Governmental Transparency and Accountability
In 2017, the New York Times released an article titled “Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program” (Cooper, Blumenthal, & Kean, 2017). The article was a shock to many Americans and rekindled the massive interest and speculation around the UFO topic. In the bombshell article, reporters like Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthall detailed a revelation that seemed unbelievable: a secret UFO program called AATIP (Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program) that had been run undercover for the past near-decade. Additionally, the reporters revealed two new, and official military FLIR (infrared) videos of fighter jet encounters with UFOs, along with their stories too. The revelations came with a new whistleblower: Lue Elizondo. With his anger reminiscent of Edward Snowden, Lue Elizondo detailed his frustrations with the Pentagon, addressing the needed attention for “the many accounts from the Navy and other services of unusual aerial systems interfering with military weapon platforms and displaying beyond-next-generation capabilities.” Lue Elizondo recounted recovering metal alloys from UFOs and storing them at a facility near Las Vegas with the help of Robert Bigelow, the billionaire who ran the secret program with him at AATIP. While many people at the time still disregarded the conspiratorial reputation of UFO’s– behind the veil of government and bureaucracy– Congressman and senior unelected officials were taking it seriously.
In the years following the New York Times article, many changes were made to the approach of UAPs (UFO’s new name– Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) by the executive branch, legislative, and three letter agencies (DoD, CIA, DoE). To address the claims made by the New York Times of a hidden UAP program along with the existence of some phenomena, Senator Gillibrand along with other congressmen, pressured the DoD into creating a new task force– the UAP Task Force (Politico, 2020) . In the new task force, a Afghanistan Air Force veteran and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency worker would be assigned to investigate the many claims of UAPs and their possible reverse engineering in secret programs. The worker was named David Grusch and he interviewed over 40 individuals who were verified to be in these SAPs (Secret Access Programs), and eventually came to the dramatic conclusion, claiming that humans were being visited by NHI (Non-Human Intelligence) and that the DoD along with the CIA and DoE have been covering up the exploitation of alien technologies without congressional oversight (a violation of the constitutional power if true) (Debrief, 2023). David Grusch, following his investigations, claimed that the DoD was intentionally harming or even killing (claim made in his News Nation interview, conducted by Ross Coulthart) individuals to cover up the existence of aliens. David Grusch’s story was revealed in an article that was similarly reported by Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthall in the Debrief. His credentials were all of highest level and his reputation was complimented by Karl Nell, a retired Army Colonel also on the UAP Task force who stated his claims were “accurate”. Despite his lack of direct evidence (photos/videos) that he could supply to the public due to restrictions placed on his speech through his DOPSR (Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review) request, Grusch could describe things vaguely (Ex. he claimed the US Government has around a dozen recovered UFOs though he couldn’t say the specific number). But even David Grusch himself in his breaking News Nation interview stated, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”.
In his debut article, David Grusch made a small ripple in the media, but the large interest that follows him now is due to his testimony in a hearing held by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability titled– Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency. The hearing was primarily arranged by a group of representatives now called the UAP Caucus with the following members: Rep. Luna (R. FL-13) Florida, Rep. Burchett (R. TN-02) Tennessee, and Rep. Moskovits (D. FL-23) Florida. Following the hearing, Grusch’s claims, that were made under oath, would become the spotlight of public attention and opinion. “If you believe we have crashed craft, stated earlier… Do pilots come along those crashed craft?” Nancy Mace, a representative at the hearing– and now a member of the UAP Caucus, asked Grusch. “As stated in my News Nation interview, biologics came with some of these (crashed UAP) recoveries” Grusch responded (U.S. House of Representatives, 2023). The clip garnered massive attention and drove the UAP issue to its highest level since the 40’s and 50’s and recent polls have shown that more Americans believe the government is hiding something about UAP’s than not (The Hill, 2023) . But what does all this mean? Will the entire world simply take David Grusch’s words as evidence? Interestingly enough, transparency around the UAP issue has been driven more by private citizens and organizations than by our own government. If it were not for the New York Times article in 2017, then knowledge of millions of dollars spent on secret UFO programs would not be known, then the DoD wouldn’t have admitted that there is some physical phenomena occurring behind UAP cases, then there wouldn’t be two different UAP offices created since that article (AARO and the UAP Task Force). If it were not for the Debrief article this year about David Grusch, then we
would never have received the groundbreaking hearing. Stated simply enough, participatory government as well as rights granted to citizens and the press– 1st amendment and no prior restraint –have directly led to the events unfolding in the present day.
In regards to recent events, one particular amendment to the 2024 NDAA, shaped and written by Lue Elizondo (1st whistleblower) and Danny Sheehan (a legal council to Lue Elizondo as well as previous to the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and Silkwood cases) was handed to the Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, in order to garner some credibility (Liberation Times2, 2023). After reading and editing the amendment, sponsor Chuck Schumer along with co-sponsor Senator Mike Rounds, introduced the bill into the 2024 NDAA where he reiterated what the purpose of the amendment was. “The American public has a right to learn about technologies of unknown origins, non-human intelligence, and unexplainable phenomena.” the Senate Majority Leader stated within the echoing walls of congress (U.S. Senate, 2023). He also added that Senator Harry Reid strived for UAP disclosure for many years and he felt he would’ve been glad to see this day. The Amendment was intended to follow the format of the JFK Assasination Records Collection Act of 1992, where information was to be released slowly over the course of twenty five years by a review board. Except instead of involving a conspiratorial assassination, this amendment focused on UAP Transparency as well as the disclosure of the existence of NHI (Non Human Intelligence). When reviewing the legislation, the reaction can only be described as jaw dropping. The term Non Human Intelligence is written twenty-two times, described as “any sentient intelligent non-human lifeform, regardless of its ultimate origin”. The amendment details the possible detrimental risk UAPs place on our National Security, though their risk would not be taken seriously if not for the navy pilots at the hearing: Ryan Graves and Cmdr. David Fravor who both recorded the original two videos released by the New York Times. Perhaps the most important to my argument and eye popping language used in the amendment lies in section two-a, subsection four where the reason for the existence of the amendment is defined. “Legislation is necessary because credible evidence and testimony indicates that Federal Government unidentified anomalous phenomena records exist that have not been declassified or subject to mandatory declassification review as set forth in Executive Order 13526”. The section is referring to the testimony and credible evidence set forth by whistleblowers, David Grusch and Lue Elizondo (though there are far more), and released by the press, Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthall. This amendment was drafted by those who wanted justice for the secrets held, by those that emphasize the concerning 6th failed audit of the Pentagon (Reuters, 2023), or those that highlight the reproaches made against whistleblowers– going as far as to say David Grusch is unable to hold his security clearance because of PTSD from Afghanistan (NewsNationNow, 2023). The UAP topic encapsulates a complex, and abusive relationship that is formed between the Bureaucracy and the Public. Unelected officials (DoD/Defense Contractors) are granted the decision of whether or not the ongoing visitation of a Non Human Intelligence is something the public should have knowledge of. Possible confirmation of an alien species visiting earth, with technology that is claimed to be reverse engineered with taxpayer money and no congressional oversight, is claimed to be hidden from the American public. The battle for transparency comes at a time when Americans don’t feel they can trust the government. And the issue does not lie on whether or not aliens exist in the end, it lies on the fact that the government refuses to be transparent.
The NDAA is some of the most important legislation, having passed every year since 1961 (U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, 2023), and dealing with military budgeting. Initially, Schumer’s amendment passed in the Senate but it ran into problems once in conference. In conference, House and Senate members reconcile their bills to have a single, unified piece of legislation. According to Liberation Times’ Chris Sharp, five members of congress were the driving force behind gutting the historic legislation: Mike Turner, Mike Rogers, Mitch McConnel, Roger Wicker, and Mike Johnson (Liberation Times1, 2023). Chris Sharp then stated that “There is no way to spin it. This was a defeat– key Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) language contained within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 was brutally killed – removing any semblance of meaning.” He claimed, from various reputable sources, that the CIA in coordination with Lockheed Martin pinpointed congressmen they could use to shut the amendment down. When looking into their campaign donations, Chris’ claims start to make sense.
In a time where a congressman can abuse their power for financial gain– ex. Bob Menendez (U.S. Department of Justice, 2023), it seems plausible that a congressman like Mike Turner would take $183,250 from Lockheed Martin to weaken this amendment (OpenSecrets, n.d.) . Whether the donations are the cause or not, Schumers’ amendment was gutted by the five congressmen last week from all powers it gave: subpoena, eminent domain over all NHI tech, and a declassification review board similar to JFK act. But ultimately, this fight for transparency is not over. More legislation will come and I believe this topic will only increase in activity over 2024. I would like to highlight that this topic was what garnered my attention to the government and its function, and that I am not making an argument for the existence of aliens, just of the injustices made by our government regarding this subject. And in conclusion, the UAP topic demonstrates the complexity (and bribery) involved in bureaucracy, as well as the political efficacy and participatory government facets of our democracy.
Full APA Citations:
Cooper, H., Blumenthal, R., & Kean, L. (2017, December 16). Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html
Politico. (2020, August 14). UFO Pentagon Task Force. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/14/ufo-pentagon-task-froce-395683
Debrief. (2023). Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Non-Human Craft. Retrieved from https://thedebrief.org/intelligence-officials-say-u-s-has-retrieved-non-human-craft/
U.S. House of Representatives. (2023). Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency. Retrieved from https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-implications-on-national-security-public-safety-and-government-transparency/
The Hill. (2023). The truth is out there: More Americans believe in UFOs. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/homenews/space/4131768-the-truth-is-out-there-more-americans-believe-in-ufos/
U.S. Senate. (2023). Schumer, Rounds Introduce New Legislation to Declassify Government Records Related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena and UFOs. Retrieved from https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-rounds-introduce-new-legislation-to-declassify-government-records-related-to-unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-and-ufos_modeled-after-jfk-assassination-records-collection-act–as-an-amendment-to-ndaa
Liberation Times. (2023). Daniel Sheehan Exposes Five Powerful Republicans Blocking UFO Disclosure Act as the Clock Ticks Down. Retrieved from https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/daniel-sheehan-exposes-five-powerful-republicans-blocking-ufo-disclosure-act-as-the-clock-ticks-down
Reuters. (2023, November 16). Pentagon fails audit for sixth year in row. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pentagon-fails-audit-sixth-year-row-2023-11-16/
NewsNationNow. (2023.). UFO whistleblower David Grusch’s health records leaked. Retrieved from https://www.newsnationnow.com/cuomo-show/ufo-whistleblower-david-gruschs-health-records-leaked-coulthart/
U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. (2023). Reed, Wicker Applaud Senate Passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024. Retrieved from https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/press-releases/reed-wicker-applaud-senate-passage-of-the-national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2024
Liberation Times. (2023). Operation Kill Bill: How World-Changing UFO Language Was Killed and Sliced Up Into Little Pieces. Retrieved from https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/operation-kill-bill-how-world-changing-ufo-language-was-killed-and-sliced-up-into-little-pieces
U.S. Department of Justice. (2023). U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, His Wife, and Three New Jersey Businessmen Charged with Bribery. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-senator-robert-menendez-his-wife-and-three-new-jersey-businessmen-charged-bribery
OpenSecrets. (n.d.). Michael R. Turner – Contributors. Retrieved from https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/michael-r-turner/contributors?cid=N00025175&cycle=CAREER
I was wondering what you guys thought of this/a quick review because obviously don’t read the whole thing. Also I may sound against the UFO topic somewhat but its simply because I don’t wanna come off sounding too strong to my teacher so I relayed the topic to be about government transparency. Thanks!
PS: the first like 3 paragraphs are just summarization basically and I know I missed a lot but it would take forevor.
submitted by /u/cgschietinger
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