The US just held a landmark UFO hearing – here’s what you need to know

At this point, you’ve probably already heard: the US government has been covering up information on UFOs. Some of these alien crafts have even crashed to Earth, and humans have recovered their “non-human biological pilots”, who are presumably held somewhere safe like Area 51 (or are they already walking among us?). Made in a public hearing held by US Congress yesterday, these claims should be pretty Earth-shattering, marking the first confirmation of intelligent life beyond our planet.

To nobody’s surprise, though, the revelations are far from conclusive. Yes, sharing first-hand experience of UFOs under oath in a high-profile government hearing is a big deal, recalling scenes from a sci-fi movie (usually the bit before everybody dies). However, many people remain doubtful about the claims of a few individual whistleblowers, while others have speculated that the UFO hype is all part of a massive psyop by the government itself.

Is it possible to know for sure what was going on behind the scenes of the hearing? (Spoiler: no.) What we can do is look at some of the most explosive claims, and keep our fingers crossed that it will inspire officials to unveil more concrete evidence in the near future.

WHY CONGRESS HELD A HEARING ON UFOS

The UFO conversation has been gathering steam for some time. It can largely be traced back to a 2017 New York Times report, which seemingly uncovered a shadowy Pentagon programme dedicated to investigating UFOs (or, to use their technical term, UAPs, short for unidentified aerial phenomena). Numerous reports, blurry videos, and leaked “sightings” have trickled into the public consciousness ever since.

One of the biggest developments, though, revolves around an ex-Air Force intelligence officer and UAP analyst named David Grusch. In June 2023, Grusch kicked the speculation up to warp speed, when he alleged that the US intelligence community has “illegally withheld” information on UAPs for decades. At yesterday’s Congress hearing, Grusch himself was the star of the show, appearing to share his testimony alongside two other witnesses. 

“The sheer number of reports, whistleblowers and stories of unidentified anomalous phenomena should raise real questions and warrant investigation and oversight,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat at the hearing, in an opening statement. “And that’s why we are here today.” 

THE US GOVERNMENT ‘ABSOLUTELY’ HAS ITS HANDS ON UAPS

The testimonies of the three witnesses (all former military officials... sus) didn’t hold back on the sensational details. Echoing his claims made earlier this summer, Grusch told the panel that the federal government is “absolutely” in possession of crashed UAPs. Apparently, he’s gleaned this information from dozens of witness interviews over a four-year period. He adds that his investigations also brought to light a “multi-decade” Pentagon project to recover crashed crafts and reconstruct them, possibly to reverse-engineer its own advanced technology.

How has such a project flown under the radar? Well, it’s apparently financed by the “misappropriation of funds” earmarked for other projects. Questioned on this, Grusch claimed he had “specific knowledge” of the details, but couldn’t share them because they’re classified. Convenient!

‘NON-HUMAN BIOLOGICS’ (AKA ALIENS) HAVE ALSO BEEN RETRIEVED

When it comes to UFOs (or UAPs), there’s one all-important question: are they just previously-unseen human technology or physical phenomena we don’t understand yet, or are they actual spacecraft engineered by extraterrestrials. 

When faced with questions about the inhabitants of UAPs, Grusch confirmed that he believed “biologics” were, in fact, recovered from the sites of fallen spacecraft. More importantly, they were “non-human”, he adds, citing evidence provided by people with “direct knowledge” of the retrieval project. Can we see any of this evidence? No. Believe it or not, it’s not cleared for public consumption.

MUSSOLINI FOUND A UFO IN 1933... OR DID HE?

It might seem like UFO sightings have spiked in recent years, and they’re often suspiciously confined to airspace over the US and, to a lesser extent, the UK. Apparently, though, there’s credible evidence that the first crash actually happened in 1930s Italy (that’s if you don’t believe that stray aliens built the pyramids). Grusch went into detail on this discovery in a June interview with Le Parisien, saying that in 1944 the US took possession of a “bell-shaped” craft recovered by the fascist government of Benito Mussolini around a decade prior. Unfortunately, he was less forthcoming when questioned about it at the Congress hearing, falling back on claims of security issues.

Responding to the military official’s reluctance under oath, journalist and UFO researcher Garrett M. Graff tweeted: “Very interesting to me that Dave Grusch is unwilling to state and repeat under oath at the UFO hearings the most explosive (and outlandish) of his claims from his NewsNation interview. He seems to be very carefully dancing around repeating them.”

FOR SOME REASON, AOC WAS THERE

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has recently taken some flak for transitioning from a radical young voice in US politics to a regular old democrat. That might explain her enthusiasm to wade into the UAP debate and take advantage of some alien-adjacent publicity. Unfortunately, the results of her questioning weren’t very illuminating.

“If you were me, where would you look?” she asked the three witnesses, hinting at the lack of transparency when it comes to finding answers about alien tech. Alas, none were willing to open up publicly, with Grusch stating that he’d be happy to share more information in a “closed environment”.

If AOC’s presence proves anything, though, it’s that uncovering evidence of UAP is a rare example of a bipartisan issue, with officials across the political spectrum bound together by their suspicions that the truth is out there.

EXTRAORDINARY CLAIMS REQUIRE EXTRAORDINARY EVIDENCE... AND WE STILL HAVEN’T SEEN ANY

As you’ve probably gathered by now, the highly unusual claims made by the three witnesses are backed by very little physical evidence. Although some grainy videos have been aired in the past – seemingly captured through the 0.3 megapixel camera of a Nintendo 3DS – we’re basically left to rely on the good word of the whistleblowers, whose hands are supposedly tied by the defence department. Grusch has even hinted at threats of violence.

The Pentagon itself has denied claims of a cover-up. Investigators have not come across “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently,” it says in a statement. But then, it would say that. Otherwise it wouldn’t be much of a cover-up, would it?

In any case, there are many questions left unanswered and claims left unaccounted for. For example (as raised in a question by Rep. Eric Burlison) why do aliens capable of navigating the galaxy at super-speed keep crashing into Earth anyway?

IT COULD BE A BIG PSYOP

Whenever information about UAPs leaks to the public, there’s a wave of counter conspiracy theories that suggest it’s actually a ploy to grab headlines and distract from real, more important controversies. This time is no different, sceptics suggest – wake up sheeple!

On a slightly less glamorous note, some have suggested that UAP reports are generated by organisations like NASA, in order to pressure lawmakers for more funding. NASA itself, however, turned down an opportunity to be a part of the hearing, explaining: “David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation and chair of NASA’s UAP Independent Study, was invited but declined to attend.” That being said, the space agency does have its own independent study on UAPs on the way, saying that the release is set for mid-2023.

ARE WE ANY CLOSER TO UNCOVERING THE TRUTH?

Admittedly, the public hearing didn’t provide the bombshell revelations that many enthusiasts expected, since Grusch and the other officials essentially just restated their previous claims. On the other hand, the hearing was broadcast internationally and involved some of the most authoritative voices in US politics, which could in itself be seen as a step forward for UAP research.

In closing statements, lawmakers also stressed their continued interest in the subject. Glenn Grothman, the chair of the House subcommittee on national security, the border and foreign affairs, offered some particularly hopeful words for the believers among us. “Obviously, I think several of us are going to look forward to getting some answers in a more confidential setting,” he said. “I assume some legislation will come out of this.”

In other words, watch this space.

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