From The NY Times: The Pentagon's Secret UFO Program

[Randall]

For me, UFO=possibly aliens, basically. That's what most of us think anyway upon hearing that word, and I'm tired of seeing all those attempts to avoid saying so.

I'm with you in principle but it's not quite that simple. I suspect what you really mean is that objects described in UFO reports that have been classed as unknown are probably UFOs ( alien craft ), the word "alien" meaning not necessarily from space, but from someplace other than known human civilization, and the word "probably" meaning that although all other known reasonable explanations have been ruled out, there is still a margin of error that precludes certainty, at least with all the cases we know about.

That is different than having a well substantiated definition for what the word means to begin with. I completely disagreed with Greg Bishop's position on a recent ATP episode that we shouldn't begin with a definition and then try to find evidence for that. It's not that I don't appreciate the intent of what he was saying, which was to reduce confirmation bias, but having a well defined working theory has been the standard procedure for the scientific method ever since it was established. We see something, we begin asking questions, we formulate hypotheses, and so on. It provides focus and eliminates a lot of unnecessary noise.

This is not to say I think we can always apply the scientific method as well as we would like in ufology ( I don't ). I think we need something more adaptable, which is why I advocate critical thinking. I'm simply pointing out that having well defined definitions for the subject matter in a particular field of inquiry is an academically accepted way of dealing with it. Nobody knew if black holes were real, and for that matter nobody has ever actually seen one. But exactly what they are was defined in no uncertain terms before the search began. SETI works on a similar principle. So returning to the point:

Even if we haven't got sufficient evidence to prove the existence of alien craft to everyone, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be trying to find that specific kind of evidence. If we run into evidence for other things along the way, that's fine, we can pass it along to the meteorologists, or the cryptozoologists, or whatever the case may be. In the meantime, we know what ufology is about. It's about UFOs ( alien craft ). That definition is based on the origin, history, and usage of the word, and then distilled down to it's essential meaning. You can view that via the link in my signature line. It's not simply my preferred off-the-top of my head opinion, or a simple dictionary definition. It's a well formulated working definition for the field.

 

[Realm]

I suspect what you really mean is that objects in UFO reports that have been classed as unknown are probably UFOs ( alien craft )

I mean that in practical terms, when I hear someone calling something an UFO, it signifies to me that the person thinks there's reason to consider aliens as an explanation for it. If they think it's probably some aircraft, drone, lantern or something similarly mundane that they just don't recognize, they probably don't call it an UFO. And as I said, to me that's "possibly aliens", not "probably aliens", as we know that most UFO reports are something else. There was just some recent news where MUFON state director Bill Konkolesky stated this about the reports for one year:

However, Konkolesky admits that 97% of the time, a sighting is not a UFO.

UFO’s in West Michigan? Maybe.
Obviously once again, not using any formal definitions...

the word "alien" meaning not necessarily from space, but from someplace other than known human civilization

I don't really care about theories of time-travelers or something like that. For me aliens (whether biological or technological) would be the most sensible option after known human civilization and the alternatives would be alien enough. If SETI as a scientific endeavor doesn't try to find time-travelers etc., why should we try to find something like that closer to home?

That is different than having a well substantiated definition for what the word means to begin with. I completely disagreed with Greg Bishops position on a recent ATP episode that we shouldn't begin with a definition and then try to find evidence for that. It's not that I don't appreciate the intent of what he was saying, which was to reduce confirmation bias, but having a well defined working theory has been the standard procedure for the scientific method ever since it was established. We see something, we begin asking questions, we formulate hypotheses, and so on.

This is not to say I think we can always apply the scientific method as well as we would like in ufology ( I don't ). I think we need something more adaptable, which is why I advocate critical thinking. I'm simply pointing out that having well defined definitions for the subject matter is an academically accepted way of working on problems. Nobody knew if black holes were real, and for that matter nobody has ever actually seen one. But exactly what they are was defined in no uncertain terms before the search began. SETI works on a similar principle.

I agree on the importance of definitions in scientific context, but to me the definitions SETI uses should be enough. This should be a matter of trying to find the very same thing, just a bit closer to home. And I mean that for the alien option, obviously if we are talking about the scientific effort of trying to investigate what the reported phenomena are, then we shouldn't begin with assumptions that they are aliens or something like that. Then it should be just a matter of trying to gather and analyze all the available data and evaluate different possibilities.

 

[Randall]

I mean that in practical terms, when I hear someone calling something an UFO, it signifies to me that the person thinks there's reason to consider aliens as an explanation for it. If they think it's probably some aircraft, drone, lantern or something similarly mundane that they just don't recognize, they probably don't call it an UFO ...

Yes. I got that. And that's part of the problem. People use the word so casually and define it so loosely, that it's becomes a problem for the field. That's why I try to get people on board with something well defined. It may seem trivial, but when you take a look at the total number of times people have messed this up in the media, it's actually one of the most serious problems for the field from a PR perspective.

UFO’s in West Michigan? Maybe. Obviously once again, not using any formal definitions...

Thanks for that. It's a good story.

I don't really care about theories of time-travelers or something like that. For me aliens (whether biological or technological) would be the most sensible option after known human civilization and the alternatives would be alien enough. If SETI as a scientific endeavor doesn't try to find time-travelers etc., why should we try to find something like that closer to home?

Sure. If that's what you're into, that's fine.

I agree on the importance of definitions in scientific context, but to me the definitions SETI uses should be enough. This should be a matter of trying to find the very same thing, just a bit closer to home. And I mean that for the alien option, obviously if we are talking about the scientific effort of trying to investigate what the reported phenomena are, then we shouldn't begin with assumptions that they are aliens or something like that. Then it should be just a matter of trying to gather and analyze all the available data and evaluate different possibilities.

SETI doesn't make much of an effort to deal with UFOs. Ufology is a totally separate field of inquiry. Maybe UFOs are ET. Maybe they're not. The field has it's own history spanning more than half a century. I think the term SETI actually came later, and they're looking for intelligent life "out there". Ufology is more about craft observed here.

 

[Realm]

SETI doesn't make much of an effort to deal with UFOs.

Yep, as I stated before, they are trying their best to not having to deal or be associated with UFOs in any way.

Ufology is a totally separate field of inquiry. Maybe UFOs are ET. Maybe they're not. The field has it's own history spanning more than half a century. I think the term SETI actually came later, and they're looking for intelligent life "out there". Ufology is more about craft observed here.

The way I see it, SETI is valid science because it is based on a scientifically sound hypothesis that life has evolved elsewhere too. I don't understand why it is so common in UFO circles to sort of throw away the benefits of having the very same valid and scientifically acceptable hypothesis. With that, the difference between SETI and ufology would in principle be just the distance from which observations are made. Obviously there are differences in methods and one relies more on eyewitness testimonies and so on, but in principle they would be searching for the same thing.

Consider the more or less only potential result SETI has so far produced:
Wow! signal - Wikipedia

They recorded a signal, but couldn't pinpoint where it came from. Earth-borne signals are considered unlikely mostly because the signal was on a protected spectrum that anything man-made shouldn't use, by common agreement. We can't exclude the possibility that it was a signal from some alien craft, and we can't exclude the possibility that it actually happened to be very close (and it wouldn't care about our agreements on that protected spectrum). So at least in principle, the only potentially significant SETI result so far could have actually been a craft observed here, UFO stuff. In my view, that possibility already reveals how closely connected those fields could actually be.

 

[Constance]

It's always seemed absurd to me that they aren't connected in fact when they are obviously connected in purpose.

 

[Randall]

Yep, as I stated before, they are trying their best to not having to deal or be associated with UFOs in any way.

Like how we're portrayed as "UFO Nuts" in the movie Contact.

The way I see it, SETI is valid science because it is based on a scientifically sound hypothesis that life has evolved elsewhere too. I don't understand why it is so common in UFO circles to sort of throw away the benefits of having the very same valid and scientifically acceptable hypothesis. With that, the difference between SETI and ufology would in principle be just the distance from which observations are made. Obviously there are differences in methods and one relies more on eyewitness testimonies and so on, but in principle they would be searching for the same thing.

Quite agreed. And I think there is an aspect to that field, but it's not well defined, so again we need that starting point and some consensus. As it is now, the field is a conglomeration of various interested parties who pretty much have their own way of doing things and want to keep it that way as opposed to mutually cooperating ( ironic given that the "M" in MUFON stands for "Mutual" ).

Consider the more or less only potential result SETI has so far produced:
Wow! signal - Wikipedia

Yes. I like that one.

They recorded a signal, but couldn't pinpoint where it came from. Earth-borne signals are considered unlikely mostly because the signal was on a protected spectrum that anything man-made shouldn't use, by common agreement. We can't exclude the possibility that it was a signal from some alien craft, and we can't exclude the possibility that it actually happened to be very close (and it wouldn't care about our agreements on that protected spectrum). So at least in principle, the only potentially significant SETI result so far could have actually been a craft observed here, UFO stuff. In my view, that possibility already reveals how closely connected those fields could actually be.

I think that's a great attitude, and am a bit dismayed by guys like Friedman who for all the stuff he gets right, sees SETI as an adversary, probably because of the adversarial approach to the skeptics involved with it. We don't have to be like them. We can do better than that .

 

[SRL+]

I mentioned earlier that they should have at least consulted Elizondo, who should have known better. But now we have heard from that recent interview how he actually doesn't seem to know much better. I mean, I shouldn't know the details better than him, I really shouldn't, but it seems to me I do. That really raises some questions on how much he and his team have actually investigated it.

… and that is why as forum member of the month you will receive …

 

[SRL+]

All this discussion is bit silly. Elizondo clearly said that all the data was from multiple sensors: radar, FLIR and 4 trained observers. So it was cross-confirmed. For whatever reason he wasn't able to show radar data, but he had signed statements from pilots.

How can possibly somebody who wasn't at a scene of events be a better judge that people who were there?

Are we saying that second and third degrees of separation guesses are better than on-the-scene trained F-18 fighter pilots. These pilots, by the way cost more than $5M to train and had passed all manner of health, aptitude, psyho etc. tests.

If pilots and said that it wasn't airliner jet exhaust, than it wasn't. Are people here saying that pilots made a judgement error?

I’ve already been down this road, and in the past have more or less agreed with your sentiments. There are compelling pilot sightings, radar returns, etc. However, this is a different animal inasmuch as a group claiming unassailable disclosure, while most any reasonable individual would carefully view the METABUNK Gimbal video, and think.., yup’ this looks like a heat signature all right.

Again, if the most earth shattering revelation in human history were to take place, the way in which this has unfolded thus far is lackluster at best.

As in not a Ufologist peddling paperbacks, nor a blogger, or, a podcaster perhaps seeking the limelight, this facilitator of peace and tranquility simply hangs out.

FWIW, in hearing “camp” & “field” so many times, the very thought of camping in a field makes me cringe.

 

[Hollywood Tomfortas]

Best Techie follows the money and warns against investing in TTSA. (Dated October 17, 2016)

I'm a huge Tom DeLonge fan, but don't invest in his latest venture

Look, I get it. You want to support Tom and his work–I do too, but don’t go blindly giving him $200 for shares in a company that you will never see any meaningful return from. And frankly, I’m a bit disappointed by this move from Tom, I had a lot of respect for him musically but also from a business perspective but this is just not cool–he’s using his fanbase to reimburse himself for the past two years, or at least that’s what it looks like to me. I’d love to be wrong.

 

[Hollywood Tomfortas]

Tee Hee! My Bad!!! But oh, the Schadenfreude!!! I’ve been reading the TTSA Facebook page and when I came to the comment of this earnest “to-the-starry-eyed” idealist, I just had to do some “Skinwalker spookin’.” Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!

==============

. . . . This is not some silly adventure/scam. It is a front company for Disclosure, plain and simple. Look at the people involved and ask why are they there. There is a reason and it is controlled and managed. TTSA will hold the patents for some far out technology that can change the world in terms of transport, Aerospace, healthcare, environment etc. . . . . Some gun camera footage is nothing. There is a lot more to come. There are big players behind the scenes on this. Invest, don't invest, it's up to you. Always seek investment advice for any investments. Do I think it's a scam? Absolutely not. Has my money been wasted? Maybe, but that's my choice. I'm in it because I've been around this game of research for over 40 years. What I'm seeing here I believe is what I have been waiting for all my life. The truth finally being given to the people of who we are and what it's all about..(well, maybe not everything, some things will always be classified). Exciting times.....lot more to come.....

· Reply · 1d

Tom Mellett It’s kind of a “bait and switch” operation, but a necessary one. The bait is confirmation that UFOs exist and people will accept that or not, as you see from the replies here, but nobody is scared about the UFOs. But the “switch” is farther down the road and it will be interesting to see if there will still be mass panic when the realities behind UFOs are revealed.
For a preview, just look at the strange entities they are investigating at Bob Bigelow’s ranch called the Skinwalker Ranch. Makes my skin crawl actually to read about it all. I’m telling you, that “Sentient Mist” entity really spooks me out!
http://www.skinwalkerranch.org/classificationsystem.html

 

[SRL+]

If not mistaken, that’s Ryan Skinner’s website. Obviously, he’s an aficionado of the ranch, and has graced the Paracast a couple of times with some fantastic tales which I’m not about to go into. Although, his experience in witnessing a porcupine clutching a lit cigarette pretty much sum up the goings-on out there. Wouldn't that be something if to witness a porcupine blowing smoke rings?

 

[Hollywood Tomfortas]

If not mistaken, that’s Ryan Skinner’s website. Obviously, he’s an aficionado of the ranch, and has graced the Paracast a couple of times with some fantastic tales which I’m not about to go into. Although, his experience in witnessing a porcupine clutching a lit cigarette pretty much sum up the goings-on out there. Wouldn't that be something if to witness a porcupine blowing smoke rings?

OK, but if you are willing to believe that a Mylar party balloon is an actual UFO craft, then why not have a smoking porcupine? Once again, there is a real credibility problem. And sooner or later, the TTSA team is going to have to deal with the stuff going on at the Skinwalker Ranch. Eric Davis did much research out there. What did he find? When will the report be released?

So might we Paracasters quantify the data? How about devising an Index of Credibility (IOC) for the claims made by either military pilots or UFO hunters on the ground like Ryan? Some probability value between 0 and 1, like IOC=0.37? We could better call it the Mylar Party Balloon Index (MPBI) in honor of the grand TTSA rollout last October.

 

[SRL+]

Does the ranch equal Disneyland of The Gods, or has something entirely different been taking place there?

Many of the same individuals of TTSA are/were involved @ the ranch, including Hal Puthoff. Ryan below suggests, “the pieces of this puzzle are starting to come together”. On the other hand, are they falling apart?

As you can quite plainly see, it becomes a rather sticky wicket to believe TTSA’s assertions, while not believing in the saga of Skinwaker Ranch.

Finally the role of Hal Puthoff has come into play

 

[Realm]

And I think there is an aspect to that field, but it's not well defined, so again we need that starting point and some consensus. As it is now, the field is a conglomeration of various interested parties who pretty much have their own way of doing things and want to keep it that way as opposed to mutually cooperating ( ironic given that the "M" in MUFON stands for "Mutual" ).

Which also shows the difference to SETI efforts. They all follow the same kind of scientific principles and standards, and you really can't be part of that community, or the wider scientific community, if you don't follow those. That's the way it needs to be in any serious research effort. It should be all about data and evidence, not beliefs, pseudo-science etc.

I don't see there's much chance of that happening in the so called UFO community as a whole, so in my opinion it would rather need at least some group that would really try to make it a matter of science and make a clean break from all that's not. There's no point in trying to cooperate with all sorts of pseudo-scientists, that's the problem, not a solution.

TTSA most definitely isn't the kind of group that is needed. They are just the same old. That never-ending story of those alloys/metamaterials/whateverwhocares is a good example of nonsense that was quite evidently initiated by an anonymous hoaxer ages ago, and people just keep on repeating and adding new elements to that story. It could make a good sequel for The Men Who Stare at Goats, but that's about it. But hey, maybe they actually have something of value there, since they are an entertainment company after all.

I think that's a great attitude, and am a bit dismayed by guys like Friedman who for all the stuff he gets right, sees SETI as an adversary, probably because of the adversarial approach to the skeptics involved with it. We don't have to be like them. We can do better than that .

At the moment, SETI scientists really don't have much choice. They need to protect themselves from ufology in general, if ufology doesn't protect itself from all the nonsense that's linked to it. SETI scientists care about their credibility, and they need to protect it.

Here's one example what the situation is in practice, and how credibility matters. This is part of an editorial in Nature, which is one of the most prestigious scientific journals there is:

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), a research discipline that celebrates the 50th anniversary of its inaugural publication this week (see page 345), has always sat at the edge of mainstream astronomy. This is partly because, no matter how scientifically rigorous its practitioners try to be, SETI can't escape an association with UFO believers and other such crackpots. But it is also because SETI is arguably not a falsifiable experiment.

SETI at 50

I believe that reflects quite common attitudes, and already reveals why the SETI folks want to have a clean break from UFOs. That page 345 linked above is behind a paywall, but here's some relevant parts:

On 19 September 1959, Nature published an article called ‘Searching for Interstellar Communication’. Speculation about life in space had been taboo in scientific circles since Percival Lowell wrecked his career in the late nineteenth century by claiming to have detected canals on Mars. Yet here was an article by two of the era’s pre-eminent physicists, Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison reviving, and legitimizing, the idea that we might we not be alone in the Universe — and that we might soon discover our cohabitants.
...
Both men were sceptics about UFOs, which were the rage at the time; Morrison delighted in publicly debunking reports of sightings. Still, they were intrigued by the problem: If intelligent civilizations were out there, how would we make contact with them? How would they make contact with us? After some discussion, the two hit on the idea of radio signals.
...
They didn’t know it at the time, but in the mountains of Green Bank, West Virginia, a man named Frank Drake was already looking. For half a year, Drake had been helping to set up the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the world’s best, with an 26-metre telescope (pictured on previous page). A few years earlier, as a graduate student at Harvard University, Drake had reached the same conclusion as Cocconi and Morrison about the frequency of hydrogen atoms. He figured that if someone out there was beaming signals, this big, new radio telescope might pick them up. His superiors gave Drake permission to conduct an experiment, but only if he kept it quiet. The observatory was funded by tax dollars, and the whole project would be jeopardized if Congress got wind that the scientists at Green Bank were looking for little green men.
...
When the Cocconi–Morrison article appeared, the observatory’s director, Otto Struve, felt he could take the project out of the closet. The imprimatur of Nature made the subject open to serious discussion. Struve also wanted the world to know that his man had come up with the theory first. So he gave a public lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge about Drake’s project and its philosophical importance. At once the NRAO was the object of enormous curiosity. Electronics companies donated state-of-the-art equipment — amplifiers, tape recorders and the like — for the space hunt. Newspaper and magazine reporters came calling. The enterprise was suddenly respectable, so much so that, in November 1960, the National Academy of Sciences sponsored a conference at the NRAO to discuss how to turn the experimental search into a systematic enquiry.

That's a pretty good example how much it matters in practice whether you are taken seriously or not.

 

[Hollywood Tomfortas]

Does the ranch equal Disneyland of The Gods, or has something entirely different been taking place there?

Many of the same individuals of TTSA are/were involved @ the ranch, including Hal Puthoff. Ryan below suggests, “the pieces of this puzzle are starting to come together”. On the other hand, are they coming apart?

As you can quite plainly see, it becomes a rather sticky wicket to believe TTSA’s assertions, while not believing in the sagas at Skinwaker Ranch.

Finally the role of Hal Puthoff has come into play

OMG! This should really excite Brother @Realm !!! I had forgotten about Uncle Hal’s Research with David Hudson on the white gold powder elixir. ORME! Yes!!!
Welcome ~Lucy's~ to the Truth: Truth about White Powder Gold or ORME (Orbitally Rearranged Mono-atomic Elements)

You can still buy some on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJD1K3O/?tag=rockoids-20

 

[Realm]

OMG! This should really excite Brother @Realm !!!

I'm already vibrating on energy states that are so high that I have lost most of my mass!

Haven't heard about it, but it's apparently this stuff:
ORMUS - RationalWiki

Puthoff really seems to be the go-to-guy for all irrational materials.

You can still buy some on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJD1K3O/?tag=rockoids-20

"Stronger Mental Intuition, Clarity and Focus"

Is that enough for performing remote viewing, or do I need some stronger stuff for that?

Bad news from the customer reviews:

It was not wrapped in foil to keep it from deactivating with the electromagnetic mailing equipment.

 

[Hollywood Tomfortas]

Does the ranch equal Disneyland of The Gods, or has something entirely different been taking place there?

Many of the same individuals of TTSA are/were involved @ the ranch, including Hal Puthoff. Ryan below suggests, “the pieces of this puzzle are starting to come together”. On the other hand, are they coming apart?

As you can quite plainly see, it becomes a rather sticky wicket to believe TTSA’s assertions, while not believing in the sagas at Skinwaker Ranch.

Finally the role of Hal Puthoff has come into play

But of course we must assign it a very high MPBI because Hal explains the discrepancy here and even gets backed up by global advanced intelligence agent, Jack Sarfatti (get it? GAIA!!!! Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk!)
The Forbidden Knowledge of Secret Societies - 18

QUOTING FROM THE SITE:

The scientist often used by Laurence Gardner and others in their work is Dr. Hal Puthoff, director for advanced studies in Austin, who was quoted by Gardner as backing his theories.

Here’s what is supposedly said by Puthoff:

“Since gravity determines space-time, Puthoff concluded that the powder was ‘exotic matter’ and was capable of bending space-time.”

As Puthoff is so often used as backing the substance, I decided to ask!

I actually discovered to my surprise that Dr. Puthoff was not at all happy, and is a little perturbed at having to keep answering questions regarding the matter, especially as he never backed the theory in the first place.

However, I convinced Hal to give me a quote:

================
Hi Philip.
The Story is this. Early on (several years ago) someone brought Dave Hudson [who helped Gardner write his book] by and he told me about anomalous effects concerning his white powder.

One of his claims was that under certain conditions the mass decreased, i.e., an antigravity effect showed up. In response, I said that, from a physicist’s viewpoint, IF that were true, then there would have been a spacetime effect. (This is probably the source of the oft-stated quote attributed to me “The powder bends the spacetime metric.”)

Of course, I said no such thing about the powder because I do not know whether the statement about the powder is true. I offered that if he provided me a sample of the powder, I would check it out. He said he would. He never did. I never heard anything from him after that visit. But I hear a lot about the attributed quote from my colleagues, which I keep correcting!
Best regards,

Hal Puthoff,

Ph.D. Director, Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin
=============

As can be seen by this quote, Dr. Puthoff never backed the theory, and even wanted to help to see if there were any truth behind the claims by testing the substance claimed by Gardner to be derived from gold. I was told by Edmund Marriage of the Patrick Institute, who helped Gardner on the book, that it was tested by Oxford University and no gold was found.

So what is the truth?

Dr. Sarfatti of the Global Advanced Intelligence Agency (a mock and comical title) also said that,

“I think this is a false allegation….I know Hal very well and this is an obvious distortion, if not a bald lie.”

Puthoff also said,

“I have absolutely no idea what David Hudson’s white powder does. Don’t know where this quote comes from, which keeps showing up in the Internet, presumably from David Hudson. I am totally skeptical.”

I have had all manner of claims given to me via e-mail, and none of them have any scientific basis.

 

[Realm]

Someone should send these UFO materials to Puthoff for analysis too:

'UFO bits' unearthed in museum archive
Mystery of the missing Silpho UFO 'solved' as wreckage of 'Britain's Roswell' found 60 years after disappearing

 

[Realm]

Again, if the most earth shattering revelation in human history were to take place, the way in which this has unfolded thus far is lackluster at best.

Those hoping for earth shattering revelations should also remember that whatever the program actually found wasn't even enough to secure continued funding. And also this:

One possible theory behind the unexplained incidents, according to a former congressional staffer who described the motivations behind the program, was that a foreign power—perhaps the Chinese or the Russians—had developed next-generation technologies that could threaten the United States.

“Was this China or Russia trying to do something or has some propulsion system we are not familiar with?” said a former staffer who spoke with POLITICO on condition of anonymity.
...
The more recent effort, which was established inside the Defense Intelligence Agency, compiled “reams of paperwork,” but little else, the former staffer said.
...
Reid’s views on the subject were also shaped by a book about the Skinwalker Ranch, co-authored by his acquaintance George Knapp, the former congressional staffer said.
...
“When this was brought to Senator Reid he said, ‘There is enough here and I am obligated if this is a national security issue to invest some money in this,’” he explained. “Stevens and Inouye agreed with this.”

“I still remember coming back from that meeting and thinking of the implications of what Reid said,” the former senior official said. “I remember being concerned about this. I wanted to make sure it was supervised and we were using the appropriation to do actual research on real threats to the United States.

He said he was assured that the research being done was valid. “It was not a rogue individual out of control.”

The former staffer said that eventually, however, even Reid agreed it was not worth continuing.

“After a while the consensus was we really couldn’t find anything of substance,” he recalled. “They produced reams of paperwork. After all of that there was really nothing there that we could find. It all pretty much dissolved from that reason alone—and the interest level was losing steam. We only did it a couple years.”

“There was really nothing there that we could justify using taxpayer money,” he added. “We let it die a slow death. It was well-spent money in the beginning.”

The Pentagon’s Secret Search for UFOs

It doesn't look like much has or will change in reality. What really matters is some small amount of credible documented cases, which convince some, not others. Nimitz is one of them, but it remains to be seen if we get others. It's worrisome that Elizondo and others have mostly talked only about videos, like:

Just before leaving his Defense Department job two months ago, intelligence officer Luis Elizondo quietly arranged to secure the release of three of the most unusual videos in the Pentagon’s secret vaults: raw footage from encounters between fighter jets and “anomalous aerial vehicles” — military jargon for UFOs.

The videos, all taken from cockpit cameras, show pilots struggling to lock their radars on oval-shaped vessels that, on screen, look vaguely like giant flying Tic Tacs. The strange aircraft — no claims are made about their possible origins or makeup — appear to hover briefly before sprinting away at speeds that elicit gasps and shouts from the pilots.

Elizondo, in an internal Pentagon memo requesting that the videos be cleared for public viewing, argued that the images could help educate pilots and improve aviation safety. But in interviews, he said his ultimate intention was to shed light on a little-known program Elizondo himself ran for seven years: a low-key Defense Department operation to collect and analyze reported UFO sightings.

Head of Pentagon’s secret ‘UFO’ office sought to make evidence public

Lue also stated: “We are also planning to provide never before released footage from real US Government systems...not blurry, amateur photos, but real data and real videos.”

Fmr. Manager of DOD Aerospace Threat Program: "UFOs are Real” | HuffPost

Well, we already have a couple of videos showing blurry IR blobs, and it doesn't look like releasing more of the same would really change anything. Has there been any promises that we will see the more interesting paperwork as well? Lue gave the following answer to me regarding the Nimitz case, which seems to indicate they (TTSA) don't have that report at the moment:

Regarding investigation report: simply put, yes. I believe it will be available eventually...and perhaps not to far off. Much if it remains unclassified. CDR Fravor and CDR Slaight accounts are accurate to a "T".

Eric Davis has even read some of those unclassified parts, yet the TTSA hasn't released even those. Various people and organizations have filed a whole lot of FOIAs to get that report and others, so I'm also hopeful we will see at least that in the near future, regardless of what the TTSA does.

 

[DROBNJAK]

I don't see there's much chance of that happening in the so called UFO community as a whole, so in my opinion it would rather need at least some group that would really try to make it a matter of science and make a clean break from all that's not. There's no point in trying to cooperate with all sorts of pseudo-scientists, that's the problem, not a solution.

Problem #1 ... UFO lands. UFO is seen by one person. UFO leaves. There is nothing tangible left for scientists to study.

Problem #2 ... UFO landed this evening 1,000 miles from where you live and it was reported to call center. You want to go and take witness statements, take samples, do photos, take instruments and do measurements, BUT: doing it on a professional level, as scientists do, will require a budget of $2,000. There are at least 10 sightings every year assigned to you, so you are out of a pocket $20,000.

In short, there is no way to study UFOs scientifically, without big money. Scientific research is mega expensive, but nobody will give you a penny. All you will hear is: "We need money for more promising projects".

Solution #1 ... Start entertainment company >> make money >> use money to do scientific research.

Solution #2 ... go to forums and beat whole subject to death with other people who want to dig deeper. Keep complaining that presented information is ambiguous and non-scientific.

TTSA most definitely isn't the kind of group that is needed. They are just the same old. That never-ending story of those alloys/metamaterials/whateverwhocares is a good example of nonsense that was quite evidently initiated by an anonymous hoaxer ages ago, and people just keep on repeating and adding new elements to that story. It could make a good sequel for The Men Who Stare at Goats, but that's about it. But hey, maybe they actually have something of value there, since they are an entertainment company after all.

There are at least a dozen UFO cases of the same high quality standard, if not higher, than a Nimitz case. Plenty of stuff to research. And once you get clues from high quality cases you can use these clues to confirm veracity of the less renown cases.

Have you read white papers published by various scientists and engineers, over the last 60 years, in my forum signature? I read them all, as good as it can be done.