The UFO Control Group: Who’s In Charge Here?
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: ——————————————————————— 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.