Conspiracy of Silence

 In the 1950s, the US government supported numerous UFO studies. However, it soon became clear that the official research aimed more at denying the existence of UFOs than at developing an objective picture of the subject. Officially, UFOs are said (including in almost all European countries) to pose a threat to national security. Governments typically keep research findings secret, while the media and public opinion are fed unbelievable, fabricated stories.

The most extensive UFO research project was Project Blue Book , organized by the US government. It began in 1952 and, over the course of seventeen years, investigated thousands of UFO sightings. Many were obvious hoaxes or misidentifications of known objects. However, a number of cases remain a mystery. Project Blue Book also explained these with fabricated theories. Later, when classified materials were released to the public under the Freedom of Information Act in 1976, it was revealed that the CIA was also involved in ridiculing UFOs.

Project Blue Book was followed by a two-year research project that cost half a million dollars. The result was the thousand-page Condon Report, prepared in 1969. This report also vigorously contradicted what numerous witnesses had been able to prove. It cannot be denied that two-thirds of the cases cannot be explained conventionally.

[i]The Condon Report was perhaps the last official UFO research project commissioned by the government. Its purpose was likely to demonstrate that UFOs were harmless and did not merit government attention. However, later, when the Freedom of Information Act was enacted, documents emerged proving that official research was continuing in secret. The documents clearly indicate that radar-visual sightings and aerial pursuits of UFOs were a constant occurrence. Between November 10 and 27, 1975, numerous disturbing incidents were reported. However, the low-flying objects, which repeatedly interfered with sensitive missile launch systems and weapons storage facilities, could not be identified. According to one radar-visual sighting from 1966, now considered a classic, a UFO apparently "probed" an Iranian jetliner. These events generated such interest that copies of the reports were sent to the US Foreign Secretary, the Pentagon, the White House, and the security services.

But the secrecy continued, even as ufologists attempted to obtain the documents through the courts. However, in the interests of national security, they remained classified. What could they contain? Why do governments across the world allow their citizens to wander in the dark? There are many possible explanations. Many UFOs are likely secret military aircraft undergoing testing. And governments are reluctant to reveal such details. They would rather draw a smokescreen over them in the form of vague UFO stories.

This version is supported by an incident from September 20, 1977. That morning, residents of the Russian city of Petrozavodsk spotted an object resembling a jellyfish. Eyewitnesses believed they had seen a UFO. This sparked considerable interest in the USSR and even abroad. The Soviet government, like other governments, denied the existence of UFOs. Now, however, a phenomenon emerged that was undeniable. The cause, however, was entirely different than previously believed. What the witnesses saw was the Kosmos955 spy satellite, launched from a secret military base in Plesetsk. Soviet authorities, of course, refused to provide this explanation. To avoid violating military secrecy, they left people believing they had seen a UFO. There was no other option. Politically, this was certainly preferable to revealing their own secret device.

Governments, with considerable cynicism, also perpetuate the UFO myth to distract citizens from economic and political tensions during periods of crisis. But it's also possible that they keep true UFO information secret because they don't know exactly what it is. They want to investigate it thoroughly without causing public panic. It's also possible that governments already know that UFOs do indeed come from another planet but fear the mass hysteria such information could provoke. In November 1980, the Spanish Minister of Transport said that he believed UFOs undoubtedly existed. At the same time, a Spanish general publicly stated, "For some time now, I have believed that UFOs are extraterrestrial means of transportation." He then added that research was being conducted with international cooperation and that soon "the public will learn the truth."

In June 1952, six Norwegian military jets were conducting exercises on the deserted, uninhabited Spitsbergen archipelago. Near the Hinlopen Strait, they encountered a wreck among the mountains. Norwegian scientists, including a rocket expert, soon arrived at the scene. The Norwegians believed it was probably a Soviet transport vehicle or a rocket. Instead, they found the wreckage of a disc-shaped object with holes in its rim made of an unknown metal. There was no sign of any living creatures

But what is even more remarkable about the entire incident was expressed in 1955 by Colonel Gernod Darnbyl, spokesman for the Norwegian General Staff: "The disk that crashed on Spitsbergen is very important. Although the current state of research does not allow us to solve all the mysteries, I believe that the Spitsbergen debris will prove to be very important. For a time, we wrongly believed that the disk was of Soviet origin. However, I would like to state that no country on Earth built it. The materials used are completely unknown to the scientists conducting the research." The colonel added that consultations were ongoing with American and British specialists. However, the research results were never published.

France, Spain, and Australia (unlike the United States and Great Britain) are among the Western countries that are more open about UFO issues. In 1974, a report was made with the participation of then-Defense Minister Robert Galley. He said: "It is an undeniable fact that there are cases today that we can only partially explain, or not at all. I must say that if you saw the flood of reports from pilots, police officers, and those involved in research, you would also say that we have cause for concern." Such a categorical statement is undoubtedly important. France is a country that has the most advanced technology at its disposal. If the Minister of Defense makes such a remark, it should be taken seriously. It is also worth mentioning the statement of one of the leading experts in official French ufological research: "We thought that the world's governments would find the truth about the existence of UFOs, but they do not know how to approach this problem."

So what is the truth? Based on the events of recent decades, we can conclude that governments have more and more information about UFOs. They are disclosing it slowly and reluctantly, but they are disclosing it nonetheless. For example, Spain made its information available to interested parties in 1976. In 1977, the Blue Book documents were published . In the late 1970s, an official UFO group was established in France. In 1981, Australia also opened its secret archives. In 1982, Great Britain announced its immediate intention to publish its UFO documents. In 1984, the British Ministry of Defense officially recognized the existence of UFOs. For years, these countries maintained that neither UFOs nor documents about them existed.

Does this mean that governments want to discourage UFOlogists from further research, or that they are gradually revealing the long-hidden truth? One thing is certain: we don't yet have access to all secret UFO documents. But it's also a fact that governments around the world are allocating significant sums of money to research, which is proof of the enormous interest in UFOs. Systematic cover-up serves to ensure that the UFO mystery remains hidden.