CIA cover up: Spooks secrecy over UFO sightings to prevent ‘mass hysteria’ exposed

It has long been claimed the US Government, its enforcement agencies, and NASA have been involved in a massive cover up over contact with aliens and UFOs.

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Old files released by the CIA have exposed the agency’s previous UFO cover ups

Most notably, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have been fingered by conspiracists as being at the heart of it and even responsible for controlling the mythical men in black – mysterious black-suited shades wearing men who turn up to dampen down any UFO or alien hysteria, reportedly telling any witnesses “it didn’t happen.”

In January the CIA poured cold water on the conspiracy by releasing a treasure trove of former classified UFO-related documents on its website to coincide with the new upcoming seasons of the X-Files.

But has the release dampened down the conspiracy or merely confirmed it?

Tucked away in the several files now on its website are a number of references to several sightings official investigators were UNABLE to explain and orders that followed that could be interpreted as a cover up.

Scores of unexplained UFO sightings were revealed and also a policy not to release details GETTY

Scores of unexplained UFO sightings were revealed and also a policy not to release details

There is even reference to the potential to mirror Soviet state-controlled media censureship of flying saucer sightings.

As many as 26 per cent of reported sightings could not be explained and could be down to aliens, according to reports written in the 1950s.

One is a report by the then deputy assistant director/acting chief of the Weapons & Equipment Division dated August 1, 1952 and entitled “Flying Saucers” by Edward Tauss.

It was an “overall evaluation of “flying saucer sightings” for the agency.

It told of between 1,000 and 2,000 reported sightings, most were either “phoney,” known US aircraft, or natural or weather phenomena such as meteorites, clouds, tricks of the light, or reflections.

But it said there were touching 100 “reasonably credible reports” that remained “unexplainable” – meaning “interplanetary aspects and alien origin were not thoroughly excluded” – so approaching five to 10 per cent of the sightings were unresolved.

Later reports quoted higher amounts of unexplained cases at 20 and 26 per cent.

The report went on to say that while it was likely there could be explanations if more information were available, as long as there remained inexplicable reports, the CIA interest in the subject should continue.

It said: “It is recommended that CIA surveillance of subject matter, in accordance with proper authorities of primary operational concern at Air Technical Intelligence Centre, be continued.

“It is strongly urged, however, that no indication of CIA interest or concern reach the press or public, in view of their probable alarmist tendencies to accept such interest as ‘confirmatory’ of the soundness of the ‘unpublished facts’ in the hands of the US Government.

Paragraphs from the report outlining CIA fear over public mass hysteria and the secrecy policy CIA•GETTY

Paragraphs from the report outlining CIA fear over public mass hysteria and the secrecy policy

The earliest UFO sightings

Although many UFO sightings often have rational explanations, a small number truly are unexplained. Here’s our pick of the most compelling early UFO sightings from all over the world.

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Guy Marquand, Jr. took this photo of what he descibed as a ‘flying saucer’ on a mountain road near Riverside, California, on November 23, 1951

In order to minimize the risk of panic, a national policy should be established as to what should be told to the public regarding the phenomena

CIA memo

On October 2, 1952, a memo was sent from the assistant director of scientific intelligence to the director of central intelligence with the subject Flying Saucers.

It explored the risks of the general population believing aliens were visiting Earth in UFOs.

It said: “Flying saucers pose two elements of danger which have national security implications.

“The first involves mass psychological considerations and the second concerns the vulnerability of the United States to Air Attack.”

It went on to recommend developing “a policy of public information which will minimise concern and possible panic resulting from the numerous sightings of unidentified objects”.

The memo added that it had found no coverage in the Soviet press, even satirical, of the flying saucer subject.

It added: “With a state-controlled press, this could result only from an official policy decision.

“The question therefore arises as to whether or not these sightings could be 1) controlled or 2) predicted.

“The public concern with the phenomena, indicates that a fair proportion of our population is mentally conditioned to the acceptance of the incredible.

“In this fact lies the potential for the touching off of mass hysteria and panic.

“In order to minimise the risk of panic, a national policy should be established as to what should be told to the public regarding the phenomena.”

The released files date from the 1940s to 1978, and the CIA now says it has no interest in the UFO subject, as there has since been found to be no real threat to national or world security from unexplained anaomalies.

It says there is no continued UFO media blackout underway as a result.

But conspiracists, and even respected UFO investigators, disagree and believe that a wealth of more up to date evidence is being kept from the public.

The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) is a not-for-profit organisation which investigates UFO and alien phenomena across the globe.

Jan Harzan, executive director of the US-Based Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), said he believes the CIA releases were: “Just trying to play off the X-Files TV show to show themselves to be friendly to the American public.

“What would be very helpful is if they would release the 1,000s of reports they probably have since 1978 and even some of the gun camera video footage they have of military jets chasing these objects across the sky, and provide the analysis of what these object could be.”

Source: Express UK