Latest news with #UFOs
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
UFOs are at risk of going 'down the paranormal rabbit hole', expert warns - as bombshell report reveals Pentagon planted myths
UFOs are at risk of 'going down the paranormal rabbit hole', an expert has warned in wake of a bombshell report by the Wall Street Journal. The report revealed that UFO conspiracies were fuelled by the Pentagon in a bid to conceal a classified weapons programme. According to the 2024 US Department of Defense (DOD) review, the government conducted a deliberate disinformation campaign during the Cold War era, going so far as to distribute fake photos of flying saucers to residents. Following the release of the report, Nick Pope, who worked on the MoD's UFO desk for three years from 1991, claims that some UFO investigators are introducing 'too much religiosity' into their theories. In a post on X, Mr Pope wrote: 'The subject of UAP has gone from fringe to mainstream. ' Congress is engaged. 'We risk losing this if we go down the paranormal rabbit hole, or introduce too much religiosity or spirituality into the narrative. 'Let's keep the focus on defense, national security and safety of flight.' Over the last few years, there has been growing interest at the highest levels of US politics in the topic of UFOs and UFO sightings. Members of Congress, largely coming from the Republican Party, have formed a caucus to examine what they call 'unidentified anomalous phenomena' or 'UAPs'. In 2023, this c ulminated in a major congressional hearing in which former US officials testified to the existence of a secret UFO recovery programme. David Grusch, who led the analysis of UAP within a US defence agency, claimed that the government had taken possession of alien craft and 'biologics'. However, UFOs' growing credibility now risks taking a serious blow as it emerges that a number of UFO theories might have been deliberately started by the Pentagon itself. The new claims of a secret weapons cover-up come from a report by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) - a congressional task force within the DOD created to investigate persistent rumours of secret government projects involving alien technology. Sean Kirkpatrick, the first director of the AARO, was appointed by the government in 2022 to investigate and make sense of the countless UFO theories swirling through public and military channels. Investigating UFO reports dating back to 1945, AARO discovered several cases where high-ranking military officials deliberately misled the public and their colleagues. Mr Kirkpatrick told the Wall Street Journal he had met a number of former Air Force members who claimed to have been briefed on a project called 'Yankee Blue'. For decades, some newly recruited officers were given a picture which appeared to show a flying saucer and were told that they were part of a programme called Yankee Blue which was responsible for reverse-engineering the technology. However, the picture was a fake and there was such a reverse-engineering programme. Instead, Yankee Blue appears to have been a bizarre hazing ritual or loyalty test for new recruits into the Air Force. And even decades later, news that Yankee Blue was fake stunned the now-retired servicemen. It was not until 2023 did the defence secretary's office sent a memo out across the service ordering the practice to stop immediately. Kirkpatrick told then President's director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, who was also stunned. Haines was said to have pressed the issue, questioning how the hazing could have carried on without being stopped. The official responded: 'Ma'am, we know it went on for decades. We are talking about hundreds and hundreds of people. These men signed NDAs. They thought it was real.' As these reports rattle many UFO believers, Mr Pope insists that it is key for those in favour of UFO disclosure to 'push narratives that compete with the religious/spiritual one'. Mr Pope wrote: 'Let's keep the focus on defense, national security and safety of flight.' His comments come in response to a growing number of UFO supporters who argue that aliens are actually angels or other supernatural creatures. For example, Luis Elizondo, one of the leading UFO whistleblowers and disclosure advocates, has claimed that he psychically transformed into an angel to scare terrorists as part of a secret Pentagon programme. Yet despite the Wall Street Journal's revelations and Mr Pope's appeal to stick to the facts, many UFO believers have only entrenched themselves deeper in conspiracy theories. Speaking on the Good Trouble Show podcast, Mr Elizondo said: 'The absurdity of the WSJ article is not only a disingenuous piece, it appears to be well orchestrated with the usual players in the DoD [Department of Defence].' Likewise, commenters on the popular r/UFO Reddit page shared their belief that the WSJ investigation must be another conspiracy. Experts say that conspiracy theories are 'sticky', meaning that believers cannot give them up easily even when faced with contradictory evidence One commenter wrote: 'The fact they are claiming this is totally absurd but it's important to see why they are doing it. WSJ is being fed this info from Pentagon sources. Why? What is their angle?' However, psychologists say that this reaction to the sudden release of new information is normal for conspiracy theorists. Dr Daniel Jolley, an expert on the psychology of conspiracy theories from the University of Nottingham, told MailOnline: 'Conspiracy beliefs can be very 'sticky' because they're often tied to people's identity and worldview. 'When someone invests in a conspiracy belief, it becomes part of how they make sense of the world and themselves. New evidence that contradicts those beliefs can be dismissed or rationalised away since accepting it might threaten deeply held assumptions and create psychological discomfort.' This means that the suggestion that UFO myths were created as a disinformation campaign is unlikely to affect the deeply held beliefs of those who already think UFOs are real. WHAT MAKES SOMEONE BELIEVE IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Over the course of three online-based studies, researchers at the University of Kent showed strong links between the belief in conspiracy theories and certain psychological traits. Narcissism and self-esteem levels have a large impact on a persons belief in conspiracy theories. The results showed that people who rated highly on the narcissism scale and who had low self-esteem were more likely to be conspiracy believers. However, while low self-esteem, narcissism and belief in conspiracies are strongly linked, it is not clear that one - or a combination - causes the other. But it hints at an interesting new angle to the world of conspiracy and those who reinforce belief. There are widely believed to be three main reasons as to why people believe in conspiracy theories. The desire for understanding and certainty - Seeking explanations for events is a natural human desire. The desire for control and security - Conspiracy theories can give their believers a sense of control and security. The desire to maintain a positive self-image - People who feel socially marginalised are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories and it gives them a sense of worth in the UFO community. These three things tie in with the previously stated qualities and combine to create an avid conspiracy theorist.
Irish Independent
14 hours ago
- Science
- Irish Independent
Pentagon ‘fed Area 51 UFO claims in weapons programme cover up'
Pentagon officials have spent years spreading disinformation about UFOs as part of attempts to hide secret weapon programmes at Area 51, a report has claimed. The efforts included fabricating and planting 'evidence' about alien research, helping to unleash persisting myths about extraterrestrial activity in the US, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Pentagon ‘spread Area 51 UFO rumours to cover up secret weapons programmes'
Pentagon officials spent years spreading disinformation about UFOs in an attempt to hide secret weapons programmes at Area 51, it has been claimed. By fabricating and planting 'evidence' about alien research, they unleashed persistent myths about extraterrestrial activity in the US, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). In one case in the 1980s, a US Air Force colonel visited a bar near the highly classified military base, deep in the Nevada desert, and gave the owner images of what looked like flying saucers. The photographs were then pinned to the walls – and the idea was planted that Area 51 was being used to secretly test recovered alien technology. However, the images were doctored, the now-retired colonel reportedly confessed to Pentagon investigators in 2023. The disinformation mission was part of an effort to hide the testing of new top-secret stealth aircraft, developed to penetrate the Soviet Union's air defences. Military officials, fearing that the F-117 programme might be exposed, hoped locals would believe the other worldly-looking jets instead came from outside Earth. The WSJ said the disinformation efforts were uncovered during an extensive review by a Pentagon team into long-running conspiracy theories about Washington allegedly hiding research into aliens. However, the newspaper said a report of the review's findings, published last year, 'itself amounted to a cover-up – but not in the way the UFO conspiracy industry would have people believe'. While the investigation found no evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial beings or crafts – or of a related government cover-up – it 'omitted key facts... both to protect classified secrets and to avoid embarrassment,' the WSJ alleged. Investigators found that many reported UFO sightings were usually of drones, rockets, birds or, in some rare cases, misidentified new experimental space, rocket or air systems. However, the newspaper said evidence also emerged, dating back to the 1950s, of US government agencies fanning the flames of alien-related conspiracy theories to protect military assets. Investigators were supposedly still trying to work out if the disinformation tactics formed part of a centralised, institutionalised programme or were led by local officers. The newspaper said one rumour spread by officials that had spun widely out of control over the decades had originated from a 'bizarre hazing ritual' for new commanders of a classified air force programme. It said recruits would be handed a piece of paper with a photograph of a 'flying saucer' as part of their induction briefing. Officers were then told they would be joining a top-secret fake unit, dubbed Yankee Blue, that was trying to reverse-engineer alien aircraft. The commanders were also ordered never to mention it again. But investigators found that many never discovered it was fake. In 2023, a memo was circulated ordering the hazing ritual to stop, although the damage was largely done. The discovery reportedly led Avril Haines, Joe Biden's director of national intelligence, to ask whether the practice was directly responsible for the ongoing myth that Washington had concealed an alien programme from the American people. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Science
- Telegraph
Pentagon ‘spread Area 51 UFO rumours to cover up secret weapons programmes'
Pentagon officials have spent years spreading disinformation about UFOs as part of attempts to hide secret weapon programmes at Area 51, a report has claimed. The efforts included fabricating and planting 'evidence' about alien research, helping to unleash persisting myths about extraterrestrial activity in the US, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. In one case in the 1980s, a US Air Force colonel visited a bar near the highly classified military base, deep in the Nevada desert, and gave the owner images of what looked like flying saucers. The photographs were then pinned to the walls – and the idea was planted that Area 51 was being used to secretly test recovered alien technology. However, the images were doctored, the now-retired colonel reportedly confessed to Pentagon investigators in 2023. The disinformation mission was part of an effort to hide the testing of new top-secret stealth aircraft, developed to penetrate the Soviet Union's air defences. Military officials, fearing that the F-117 programme might be exposed, hoped locals would believe the other worldly-looking jets instead came from outside Earth. The Wall Street Journal said the disinformation efforts were uncovered during an extensive review by a Pentagon team into long-running conspiracy theories about Washington allegedly hiding research into aliens. However, the newspaper said a report of the review's findings, published last year, 'itself amounted to a cover-up – but not in the way the UFO conspiracy industry would have people believe'. While the investigation found no evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial beings or crafts – or a related government cover-up – it 'omitted key facts... both to protect classified secrets and to avoid embarrassment,' The Wall Street Journal alleged. Investigators found that many reported UFO sightings were usually of drones, rockets or birds and, in some rare cases, misidentified new experimental space, rocket or air systems. But the newspaper said evidence also emerged, dating back to the 1950s, of government agencies fanning the flames of alien-related conspiracy theories to protect military assets. Investigators are reportedly still trying to work out if the disinformation tactics were a centralised, institutionalised programme or led by local officers. The newspaper said one rumour that was spread by officials had spun widely out of control over the decades and had originated from a 'bizarre hazing ritual' for new commanders of a classified air force programme. It said recruits would be handed a piece of paper with a photograph of a 'flying saucer' as part of their induction briefing. Officers were then told they would be joining a top-secret fake unit, dubbed Yankee Blue, that was trying to reverse-engineer alien aircraft. The commanders were also ordered never to mention it again. But investigators found that many never discovered it was fake. In 2023, a memo was circulated ordering the hazing ritual to stop, although the damage was largely done, investigators found. The discovery reportedly led to Joe Biden's then director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, wanting to know whether the practice was directly responsible for the ongoing myth that Washington had concealed an alien programme from the American people.
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First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
To conceal secret projects, US military has misled officers on UFOs: Report
For decades, the US military misled the public and even its own officers with myths of alien UFOs to hide the truth about top-secret military programmes, such as the development of stealth fighters, according to an investigation. read more In what makes separating facts from fiction difficult, it has now emerged that the US military misled the public and even its own personnel about unidentified flying objects (UFOs) for decades. The revelation has come at a time when the issue of UFOs, now formally called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), has generated great interest in recent years, including of lawmakers who have held hearings on the subjects. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) of the US Department of Defense (DoD) has found that the US military misled the public and its own personnel, including officers, with myths of UFOs to hide actual top-secret projects, according to Wall Street Journal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In recent years, several stories about UFOs have gained widespread attention, such as stories about Area 51 military base, the story of orb-like UFOs that US military pilots have spotted, and mysterious sightings around military bases. The issue has also become politicised as far-right Republicans have accused the purported 'deep state' of hiding UFO-related truth from public and even the government. Aliens? No, just government disinformation! The truth, it has emerged, has been much banal. The Journal has reported that many popular stories about UFOs, that grew into a whole lore over decades, were planted by the US military to keep top-secret military programmes under wraps. For example, in 1980s, a US Air Force colonel gave photos of what were dubbed as flying saucers to a pub-owner near the Area 51 base who then put those up in the pub. That led to the development of the lore about alien UFOs at Area 51. In reality, the doctored photographs were intentionally planted to create the myth of alien UFOs to hide the fact that the US government was developing top-secret fighter planes Area 51. The alien UFO lore meant that whenever someone saw a strange aircraft in the area, it was believed to be an alien aircraft and dismissed as a rumour. In reality, those alien UFOs were stealth fighters under development! The report said that a host of soldiers and officers were told that they were part of projects involving aliens and were made to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). This meant that even many people within the government thought they were working in alien-related programmes when they were not! On another occasion, the US government conducted a secret test involving electromagnetic pulse to test the security of one of its nuclear missile installations. But the senior leadership never told personnel stationed at the base about the test. This meant that personnel stationed at the base came under the false impression that their base came under an alien attack. Their impression and distrust of the government has lasted to this day. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
