Editing Unidentified flying object (section)

===Governmental===
{{See also|Investigation of UFO reports by the United States government}}

[[File:CIA annotated drawing - dark grey solid looking UFO.webp|thumb|right|UFO drawing, authenticity unknown, attribution and date unspecified. One of hundreds of files resulting from US President [[Bill Clinton]]'s 1995 order to the [[CIA]] to declassify all documents with "historical value" that were at least 25 years old.]]
UFOs have been the subject of investigations by various governments that have provided extensive records related to the subject. Many of the most involved government-sponsored investigations ended after agencies concluded that there was no benefit to continued investigation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/17/pentagon-admits-running-secret-ufo-investigation-for-five-years|title=Pentagon admits running secret UFO investigation for five years|last=Siddique|first=Haroon|date=December 17, 2017|website=The Guardian|access-date=March 21, 2018|archive-date=April 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425083827/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/17/pentagon-admits-running-secret-ufo-investigation-for-five-years|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/secret-government-program-track-ufos-its-not-first-180967597/|title=That Secret Government Program to Track UFOs? It's Not the First|last=Eghigian|first=Greg|work=Air & Space Magazine|access-date=March 21, 2018|archive-date=March 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318015440/https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/secret-government-program-track-ufos-its-not-first-180967597/|url-status=live}}</ref> These same negative conclusions also have been found in studies that were highly classified for many years, such as the UK's [[Flying Saucer Working Party]], [[Project Condign]], the U.S. CIA-sponsored Robertson Panel, the U.S. military investigation into the green fireballs from 1948 to 1951, and the Battelle Memorial Institute study for the USAF from 1952 to 1955 (Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14).

Some public government reports have acknowledged the possibility of the physical reality of UFOs, but have stopped short of proposing extraterrestrial origins, though not dismissing the possibility entirely. Examples are the Belgian military investigation into [[Belgian UFO wave|large triangles over their airspace]] in 1989–1991 and the 2009 [[Uruguayan Air Force]] study conclusion (see below).

====Claims by military, government, and aviation personnel====
In 2007, former [[Arizona]] governor [[Fife Symington]] claimed he had seen "a massive, delta-shaped craft silently navigate over Squaw Peak, a mountain range in Phoenix, Arizona" in 1997.<ref>{{cite news |last=Symington |first=Fife |author-link=Fife Symington |date=November 9, 2007 |title=Symington: I saw a UFO in the Arizona sky |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/11/09/simington.ufocommentary/ |work=[[CNN]] |publisher=[[Turner Broadcasting System]] |location=Atlanta, GA |access-date=November 25, 2013 |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020025403/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/11/09/simington.ufocommentary/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Apollo 14 astronaut [[Edgar Mitchell]] claimed he knew of senior government employees who had been involved in "close encounters", and because of this, he has no doubt that aliens have visited Earth.<ref>Mitchell, Edgar (2008), p. 262</ref>

In May 2019, ''The New York Times'' reported that American Navy fighter jets had several instances of unidentified instrumentation and tracking data while conducting exercises off the eastern seaboard of the United States from the summer of 2014 to March 2015. The ''Times'' published a cockpit instrument video that appeared to show an object moving at high speed near the ocean surface as it appeared to rotate, and objects that appeared capable of high acceleration, deceleration and maneuverability. In two separate incidents, a pilot reported his cockpit instruments locked onto and tracked objects but he was unable to see them through his helmet camera. In another encounter, flight instruments recorded an image described as a sphere encasing a cube between two jets as they flew about 100 feet apart.<ref name="NYT-20190526">{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Helene |last2=Blumenthal |first2=Ralph |last3=Kean |first3=Leslie |title='Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/us/politics/ufo-sightings-navy-pilots.html |date=May 26, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=May 27, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226005917/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/us/politics/ufo-sightings-navy-pilots.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Pentagon UFO videos|Pentagon officially released these videos]] on April 27, 2020.<ref name="TheGuardian-20200527">{{cite news |last1=Strauss |first1=Daniel |title=Pentagon releases three UFO videos taken by US navy pilots |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/pentagon-releases-three-ufo-videos-taken-by-us-navy-pilots |date=April 28, 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=May 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509210028/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/pentagon-releases-three-ufo-videos-taken-by-us-navy-pilots |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[United States Navy]] has said there have been "a number of reports of unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft entering various military-controlled ranges and designated air space in recent years".<ref name="CNN">{{cite news |author=Chandelis Duster |title=Defense Department confirms leaked video of unidentified aerial phenomena is real |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/15/politics/unidentified-aerial-phenomena-defense-department/index.html |work=CNN |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416113817/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/15/politics/unidentified-aerial-phenomena-defense-department/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2021, news media announced a comprehensive report is to be compiled of UFO events accumulated by the [[United States]] over the years.<ref name="WP-20210323">{{cite news |last=Thebault |first=Reis |title=Thanks to Trump-era covid relief bill, a UFO report may soon be public – and it'll be big, ex-official says |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/03/23/ufo-report-covid-bill/ |date=March 23, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323220342/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/03/23/ufo-report-covid-bill/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 12, 2021, the Pentagon confirmed the authenticity of pictures and videos gathered by the [[Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force]] (UAPTF), purportedly showing "pyramid shaped objects" hovering above the [[USS Russell (DDG-59)|USS Russell]] in 2019, off the coast of [[California]], with spokeswoman Susan Gough saying "I can confirm that the referenced photos and videos were taken by Navy personnel. The UAPTF has included these incidents in their ongoing examinations."<ref>{{cite news |title=Pentagon confirms leaked video of UFO 'buzzing' Navy warships is genuine |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/pentagon-ufo-navy-warship-video-b1830418.html |website=The Independent |language=en |date=April 13, 2021 |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515152258/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/pentagon-ufo-navy-warship-video-b1830418.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Leaked footage shows UFOs flying around navy vessels |url=https://news.yahoo.com/leaked-footage-shows-uf-os-flying-around-navy-vessels-113812155.html?guccounter=1 |work=in.news.yahoo.com |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416055308/https://news.yahoo.com/leaked-footage-shows-uf-os-flying-around-navy-vessels-113812155.html?guccounter=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pentagon Confirms That Leaked Video Is Part of UFO Investigation |url=https://futurism.com/leaked-video-unidentified-objects-swarming-navy-warship |website=Futurism |date=April 11, 2021 |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515133753/https://futurism.com/leaked-video-unidentified-objects-swarming-navy-warship |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CNN"/>

In May 2021, military pilots recalled their related encounters, along with camera and radar support, including one pilot's account noting that such incidents occurred "every day for at least a couple of years", according to an interview broadcast on the news program, ''[[60 Minutes]]'' (May 16, 2021).<ref name="WP-20210517">{{cite news |last=Thebault |first=Reis |title=For some Navy pilots, UFO sightings were an ordinary event: 'Every day for at least a couple years' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/17/ufo-sightings-navy-ryan-graves/ |date=May 17, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518020102/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/17/ufo-sightings-navy-ryan-graves/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=video |title=Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/ufo-military-intelligence-video-60-minutes-2021-05-16/ |website=CBS News |access-date=May 19, 2021 |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519001325/https://www.cbsnews.com/video/ufo-military-intelligence-video-60-minutes-2021-05-16/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Science writer and skeptic [[Mick West]] suggested the image was the result of an optical effect called a [[bokeh]] which can make out of focus light sources appear triangular or pyramidal due to the shape of the aperture of some lenses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pentagon Confirms That Leaked Video Is Part of UFO Investigation|url=https://futurism.com/leaked-video-unidentified-objects-swarming-navy-warship|website=Futurism|date=April 11, 2021 |access-date=April 16, 2021|archive-date=May 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515133753/https://futurism.com/leaked-video-unidentified-objects-swarming-navy-warship|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="newyorker">{{cite magazine |last1=Lewis-Kraus |first1=Gideon |title=How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously |magazine=The New Yorker |publisher=New Yorker Magazine |access-date=May 25, 2021 |archive-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230623023008/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously |url-status=live }}</ref> In August, 2022, an article by West provided his detailed analysis of the video.<ref>West, Mick, ''[https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/gimbal-video-genuine-ufo-or-camera-artifact/ The Gimbal Video: Genuine UFO or Camera Artifact?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226053113/https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/gimbal-video-genuine-ufo-or-camera-artifact |date=February 26, 2024 }}'', ''[[Skeptic (American magazine)|Skeptic]]'', August 2, 2022</ref>
[[File:Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625(1).pdf|thumb|The 2021 [[Pentagon UFO Report]]]]
On June 25, 2021, U.S. Defense and [[United States Intelligence Community|intelligence]] officials released the nine pages [[Pentagon UFO Report]] (Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) on what they know about a series of unidentified flying objects that have been seen by American military pilots in the skies between 2004 and 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=UFO report: US finds no explanation for sightings |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57619755 |work=BBC News |date=June 25, 2021 |access-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706173047/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57619755 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2021-06-26 |title=They're real, but are they alien? – key takeaways from the Pentagon report. Whatever the 'unidentified aerial phenomena' are, they are real objects that may pose a national security risk |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/25/ufo-report-key-takeaways-us-government |access-date=2024-03-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=July 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708214148/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/25/ufo-report-key-takeaways-us-government |url-status=live }}</ref> The document refers to UAP rather than UFO.

The report does not mentions extraterrestrials, but instead warns of the phenomenon's potential threat to national security, which was the primary motive for writing the study. It concludes that the objects found by the US military appear to be real in the majority of the 144 occurrences documented. Only one of the cases described in the study was identified as a balloon.<ref name=":1"/>

"Most of the UAP reported probably do represent physical objects given that a majority of UAP were registered across multiple sensors, to include radar, infrared, electro-optical, weapon seekers, and visual observation", according to the report.<ref name=":1"/> The report also stated that "UAP probably lack a single explanation", and proposed five possible categories of explanation: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, US government or industry development technology, foreign craft, and an "Other" category.<ref name="dni">{{cite web|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=25 June 2021 |title=Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena |url=https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726114054/https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf |archive-date=26 July 2021 |access-date=26 June 2021 |website=[[Office of the Director of National Intelligence]]}}</ref>

Commenting on the document, [[NASA]] Administrator [[Bill Nelson]] said that he did not think we are alone, but the UFO sightings by pilots "may not be extraterrestrial."<ref>{{cite news |title=NASA administrator on UFO report: 'I don't think we are' alone |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/560507-nasa-administrator-on-ufo-report-i-dont-think-we-are-alone |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=June 28, 2021 |access-date=July 3, 2021 |archive-date=July 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703164701/https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/560507-nasa-administrator-on-ufo-report-i-dont-think-we-are-alone |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2021, further official governmental investigations into UAPs and related, along with annual unclassified reports presented to Congress, have been authorized and funded.<ref name="LAT-20211216">{{cite news |last=Guthrie |first=Dillon |title=Op-Ed: OK! It's time to take UFOs seriously |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-12-16/ufos-pentagon-congress-government |date=December 16, 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216112423/https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-12-16/ufos-pentagon-congress-government |url-status=live }}</ref> Some have raised concerns about the new investigations.<ref name="NBC-20220108">{{cite news |last=Seitz-Wald |first=Alex |title=Disclosure or deception? New UFO Pentagon office divides believers – The U.S. government hasn't comprehensively studied UFOs in decades—but not all ufologists are excited about a new Pentagon investigative office. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/disclosure-or-deception-new-ufo-pentagon-office-divides-believers-n1287199 |date=January 8, 2022 |work=[[NBC News]] |access-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108235315/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/disclosure-or-deception-new-ufo-pentagon-office-divides-believers-n1287199 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[President of the United States]] [[Joe Biden]] in 2023 signed the [[Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act]] into law as part of the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024]] on December 14, 2023.<ref name="Mizokami Popular Mechanics UAPDA 2023-12-14">{{Cite web|date=2023-12-14|title=A New Law Forces the U.S. Government to Collect UFO Sightings—But Not Release Them to the Public|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a46105999/uap-disclosure-act|last1=Mizokami|first1=Kyle|access-date=2024-09-13|url-status=live|website=[[Popular Mechanics]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226035458/https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a46105999/uap-disclosure-act/|archive-date=2023-12-26}}</ref> The 64-page amendment defined and codified 22 technical definitions related to UFOs and non-human intelligence under the law.<ref name="Vincent UAPDA Defense Scoop 2023-07-25">{{Cite web|date=2023-07-25|title=Senators aim to set a mandatory timeline and process for agencies to declassify all UAP records|url=https://www.defensescoop.com/2023/07/25/senate-panel-aims-to-set-a-mandatory-timeline-and-process-for-agencies-to-declassify-all-uap-records|last1=Vincent|first1=Brandi|access-date=2024-09-13|url-status=live|website=Defense Scoop|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208232752/https://defensescoop.com/2023/07/25/senate-panel-aims-to-set-a-mandatory-timeline-and-process-for-agencies-to-declassify-all-uap-records/|archive-date=2023-12-08}}</ref>

==== Conspiracy theories ====

{{See also|UFO conspiracy theory|Steven M. Greer|Men in black| Brookings Report}}
UFOs are sometimes an element of conspiracy theories in which governments are allegedly intentionally "covering up" the existence of aliens by removing physical evidence of their presence or even collaborating with extraterrestrial beings. There are many versions of this story; some are exclusive, while others overlap with various other conspiracy theories.

In the U.S., an opinion poll conducted in 1997 suggested that 80% of Americans believed the U.S. government was withholding such information.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Is the Government Hiding Facts On UFOs & Extraterrestrial Life?; New Roper Poll Reveals that More Than Two-Thirds of Americans Think So |date=October 15, 2002 |publisher=[[Business Wire]] |location=New York |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Is+the+Government+Hiding+Facts+On+UFOs+%26+Extraterrestrial+Life%3F%3B+New...-a092843602 |access-date=September 12, 2013 |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230015/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Is+the+Government+Hiding+Facts+On+UFOs+%26+Extraterrestrial+Life%3F%3B+New...-a092843602 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="cnn97">{{cite news |title=Poll: U.S. hiding knowledge of aliens |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9706/15/ufo.poll/index.html |work=CNN |publisher=Turner Broadcasting System |location=Atlanta, GA |date=June 15, 1997 |access-date=September 12, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017204345/http://www.cnn.com/US/9706/15/ufo.poll/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Various notables have also expressed such views. Some examples are astronauts Gordon Cooper and Edgar Mitchell, Senator [[Barry Goldwater]], Vice Admiral [[Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter]] (the first CIA director), [[Peter Hill-Norton, Baron Hill-Norton|Lord Hill-Norton]] (former British Chief of Defense Staff and NATO head), the 1999 French COMETA study by various French generals and aerospace experts, and [[Yves Sillard]] (former director of CNES, new director of French UFO research organization GEIPAN).<ref name="geipan" />

In June 2023, United States Air Force officer and former intelligence official [[David Grusch UFO whistleblower claims|David Grusch]] claimed that the U.S. federal government has maintained a highly secretive UFO retrieval program since the 1940s and that the government possesses multiple spacecraft of "non-human" origin.<ref>{{cite web |last=Coen |first=Susie |date=7 June 2023 |title='Non-human spacecraft' found by US 'for decades' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/07/ufos-made-with-non-human-materials-found-by-us/ |access-date=9 June 2023 |website=The Telegraph |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610035130/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/07/ufos-made-with-non-human-materials-found-by-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="gab9">{{cite web |last=Gabbatt |first=Adam |date=9 June 2023 |title=A whistleblower claims the US has alien vehicles. But where's the proof? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/09/ufo-alien-vehicles-us-whistleblower-evidence-where-is-proof |access-date=9 June 2023 |work=The Guardian |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610032500/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/09/ufo-alien-vehicles-us-whistleblower-evidence-where-is-proof |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2025, Matthew Brown, another former intelligence official, claimed elements of the US Government executive branch had conspired to prevent the US Congress from exercising its lawful powers of oversight with respect to UAP, Technology of Unknown Origin (TUO) and Non-Human Intelligence (NHI) issues. He also claimed there was a "criminal conspiracy" to keep the elected government of the United States ignorant of "the profound discoveries and dire threats originating from the existence of UAP, NHI, and their technologies." He claimed their was an Unacknowledged [[Special Access Program]] (USAP) called "[[Schriever_wargame#Immaculate_Constellation|Immaculate Constellation]]" that consolidated observations of UAP etc. and used "sophisticated internal information security controls" to enforce the detection, quarantining and compartmentalisation of UAP imagery collection incidents before they were circulated within the various branches of national and military intelligence. This was how such sightings and observations could be denied to exist by intelligence officials when questioned on it because it had been hidden to them by systems of internal secrecy they were unaware about.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Matthew Brown Discusses Immaculate Constellation Allegations |website=Open Minds UFO News |date=2022 |url=https://www.openminds.tv/tag/matthew-brown}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Analysis of UAP Allegations and Constellation Claims |website=UFOs Disclosure |date=2023 |url=https://ufodisclosure.org/analysis/immaculate-constellation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Evaluating UAP Claims: The Case of Immaculate Constellation |journal=Journal of Scientific Exploration |volume=36 |issue=2 |year=2022 |url=https://www.scientificexploration.org/jse/volume-36/issue-2}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=May 2025}}

A document written by an anonymous whistleblower (since revealed to have been authored by Matthew Brown in about 2018) was submitted to the [[Congressional Record]] at a public hearing of the [[House Oversight Committee]] in November 2024. <ref>{{Cite web |title=House Oversight Committee Hearing on UAPs |date=November 2024 |url=https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/117721/documents/HHRG-118-GO12-20241113-SD003.pdf |access-date=2024-11-13}}</ref>

In a later interview with [[Jeremy Corbell]] and [[George Knapp (television journalist)|George Knapp]], released online in May 2024, Brown claimed that a secret group of people had successfully "reverse engineered" TUO from downed UAP and the rest of humanity had been "left behind".<ref>{{Cite video |title=Interview with Matthew Brown about Immaculate Constellation |author=Jeremy Corbell |publisher=YouTube |date=2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXX}}</ref>
===== "Disclosure" advocates =====
In May 2001, a press conference was held at the [[National Press Club (United States)|National Press Club]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], by an organization called the [[Steven M. Greer|Disclosure Project]], featuring twenty persons including retired Air Force and FAA personnel, intelligence officers and an air traffic controller.<ref>{{YouTube|id=K5Mv0_RFEB8|title=2001 National Press Club Event|link=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Government is covering up UFO evidence, group says |first=Julia |last=Duin |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2001/may/11/20010511-022955-2774r/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Times]] |publisher=[[News World Communications]] |location=Washington, D.C. |date=May 11, 2001 |access-date=September 11, 2013 |archive-date=January 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119203739/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2001/may/11/20010511-022955-2774r/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=They're Here; UFO Watchers to Reveal Proof That Aliens Have Visited Earth |first=Vicky |last=Spavin |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/They%27re+Here%3B+UFO+watchers+to+reveal+proof+that+aliens+have+visited...-a074321804 |work=[[Daily Record (Scotland)|The Daily Record]] |publisher=[[Trinity Mirror]] |location=Glasgow |date=May 9, 2001 |access-date=March 10, 2013 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305060038/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/They%27re+Here%3B+UFO+watchers+to+reveal+proof+that+aliens+have+visited...-a074321804 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Group Calls for Disclosure of UFO Info |first1=Katelynn |last1=Raymer |first2=David |last2=Ruppe |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98572 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=May 10, 2001 |access-date=March 11, 2013 |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728235120/http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98572 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=UFO spotters slam 'US cover-up' |first=Rob |last=Watson |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1322432.stm |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |location=London |date=May 10, 2001 |access-date=September 11, 2013 |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723074515/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1322432.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Men in Suits See Aliens as Part of Solution, Not Problem |first=Sharon |last=Kehnemui |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/men-in-suits-see-aliens-as-part-of-solution-not-problem |work=FoxNews.com |publisher=Fox Entertainment Group |location=New York |date=May 10, 2001 |access-date=May 10, 2007 |archive-date=August 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825092411/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,24364,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ooo-WEE-ooo Fans Come to D.C. |first=Declan |last=McCullagh |author-link=Declan McCullagh |url=https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/05/43526 |work=[[Wired (website)|Wired News]] |publisher=[[Lycos]] |location=Waltham, MA |date=May 10, 2001 |access-date=May 10, 2007 |archive-date=June 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609085452/http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/05/43526 |url-status=live }}</ref> They all gave a brief account of their claims that evidence of UFOs was being suppressed and said they would be willing to testify under oath to a Congressional committee. According to a 2002 report in the [[Daily Emerald|Oregon ''Daily Emerald'']], Disclosure Project founder [[Steven M. Greer]] is an "alien theorist" who claims "proof of government coverup" consisting of 120 hours of testimony from various government officials on the topic of UFOs, including astronaut [[Gordon Cooper]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Alien theorist offers proof of government coverup |first=Brad |last=Schmidt |url=http://dailyemerald.com/2002/04/25/alien-theorist-offers-proof-of-government-coverup/ |newspaper=[[Daily Emerald|Oregon Daily Emerald]] |location=Eugene, OR |date=April 25, 2002 |access-date=December 12, 2012 |archive-date=August 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814040025/http://dailyemerald.com/2002/04/25/alien-theorist-offers-proof-of-government-coverup/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2007, the German UFO conspiracy forum [[Disclose.tv]] was created. The website's name references the concept of disclosure.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=W. F. |date=12 January 2022 |title=Disclose.tv: Conspiracy Forum Turned Disinformation Factory |url=https://www.logically.ai/articles/disclose.tv-conspiracy-forum-turned-disinformation-factory |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112153617/https://www.logically.ai/articles/disclose.tv-conspiracy-forum-turned-disinformation-factory |archive-date=12 January 2022 |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=[[Logically (company)|Logically]] |language=en |quote=The name "Disclose" references the concept within UFO enthusiast circles of "disclosure," the time when the government will confirm the existence of aliens and release information regarding them.}}</ref>

On September 27, 2010, a group of six former USAF officers and one former enlisted Air Force man held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on the theme "U.S. Nuclear Weapons Have Been Compromised by Unidentified Aerial Objects"<ref>{{cite press release |last1=Salas |first1=Robert |last2=Hastings |first2=Robert |title=U.S. Nuclear Weapons Have Been Compromised by Unidentified Aerial Objects |date=September 15, 2010 |publisher=[[PR Newswire]] |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUS166901+15-Sep-2010+PRN20100915 |access-date=September 11, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127022656/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS166901+15-Sep-2010+PRN20100915 |archive-date=January 27, 2011  }} {{YouTube|id=lR3Fhyi14Pw|title="National Press Club: UFOs Tampering with Nukes – Part 1/7"|link=no}}</ref> in which they claimed they had witnessed UFOs hovering near missile sites and even disarming the missiles.

From April 29 to May 3, 2013, the Paradigm Research Group held the "Citizen Hearing on Disclosure" at the National Press Club. The group paid former U.S. Senator [[Mike Gravel]] and former Representatives [[Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick]], [[Roscoe Bartlett]], [[Merrill Cook]], [[Darlene Hooley]], and [[Lynn Woolsey]] $20,000 each to hear testimony from a panel of researchers which included witnesses from military, agency, and political backgrounds.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-Rep. Kilpatrick 'waiting to hear' evidence of space aliens |first=Marisa |last=Schultz |url=http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130429/POLITICS03/304290397 |work=[[The Detroit News]] |publisher=[[Digital First Media|MediaNews Group]] |date=April 29, 2013 |access-date=September 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531170741/http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130429/POLITICS03/304290397 |archive-date=May 31, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citizenhearing.org/ |title=Citizen Hearing on Disclosure |website=Citizen Hearing on Disclosure |publisher=Paradigm Research Group |location=Bethesda, MD |access-date=September 11, 2013 |archive-date=September 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915073916/http://www.citizenhearing.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>