Open Minds UFO Radio: In this episode, we review the confusing and complicated timeline of how the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) UFO project got started, how we found out about, and the history of some of those involved. To really understand AATIP and all of the news coming at us about it, we have to understand this vital background. This includes why and how rockstar Tom DeLonge is involved, who Robert Bigelow is, the paranormal background of Dr. Hal Puthoff, what AAWSAP is and how it was taken down, AATIP’s relation to BAASS and TTSA, and much much more. We will not be interviewing Lue for a little while yet, but covering this background will make you all ready for it.

Alejandro on Patreon

Related links:

Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program – The New York Times

Leslie Kean’s recent comments regarding UFO FLIR videos – Facebook

Inside Tom DeLonge’s UFO Obsession, Blink-182 Turmoil – Rolling Stone

I-Team: Documents prove secret UFO study based in Nevada – KLAS

Exclusive: I-Team obtains some key documents related to Pentagon UFO study – KLAS

What We Know And What We Believe Are Not Always The Same Thing. Here’s How Our Perception Of Fact Influences Our Worldview – Medium (By Elizondo)

George Knapp Hunt for the Skinwalker Interview Transcript – OpenMinds.tv

Leslie Kean – Former US Government Officials’ New UFO Research Initiative – October 17, 2017 – Open Minds UFO Radio

Leslie Kean – UFOs and The New York Times – January 16, 2018 – Open Minds UFO Radio

Hillary’s campaign manager’s leaked UFO emails – OpenMinds.tv

Tom DeLonge’s UFO research team revealed, includes government insiders – OpenMinds.tv

Hillary campaign manager held UFO meeting with USAF generals, rock star and top secret aircraft developer – OpenMinds.tv

Is a U.S. Air Force general from Wright-Patterson helping Tom DeLonge obtain official UFO disclosure? – OpenMinds.tv

Tom DeLonge strikes UFO gold – OpenMinds.tv

OpenMinds.tv in WikiLeaks as reference for Bill Clinton’s UFO interests and remarks – OpenMinds.tv

The History channel has announced a series based on the work of To the Stars Academy (TTSA). According to one of the members, Luis Elizondo, who formerly ran the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), the show will also include some of the cases investigated by AATIP. He says this includes cases better than the amazing 2004 Nimitz encounter.

Read more in my article in Den of Geek: 

• U.S. Navy Had a UFO Encounter According to Leaked Military Report

Open Minds UFO Radio: Danny Silva runs the website SilvaRecord.com where he covers UFO news and information. He focuses on developments and information related to UFOs. He focuses on the work of the DoD’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), and the To the Stars Academy (TTSA). With all of the information coming out about UFO investigations related to both of these groups, Danny has done a great job keeping people appraised of news on these projects others have missed.

In this episode, we get to know Danny, why he was inspired to start his blog and his perspectives on the state of UFO research. We also discuss some of his recent stories.

Visit Danny at: SilvaRecord.com.

Read the headlines at OpenMinds.tv.

Even though it is Jimmy Carter who famously had a UFO sighting, Bill Clinton seems to be the one who talks the most about them, and he is open to the idea of extraterrestrial visitation.  He has a long history of association with the UFO subject and Area 51 that spans back throughout his presidency.

UFO buffs, and reporters, where poised at their televisions last night, ready to find out if Jimmy Kimmel would keep his promise when the other night he said he would ask Clinton about UFOs when he came on the show. Kimmel kept his promise, and in typical Kimmel fashion, in a light hearted and funny way. However, he did get some interesting and heartfelt comments from the former president.

Kimmel brought up the subject by saying that if he were president he would immediately go find out about UFOs. He said, “I probably wouldn’t even finish the oath. I would run to the White House. I’d demand to see all of the classified files on the UFOs because I want to know. I want to know what has been going on. Did you do that?”

Clinton replied, “Sort of.”

Clinton said he began looking into it at the beginning of his second term, during the 50^thanniversary of the alleged Roswell UFO crash. Kimmel was surprised he waited so long. Clinton also said he looked into Area 51.

Clinton says there was a sci-fi movie that about an alien being held in Area 51. So he says he first had people look into Area 51 to find out if there really was an alien down there. He says he found out it was a secret base and the people who worked there even had to wear special clothing, but they were dealing with secret stealth technology, not aliens.

As for Roswell, he says he knew they were going to receive “zillions” of letters about it for the anniversary, so he had all of the Roswell papers reviewed. Clinton didn’t get into the results of that inquiry before Kimmel’s next question, but we do know from previous comments that Clinton says he found no evidence of aliens at Roswell either. More on the later…

As soon as Clinton mentioned he had the Roswell files reviewed, Kimmel asked, “If you saw that there were aliens there would you tell us?”

Clinton replied that he would, to which the crowd clapped. He then said:

What do we know now? We know we live in an ever expanding universe. We know that there are billions of stars and planets, literally, out there, and the universe is getting bigger. We know from our fancy telescopes that just in the last two years more than 20 planets have been identified outside of our solar system that seem to be far away enough from their suns and dense enough that they might be able to support some form of life. So, it makes it increasingly less likely that we are alone.

Kimmel suggested, “Oh, you are trying to give me a hint that there are aliens.”

Clinton replied, “No, I am trying to tell you I don’t know, but if we were visited some day I wouldn’t be surprised. I just hope it’s not like Independence Day the movie. “

Finally, Clinton embarked some sentiments, similar to those given by Reagan in the 80s and repeated several times, that if there was an alien threat that humans would need to unite and forget our petty difference. He noted that was the point behind the Independence Day movie.

Clinton’s UFO History

Clinton wasn’t kidding when he says he looked into UFOs during his presidency. In fact, a story that would make Kimmel proud was printed in a book by Clinton’s friend William Hubbell.

Hubbell was a friend of the Clintons from Arkansas, and was actually indicted for fraud in the Whitewater scandals. Before his indictment he was assigned to the Attorney General’s office as the Associate Attorney General. Hubbell wrote in his book Friends in High Places:

Clinton had said, ‘”If I put you over at Justice, I want you to find the answers to two questions for me,” Hubbell recounts. “One, who killed JFK. And two, are there UFOs?” Clinton was dead serious. I had looked into both, but wasn’t satisfied with the answers I was getting.

In a speech he gave in Belfast in Northern Ireland in 1995, Clinton brought up Roswell. He said, “I got a letter from 13-year-old Ryan from Belfast. Now, Ryan, if you’re out in the crowd tonight, here’s the answer to your question. No, as far as I know, an alien spacecraft did not crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. And, Ryan, if the United States Air Force did recover alien bodies, they didn’t tell me about it, either, and I want to know.”

Someone else who wanted to know was Laurence Rockefeller. Laurance, one of the Rockefeller heirs, worked diligently during Clinton’s administration to fund research into UFOs, and to get official government information released.

Laurance, who passed in 2004, was by no means a black sheep of the powerful Rockefeller family. He held a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, and was the founding trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for forty-two years. He was a venture capitalist who was involved with, among other things, the rise of the computer era. He helped shape history, and before he passed he wanted the public to be informed about UFOs.

Researcher Grant Cameron, who runs the website HillaryClintonUFO.net, was able to retrieve documents through the Freedom of Information Act that showed Rockefeller was soliciting help from Hillary’s staff on drafting a document to President Bill Clinton in 1995.  The title of the document was Lifting Secrecy on Information About Extraterrestrial Intelligence as Part of the Current Classification Review.

The Clintons never did publicly involve themselves with Rockefeller’s quest for UFO truth, but like he told Kimmel, Clinton did make his own inquiries. Another time when he discussed his Area 51 and Roswell investigation was after his presidency in Hong Kong in 2005.

Clinton took part in a Q and A session with an audience for CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, a large independent equity broker and financial services group. The moderator asked Clinton if there was a list that was passed from president to president with a list of secrets like “’Where is Jimmie Hoffa?” and “What really happened at Roswell?” He added, “Is there something for us to look forward to that will be released that will make the National Inquirer required reading?”

Clinton chuckled, and although he wasn’t asked about it, his answer mostly referenced Area 51:

Well, I don’t know if you all remember this, but there was actually, when I was president in my second term, there was an anniversary observance of Roswell. You Remember that? People came to Roswell, New Mexico from all over the world. And, um… and there is also a site in Nevada where people were convinced that the government had buried a UFO and perhaps an alien deep underground, because we wouldn’t allow anybody to go there. And um… I can say now, because it has now been released into the public domain, I actually had so many people in my own administration convinced that Roswell was a fraud, but this place in Nevada was really serious, there was an alien artifact there. So, I actually sent someone there to figure it out, and it was actually just a secret defense installation, alas, doing boring work that we just didn’t want anybody else to see.

This wasn’t the first time Clinton referenced Area 51. He was forced to do so in 1994. Due to the burning of unknown chemicals at Area 51, several civilian contractors got sick and two of them died. Five of these employees, who remained unnamed, and the families of two of the deceased sued the US Air Force and the EPA in 1994.

The Air Force had a difficult time denying the existence of the base to the media, while at the same time acknowledging the law suit existed. Because of its secret nature, the Air Force said they could not reveal the chemicals that were being burnt at the base, and President Clinton reinforced this decision with a Presidential Determination which exempted “The Air Force’s Operating Location Near Groom Lake, Nevada” from environmental disclosure laws. Thus, the victims’ case was dismissed due to a lack of evidence. The determination requires being reviewed and renewed every year, and every president since Clinton has done so.

The determination did not include the name Area 51, because the name of the base was officially classified until recently. In fact, President Obama had the honor of being the first president to speak the name of the base. Clinton’s appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel may, in fact, be the first time he has uttered those words in public.

Clinton’s UFO Buddy

Johh Podesta was Bill Clinton’s chief of staff and aided in Obama’s transition into the White House in 2008, and is currently a White House advisor. He is also known to be a sci-fi enthusiast, and has been involved with efforts to get the government to disclose all it knows about the UFO phenomenon.

John Podesta (Image from www.americanprogress.org)

Podesta served on Clinton’s staff from 1993 until Clinton left office. His final position was as Clinton’s Chief of Staff. He has remained influential in politics through a liberal think tank that he founded called the Center for American Progress.

It has always been known that Podesta is a big sci-fi buff. He made headlines during his tenure in the White House when he had an X-files themed birthday party. He was especially keen on that TV series. For a man at his level to have an interest in sci-fi is not that unusual. However, the depth of his interest in UFOs was revealed when he spoke at a press conference at the National Press Club asking the government to release its secret files on UFOs so that scientists can determine the nature of the phenomena.

In 2002 the Coalition for the Freedom of Information headed by journalist Leslie Kean, along with the Sci-Fi channel (now SyFy), held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. to address the issue of secrecy regarding the subject of UFOs. At that meeting Podesta stated, “It is time for the government to declassify records that are more than 25 years old, and to provide scientists with data that will assist in determining the real nature of this phenomenon.” He made this comment in front of several major media representatives in attendance. The video can be seen below.

Clinton by far, more than any other president, has demonstrated the biggest presidential interest in UFOs. Every time he has talked on the subject he has left open the possibility that there could be more to the subject than we know. It seems he has been open to the idea of alien visitation for some time, even before it was cool. And yes, it is now very cool to believe in aliens.

Open Minds UFO Radio: Nick Pope investigated UFOs for the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) for several years in the early 1990s. He was skeptical about the phenomenon when he began looking into the matter. However, after having reviewed several credible cases Nick concluded that UFOs pose a real mystery, and unidentified vehicles in our airspace could pose a threat to national security. Since he has left the MoD, Nick has authored a book on the UK’s most credible and famous UFO case, Encounter in Rendlesham Forest: The Inside Story of the World’s Best-Documented UFO Incident. He is also a journalist and media commentator.

Recently, Nick was able to obtain Department of Defense (DoD) files regarding Advanced Aerospace Identification Program (AATIP), often referred to as the Pentagon’s secret UFO project. These are some of the very few official releases of documents related to AATIP that have surfaced. In this episode, we discuss what is in the files and how he received them. Nick also explains what we can infer from the documents, and why they are significant.

For more information about Nick, visit: NickPope.Net.

{ http://www.openminds.tv/ }

The latest episode of History’s Project Blue Book takes the furthest deviation yet from the facts of the real Project Blue Book program. However, it is very entertaining and it mixes in real conspiracy theories expertly in a manner that is intelligent and makes the viewers think.

I have been reviewing the show for Den of Geek, and my review of the latest episode can be found here: 

• Project Blue Book Episode 4 Review: Operation Paperclip.

Project Blue Book Episode 4

Project Blue Book episode 4 takes a nosedive into the rabbit hole, but the wild storylines follow real conspiracy and UFO mythologies that are popular on the web. It also presents an intriguing alternate theory to the idea that UFOs have anything to do with aliens at all.

Take an odd part of history, add a bit of conspiracy mythology, then sprinkle with magic Hollywood dust and up sprouts a huge, beautiful tree of fantasy. That would sum up my feelings on “Operation Paperclip.” I am a student of history, so I relish in historical accuracy. However, I am also a sci-fi buff, and this latest episode frustrated the history buff in me while exciting my sci-fi side.

Let’s get into it. The show begins with Hynek on an airplane. The first mystery presented was that the passenger cabin of the aircraft looked more like a train with curtains over the windows and seats that faced one another. However, in a tweet, show creator and writer David O’Leary wrote: “Yes, these old 1950s planes really did have train-like booths that faced each other. And lots more leg room!” Score one for historical accuracy! Granted, it’s one of the few points that I will award in this category for this particular episode.

Hynek then sees a UFO flying around the airplane. We are lead to believe Hynek is experiencing this sighting, but then he wakes from a dream. He was dreaming about his most recent UFO case - a sighting by the passengers and crew of a commercial aircraft near Huntsville, Alabama.

Quinn feels certain he knows who is responsible for this UFO incident and he is not very happy about it. Quinn explains that after World War II, German scientists were snatched up by the U.S. as part of Operation Paperclip. He says Huntsville was set up to house German scientists working on rocket technology, led by Werner von Braun. Having fought in World War II, Quinn is with the situation.

Hynek and Quinn travel to Huntsville to find out what the Germans are up to. Quinn is convinced that the UFO that buzzed the airplane was a rocket built by the former German scientists, who he believes were not concerned with endangering the lives of the passengers.

Security denies Hynek and Quinn access to the base, but Quinn crashes through the barricades anyway. This does allow them an audience with Von Braun but also lands Quinn a suspension. Von Braun says he is familiar with Hynek’s work, shows them a secret rocket launch and offers Hynek a job. He admits it was one of his rockets that buzzed the airplane, but Hynek doesn’t believe him.

To make a long story short, after leaving, Hyenk and Quinn break into the base again. This time they sneak around and find a body floating in a suspended animation container. It looks like an alien. The base alarms sound, so the two race off, only to be caught. Von Braun tells them what they saw was a monkey that had been sent into space and was undergoing testing as to the effects of space on its body. Hynek tells him he is suspicious of their project because the rocket explanation for the UFO sighting did not fit the witness testimony. There is something von Braun is hiding.

At the end of the show, we see what that is. After Quinn and Hynek have left, General Harding, Quin’s boss, shows up to join von Braun on a tarmac. A large saucer-shaped object is then wheeled out of a hangar, and a pilot in a flight suit is put into the craft. This pilot is complaining he doesn’t want to do this, but he seems drugged and unable to struggle. The craft looks like human technology, but when it is started up, a weird field surrounds it, then it disappears.
The show is mostly full on science fiction with modern UFO and conspiracy mythologies expertly weaved into the story. The visuals are also stunning. It all makes for a fun and exciting show.

Project Blue Book, the TV show, is getting more exciting, and maybe that is due to its divergence from reality. Many feel the show does not need to move away from the real Project Blue Book investigations to be exciting, and that may be the case. I know first hand proving that to a producer is near impossible. However, I find this particular journey into conspiratorial sci-fi is intelligent in that it is expertly incorporating the UFO and conspiracy mythologies while making the viewers think about alternate explanations to the UFO mystery.

The Project Blue Book Files

Huntsville is a city built by rockets. It is the home of NASA’s Marshall Space Center, but before NASA was created, the military had been testing missiles in the area since World War II. After the war ended, rocket testing continued. Operation Paperclip was real, and Werner von Braun was a real rocket scientist brought to the U.S. The U.S. first brought the German rocket scientists to Fort Bliss, Texas, but in the ‘50s, von Braun and his team were moved to Huntsville.

Von Braun’s popularity was primarily due to his involvement in the development of the V-2 rocket. This rocket terrified the allies during the war because it was the first ballistic missile. While the space program was a real thing, the real importance to the military was the development of bigger and better rockets. Especially with the prospect that a ballistic missile would be the ideal delivery system for the newly developed atom bomb.

In UFO circles, there have been many rumors about von Braun. From the belief that he had to be in the know regarding alleged crashes of alien spacecraft such as Roswell, to a rumor that he knew the government was faking emergencies to distract the public and that one day a UFO scare would be used for that purpose.

The Nazi’s also have a UFO history according to many conspiracy theories. It is believed they communicated with aliens and were able to develop technologies based off of alien technology. You can even find pictures online of saucer-shaped craft with Nazi symbols and guns mounted on them. It is rumored that the Nazi’s tried to mount weapons on alien spacecraft and it disrupted the propulsion systems and would not work. There are also rumors that the Germans were developing anti-gravity. In particular, a bell-shaped craft creatively named The Bell. The propulsion system consisted of two cylinders filled with a mercury-like substance that spun in opposite directions.

read more: Aliens in America: A History of UFO Storytelling

The way the craft disappeared at the end of Project Blue Bookis reminiscent of another conspiracy theory, one known as the Philadelphia Experiment. This mythology was first brought forth in a UFO book, although the author did not find the story credible. Despite the author’s opinion, this theory has a wide following. The story was that the U.S. developed technology that could render a ship invisible. Allegedly in 1943, the USS Eldridge, a 300 ft long Navy destroyer, was used to experiment with the technology. When the invisibility machine was enabled, the ship disappeared. When it reappeared crewmen reported feeling sick, and some were killed by somehow being embedded into the steal of the vessel.

In reality, the Germans were undoubtedly ahead of their time. At the time, technology such as jet propulsion and rockets were very advanced, and the Germans were way ahead of the U.S. in these areas. They even had a jet shaped like a stealth bomber that did partially inspire some of the stealth bomber’s characteristics. However, beyond rumors, there is no evidence they developed anti-gravity or canoodled with aliens.

The end of this Project Blue Bookepisode seems to suggest UFO sightings are actually due to experimental aircraft. The CIA has suggested this as well. In a CIA report regarding the development of aircraft at Area 51, there is a section titled “U-2s, UFOs, and Operation Blue Book.” In this section, they claim that many UFO reports were due to unwitting civilians spotting test flights of the U-2 spy plane. The report claims, “This, in turn, led to the Air Force’s Operation Blue Book.” The problem with the last statement is that the U.S. Air Force began investigating UFO sightings in 1947 with Project Sign and Project Blue Book began in 1952. The U.S. did not conduct test flights of the U-2 until the mid to late 50s. It is highly likely U-2 test flights did cause UFO reports, but it is not possible for the U-2 test flights to have caused the creation of Project Blue Book.

{ http://www.openminds.tv/ }

Open Minds UFO Radio: In this episode, Alejandro and Martin review fresh UFO news including the recent release of files related to the Pentagon’s UFO program.

We take a look at the serious topic and related issues of objects observed in the skies above us that remain a mystery. Host Alejandro Rojas shares updates and credible information regarding Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) including the search for extraterrestrial life and our quest to become a space fairing species.

This week’s Project Blue Book episode featured the Lubbock Lights UFO case. It was a case that left Project Blue Book Chief Edward Ruppelt baffled after his own investigation. Many of the case’s interesting nuances were featured in the show, however, the show did go down some conspiratorial routes that were not part of the real Project Blue Book investigation. The show is historical-fiction, and fortunately History posts articles on the real cases and they have a good one on the Lubbock Lights.

If you want a thorough review including links to the Blue Book files, Ruppelt’s investigation, and photographs that were taken of the lights, see my review on Den of Geek here: Project Blue Book Episode 3 Review: The Lubbock Lights.

Open Minds UFO Radio: David is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker and producer. He has also had a lifelong interest in UFOs. Like many of us, David was excited about the news that the Pentagon had a secret UFO project. He was also excited about the extraordinary UFO encounter that was also featured in the New York Times article that broke the Pentagon UFO news. The encounter involved the USS Nimitz carrier strike group and occurred in November 2004 near San Diego. During training exercises a white object described as looking like a Tic Tac was spotted, jets went in to get a closer look, and then things got weird.

Some of the military personnel involved with the encounter have come forward since the NYT broke the story, including David Fravor, the lead pilot who got the closest look. As a filmmaker, David saw an opportunity to help tell the story by taking all of the details publicly available and recreating the encounter. In this episode, we talk to David about his inspiration to make the film, and the details and behind the scenes behind the film’s production.

Watch David’s USS Nimitz UFO Encounters video here: https://youtu.be/26vx-EfVD8g

Visit his USS Nimitz UFO Encounters website: http://thenimitzencounters.com/

Visit his USS Nimitz UFO Encounters Facebook page: 

• https://www.facebook.com/Thenimitzencounters/

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Open Minds UFO Radio: Ryan Sprague is a UFO journalist, podcaster, and author. He is also a professional playwright and screenwriter. He was a frequent contributor to Open Minds Magazine, and has participated as a staff member or speaker at several International UFO Congress events. Ryan hosts the podcast Somewhere in the Skies and Rogue Planet’s Unknown. Ryan’s latest project was co-hosting CW’s Roswell: Mysteries Decoded. Alejandro also appeared in the show and served as a consulting producer.

In this episode, we talk about the production of the CW’s Roswell special, what was left out, and our thoughts on how the production came out. We also discuss the Roswell case and the mysteries surrounding the most famous alleged crash landing of an alien spacecraft.

Visit Ryan website at: 

• somewhereintheskies.com

Visit him on Patreon: 

• www.patreon.com/SomewhereSkies

WATCH Roswell: Mysteries Decoded FREE here: 

• https://www.cwseed.com/shows/roswell-mysteries-decoded/roswell-mysteries-decoded/?play=be3160ef-7527-46a0-9809-99b72f7df170

Paul Hynek has worked in tech and entertainment and is currently a business consultant. Paul is also a former adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, and is presently a consultant for HISTORY’s new series Project Blue Book, based on a real project to investigate UFOs from 1952 to 1969. Paul is the son of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, an astronomer who worked with the U.S. Air Force investigating UFO cases from 1948 to the end of Blue Book in 1969. A character based on J. Allen Hynek is the lead character in the series.

Paul’s father began his investigation with USAF as a skeptic, but by the time Blue Book ended, he was convinced some UFO cases posed a real mystery. The HISTORY series is not sticking strictly to the facts, but it is attempting to portray the people and events as accurately as possible. In this interview, we talk to Paul about the production of the new series, his father’s UFO work, and how he hopes the show will affect viewers and perceptions of the UFO phenomenon.

Project Blue Book premieres January 8, 2018. Visit the HISTORY Project Blue Book website for more: https://www.history.com/shows/project-blue-book

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