The information and conclusions presented on this website have been compiled from a variety of credible sources, which are listed and briefly explained below:
Elhardt, “Astronaut Gordon Cooper Talks About UFOs.” Online video clip. YouTube, 23 Sept. 2013.
In this clip, former astronaut Gordon Cooper (interviewed by Yolanda Gaskins) speaks for the first time on television about his encounters with UFO’s. Gaskins brings up a previously discussed incident, in which Cooper encountered hundreds of unidentified flying objects in 1951. He states that he and his comrades sent a report on their sightings. The response they received was that the unidentified flying objects they saw were probably high-flying sea pods. In another incidence, he and his crew filmed the landing of an alleged UFO. They sent this film to Washington and no response was made. Due to this, Gaskin believes that the government is covering up UFOs.
Elhardt, “Astronaut Gordon Cooper Talks About UFOs.” Online video clip. YouTube, 23 Sept. 2013.
In this clip, former astronaut Gordon Cooper (interviewed by Yolanda Gaskins) speaks for the first time on television about his encounters with UFO’s. Gaskins brings up a previously discussed incident, in which Cooper encountered hundreds of unidentified flying objects in 1951. He states that he and his comrades sent a report on their sightings. The response they received was that the unidentified flying objects they saw were probably high-flying sea pods. In another incidence, he and his crew filmed the landing of an alleged UFO. They sent this film to Washington and no response was made. Due to this, Gaskin believes that the government is covering up UFOs.
Gansberg, Alan, and Judith Gansberg. Direct Encounters: The Personal Histories of UFO Abductees. New York: Walker and Company, 1980. Print.
Scientific evidence for life beyond Earth, records of firsthand accounts with extraterrestrial life forms, the after effect of an abduction, possible religious connections and government cover-ups are included in this source. According to Gansberg, the American government and military have “explained UFOs as unusual natural phenomena or a hoax or declined to make any determination” (103). Many supposed abductees and witnesses feel as if the government does not even listen to the information that they provide about their experiences.
In 1947, Project Sign was put into place by the government to collect data on UFO sightings and encounters. This group devised reasonable explanations for the sightings, which led to controversy when the explanations seemed faulty and non-representative of the events that occurred. The project was disbanded in 1969 due to having found no evidence that supported UFO sightings. Since there are no longer federal agencies geared toward UFO related information, witnesses have turned to independent UFO organizations.
It is believed that one way in which the government covers up UFOs is through the harassment and coercion of witnesses. Another main belief is that government cover-ups are occurring based on government records. The Freedom of Information Act allowed the public to view records that shed light on government investigations of UFOs, during a time in which the government said they were not investigating. This led to the belief that, since these government records were being kept secret and covered up, there must be more.
Levin, Jeff. “Revisiting the Alexander UFO Religious Crisis Survey (AUFORCS): Is There Really a Crisis?” Journal of Scientific
Exploration 26.2 (2012): Google Scholar. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
This article covers the topic of the conspiracy of government concealment of UFOs. The author examines the notion that the government hides the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life to quell any religious uproar or crises. However, it is also stated that the likelihood of a crisis arising from the release of classified information is slim to none. So, there is no need for the government to hide any information regarding the existence of UFOs or any other information pertaining to the extraterrestrial. Nevertheless, little information from the government has ever been released to the public.
Nagourney, Adam. “C.I.A. Acknowledges Area 51 Exists, but what About Those Little Green Men?” New York Times. 22 Aug. 2013. Nytimes.com. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
In this story, the Central Intelligence Agency acknowledges the existence of their top-secret facility Area 51. Area 51 is a well renowned icon behind the conspiracies surrounding UFOs and the extraterrestrial. Moreover, Area 51 was denied as existing for many years and became largely suspected by civilians as a place that the government used in examining anything to do with UFOs or extraterrestrial life. The acknowledgment of the site by the CIA stands as one step further in discovering the truth about UFOs and the conspiracy that surrounds them.
Newman, Leonard S., and Roy F. Baumeister. “Toward an Explanation of the UFO Abduction Phenomenon: Hypnotic Elaboration, Extraterrestrial, Sadomasochism, and Spurious Memories.” Psychological Inquiry 7.2 (1996): 99-28. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Sep. 2013.
“Toward an Explanation of the UFO Abduction Phenomenon” is an article that sets out to scientifically explain UFO abduction reports and the memories and feelings associated with them. These include the cognitive-motivational explanation for the creation of memories, the role of masochistic fantasies, elaborations of hallucinations, general knowledge, and the role of hypnosis in false memory creation. One of the main reasons for these false experiences is the abductees’ general knowledge about UFOs. In general, the people who supposedly “get abducted” are followers of UFO phenomena and will even see therapists and other professionals who share the same interests in UFOs. This helps lay the foundation for many of the other explanations surrounding the abduction phenomenon. This is a valuable source because it adds a scientific perspective to the investigation of UFOs. False memories of UFO abductions can result in confusion as to whether or not abductions are real; they can be misleading in the investigation of UFOs. The UFO Abduction Phenomenon can alter the perception of a person’s firsthand account of a UFO, resulting in a misunderstanding of what the unidentified object actually is.
Project Blue Book. Washington, D.C.: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1997. Internet resource.
This source is a government document that includes a series of letters written between an individual and Mr. Sessions, who is a member of the F.B.I. The writer suggests that Mr. Sessions met with him to discuss the validity of UFOs and get more in-depth information from him. Mr. Sessions denies having any real involvement in the investigation of the UFOs and claims that Project Blue Book was in the hands of the Air Force. The writer points out various instances in which government officials claim they will expose the truth about UFO investigations without ever actually doing so.
“RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region.” Roswell Daily Record. 8 July 1947, Print.
This article, from the Roswell Daily Record is the first report of the unidentified flying object found in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. It goes into detail about how the intelligence office of the 509th Bombardment group at Roswell Army Air Field announced that they had found a “flying saucer” on a farm near Roswell. It also provides a story from two individuals in that town known to be “the most respected and reliable citizens” who reported seeing a “large glowing object” flying through the sky. This article offers us an interesting perspective because it is an example of the kind of “proof” that keeps conspiracy theories about UFO cover ups
alive. It allows us to better understand the basis of the conspiracy theories. I believe this source is a valuable source on the topic because it is the original report of the Roswell UFO sighting, a sighting that has become central in the discussion of UFO cover ups by the US government. The information presented in this article, which was “corrected” the very next day, is central to many
arguments presented by conspiracy theorists about the government’s role in a cover up.
Turley, Jonathon. “Foul secrets from Area 51 revealed.” Great Falls Tribune. 23 Aug. 2013. ProQuest. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
Declassified government reports that explain the secrets behind Area 51 are revealed in this article. Before these reports were open to the public, Area 51's existence was denied by the government. The declassified documents uncovered a national security site which was a test site for Cold War technology including the U-2 spy plane.
UFO Evidence: Scientific Study of the UFO Phenomenon and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life. UFOevidence.org, 2011. Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
UFOevidence.org, in its “About the Site” section, describes itself as “one of the largest sources of quality information and research on the UFO subject available on the internet.” According to the site, its aim is to “show the extent of serious, quality, and scientific information and evidence available on the subject.” The website contains thousands of articles, a photo gallery with hundreds of photographs, and a section detailing hundreds of specific cases of reported sightings, reported abductions, etc. Visitors to this site can easily browse a number of topics related to UFOs, for example “General/Mass Sightings,” “UFOs in Canada,” and “Government Cover-Up.”
This website is biased. It is clear that the individuals involved in creating and maintaining this website are thoroughly convinced of the existence of UFOs and UFO cover-ups. This website, one could argue, was made to attempt to convert others to their school of thinking. However, although this website certainly has a bias, it would still be a very useful source to use in researching the topic of government cover-ups. The site is well organized and offers articles from a variety of legitimate, credible sources, for example government reports and respected academics and psychiatrists. In addition, the site offers an entire section called “Skeptics and Their Arguments,” and although the arguments of “skeptics” are obviously not presented in an unbiased light, the site is clearly invested in acknowledging, addressing, and arguing against, the objections of skeptics.
United States General Accounting Office. Government records [microform] : results of a search for records concerning the 1947 crash near Roswell, New Mexico : report to the Honorable Steven H. Schiff, House of Representatives. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1995.
This source is a report by the United States General Accounting Office concerning the whereabouts of records concerning the 1947 “UFO” crash near Roswell, New Mexico. The report begins by detailing 1947 Army regulations for reporting air accidents, giving us an idea about what records “should” be available in regards to the Roswell incident. The report admits that there is a conspicuous lack of official information concerning the Roswell incident, then gives a detailed account of the GAO’s efforts to find such information. The report includes the responses from various state agencies (the CIA, FBI, the Department of Defense, etc) to the GAO’s request for additional records and information. The report basically concludes that if any records did exist (in addition to those already available to the public), they have been destroyed, although it is not clear who authorized their destruction.
The fact that the GAO was commissioned by Congress to search for records concerning Roswell illustrates the extent to which the American public (including American lawmakers) was discontented with the available amount of information regarding Roswell, even after nearly 50 years had passed. This source also offers us an interesting perspective because it illustrates just how difficult it is to try to elicit any information about Roswell and other “UFO” incidents from the US government, even for a government office like the GAO. The lack of cooperation from any segment of the US government illustrated in this source gives us a good idea about why conspiracy theories like the government cover up of Roswell and other “UFO” sightings endure and even self-perpetuate.