New York Times: Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program
"Officials with the [Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP)] have also studied videos of encounters between unknown objects and American military aircraft — including one released in August of a whitish oval object, about the size of a commercial plane, chased by two Navy F/A-18F fighter jets from the aircraft carrier Nimitz off the coast of San Diego in 2004."
Source
- https://web.archive.org/web/20250107051436/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html
- Full text
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Bottom line: The Pentagon secretly funded the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) from 2007 to 2012, investigating UFOs (termed “unidentified aerial phenomena” or UAPs) through eyewitness accounts, advanced technology analysis, and material recovery. While officially defunct, insiders claim the effort persisted unofficially, exposing tensions between government secrecy and calls for transparency.
Article summary:
- Program Origins & Funding:
- Initiated by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) with bipartisan support from Sens. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI).
- Received $22 million in classified “black money” via Pentagon budgets, funneled to Bigelow Aerospace, a company owned by billionaire Robert Bigelow, a UFO enthusiast and Reid confidant.
- Officially shut down in 2012 due to “higher priorities,” but personnel like program head Luis Elizondo continued investigations unofficially.
- Research & Findings:
- Studied metallic alloys and materials allegedly recovered from UFOs, stored in modified Las Vegas facilities.
- Analyzed videos like the 2004 Nimitz incident, where Navy jets tracked a glowing, fast-moving object “the size of a commercial plane.”
- Interviewed military personnel, including pilots, who reported encounters with aircraft exhibiting “beyond-next-generation capabilities” (e.g., no visible propulsion, extreme speeds).
- Controversies & Skepticism:
- Pentagon Stance: Claims the program ended in 2012. Spokesperson Thomas Crosson stated funds were redirected to “higher priority issues.”
- Insider Claims: Elizondo resigned in 2017, criticizing excessive secrecy. He asserts the program uncovered technologies the U.S. “is incapable of defending against.”
- Scientific Pushback: MIT astrophysicist Sara Seager and NASA veteran James Oberg urged caution, citing natural explanations and human perceptual errors.
- Legacy & Ongoing Efforts:
- Elizondo, alongside ex-Pentagon official Christopher Mellon and engineer Harold Puthoff, founded To the Stars Academy, a private venture researching UAPs.
- Bigelow claims the U.S. lags behind nations like China and Russia in UFO research due to stigma, calling American attitudes “juvenile.”
Notable Incidents & Documents:
- 2004 Nimitz Encounter: Declassified footage shows a UAP tracked by F/A-18 jets; pilots reported “a whole fleet” of objects.
- 2009 Pentagon Briefing: Declared “science fiction is now science fact,” but Reid’s request to classify findings as top-secret was denied.
- Project Blue Book (1952–1969): Predecessor Air Force program investigated 12,000+ UFO cases; 701 remain unexplained.
Key Quotes:
- Harry Reid: “I’m not ashamed… [This] is one of the good things I did in Congress.”
- Luis Elizondo: “Why aren’t we spending more time and effort on this issue?” (Resignation letter to Defense Secretary Mattis).
- Robert Bigelow: “Our scientists are scared of being ostracized… China and Russia are much more open.”
Implications:
- National Security Concerns: UAPs’ advanced capabilities challenge U.S. airspace defense; Elizondo warned of potential threats.
- Scientific & Cultural Debate: Balance needed between skepticism and serious inquiry into unexplained phenomena.
- Transparency vs. Secrecy: Tensions persist over government accountability and public access to UFO-related data.
