that, when encountered, cannot be
immediately identified and may exhibit anomalous behavior,” said DoD
press operations spokeswoman Sue Gough.

Gough cautioned that the lack of attribution “does not necessarily
indicate the significance of each sighting or a threat to national
security.”

“Anomalous behavior means that DoD operators or sensors cannot make
immediate sense of collected data, actions, or activities,” Gough told
The Epoch Times in an email.

Gough said that by combining data collection with rigorous science,
“any object we encounter can likely be isolated, characterized,
identified, and, if necessary, mitigated.”

The DoD’s position is to collect as much data and see where it leads.
Epoch Times Photo A UFO was captured over Victoria, Australia, on
Google Earth, according to bloggers. (Google Street View)

Gough added, “We will not rush to conclusions in our analysis. In many
cases, observed phenomena are classified as ‘unidentified’ simply
because sensors [could not] collect enough information to make a
positive attribution.”

Mellon, in his post, said he is not claiming that information provided
to Congress or the AARO proves alien visitation.

However, based on credible government witnesses and reports, “I can
vouch for the fact that the AARO office has serious leads to pursue.”

Mellon wrote the NDAA legislation expands the scope and resources of
the AARO in the development of a science plan to “assess the sometimes
mysterious and mind-bending capabilities” of UAPs.

Since the purported crash of a UFO took place in Roswell, New Mexico,
in 1948, the idea of visitors from other planets has captured the
public’s imagination like no other.

There have been thousands of reports of UFOs over the years since,
ranging from direct sightings of strange lights and actual craft to
alien abductions.

Incidents such as these sparked a series of investigations by the U.S.
Air Force, beginning with Project Sign in 1947, Project Grudge in
1948, and Project Blue Book from 1952 to 1969.

The studies looked at more than 12,000 reported sightings in total,
concluding UFOs were not a national security threat or of
extraterrestrial origin.

People who study UFOs are known as “ufologists.” And many ufologists,
like documentary filmmaker Ron James of the Mutual UFO Network
(MUFON), believe ample proof exists that UFOs are here and not of this
world.

More importantly, the government knows this.

“When we say government, we’re not talking about guys at the
Pentagon,” said James, MUFON’s director of public relations.

“We’re talking about programs buried for years away from the
institutional memory of the armed forces in pseudo-government, private
ventures that are accountable to nobody and impossible to penetrate
with the FOIA [Freedom Of Information Act].”

James’s latest project, “Accidental Truths,” seeks to address the
government’s “new narrative” of UFOs and the key people involved in
concealing their existence.

The 90-minute film’s release is due in early 2023.

James said MUFON amassed a growing database of 120,000 UFO sightings
and encounters since the group’s founding in 1969, receiving hundreds
more cases each month.
Epoch Times Photo Lowell Observatory historian Kevin Schindler peers
through the eyepiece of the 24-inch refractor telescope in Flagstaff,
Ariz., on Dec. 20, 2022. The telescope has the fifth-largest refractor
in the world and is still used in planetary research. (Allan Stein/The
Epoch Times)

He said at least 97 percent of cases MUFON receives and investigates
have a natural explanation, like the weather, satellites, or aircraft.

The other 3 percent can’t easily be explained and requires further study.

“When you talk about the field [of UFO research], you don’t cover it
in one umbrella,” James told The Epoch Times. “Many of these avenues
are conjecture, testimony, little documented evidence—which is fine.

“Things that are science fiction today are science fact tomorrow.”

More than 70 years after the Roswell incident, James said we know
“something is going on.”

“We don’t know exactly [but] we have a pretty good idea.”

While Roswell catalyzed interest in UFOs, references to strange flying
objects appear in texts going back to biblical times, James said.

“This topic has been at the forefront of our culture and the general
population since the 40s. Since the Roswell thing took off.”

In December 2017, the New York Times published an article exposing
what it said was a secret Pentagon program to investigate UFOs
beginning in 2007.

Former U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) reportedly
obtained funding for the program.

However, James said government investigations into UFOs amount to
little more than a “dog and pony show.”

“That’s how it’s been from the beginning. The acronyms [for the
studies] are adding up,” James said.

Through “compartmentalization” of various government entities, “it
gives them the ability to say we don’t know anything about [UFOs],
even though it’s a real thing,” James said.

“By compartmentalization—and by what we call ‘stovepiping’—they’re
able to sequester information. And then they have plausible
deniability.”

James believes there is a power struggle within certain levels of
government between those who wish to cover up the extraterrestrial
origin of UFOs and those who want to expose it.

He said the government acknowledging the reality of alien technology
and energy sources would be Earth-shaking.

“It would destroy every paradigm, every power structure, every means
of control that keeps the planet in check. It’s all about energy.
Whoever controls the energy controls the entire planet,” James said.

Despite official denials of non-terrestrial UFOs, sightings of strange
objects continue to this day.

The National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), a national clearinghouse
of information on unidentified aerial sightings, has logged more than
150,000 reports over 47 years of operation. The center in December
posted 1,255 new UFO sightings on its website.

On Nov. 7, NUFORC received a report from multiple airline pilots
describing a “dramatic display” of lights over the midwestern United
States the night before.

“Moreover, several other flight crews allegedly reported the same
event over their backchannel, so-called ‘guard,’ radio frequency, and
discussed the event extensively over an estimated 20-25 minutes,”
according to NUFORC’s website.

James said the UFO debate is far from over yet he doesn’t believe the
new investigations will reveal anything significant.
US NAVY UFO ENCOUTER Screenshot from Go Fast: Official USG Footage of
UAP for Public Release, published on March 9, 2018. (To The Stars
Academy of Arts)

“It’s not going to reveal anything we don’t already know. If [the
government] can drag it out for another 50 years, they’ll do it,”
James said.

“At some point, they will have to acknowledge the existence of
non-human intelligence. Where it goes after that depends on what that
relationship is about.”

One organization focused on the search for advanced extraterrestrial
civilizations through radio signals is SETI (Search For
Extraterrestrial Intelligence).

SETI began as a government program in 1960. However, questions over
its scientific value led Congress to terminate it in the 1970s, though
SETI researchers reorganized privately in the 1990s.

SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak said there has been no shortage of
UFO reports since he joined the organization.

“I get a phone call almost every day from someone having difficulty
with aliens in their personal lives,” Shostak said. “It’s not a new
phenomenon for me.”

Shostak agreed that public fascination with UFOs remains high while
conspiracies of government cover-ups abound.

“The fundamental fact is that ever since the 1960s, poll after poll
has shown that one-third of the American populace believes that the
aliens are buzzing the skies. Many call me up,” Shostak told The Epoch
Times.

Shostak said every time a new UFO study group enters the media cycle,
it only stirs hope “that something new will happen,” and Americans
“love a conspiracy.” But the evidence regarding alien visitation is
doubtful. Otherwise, we’d see them in our everyday lives.

“Maybe the aliens have lost interest or have been repelled by the fast
food,” he joked. “If the aliens were visiting—if there were good
evidence of that—you’d have thousands of scientists looking into
this.”

“They’d be beavering away at this every day,” Shostak told The Epoch
Times. “What could be more important than the idea extraterrestrials
have decided to come to Earth for—whatever reason? And they’re not
doing that. That means [scientists] are not convinced.”

The late American astronomer Percival Lowell, founder of the Lowell
Observatory in 1894, stands out among 20th-century scientists who
believed in life on other planets.

Schindler said Lowell, from a wealthy Boston family, built the
observatory housing its 24-inch refractor telescope to prove the
existence of aqueducts, or “canals,” made by intelligent beings on
Mars.

Lowell was not “one of these wacky guys with all these crazy ideas,”
Schindler said. “He was well-educated and went to Harvard because he
was a Lowell.”

“He started [the observatory] because he wanted to prove there was
life on Mars.”

Lowell would also study the field of planetary formation and how the
solar system might have evolved, theorizing the existence of a ninth
planet—Planet X.

Lowell died in 1915, though his research would inspire other
astronomers to carry on, leading to the discovery of Pluto on Feb. 8,
1930.

“It’s interesting he wanted to prove there was intelligent life on
Mars and didn’t—wanted to discover a planet and didn’t. He probably
went to his grave unfulfilled in some ways because he didn’t do that
one big thing,” Schindler said.
Epoch Times Photo Documentary filmmaker Ron James, public relations
director for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), talks about the origin of
UFOs in Sedona, Ariz., on Dec. 17, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

“In hindsight, he probably had more impact than he could imagine.”

Schindler said there is no scientific consensus to draw reliable
conclusions about the origin of UFOs based on the amount of evidence
that exists.

Statistically, the existence of life on other worlds is highly
probable, he said, given recent discoveries of planets circling other
stars using the Hubble telescope.

On the other hand, James believes there is a “tremendous amount of
evidence” that UFOs are from other worlds in the form of photographs,
video, eyewitness reports, and debris recovered from alleged crash
sites.

It’s just a matter of when, and if, the government feels the time is
right to disclose the truth about alien life and technology, he said.

“If Elon Musk lands on Mars next to a mushroom, the whole [no] life on
Mars thing is pretty blown. There are just too many things to make it
possible to continue covering it up,” James said.