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by Vince Johnson

During the last decade, rumors of an imminent announcement have circulated throughout the ufological community. For persons steeped in UFO lore, the question of "announcement of what?" need not be asked. The
immediate connotation of "The Announcement" concerns official government confirmation of that which those of us in this field have always
suspected: UFOs are structured, technological craft designed, built, and operated by non-human intelligence.

Non-human intelligence is the generic term for the unknown whoever
or whatever is flying these things. The term "aliens" usually presupposes
an extraterrestrial origin, and gives short-schriff to the equally viable theories that these Visitors are time-travelers from our own distant
future, currently unknown life forms (UFO as organism), or metaphysical/spiritual entities.

While each of these theories have valid elements, none can explain
all of the observed data regarding UFOs. In fact, the phenomenon may be a synthesis of two or more of these theories, or equally likely, none of the above. Those of us on the "outside" just don't have enough data to reach
any firm conclusions.

The "insiders," however, undoubtedly have access to much more data
in the form of gun-camera films, radar logs, satellite data, signal intelligence, necropsy reports, and who-knows-what kind of technical data derived from over 40 years of tracking the UFO phenomenon. Naturally, any findings by the ufological community will ultimately make its way into the "insiders" UFO database.

The "outsiders" have come to call the "insiders" the Control Group
-- the guardians of the UFO secret and managers of UFO information.
Presumably, the Control Group is comprised of a tight-lipped assortment of intelligence operatives and analysts, military personnel, scientists, and
a select group of hi-tech industrialists.

Perhaps the greatest question this "outsider" has is whether the Control Group is under the command and control of the executive branch of
the U.S. government. Could UFO secrecy be maintained if incoming
presidents and their national security advisors were briefed on the
phenomenon? There have been nine presidential administrations since the
Roswell crash, but not a peep of UFO revelations by any of them. This
would indicate that the reasons for the containment of UFO information
were so compelling that everybody officially briefed on the UFO situation unanimously supported the policy, resulting in no unauthorized "leaks"
during the nine successive administrations. The other possibility is that
the UFO policy has been managed covertly by the Control Group, free from executive branch supervision.

Assuming that each successive administration was briefed, how and
why could the UFO cover-up be successfully maintained so long? The most
likely reason would be geopolitical. If a UFO did crash near Roswell in
1947, and artifacts were recovered, would we have wanted to alert the
Soviet intelligence apparatus to what could be a technological windfall? Considering the potential strategic advantages that could be gleaned from
a sample of advanced technology (metallurgy, electronics, propulsion,
etc.) it would be logical to retract the "crashed UFO" story and begin the all-too-successful program of denial and ridicule.

Another geopolitical factor could conceivably be how the concept
of nationalism would fare in light of revelations concerning the presence
of non-human Visitors possessing technological prowess far ahead of our
own. The Capitalist/Communist competition would be reduced to
insignificance -- much to the horror of the military/intelligence/
industrial complexes which owed their existence to the fears generated by
the East-West rivalry.

Other factors could have influenced the decision to maintain the
UFO cover-up as well. It should be remembered that Orson Welles' Halloween broadcast of "War of the Worlds" occurred only nine years before the
Roswell crash. Memories of the panic that ensued would still be fresh in
the minds of policy makers. The notion of Visitors From Space was only seriously considered after the wave of "flying saucer" sightings that
began in 1947. It could have been rightfully argued then that a period of psychological preparation was required to acclimate the populace to this possibility.

There could also be official concern over a potential
"Conquistadore effect." Would western culture rapidly collapse due to
contact with a more advanced civilization?

These are examples of what could be considered a "benign
cover-up," i.e., official U.S. policy based on legitimate national-
security concerns and executed through the constitutional chain-of-command
on orders from the president. But, in light of recent geopolitical
changes and over 40 years of pop-culture conditioning regarding the
possibility of non-human Visitors, the reasons for maintaining the UFO
cover-up would seem less and less compelling. It has been argued that the
UFO coverup is maintained due to policy momentum, that to reveal the
coverup after 40 years of denial and ridicule would have unacceptable
political fallout. One would think the avoidance of public disclosure
based on "political embarrassment" for participation in the coverup would
not be a valid concern for a newly elected president, especially if the
new president was of a political party different from his predecessors.

One scenario that might explain the maintenance of UFO secrecy concerns the widespread construction of underground installations, flight
tests of non-conventional aircraft at Area 51, and continued funding of
SDI ballistic missile defense and beam-weapons research. Is the defense establishment attempting to bridge a "technology gap" with our Visitors?
This would imply that the Control Group has ascertained that the Visitors' agenda may not be benevolent. However, if the Visitors do have hostile
intent, why would they allow us the opportunity to develop defenses
presumably based in-part on technology derived from their own downed
craft?

Or perhaps the UFO cover-up is based on sinister human motives.

If all incoming presidents were not briefed and the UFO project remained hidden from executive branch review, the Control
Group would be engaged in a "rogue" operation with drastic constitutional ramifications. If this is the case, the motivations of the Control
Group would have to be suspect. If not part of the constitutional chain-of-command, the Control Group would have to resort to budgetary
skimming, off-budget maneuvers and other criminal activity to fund the
ongoing UFO project.

During the Iran-Contra hearings we discovered how covert
off-the-shelf operations were funded through illegal arms sales. There
is evidence that these covert operations may have even imported illegal
drugs to fund their activities. It is possible that the Control Group
engages in illegal activities to fund a secret, "unofficial" UFO project
that does not have access to legitimate funding through legal
Constitutional channels.

Another possible source of funding could come from large
corporations who hope to reap enormous profits by leap-frogging
"linear" R&D through access to UFO technology. Corporate participants in
such a scheme could be ignorant of the fact that the UFO
project they subsidize might be an illegal "rogue" operation. Whether
funded by criminal activities or through covert corporate
sponsorship, the operation could not function without the coordination and control of active-duty military and intelligence personnel in
violation of their oaths "to faithfully preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America."


If the Control Group is a "rogue" operation, one has to wonder
what could be their motivation. Since power and wealth would
presumably already be within their grasp, could the motivation be
something more sinister? Could the Control Group be a cabal engaged
in the disastrous, but time-honored (for neo-, crypto-, and plain ol'
fascists) goal of global domination? It is conceivable that a relatively
small force armed with super-technology derived from crashed UFOs could neutralize conventional and nuclear forces worldwide.

Another possibility is that the Visitors themselves control the
Control Group. Could the Visitors have dictated that secrecy be
maintained, or could the Control Group actually be "cosmic Quislings" conspiring with alien invaders against the best interests of
humanity?

In any case, if the Control Group is independent from the constitutionally mandated chain-of-command structure of the U.S.
Government, it could only be described as a de facto criminal enterprise, regardless of their motivations. If the Control Group is a rogue
operation, no "Announcement" should be expected soon. But if the Control
Group is functioning legally within a constitutional framework,
an "Announcement" could be forthcoming -- mainly because the policy that
was deemed necessary in 1947 may not be necessary today.

At this stage in world affairs, maintenance of UFO secrecy in the interests of national security would no longer seem to be
justifiable. A newly installed administration, such as the Clinton administration, would have no culpability in the cover-up, and thus would
not suffer politically from any "Announcement." In fact, the president
would probably make political points for instituting UFO glasnost --
many would look to him for leadership in coping with the startling
revelations, enhancing his presidency.


Fear of widespread panic would also be questionable, considering
that almost every citizen is sure to have at least contemplated
the possibility of "aliens landing on the White House lawn." After all,
one would think there is much more danger associated with purely
terrestrial developments like nuclear weapons in the hands of fellow
humans like Saddam Hussein, Kim Il Sung, or the ayatollah du jour
than the most likely scenarios of overt alien contact.


The stage for "The Announcement" could be set through informal
release of information to ufologists, which would garner publicity in the ufological press. Names of "point men," major officials in the UFO program would be included in these releases. Mainstream journalists
could check some of the statements attributed to the "point men," and shockingly, receive confirmation from these selected public
officials. The public perception would begin to be ratcheted-up as
headlines announce that government officials are going "on the record" concerning the reality of the UFO situation.

An Oval Office address revealing the Big Secret would be perhaps
the most dramatic event in recorded history.

The "Announcement" could be staged to be comforting, reassuring,
and no cause for alarm. One can assume that there have
been contingency plans in place for such a development for decades.
Picture Walter Cronkite, Carl Sagan, or Ted Koppel calmly
interviewing the Control Group's experts, political leaders, theologians,
etc., interspersed between video clips of UFOs and the Visitors
themselves. It would be a mind-boggling, paradigm-shifting event to be
sure, but not something that would shatter the collective national
psyche. After a year or so, the sensation would die down and the story
would inevitably fade from the front page, replaced by the usual
shootings and scandals.

The are four important reasons why the government should come
clean and release the information it undoubtedly posesses:

1) Many people claim to have had contact with alien Visitors;
release of this information should confirm or deny whether their
experiences were the result of some neurological disorder or actual alien contact. Even if details of the interaction between Visitors and
humans are scary, it is always better to know, rather than not know,
what's really going on. Always.

2) Due to the long-standing and pervasive secrecy surrounding UFO projects, many technological and scientific discoveries
based on UFO technology may not have been fully exploited.

3) The historic nature of contact with non-human intelligence is
too important to be suppressed. It's as if there was a continent on
the Earth that generations of map-makers and navigators had conspired to conceal.

4) In a democracy, important cultural issues are resolved in an
open, democratic manner based on informed debate. Are there
other subjects of great historic and cultural importance that should be abdicated to the military/intelligence establishment?

As an outsider, I can only hope the Control Group are "good guys."
If they are, they should be aware of the paranoia their cover-
up engenders -- which is still another reason for lifting the veil of
secrecy. Considering that ufologists who "know too much" don't simply disappear, but instead, seem to be co-opted by or into the Control Group,
and the fact that the UFO program has been successfully maintained through
nine administrations, I think it's safe to assume that they are "good
guys" operating under executive branch command.

But if the Control Group are "bad guys," a rogue operation operating
outside the law for whatever purpose, don't hold your breath
waiting for "The Announcement." If this is the case, I suspect our main
concern will be stockpiling food and ammunition.

Copyright 1994 Vince Johnson

This article may be freely reproduced so long as the following notice is included:

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This article originally appeared in the Dec-Jan '94 issue of CE
CHRONICLES, The Journal of the Close Encounters Research Network
(C.E.R.N.). Annual subscriptions $25 (includes BBS access). For more information write: C.E.R.N., 10878 Westheimer, No. 293, Houston
TX 77042; call or fax to (713) 558-1630; or log-on to the CE-BBS (713) 558-5342.

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