The following case was submitted to The Black Vault. Although there was no formal investigation or conclusion posted, it is archived here for reference purposes.

The photograph was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on 29 December 2006. It was originally posted and profiled by Jean Ward on YouTube. According to Mr. Ward:

Here I feature an anomaly I discovered at a new site in Ceti Mensa in the region Valles Marineris. The anomaly looks like a disc-shaped object which hit the surface of Mars at a very low angle and left a trench behind it. The disc-shaped object measures approximately 12 to 15 metres in diameter. Apart from removing a few sand dunes to highlight the object I didn’t change anything else in the photograph. To see the anomaly for yourselves please download the original JP2 from the NASA link provided below and download HiVIEW to open the JP2 (the anomaly is right there for anyone to see).

Alternatives: Could this possibly be a ramp leading into an underground entrance or is this an incomplete Project Ice-Worm structure? Or are we seeing a strange arc-shaped dune?

As always, until we get to see these anomalies up close and personal, I can only speculate as to what these objects might be.

In December of 2021, the image gained a lot of traction and was profiled on various sites making extraordinary claims. However, as Mr. Ward said, it is pure speculation at this point.

The Black Vault will add additional information, should it be presented, but for now – you can download the uncompressed image below, along with a .gif

The Evidence

The RAW data

Below, I have archived a .zip file of both the ORIGINAL and UNCOMPRESSED .JP2 file. These do need special viewers, which in this case, I used IRFANVIEW. In addition, I created a .png (no compression) copy, for much easier viewing, as that is a more generic format.

The RAW Data .ZIP download, .JP2 and .PNG files [1.26GB]

(Original sources files distributed by the University of Arizona)

The Official Caption

The below was written by Chris Okubo (8 December 2008). It explains the scientific breakdown of what we are looking at (with no note of the anomaly):

This image shows spectacular layers exposed on the bottom of Candor Chasma, a large canyon in the Valles Marineris system.

The floor here is approximately 4 kilometers below the canyon rim. The layers are made of sand- and dust-sized particles that were transported here by either wind or water. This canyon may have been filled to its rim by these sedimentary layers, subsequently eroded away, most likely by the wind. The elongate hills may represent areas of rock that are stronger due to differences in the size of the sedimentary particles, chemical alteration, or both.

One of the most eye-catching aspects of this scene are the intricate swirls that these layers form. Sedimentary rock generally accumulates in horizontal layers. These layers, however, have been folded into the patterns that we see today. Folding of the layers that are exposed here may have occurred due to the weight of overlying sediments.

Understanding the geologic history of this region may provide clues into the history of water on Mars, because these layers may have accumulated in shallow lakes and may have undergone chemical reactions with this water. The presence of certain kinds of chemical reactions between water and rock can release energy that could have sustained habitable oases in these areas.

The Analysis

Information Case Only; No Formal Investigation by The Black Vault.

The original discoverer did make a video analyzing the footage (there is no endorsement by The Black Vault on the speculation/conclusions/etc.). You can view that here:

Conclusion

Information Case Only; No Formal Investigation by The Black Vault.

The post Appearance of Crashed Disc-Shaped Object Appears In NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Photo, Taken 29 December 2006 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Appearance of Crashed Disc-Shaped Object Appears In NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Photo, Taken 29 December 2006 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

This case is also still unfolding so this page will likely be updated frequently.

Last Update: 10/7/2021

Background

The following video is allegedly a “leaked” video from the Department of Homeland Security. Per the on screen display, it was shot on November 23, 2019. The object is allegedly is Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and can not be explained.

The video was leaked to and published by Andy via his NY UAP DISCUSSION‘s YouTube Channel, and  his subsequent Twitter account.

According to the video’s description, as posted by NY UAP DISCUSSION (which is unedited):

“I am finally proud to present to you guys the very FIRST legitimate footage of a genuine UAP craft tracked for over 40 minutes by the department of Homeland Security using FLIR optics system in black hot mode. The footage was captured by an RC-26 reconnaissance plane looking for drug smugglers somewhere over Tuscon Arizona. The object was spotted 20 minutes into the footage and was tracked for a full 40 minutes until the footage ended. The object in question has been verified as anomalous by the organization which analyzed the footage, however, that analysis will be released later on in the year as it is still going through its peer review stage. The object in question is traveling anywhere between 90-200 mph as it flies over the desert surface and is also changing direction as it flies. It is estimated to be about 5 or 6 ft long and looks to have a second smaller appendage that flies with it but it is still uncertain if the smaller orb like object is actually a part of the main one or separate from the main. Also there is no clear indication that there is anything between both parts to show they are attached. The object is emitting zero heat yet accelerates and decelerates throughout the footage. The change in speed and direction is evident by the terrain as it changes while the object is being tracked and also the speed can be seen in the upper right hand side of the FLIR info. The object can also be seen rotating as it flies. Birds, balloons, drones, and all other conventional explanation has been ruled out until Mick West gets a hold of this and claims the object is nothing more than a Frisbee thrown by the worlds strongest man. Mick West himself. I wanna give a special Thank you to Dave Falch for all of his help with analyzing this footage for me!! That will be posted next!!!”

The Black Vault reached out to NY UAP DISCUSSION to host the RAW/UNEDITED file. That was denied, but was said to be released at a later date. The file that was released, and archived here with permission, is 8GB in size, and according to NY UAP DISCUSSION, is the largest available size at the moment.

YouTube’s compression seemed to have compressed the footage by about a third. So, this file here is exactly what NY UAP DISCUSSION sent to archive.

There has been NO formal analysis by The Black Vault, though Dave Falch who specializes in FLIR footage, did. That video is also available below.

The Video Evidence

The Best Resolution Available

.zip file [4.16GB]

The “RAW” and unedited file apparently is being held, for now. According to NY UAP DISCUSSION, it will be released in the future at an unknown date. They claim a full analysis was done, and once that is published, the “RAW” file will be released with it.

In an attempt to archive the best resolution available, The Black Vault reached out on October 6, 2021, to get the file. It was said there is an 8+ GB file that was used for the YouTube version upload (see below), though YouTube crushed it to approximately 2.4GB and it was also 1080p 50fps, a non-standard format for something like this.

Getting the 8+ GB file was proven to be a challenge. After some back and forth, it was determined the 8+ GB file was an upconvert of a 2+ GB file, to take it from 1080p to 4K. The Black Vault through a private arrangement, received what was said to be the original files sent over from the anonymous source. There were two files total. Per request, The Black Vault was asked to redact identifying location information / GPS coordinates, along with adding an identifying image to the video. This was done, per that agreement, and the best copy was exported, keeping the original 1920x1080p 30fps quality and exporting at the absolute top bit rate available (without up-converting the frame size).

There seems to be no loss in visual quality after the re-export, once the requested redactions were done.

The result is a 4.24GB file, which is available for direct download within this .zip file [4.16GB]. Sadly, the compression artifacts are in the “best quality available” versions sent over to me for exporting. I was told these were the best versions available.

Note: There are a few frames seemingly missing around the 00:29:59 mark. That is where the two clips spliced together, and the source files used seemed to have dropped the frames by whomever created/exported them originally. I am noting that here in case anyone felt I edited the video.

The YouTube Upload

Here is an archived .zip file [2.37GB] of the above YouTube video. This is not the same as the export done by The Black Vault, which is available for download above.

Luis Elizondo Comments

The following clip is from the interview with Max Moszkowicz on September 12, 2021. It is clipped here with the segment of the interview.

On October 7, 2021, Luis Elizondo also commented on the footage in an article by The Sun. The published comments were:

Video Analysis – Dave Falch

The following is analysis by Dave Falch. According to Dave:

“This video was made to show just how unconventional and eerie the object is in the DHS ‘RD’ video! I cover some basics of the FLIR (forward-looking infrared) to give an idea of what we are seeing, and why it’s so unnatural. Video courtesy of NY UAP Discussion, YT page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/UFOCompilation“

Analysis – Mick West

Noted skeptic and debunker Mick West has also weighed in.

In addition, he posted the following on Twitter:

“This looks like the path a border patrol plane makes when following something like a bunch of mylar balloons drifting in the wind at night.”

Conclusion

The Black Vault holds no position of what the video depicts, and offers this page for the community to analyze all information available.

The post Alleged DHS “Rubber Duck” UAP Footage, November 23, 2019 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Alleged DHS “Rubber Duck” UAP Footage, November 23, 2019 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

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The post UFOs Still There, Ottumwa Courier, June 16, 1972 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFOs Still There, Ottumwa Courier, June 16, 1972 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

This case was sent to The Black Vault for ideas on what may have happened. Along with the case, a ton of scientific data was sent over, as tested by various labs and scientists. It was decided, that the best course of action may be to post everything online, and collect a “community feedback” session to gather ideas. Everything related to the event, and analyses, are below.

To submit your thoughts, feel free to CONTACT The Black Vault.

This case file begins with the final report by Nicholas Reiter, a scientist at a solar research facility and the director of an anti-gravity technology group in Toledo, Ohio, before he passed away in 2013.

The witness “SD” was put in touch with Reiter after his encounter for analysis. His report is below, which offers a good overview of the case with the primary analysis. Additional information is below.

Analysis of an Unknown Glassy Substance Found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 2004

N. Reiter – 29 January 2012

Background:

On Thanksgiving night, 2004, a farmer in Lancaster County, PA, hereafter known as “SD”, witnessed an unusual explosive light event near his home, over an adjacent field.  In the days following, SD examined the field soil in the vicinity of the event however no visible disturbance or alteration was evident.  Approximately one year later, after the field had been turned, SD discovered an unusual black glossy “rock” at the site of the light event from the year before.  Over the course of the next few years, SD had a variety of experts look at the material he found, and one round of compositional analysis was performed by meteorite identification specialists in Canada.  Other professional opinions were tendered by local community college faculty.  The material was determined to not be a match to any known meteoric composition however it did not closely resemble any known iron or steel industrial slag either.  SD continued to consult with both engineering professionals as well as meteor and UFO researchers about the matter.  In late 2011, by way of Barbara Becker of the Missouri Investigators Group, I was placed in touch with SD, and discussed the matter with him.  SD was generous and supplied me with about 30 grams of the black obsidian-like material, for any analysis I could either perform or facilitate.

In November and December of 2011, I performed physical and chemical testing on pieces of the sample, as well as arranged for SEM and EDS analysis to be performed.

Much information was obtained, and is presented here in a compiled form.  However at the time of this reporting, the ultimate nature of the material in question remains unknown.

The Light Event:

On Thanksgiving night, 2004, SD had stepped onto his back porch to get some air after a long day.  As he scanned the clear sky, an amber colored star-like light glided over, at an apparently high altitude.  SD at the moment was struck by the unusual color and movement however felt that it had likely been a meteor or a satellite.  He returned inside for a few minutes, and did some quick checking on-line to see if any meteor showers had been predicted for that evening, SD returned to his back steps to scan the sky once more.

Suddenly a short distance away, a brilliant white fireball of light approximately 15 feet across exploded.  The blast of light was completely silent, and appeared to be at or very near ground level, over the field adjacent to SD’s home.  The white burst collapsed into a flicker, and then all was dark once more.  SD was convinced a meteorite had landed in his field.  The sky was otherwise clear, and so it did not seem to be possible that the light burst was a lightning event.

Over the following days, SD walked his field examining the location of the light burst.  He had anticipated finding a crater, or some fused or burned region on the soil surface.  However no trace of any disruption could be found.

In November of the next year, SD had not thought of the light event for some time.  However one day, after the soil of the field had been turned, he found himself wondering if anything from the 2004 event had been plowed up.  He wandered out to the location for the light burst, and circled around, scanning the ground as he went.  At first, he found nothing unusual however on a return pass SD saw a large black shiny object on top of the plowed earth.

The slightly curved piece of black rock-like material was about the size of two fists placed together.  SD carried it back to his house, and the quest to uncover the nature of this material began.  See PHOTO A.

Early Analysis:

SD’s primary suspicion was that the light explosion and black stone were meteoric.  He eventually found a meteorite identification lab in Canada that agreed to run Fusion ICP mass spectroscopy on some of the material.  As the primary interest of the lab contacted was to identify and catalog meteorites, their involvement was short lived, after it became apparent that SD’s material did not match any classical meteoritic composition. It was discovered that the material was primarily SiO2, Fe2O3, and also contained oddly high levels of Zn (zinc) and Pb (lead).

The following is a summary of the Fusion ICP findings:

While the Canadian analysis provided a “zero’th order” look at the rock, a sizeable percentage – roughly 18% – of the material composition was not accounted for, due to the constraints of Fusion ICP analysis.  What was this missing component of the unknown material?

When I received the samples of SD’s stone, this matter was still in question, as well as the essential identification with (or not) any known terrestrial mineral or form of industrial slag.

As analytical resources were being lined up, I personally was able to confirm a number of physical and chemical properties of the sample material.  See PHOTO B.

Initial Physical and Chemical Testing:

SD related to me that he had determined early on that the black stone material was attracted moderately to a magnet.  This was a key observation.

When I received the sample pieces, I began a series of very basic examinations.  From my notebook:

Approximate density of the material (simple Archimedian test) ~3.1

Approximate hardness of the material (scratch testing) ~6.5 on the Moh’s Scale

No fluorescence in visible wavelengths under long or short wave UV.

The material was indeed attracted to a magnet, though not isotropically.  A region of slightly lighter color and coarser texture exists on the original material in a way suggestive of a surface or crust zone.  One of the sample portions provided contained a small area of the “crust”.  The attraction of this piece to a magnet, through the crust zone appeared attenuated.

Using a thermocouple, torch, and strong magnet, I was able to establish that the material appeared to have a Curie temperature and hysteresis of magnetic attraction – with force disappearing at about 150C and re-appearing at about 80C.

The material was not visibly attacked by HCl, HNO3, or aqua regia.

A Fluke multimeter was used to establish that the material actually appeared to possess an electrically conductive nature.  Between random points on samples, electrical resistance values of between 8K ohms and 400 K ohms were found.  The “crust” region appeared to have a higher resistivity.

A very thin and small flake of the material was examined with a high intensity light source, to determine the color of transmitted light.  The thin cross section (a few microns) appeared greenish.  Another thin flake appeared violet.

A small portion of the sample was heated with a torch to around 1000 degrees C on a ceramic fixture.  No deformation or vitrification was noted, thus implying that the melting temperature of the material is over 1000C.

SEM and EDS Analysis:

Several smaller chips of the material sample were taken to the local university Physics Department, for some basic SEM and EDS analysis.

Two primary objectives were kept in mind:

Could the missing 18 to 20% of the material composition be confirmed and identified?

Was the material a true glass (amorphous) or did it have a micro-crystalline nature that would in turn allow meaningful X-ray diffraction analysis?

Wide area low resolution and high resolution views with the SEM disclosed that the surfaces examined were (except for minor inclusions discussed below) without any crystal or granular nature, up to the meaningful limit of the microscope.  Thus the bulk material could be accurately called a glass, and it appears fully vitrified.  See PHOTO C below:

This photo disclosed a set of interesting complex dendritic forms embedded in the glassy undifferentiated background matrix.  We eventually found references describing these forms as being micro-crystals of iron oxide, and they could be considered as minor inclusions.

EDS analysis also confirmed our prediction that the initially “missing” percentage of composition was carbon.  See PHOTO D below:

EDS additionally was able to specify more accurate figures for the % composition of zinc and lead in the sample material.  We find evidence of zinc content up to 5% atomic and lead to around 1% atomic maximum.

Slag Properties:

With the added knowledge of the sample material provided by SEM and EDS, could we be more certain in our considerations of whether or not the unknown material resembled any industrial slag form?  A literature search was made across mining and metal refining archives, for compositional profiles of typical slags.  Slag, of course, is a cross-disciplinary term, and requires specification of the essential metal or alloy being processed.

Slag variants investigated include, iron, steel, zinc, and lead.

http://ibm.nic.in/slagironandsteel.pdf (Note from The Black Vault: Now a broken link)

http://www.ductile.org/magazine/2004_3/EFFECT%20CHARGE.pdf

http://www.slg.jp/e/slag/character.html

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/97148/nfs1.cfm

http://www.saimm.co.za/Conferences/Slags2004/053_Hecker.pdf

Given the range of material constituents found by both the ICP and EDS methods, one could presume that the general “industry” that would potentially generate a slag resembling SD’s sample could be deduced.  For example, iron and steel processing generally is intolerant of the presence of any observable amounts of zinc or lead.

We discover, however, that in zinc and lead processing, the presence of high amounts of carbon is nonexistent.

After our literature search, we can conclude the following:

1. Iron and steel slags are highly variable in composition, and may easily contain amounts of SiO2, CaO, and FeOx that might match SD’s sample. However iron and steel slags do not contain significant amounts of Zn and Pb.  They also likely do not contain as much carbon as SD’s sample.
2. Lead and zinc processing slags are also variable in composition, and may easily contain the amounts of these elements as found in SD’s sample, as well as FeOx and SiO2. However they do not contain carbon.

It is our opinion that the closest “man-made” material match to SD’s samples is zinc slag fuming residua.  However the presence of a large amount of carbon appears to invalidate this.

In summary – the black glassy stone-like material found by SD is not a comfortable or workable match to any easily identifiable man made industrial metallurgical slag.

Conclusions:

For now, little more can be said about the mysterious material found by SD in 2004.  It does not match classical composition profiles for meteorites.  It is not a likely match for any one of a number of industrial slag types.  The general form of the original “rock” as-found is itself suggestive of some artificial process – a distinct and differentiated crust along one side, and hints of a rounded profile for part of the piece.  It is unknown.

It is what I personally have come to call, after years of examining Fortean residua, “naggingly unusual”.  It is not a UFOlogical smoking gun piece of evidence.  It is an enigma.

One other topic needs to be addressed in this case.  Mr. SD has been extraordinarily open and detailed about the chronology and peripheral elements of the event – elements that would promise a deeper understanding and that “aha! moment” if only we could understand their context.

SD shared his opinion that one of the most curious aspects of his finding of the black stone was the “presentation”.  On the day in 2005 that he felt compelled to wander out into his field, to the site of the light event from the year before, SD found it highly strange that as he initially walked past the epicenter, the black stone was not there.  It was only after he circled around and returned on his footsteps through the light event spot that he saw the black rock sitting on the turned soil.  An eerie sense of “here you are, take it” came over him.  In the world of silent light balls, UFOs, and crypto-artifacts, these sorts of nuances are not uncommon, even if they may never be understood.

In late 2004, Mr. SD of Lancaster County, PA, had an intersection with the high unknown.  A year later, he was gifted a souvenir for his troubles.  While we may never comprehend the origin of the souvenir, or how it related causally to the light ball explosion, it does remain, and is tangible evidence of a mystery.

In closing, I would like to thank Mr. SD and his family for providing me with the opportunity to explore yet another vector of the unknown.  Gracious thanks also to Ms. Barbara Becker of the Missouri Investigators Group for connecting Mr. SD with me, and for her excellent initial documentation of SD’s case.

Additional Comments From The Witness

Would like to clarify a couple of things.  The bright ball was more than 15 feet. I would estimate between 20-30 feet with a bright 6-8 foot wide beam coming off an angle to the ground and then scattering  of electric. It was less than 100 feet from my back door. I estimate the ball was maybe 20 feet off the ground.

I live in Cochranville, PA, about 30 min from Lancaster, PA.

I do believe that this object connects with the phenomenon that I witnessed. I was obsessed with this finding something for many months until corn was planted. Then as soon as he cut it down I was back out there. Once I found this object the search obsession was over. Every year since, in October thru November, I get the urge to find answers about this. Usually send emails to see if any “supposed UFO researchers” want to look at this.

Photos of the Object

Please note: These are the highest resolution photographs available.

Note from witness: I went to AlienCon in Baltimore a couple years ago and brought the object. It had broken into two pieces. I had it in my car in the summer and it got very hot. I tapped with a hammer and that’s when it split in two pieces. Very clean break if you’re look at where it broke it is as if they are two separate pieces that melted together. So back to AlienCon, I was leaving and I put objects in a plastic grocery bag . Stupid I know. I put it in back seat of car, got home saw that bag had hole in it and the biggest piece was gone. It’s mind boggling why I would have done that. And now I’m not even sure where the other piece is. I cared for this thing for 13 years, then go to a convention and lose my prized object. I’m so mad at myself for that. Now I need to search my house for the other piece. I knew where that thing was always. Kept it in same spot always ready to show anyone. Now . I have no answer for it.

Energy Dispersive Spectrometer Analysis

For the EDS breakdown for each corresponding image, download THIS .ZIP FILE to get all the corresponding data to the scans below.

Smithsonian Microscope Image of Unknown Object

Analytical Report by ICP and ICP-MS Services

Prepared for:  Mr. Nick Reiter                                                   Date Reported:  May 8, 2012

All results are reported as percent abundances.

Prep 1 and Prep 2 signify two separate portions of the sample prepared and analyzed by the same procedure.

Thoughts by Nicholas Reiter in 2012

All in all, between the Canadian analysis, the SEM and EDX that I had done at University of Toledo, and the IR that Phyllis is doing – that covers most of what I think can be done.  Any further analysis would be say isotopic ratio work, but there you are talking about $600 or so, and that’s with a fellow I know doing it.  Plus, said fellow has to have a sample that can be dissolved in an acid.  Your stone material is resilient to dissolving, and so someone else would have to do it, who has ICP fusion.  XRD would be of no use, since we now know it is an amorphous glassy material, not crystalline.

The EDX pretty much filled in the question left by the Canadian lab in” what is the missing 20 – some %” by saying its probably in the zinc, lead, and quite a bit of carbon.  We found the material is mostly glassy.  Phyllis may be able to find some proof that the carbon portion is or isn’t from a melted and superheated polymer.  That should be neat.

I have not yet found a match to any form of common industrial slag.  It resembles zinc fuming slag a little, but not really.

Rock Analysis

Download the Rock Analysis [.xlsx files]

University of Toledo, Instrumentation Center, Analysis

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The post Glassy Substance Found Year After UFO Event; Scientific Analysis Concludes “Enigma” first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

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The post Luis Elizondo & John Greenewald, Jr. – 1 on 1 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Luis Elizondo & John Greenewald, Jr. – 1 on 1 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

This file is from the Project Blue Book collection within the National Archives. It is a case where the witness describes an object falling like a green flame from the sky. It was shaped roughly like a cone, about 1ft high. Upon landing, it started a fire in the backyard shed of the property, and the local police were called out.

After analysis by the U.S. Air Force – they determined it was furnace slag.

The case files, along with photographs, are all below.

Document Archive

Project Blue Book: Hartford, Connecticut — September 4, 1960 – CASE FILES [73 Pages, 10MB]

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Project Blue Book: Hartford, Connecticut — September 4, 1960 – PHOTOGRAPHS [38 Pages, 3.51MB]

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The post Project Blue Book: Hartford, Connecticut — September 4, 1960 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Project Blue Book: Hartford, Connecticut — September 4, 1960 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

This book was given to The Black Vault many years ago, when I appeared to give a lecture at a conference. It has sat in my archives until recently found again. I do not vouch for the information, as I did not conduct it, but wanted to share it for research purposes and discussion.

Copyright notice: An attempt to find the author, Edward Mcbride, failed. In addition, a search was made to find commercial copies – a bound version for sale – to find the copyright. That came up negative. It does not appear to be published in any form, nor appear anywhere on the internet or for sale. So, it was decided that it would be posted under “fair use” with a copyright notice attached attributing the work to the author, wherever he may be. If anyone knows him, please let me know.

Journey of a Demon: Report of an Anomaly in the Skies Over Egypt, Circa July 29, 1203BC

DOWNLOAD [85 Pages, 18.5MB]

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The post Journey of a Demon: Report of an Anomaly in the Skies Over Egypt, Circa July 29, 1203BC first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Journey of a Demon: Report of an Anomaly in the Skies Over Egypt, Circa July 29, 1203BC appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Date: July, 13, 1979

Sighting Location: Santa Clarita Valley, California, United States

Summary: Close up sighting of extraterrestrial craft by wife and I.

Date Reported: 5/1/2005

Sighting Time: 09:00

Day/Night: Nighttime

No. of Witnesses: 2

Duration: 45 seconds

No. of Object(s): Single

Urban or Rural: rural

Size of Object(s): 75-100 feet in diameter Distance to Object(s) & Altitude: 50-75 feet

Shape of Object(s): disk

Color of Object(s): silver/white metallic

Full Description & Details

It was one warm summer Friday around 10:00 PM in the evening in California’s Santa Clarita Valley. I was brushing the swimming pool with a long pole and attached brush so that the kids could swim the following day. The pole requires you reach up to push down. I was standing on a high platform next to and overlooking the pool and about 4 feet over the rest of the pool area. As I reached to upper end of pole, I saw a craft approaching the house from about 1-2 blocks away and from the West and heading South East.

I knew right away that it was not a helicopter or plane. It seemed flatter and wider and with lights in a circumference of the main frontal area. I ran towards the house and called my family to see it. Only my wife came out. By that time it was directly over our house and pool.

It was approximately 75-100 feet above us. We stood along side of the pool deck. It made no sound whatsoever, and it was at a complete stopped over us for about 40 seconds. The only motion was a slight wobble and when it moved and tilted downwards at an angle. I took this as some form of acknowledgment. During the entire time, we were frozen in disbelief. It is a strange sensation knowing that what you are seeing is not supposed and very foreign. It was like seeing a Greyhound Bus floating over your house!

The craft was about 75-100 feet in diameter. It had small porthole and lights around it in the upper dome section, it was solid, metallic and shiny. There was a dome in the upper section attached to the body with no visible separation, as if it were molded as one solid craft. The under section was concave towards the center and had two rectangular shapes along side each other and the length of the concave under-section.

The rectangular shapes were about 7-10 feet in width and as along as the craft’s concave underside center. I also noticed ski like devices on the front and on each side of the front leading edge window.

What caught my attention was that the devices were not in the center or the “center of gravity” for the craft’s length and design but very forward. The skis were S shaped with the top of the S facing forward but a design I could not replicate.

Upon the craft leaning in a downward motion we could see a window or cockpit like glass that was situated in the underside, it was on the front lower edge of the round craft. The rectangular window was approximately 4 feet in height and possibly 12-15 feet in length. There was a glow of soft orange and blue lights from the inside but we could not see anyone or any controls.

It remained at a forward and downward angle for about 10 seconds. We both had the sensation of being watched. As it was angled, I noticed that light was emanating from the upper section that was not facing the swimming pool lights. Thus, it seemed to generate light through skin of the craft as the lights that first attracted me faced forward and were much lower than the upper section of the craft.

My wife and I did not say anything to each other during the experience but she kept saying “oh my God” over and over again. The craft then left slowly at 30-40 MPH. I jumped on a wall around our property to continue seeing for at least 7-miles. I instructed my wife not to discuss it, to draw what she saw and then we would compare drawings.

They matched, although mine had more detail and accuracy.

My background include Group Propulsion Systems and later as an executive with several major computer companies. What we saw was close, real, solid, and a beautiful designed craft. I know from my aeronautical engineering background that mankind has no such technology

Witness Background

Eyewitness-ED TOWERS

Certified in Group Propulsion Systems, Studied Aeronautical engineering, degree in business management. Executive in computer companies, cofounder of international management consulting company serving large European companies, real estate investor. Retired.

Source & References:

Eyewitness-ED TOWERS

Published by and © www.ufocasebook.com

The post Close-up Sighting of Structured Metallic UFO in Santa Clarita Valley, California, 1979 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Close-up Sighting of Structured Metallic UFO in Santa Clarita Valley, California, 1979 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

The following video was created by The Black Vault which offers a full breakdown of the Wilson Leak, along with a proposed theory about what the documents are. This was recorded on June 19, 2020, and may be updated in the future as additional information presents itself (if any).

Interview with Jay / Project Unity (September 2, 2021)

The Wilson/Davis Notes: The Final Act? (September 6, 2021)

Additional Background

The following documents were “leaked” or uploaded to IMGUR (an image sharing site) on April 19, 2019. However, they did not start making waves within the UFO community, until sometime in the first week of June 2019.

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With no provenance, it is unclear if the documents are legitimate, and even if they are, it is even more unclear if the content outlined within is credible.  Allegedly, they contain the notes of Dr. Eric Davis, Chief Science Officer at EarthTech International, founded by Dr. Hal Puthoff. They outline a 2002 meeting between Dr. Davis, and Admiral Thomas Ray Wilson, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. During this meeting, many things were discussed including Admiral Wilson stating he was denied access to UFO related information.

It should be noted – this particular story involving Admiral Wilson has been around since at least 2001, nearly two decades ago. It first made an appearance in a lecture by Dr. Steven Greer, given in Portland, Oregon on September 12, 2001. During this speech, according the transcript, Dr. Greer said the following:

“To say that some of these witnesses are terrified is an understatement. You know, I feel like I’ve been the cosmic hand-holder for ten years. I had to go to the Pentagon. I was asked by the head of intelligence for the Joint Staffs, who had an office not far from the section that was blasted yesterday. This admiral, Tom Wilson, who was the J2 position, the head of intelligence Joint Staff and I, met along with one of the Apollo astronauts and a couple of these military witnesses, one of whom has not been recorded because of security reasons–his family were some of the original directors of NACA who saw some of the extraterrestrial bodies brought into Langley way back. He found this out on a deathbed confession from his father. But in this meeting with the Admiral, we [came to a conclusion]based on information I had given the Admiral, which had included some of the code names–you want code names? Project Red Light, Project Looking Glass, Magi Control, Royal Ops, Cosmic Ops. Don’t walk, run to anyone you know who has access and ask them to go into these classified areas and take whatever they can out and hand it to me. We’ll take a walk on the beach, and I’ll take full responsibility for it. I’ve been doing it. I’m a big boy. I’m willing to do it. Nobody has to be identified, because we have concluded the following: None of those projects have legal classification controlling authority. Why? They’ve opted out of the system because they have subverted it. And essentially the head of intelligence Joint Staffs said, “I am horrified that this is true. I have been in plenty of black projects, but when we tried to get into this one,” he was told, and I quote, “Sir, you do not have a need to know.” The head of intelligence Joint Staffs. You don’t have a need to know. Neither did the CIA director, and neither did the President. Who the hell does? Well, a bunch of bureaucrats and corporate and other people who have these projects, and people within the National Reconnaissance Office, NSA, and very compartmentalized islands that are free-standing islands that basically operate as their own sovereign nation. We can prove that they’ve violated the Constitution of the United States. They were operating outside the rule of law, a priori, they cannot hide behind the law by enforcing National Security Act regulations on anything they have. Which means that somebody can haul an entire ET spacecraft out of a place, and I’m asking them to do it, and do it now. We’re ready to roll!”

On July 4, 2008, Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut, recounted the story during his appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live. The segment is available here:

In August of 2008, investigative journalist Billy Cox contacted Admiral Wilson, who denied many aspects to the rumors. Cox wrote:

“A former high-ranking military intelligence official rumored to have been snubbed in his attempts to obtain sheltered UFO data insists he never even bothered to look for it.

‘Never,’ retired Rear Adm. Thomas R. Wilson replied Tuesday when asked if he’d ever been barred from retrieving classified material, exotic or otherwise, during his career.”

In July of 2019, I interview retired police Lieutenant Tim McMillan. Armed with his experience and research of Special Access Programs (SAPs) for his article published on THE WARZONE, along with his long career as a law enforcement officer, he weighed in on the Admiral Thomas Wilson leaks.

That segment is available below:

The interview above is an excerpt from a longer interview, available here.

In June of 2020, Cox ran another story denying any involvement in the meeting that allegedly took place with Dr. Eric Davis. Cox wrote:

“The admiral at the center of controversial notes describing his inability to access a classified UFO research program says the documents are bogus. Furthermore, he says the alleged author of those notes, physicist Dr. Eric Davis, never interviewed him.”

In July of 2020, I interview Alejandro Rojas. This is the segment on the Wilson/Davis documents:

The interview above is an excerpt from a longer interview, available here.

You can find the documents below for your own perusal.

Official Statements

In the interest of accuracy and not relying on third/fourth hand hearsay, The Black Vault aims to archive official statements (if any) from key players involved or that surround this story. This is a fresh objective, so there are many blanks, however, I am waiting for additional quotes. As they come in, this page will be updated and posted on social media.

Dr. Eric Davis, Alleged Author of the Notes Although multiple e-mails were sent to Dr. Eric Davis, and “read receipts” were received, I have received no response. It is known, however, that he has given multiple “no comment” responses to various researchers. One, who gave me permission to attribute it to him, is James Iandoli with “Engaging the Phenomenon.”

Admiral Thomas Wilson, Alleged Meeting Attendee The following was given to Billy Cox, investigative reporter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2020: “It’s all fiction. I wouldn’t know Eric Davis if he walked in right now.” “I’m not saying that sometime, somewhere, I never met (Davis), but I certainly don’t know him, I don’t remember him, and I definitely did not sit with him in a car for an hour in Las Vegas.” “You may also see in those notes where I came with two other naval officers, a lieutenant and a lieutenant commander, and a petty officer who was driving the car. I was not even in the Navy then. And the Navy was certainly not ferrying me around in a car at that point. Those notes are really detailed – it’s like somebody wrote a fiction piece. But it never happened, trust me. There are so many things in those notes that are demonstrably inaccurate. And I don’t know how I could prove it, but I haven’t been to Las Vegas since 1979, 80.” [The synopsis of the notes is,] “Silly.” Regarding a meeting referenced in the notes: “I don’t remember the details, but they [Mitchell was accompanied by UFO researcher Steven Greer] said there would be evidence in black programs, and would I be interested in chasing it down. I told them I had far too many things to do. I’m not saying there are no such programs because I don’t know. I didn’t check or follow up. It might not have been a waste of time for somebody (to pursue), but I did not have time to waste, believe me. At the time I was up to my eyeballs in Bosnia and Kosovo and Korea and Iraq and, you name it, terrorism. So I didn’t feel I should spend my time — well, I had enough black programs I had to deal with.”

Dr. Hal Puthoff, Long-Time Associate of Dr. Eric Davis Comment submitted to The Black Vault: “I wish to state that I have no comment on the authenticity of the so-named Wilson Document. As I still retain USG security accesses and remain bound by the secrecy oaths I have taken, I believe it is in the best interest of the USG and myself not to comment on any documents that purport to describe classified USG programs or information.”

Dr. Steven Greer, Mentioned in Wilson Document Comment submitted to The Black Vault: “They are substantially correct with only minor errors. The thrust of the notes, the briefing which I conducted and the fact the admiral was threatened if he pushed the matter etc : all true.” I did ask Dr. Greer if he could elaborate on the “minor errors” and he stated we would need to go through “line by line” to point them out. I will continue to pursue seeking out elaboration on those points and time to go line-by-line, but for now, I offer the above statement.

The “Leaked” Documents

Raw Image Files

The post The “Admiral Wilson Leak” – “Core Secrets” Document – An Analysis first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post The “Admiral Wilson Leak” – “Core Secrets” Document – An Analysis appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The attached photograph was allegedly “leaked” to the public, and represents an example of a photo within an official Department of Defense (DOD) report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. It was obtained by anonymous sources, and published by TheDebrief on December 3, 2020.

The full story can be viewed at the below presentation by The Black Vault.

The Photograph

Below, you will find the metadata of the photograph. It was surprising what appeared to be the “original” copy of the photo was used, holding the metadata that the photograph was taken in 2019, rather than the reported 2018. It was explained by the author of the piece, Tim McMillan, that it represented a “photo of a photo” and was not the original photograph. However, that seems to be in dispute.

However, after publication, the original version with the metadata was altered and scaled up, thus removing the metadata. Therefore, since the photograph is allegedly from a U.S. military document, it is believe to have no copyright, so the original is archived here for safe-keeping.

Technical Breakdown of the Original

The original was first published on a CDN at this URL and embedded into The Debrief’s article. This version was used as the top representation of the photo when the article was first published. Sometime thereafter, but prior to December 7, the photo was upscaled and the original is no longer embedded in the article.  It still appears on “Stack Path” as of the writing of this, last checked on December 7, but is not currently located on The Debrief anymore.

This can be verified via a second source at: Wayback Machine. You will note now the appendage of “-scaled” is added to the file name, thus indicating an edit and subsequent stripping of the metadata from the original.

The ORIGINAL of that one, which also holds metadata, is found at this URL. This was an even larger size than the one embedded. This is also in the .zip file below. (Thank you to Reddit user pomegranatemagnate for pointing out the original to the original.)

In order to download the original photos, unaltered the way TheDebrief published it with metadata attached, you need to download the following .zip file which contains the original “photo-2-1.jpg” and “photo-2-1-2048×1536.jpg” images as posted by The Debrief.

DOWNLOAD [.zip, 1MB]

The Mystery

To add to the mystery, the photo in question was actually published actually MONTHS earlier, by Blake S. Taylor, on Twitter.

#ufotwitter #paranormaltwitter pic.twitter.com/LlIFEk3wVf

— Blake S. Taylor Investigations (@YoungGun8140) May 12, 2020

The Black Vault reached out to Blake, and he stated he simply recalls downloading it from a site on the internet. He is unable to recall which one. He also posted a public comment explaining the same, wherein he said the following:

“Hey man, I’m pretty sure I found it while rummaging around in one of those sites where we find government documents etc. I’ve been trying to remember it’s been a while. I just remember seeing it saving it and sharing it.”

The Explanation?

Very quickly, an explanation circulated the social media channels where stories like this are possible. The shape of the object, and a subsequent style of balloon, are strikingly similar.

The debate has commenced on whether this was too high for a mylar balloon, but it appears that with the “rough” estimate of altitude of the object in the article, combined with multiple sources outlining how high a mylar balloon can go, it is definitely in the ballpark and possible.

The Source

With permission, I’ve added here a likely source of the photo, regardless of if the object is a balloon or not. The identity of the source may play a future role in uncovering more about this story, and if any true UAP connections exist.

Researcher Roger Glassel painstakingly sought out the identity of the helmet reflected in the canopy. I reached out to Roger, who submitted the following:

“As everyone was focusing on the object, I tried to look at other things. I believe that others have done that as well. The reflection of the helmet was something that caught my attention. Knowing that all the fighter squadrons have their own insignia I started looking for a match. The yellow part of the insignia seem to match VFA-15 – with the lion riding on a rocket – but it wasn’t a perfect match, so I found that VFA-32 was using a yellow lion as well. I looked up VFA-32’s Facebook page and found a perfect match with a lion, blue stripe ribbon, on an white helmet, and thought, hey, this is it. I now hope this will move the discussion forward.”

Here is a screen shot of where Roger found the comparison photo:

Here is the full photograph used for comparison (click to enlarge):

This really is excellent work by Roger, and should be commended! More updates will be posted as they are available.

The Metadata

Conclusion (thus far)

Although it seems incredibly likely this is a balloon, the story (and the case) is potentially still ongoing. It is unclear if additional stories are on the way, so although The Black Vault won’t label this a completely “case closed” case, additional data is certainly welcome should it ever be presented.

The post “Leaked” Photo of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) / UFO, Release by The Debrief, December 3, 2020 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post “Leaked” Photo of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) / UFO, Release by The Debrief, December 3, 2020 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations. There was no formal investigation to the case, and is offered here for informational purposes.

Witness Testimony

The following was submitted to The Black Vault on May 26, 2020.

“On August 11, 2019 at 4:20 am, I observed unusual lights in a triangle formation from my front yard. I woke up my roommate and retrieved telephone to have a witness and to video observance. I videotaped for 12 minutes while also watching for other ufo’s. thus the reason for shaky video. If you view video frame by frame the object can be seen making maneuvers that are impossible for any type of aircraft known to mankind. I submitted the video to MUFON but, did not get a satisfactory report from them. The investigator suggested it was probably a stealth bomber test. There is no way it was any type of known aeronautical technology. See for yourself.

I am going to try to upload the video file but, if it is too big can I get instructions on an alternate way to transmit video to you along with some screenshot captures. Thank you for any information you can give me on what I saw.”

Note: The video is still in the process of being received.

The Evidence

The Analysis

Information Case Only; No Formal Investigation

Conclusion

Information Case Only; No Formal Investigation

The post UFO over Florahome, Florida – August 11, 2019 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Florahome, Florida – August 11, 2019 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Originally Published: April 30, 2015. Updated June 7, 2020

Case File Summary

What are we looking at?: This is a photo taken by the Mercury Redstone 1A Mission launched on December 19, 1960.

Out of the 420 photos archived in ASU’s collection, there are multiple photos that capture, what appears to be, an unknown object, or possibly a craft, that shouldn’t be there.

In 1960, there wasn’t much in space, so what could this mysterious object be?

Photo #MR-1A-9186-266 – This appears to be the first photo of the object, and it appears towards the lower left side of the frame.

Photo #MR-1A-9186-267 – Nothing anomalous appears to be in this frame, but it is included for research.

Photo #MR-1A-9186-268 – Here, what appears to be an object, appears towards the top left. Although not significant, when coupled with the next frame, it seems like the object is flying towards the Mercury-Redstone spacecraft. Illusion?

Photo #MR-1A-9186-269 – Here is the most important, and clearest frame. The object now appears again towards the lower left side of the frame.

The Analysis

After posting this case file, I received a lot of feedback.  Those skeptical on the case proposed that it was a reflection of something inside the craft. So, I did a bit of analysis to see if that theory holds water.

I used 2 photos from the string above. Photo #MR-1A-9186-266 (B&W) and also Photo #MR-1A-9186-269 (Red Tint). I feel that you can discount this theory of a reflection, due to the fact the “reflection” does not appear in 2 of the photos in between these two frames in or near the spot, and also the theory ignores Photo #MR-1A-9186-268 which may show the object much farther in the background.

But, for sake of argument, we will dismiss those photos and deal with the two argued as a reflection. I used, what I believe, is the only constant (non-moving) object in the frame of photos – the reflection of the mission clock. The spacecraft is moving, so therefore, objects on the outside of the spacecraft would be moving their position in the frame as well.  Matching the clock on the photos, would show what was constant inside the craft as it would appear in the same exact position, and what was ‘moving’ outside the craft therefore being in different positions as the spacecraft moved.

Here is the analysis (you can click on the photo for higher resolution):

By matching up the clock on the top left, you can see the “object” in question appears to be in a different position, therefore potentially ruling out it’s a reflection inside the craft of an object. If it was a reflection, once the clocks were lined up, the “reflection” would also be on top of each other.

About the Mission: Mercury-Redstone 1A (MR-1A) was launched on December 19, 1960 from LC-5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The mission objectives of this unmanned suborbital flight were to qualify the spacecraft for space flight and qualify the system for an upcoming primate suborbital flight. The spacecraft tested its instrumentation, posigrade rockets, retro rockets and recovery system.

The mission was completely successful. The Mercury capsule reached an altitude of 130 miles (210 km) and a range of 235 miles (378 km).

The launch vehicle reached a slightly higher velocity than expected – 4,909 miles per hour (7,900 km/h).

The Mercury spacecraft was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean by recovery helicopters about 15 minutes after landing. Serial numbers: Mercury Spacecraft # 2 together with the escape tower from Capsule # 8, and the antenna fairing from Capsule # 10 were reflown on MR-1A.

Redstone MRLV-3 was used.

Flight time 15 minutes 45 seconds.

NASA’s Original Source: Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and the archive housed by Arizona State University. A direct link to the photo can be found here: http://tothemoon.ser.asu.edu/gallery/mercury/1#MR-1A-9186-269

STS-75 Comparison

Although not much can be concluded from this, it should be noted. This is not proposed to be an exact match, however, multiple UFOs were seen on Space Shuttle mission STS-75. This is known as the “Tether Incident,” and the objects do have a similarity.

Objects of circular shape were also seen on STS-75, many with a notch of some kind out of the object itself. Again, not an exact match, but the similarity is interesting enough to be noted.

STS-75 and Mercury-Redstone 1A were separated by 36 years on their mission clocks. Keep in mind also with the below, the objects were shot with different camera and technology that was separated by decades.

Possible Explanation?

After posting this case file, The Black Vault received quite a bit of feedback. However, one stuck out as a well thought out, and sourced, explanation for what this could be.  Special thanks to Jon Hunter for taking the time to write in:

Hello,

I just found your site, and I enjoy the extra level of analysis applied to these kind of stories, but I think key points in the story about Mercury photographs were missed.

While there certainly not many objects to be seen in space in November 1960, there were three objects that were right along the capsule’s flight path: the single-stage Redstone rocket that rode all the way up to space, the abort escape tower, and the retro rocket pack.

The reflected mission clock in the pictures gives the information we need to decide if either of these objects could be captured by a camera in the window. According to the Wikipedia article for Mercury 1A, the launch occurred at 16:15 UTC and the capsule landed at 16:30. This fits with the clock: it’s apparently 4:23 when the pictures were taken, or about 8 minutes into the mission. By this point the craft had already rotated 180 degrees away from its forward path, to point the heat shield and retro rockets forward. The nose was angled down 34 degrees. Look at the placement of the window on the sloped surface of the capsule: rotated 34 degrees down, that window would be facing back along the path of the flight, right in the direction the Redstone booster should be.

When the capsule separated from the rocket at T+2:24 minutes, it gained 4.6 m/s of velocity over the rocket, but at T+5:15 minutes the retro rockets provided -168 m/s of total change in velocity, allowing the booster to “catch up,” though on different arcs.

I think the final piece of the puzzle occurred at T+7:15 minutes. The craft detected atmospheric reentry and began a 10 degrees/sec roll for stability. That explains the shifting view of Earth in the window and why the object outside disappears from view between 266 and 268. Then in 269 it is in frame again, flaring. Between 266 and 269 the Redstone booster hit the atmosphere uncontrolled and the visible flare could be hot gases or some other atmospheric effect.

The Redstone booster seems to be the answer that makes the most sense. At 8 minutes into the mission, the window would be facing the area of space the booster would be, right at the time that the booster would be hitting the atmosphere and beginning its uncontrolled and fiery descent. Trying to spot the boosters (like the larger Atlas ones on later missions) was a part of the standard tasks Mercury astronauts tried to complete. It was important for learning about how easily astronauts could orient themselves and targets in space. It was very difficult, but it would have been easier on the short, suborbital flights of Mercury when the capsule rotated 180 degrees just a few minutes into the mission and separation between capsule and booster was relatively small.

I hope this offers a reasonable solution to the mystery, and I’d be interested to know if it makes sense to others.

All the best,
Jon Hunter

The post Unknown Object in 1960 Photographs from Mercury-Redstone 1A first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Unknown Object in 1960 Photographs from Mercury-Redstone 1A appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

The following was printed in Wikipedia, and is being used here to give a brief overview of the case. The full official Project Blue Book case file is available below.

On the evening of November 2, 1957, two immigrant farm workers, Pedro Saucedo and Joe Salaz, called the Levelland police department to report a UFO sighting. Saucedo told police officer A.J. Fowler, who was working the night desk at the police station, that they had been driving four miles (6 km) west of Levelland when they saw a blue flash of light near the road. They claimed their truck’s engine died, and a rocket-shaped object rose up and approached the truck. According to Saucedo, “I jumped out of the truck and hit the dirt because I was afraid. I called to Joe but he didn’t get out. The thing passed directly over my truck with a great sound and rush of wind. It sounded like thunder and my truck rocked from the flash…I felt a lot of heat.” As the object moved away the truck’s engine restarted and worked normally. Believing the story to be a joke, Fowler ignored it. An hour later, motorist Jim Wheeler reported a “brilliantly lit, egg-shaped object, about 200 feet long” was sitting in the road, four miles (6 km) east of Levelland, blocking his path. He claimed his vehicle died and as he got out of his car the object took off and its lights went out. As it moved away, Wheeler’s car restarted and worked normally.

At 10:55 pm a married couple driving northeast of Levelland reported that they saw a bright flash of light moving across the sky and their headlights and radio died for three seconds. Five minutes later Jose Alvarez claimed he met a strange object sitting on the road 11 miles (18 km) north of Levelland, and his vehicle’s engine died until the object departed. At 12:05 am (November 3), a Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) student named Newell Wright was surprised when, driving 10 miles (16 km) east of Levelland, his “car engine began to sputter, the ammeter on the dash jumped to discharge and then back to normal, and the motor started cutting out like it was out of gas…the car rolled to a stop; then the headlights dimmed and several seconds later went out.” When he got out to check on the problem, he saw a “100-foot-long” egg-shaped object sitting in the road. It took off, and his engine started running again. At 12:15 am Officer Fowler received another call, this time from a farmer named Frank Williams who claimed he had encountered a brightly glowing object sitting in the road, and “as his car approached it, its lights went out and its motor stopped.” The object flew away, and his car’s lights and motor started working again. Other callers were Ronald Martin at 12:45 am and James Long at 1:15 am, and they both reported seeing a brightly lit object sitting in the road in front of them, and they also claimed that their engines and headlights died until the object flew away.

By this time, several Levelland police officers were investigating the reports. Among them was Sheriff Weir Clem, who saw a brilliant red object moving across the sky at 1:30 am. At 1:45 am Levelland’s Fire Chief, Ray Jones, also saw an object and his vehicle’s lights and engine sputtered. The reports apparently ended soon after. During the night of November 2–3, the Levelland police department received a total of 15 UFO-related reports, and Officer Fowler noted that “everybody who called was very excited.”

Document Archive

Project Blue Book: Levelland UFO case, November 2-3, 1957 [81 Pages, 22.5MB]

The post Project Blue Book: Levelland UFO case, November 2-3, 1957 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Project Blue Book: Levelland UFO case, November 2-3, 1957 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The witness submitted the following case to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations on 06/08/2019. The case was assigned to TBV Investigator Jim Kerr for investigation and analysis. Date, Time, and Location of Sighting: 12/29/2017 AT 8:00 PM. Cooroy, Queensland, Australia.

Witness Testimony

I’ve attached four photos (in sequential order) taken at a friend’s place one night.

The object was about three feet in front of me, moving slowly upward and away, and I’ve attached these particular photos because they were relatively clear. I literally have over a thousand photos of anomalies which neither Mary Rodwell nor Nancy Talbott can offer an answer for. I’d be happy to send you some if you’d like to see them. I personally would love an explanation! It drives me a bit mad knowing I clearly have evidence of something yet have absolutely no idea what it/they/them might be.

The Evidence

The witness submitted 4-photos. They are numbered 1-4.

Weather: Historical source from wunderground.com

Note: this historical weather information for 12/29/2017 at 8:00 pm was from Sunshine Beach Queensland Australia, which is located approx 15 miles from the town of Cooroy.

Temperature 77 deg, Dew Point 69 deg, Humidity 77%, Wind 9 mph from the north, Pressure 29.93 in, Precipitation 0.0 in, Condition partly cloudy.

Astronomical Historical Data from Stellarium

Searching the archives of Stellarium (a planetarium software that shows exactly what you see when you look up at night and day time sky), I was able to view precisely what celestial objects were visible to the witness from their location.

On 12/29/2017, at 8:00 pm, the moon was the brightest object in the sky. The moon was 10.6 days old and was 81.2% illuminated. This lunar information will be important for the analysis and conclusions of this investigation.

Analysis

I have over 40 years of experience as an amateur astronomer, photographer, astrophotographer, and videographer. I have experience in taking nighttime photography when the moon is bright, causing issues with lens flares.

In all four photos the witness submitted, the 81.2% illuminated moon can clearly be seen. Around the area of the moon, cloud cover can be seen that corroborates the weather information. All four photos show lens flares caused by the brightness of the moon.

My intent here is not to debunk or criticize the witness’ belief that she captured an anomaly. My intention is to help with nighttime photography. There are techniques, lenses, lens hoods that can eliminate lens flares due to bright objects in the night sky. Below are some helpful links.

Conclusion

Case File Status: Solved, lens flares caused by a bright moon.

References/Helpful Information

https://www.the-photography-blogger.com/lens-flare-night-long-exposure-photography/

https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/89104/how-to-avoid-light-flares-in-long-exposure-night-shots

https://photographylife.com/what-is-ghosting-and-flare

The post UFO Seen in Cooroy, Queensland, Australia, December 29, 2017 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO Seen in Cooroy, Queensland, Australia, December 29, 2017 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The witness submitted the following case to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations on 06/11/2019. The case was assigned to TBV Investigator Jim Kerr for investigation and analysis.

Witness Testimony

Note: this is the only statement from the witness. The witness never replied to the questions I sent by email.

“Clouds moving really soft from early morning 4:30 am. Saw several clouds moving in like a docking station before being released to move with the wind. Also saw several other types of strange things. I have been here for 3 weeks and see something almost everyday. All photos are from the same morning”.

The Evidence

The witness provided 4-photos numbered 1-4 below.

Weather: Historical source from wunderground.com

06/09/2019 at 6:30 am, Catawissa, PA. 61 deg, Dew Point 53 deg, humidity 75%, Wind-calm, Wind Speed 0 mph, Pressure 29.69 in, precipitation 0.0 in, Condition fair.

Astronomy: Historical source from wunderground.com

Sunrise 5.36 am, Sunset 8:40 pm, Civil Twilight rise 5:02 am – set 9:14 pm, Moon – waxing crescent.

Searching the archives of Stellarium (a planetarium software that shows exactly what you see when you look up at night and day time sky), I was able to view exactly what celestial objects were visible to the witness in his sky from their location.

The city of Scranton, PA, was the closest Stellarium view to the city of Catawissa. The image correlates to the weather report for Catawissa, indicating clear skies.

Analysis

Unfortunately, the witness did not respond to my questions sent by email. Based on the weather and Stallerium views for 06/09/2019 at 6:30 am, the sky was clear with no cloud cover. The actual weather for this day is a contradiction to the witness’ photo evidence. It is possible the witness made a mistake regarding the date of this sighting. My analysis is based on the photos and inscription edited into photos 2-4.

The witness stated in essence; the clouds were moving softly from 4:30 am to 8:30 am. The clouds were moving like a docking station before being released to move with the wind. Other strange anomalies were seen as described in the inscription within the photos.

Photo #1

I analyzed this photo by enlarging, changing the lighting and contrast, and observed a typical cloudy day with no anomalies.

Photo #2, Triangle

I analyzed this photo by enlarging, changing the lighting and contrast, and observed a typical cloudy day with no anomalies. The triangle the witness observed was a normal cloud formation. Many people believe triangular-shaped clouds are cloaked UFOs. Since 2011, I have investigated the subject of cloaked cloud craft. While cloaked UFOs are a possibility, photo #2 does not meet the criteria for such an anomaly. It is merely a triangular-shaped cloud formed due to wind current.

Photo #3, Disk in Cloud

I analyzed this photo by enlarging, changing the lighting and contrast, and observed a typical cloudy day with no anomalies. The disk in the cloud the witness is referring to in all likelihood was a Hole-Punch or Canal Cloud. This type of cloud is formed when aircraft pass through altocumulus clouds that are rich with supercooled water droplets.

Photo #4, Cloud Balls

I analyzed this photo by enlarging, changing the lighting and contrast, and observed a typical cloudy day with no anomalies.

Conclusion

My conclusion is based on the witness’ brief statement along with photos submitted referring to a triangle and disk seen in the clouds. These are very common misidentified UFOs and depicted in countless YouTube videos and across the internet.

Case file status; misidentified natural cloud formations.

Apophenia: the tendency to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated or random things (such as objects or ideas). The human tendency to see connections and patterns that are not really there—gives rise to conspiracy theories.

References

The following researchers both investigated anomalies in the sky and clouds. Their work was instrumental in today’s beliefs and research of cloaked cloud craft and what is termed Sky Critters.

William C. Treurniet was an early researcher of Cloaked Cloud Craft

UFOs in the Clouds

William C. Treurniet, Jan/Feb, 2008

http://www.treurniet.ca/trishadows/geometry/geometry.htm

Trevor James Constable

The Sky Critters

The post UFO over Catawissa, Pennsylvania, June 9, 2019 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Catawissa, Pennsylvania, June 9, 2019 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

In March of 1962, an unknown object going Mach 2 mysteriously “changed appearances” mid flight. It had no visible signs of propulsion. After the Air Force investigated, they concluded it was an unknown.

These are the official documents about it from the Project Blue Book files. It’s officially considered an unknown. The below file was obtained from the National Archives & Records Administration.

Document Archive

Project Blue Book: Ramstein Air Force Base UFO Encounter, March 26, 1962 (Unidentified) [4 Pages, 0.8MB]

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The post Ramstein Air Force Base UFO Encounter, March 26, 1962 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

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“I would say remain skeptical. Healthy skepticism is very important, in fact it’s imperative. In fact, in my job as an intelligence officer, I was paid to be skeptical. I think you should always question all the information that comes before you by anybody who says anything, and I think that’s true not just with people like me, I think it’s true with government, religion and everything in between. “
–Mr. Luis Elizondo, 2018 International UFO Congress Recorded Testimony

Table of Contents

• Background
• Department of Defense Denial
• The National Security Agency’s Intellipedia Denial
• The Resignation Letter and Declassification Efforts Denial
• The Navy Denials
• The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
• My Concerns
• “Declassified” Videos Released
  • “The GIMBAL Video”
  • The NIMITZ Video
  • The GO FAST Video
• The OFFICIAL Line
• George Knapp Story About “Tic Tac UFO Analysis” Document
• Congressional Record Documents Cites AATIP
• The Black Vault Responds to FAQs
  • Comment: You won’t find anything. It’s all classified “Top Secret”
  • Comment: You won’t find anything. The U.S. Military hid it all within Bigelow Aerospace to circumvent the FOIA.
  • Comment: Around the end of April 2018, researchers brought forth the name AATIP was wrong, and it was actually the Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program (AAWSAP). That is why the AATIP FOIA requests brought up nothing.
• FOIA Request Responses
  • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
  • Department of Defense (DOD)
  • National Security Agency (NSA)

Background

by John Greenewald, Jr., The Black Vault

On December 16, 2017, Tom Delonge’s To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science (TTSA) released two of three UFO videos that are in their “custody” – stating they were officially declassified by the U.S. Government.

It was also announced these videos were part of the secret UFO Research program known as the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). This existence was based on the testimony of one of the  To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science team members Mr. Luis Elizondo. According to the website:

“Luis Elizondo is a career intelligence officer whose experience includes working with the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, the National Counterintelligence Executive, and the Director of National Intelligence. As a former Special Agent In-Charge, Luis conducted and supervised highly sensitive espionage and terrorism investigations around the world. As an intelligence Case Officer, he ran clandestine source operations throughout Latin America and the Middle East. Most recently, Luis managed the security for certain sensitive portfolios for the US Government as the Director for the National Programs Special Management Staff. For nearly the last decade, Luis also ran a sensitive aerospace threat identification program focusing on unidentified aerial technologies. Luis’ academic background includes Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, with research experience in tropical diseases. Luis is also an inventor who holds several patents.”

When Mr. Elizondo’s inclusion in this project was announced, and his biography above was published (along with the press conference held by Mr. Delonge) I quickly filed multiple FOIA requests for records pertaining to this, “sensitive aerospace threat identification program” as referenced by the To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science.

Below, you will find the extensive research done to attempt to confirm the claims made by Mr. Elizondo and the TTSA.

AATIP Timeline

To better illustrate everything we have been told, I put together an extensive timeline on the claims made by the media, Mr. Luis Elizondo, Dr. Hal Puthoff and Senator Harry Reid. I have created a specific page just for this section, since it is incredibly long, and has extensive sources. VISIT THE TIMELINE to see just how much of a mess this entire story is.

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Department of Defense Denial

At the time of the original TTSA press conference, and the filing of my FOIA Request, the full name of Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program was not published, but rather, it was only referenced as the, “sensitive aerospace threat identification program” on the website, and the “DOD Aerospace Threat Program” by media outlets such as the Huffington Post.  Therefore, in my request, I asked for the following:

“I respectfully request a copy of records, electronic or otherwise, of the following: all documents pertaining to the outline, mission statement, objectives, etc of the DOD Aerospace Threat Program. Please note: this may not be the exact, title, but is derived from the testimony of Mr. Luis Elizondo, former DOD employee. According to the Huffington Post (as published here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fmr-manager-of-dod-aerospace-threat-program-ufos_us_59de2f4be4b0b992a8214874 )”

You will notice that to circumvent any word games by the DoD, I stated, “Please note: this may not be the exact, title, but is derived from the testimony of Mr. Luis Elizondo, former DOD employee.”  In other words, even though I knew I was probably slightly off on the title, I gave them DOD personnel testimony and a link to what the program was. That way, there was no way they could plead ignorance that I was “not specific enough.”

On November 27, 2017, the DOD responded with a “no records” determination, as seen in the letter to the right.

I have appealed the “no records” response immediately after receiving the denial, and in March of 2019, I was GRANTED the appeal. The letter sent to me on March 18, 2019, is below.

I was told they were going to conduct another search, and I would receive another response. Within TWO DAYS (after an appeal that took well over a year to grant), I received a strange response that only deepens the mystery.

“The National Programs and Policy Support (NPPS) Office for the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI), a component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OS D), advised that a search for records responsive to this request was not conducted. The Director, NPPS, stated that Mr. Luis Elizondo was a DOD employee who resigned on/or about October 10, 2017. NPPS has no information regarding Mr. Elizondo’s claim to have been the Director of Programs to investigate Unidentified Aerial Threats for OSD.”

So, in other words, the Department of Defense continues (as of March 2019) to deny claims by Mr. Elizondo that there is any information at their office that proves there was investigation into “unidentified aerial threats” at OSD.

In addition, the DOD continues to deny that Mr. Elizondo had any “responsibilities” within the AATIP program. That is outlined extensively here.

I have filed many more FOIA requests — but something does not seem to add up when it comes to connecting official documentation and the story that we have been fed. There is much more below.

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The National Security Agency’s Intellipedia Denial Acknowledgement

Another FOIA request I filed, which received a final response on 8 January 2018, was to the National Security Agency (NSA). In this specific request, I asked for any Intellipedia references to this program (and I termed it: “Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program” and filed a second request with “Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program” since the media reported both names.

Intellipedia is an online system for collaborative data sharing used by the United States Intelligence Community (IC). Essentially, it is like Wikipedia for the Intelligence Community (IC). Within the three separate Intellipedia databases, you will find, literally, millions of pages on all sorts of material, classified and unclassified (depending on which version of Intellipedia you are using). When I file my requests for Intellipedia entries, I request searches of all three.  I also request a search of the entries for keywords, so possibly a term may not have a specific “entry” page, but maybe the program itself is mentioned on a different entry.  I try to cover all my bases.

On 8 January 2018, the NSA told me that there were “no records” responsive to my request, which means, out of the  millions of pages within the entire Intellipedia collection, there was not a single reference to the program “Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program” (or the alternative “Aviation”) at this time.   In addition, I also filed a request on May 2, 2018, for Intellipedia entries pertaining to the “Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP)” This is the name that is rumored to either be the precursor project that ultimately was renamed and became AATIP, or it could also be the larger project that AATIP was born out of.  Regardless of what the origin is, the NSA also gave a  “no records” response on this project name, and the fact there are zero references to it.

However, in September of 2018, I made a discovery that the Intellipedia page for Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) was updated to include an AATIP reference. My specific request (as noted by the FOIA response letter at the end of the .pdf) was seeking entries that mention Bigelow Aerospace. What’s odd, is this request was filed around the same day as the one for AATIP above, and it came up empty. So, therefore, the updates on this UFO page can be determined to have occurred between January 8, 2018 and September 12, 2018, when the newly released entry was printed and released to me. Therefore, we can conclude, my original request yielded a “no records” response because there was nothing at that time, so they closed the case on January 8th. However, they probably found responsive records on my Bigelow Aerospace request, which put this case in a different queue for processing. Once processed, Intellipedia was updated to include an AATIP reference, and voila, it came up as one of the responsive documents.

Now, as you can see, AATIP was briefly outlined on the UFO page. The pertinent text reads the following:

You will note there were also references cited, which include the following:

What is the blacked out information? Exemption (b)(3) is an exemption wherein the information withheld is done so because it is exempted by a statute. In this case, it is Public Law 86-36: National Security Agency Act of 1959. It’s possible the information below references the NSA employee name who wrote the citation, or other identifying mark, but it is redacted to protect identities of NSA personnel. This is common.

Now, back to the information. What does it all mean? Well, I will point out a few things that I feel are worthy:

1. The entire entry is designated with (U) markings. This notes that the information contained in each paragraph is UNCLASSIFIED in their entirety. There have been many debates on how secret this project really was, and although I have no doubts that the project had classified aspects, this does support the statement by Senator Harry Reid that about 80% of information related to AATIP is unclassified.  I believe this fact shows that although this program was important, the revelations it made may not have been as extraordinary as some want us to believe.  Anything found of an extraordinary nature (alien/highly advanced foreign technology/etc.) would likely be heavily classified.
2. AATIP did not appear in Intellipedia until after the NY Times published their story.   This is interesting, because Intellipedia is incredibly large, and holds millions of pages on intelligence related projects, operations, pertinent references, etc. from the past and present. As someone who has arguably filed more Intellipedia related requests than any other researcher, that is incredibly strange. Anything of note to the intelligence community, classified or not, usually is in the Intellipedia system somewhere. However, AATIP never was until the “last modified date” shows, 22 December 2017. Based on this fact, I believe the NSA now made an error during the processing of my request, as I asked for not only all entries by that name, but also all entries that come up within the search engine. I believe the latter part of the request was ignored.   Despite that error, this also clearly shows that AATIP did not appear in Intellipedia until 22 December 2017, the question remains, why?Some have argued in the past that AATIP was “too classified” to appear in Intellipedia, or the NSA lied to me when I got the original “no records” response. When classified pages are found during searches, for example, many of the Edward Snowden revelations (like  Wrangler), the NSA will acknowledge they are there, but exempts them from release. Another example, is my request on  Echelon.  This specific request may have entered the realm of still heavily classified to the point they can’t even admit it’s there, and they gave me a GLOMAR response (“can neither confirm nor deny”). My point with these examples, is that the possible explanation that it is “too classified” or “still classified” or they “are lying” just does not fit a provable track record relating to some of the most classified topics within the intelligence community. We can, in my mind, put that argument to rest.
3. Not a single, non-public, resource was used or cited. As an investigator, this is extremely unfortunate. One of the main reasons I use the Intellipedia system, and request the entries I have, is this particular section which appear in most Intellipedia entries. References often (not always, but often) refer to internal reports, regulations and other resources that serve as leads for other FOIA requests. However, the author just based their information off of the newspapers that reported on AATIP. Why is that? It is unclear.

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The Resignation Letter and Declassification Efforts Denial

On February 12, 2018, the Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff office, in FOIA Case 18-F-0324, gave another rather odd  “no records response” to a request which had multiple parts.

Specifically, I requested:

1) The resignation letter of Mr. Luis Elizondo, DoD personnel who played a role in The Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program.
2) Any/all responses by Secretary of Defense James Mattis, or any other DoD official to Mr. Elizondo regarding his resignation.
3) Any/all letters, memos, recommendations, email, etc. sent from Mr. Elizondo, to any DoD official, regarding the declassification or public release of videos, as obtained by the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program.
4) Any/all response to Mr. Elizondo, and his effort to get videos or material evidence in the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program released to the public.

Although I have an open appeal on the above with the DOD, it is noted they just wanted to forward my request to the Defense Intelligence Agency instead.  However, due to the fact that Mr. Elizondo stated clearly he worked within OSD (not DIA), and the NY TIMES among many other news outlets cited Mr. Elizondo’s resignation letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, at least that portion of my request would be at the office that just gave the “no records” response.

(It should be noted that the accession of “resignation letters” through the FOIA is contested. It is unclear if a resignation letter would be accessible through the FOIA, or exempt due to it being a letter of “personal nature” and possibly not considered an agency record.   This may explain the “no records” response, if OSD does not consider Mr. Elizondo’s “resignation letter” an agency document. What I have been unable to DEFINITIVELY address, whether by case law or past FOIA request, is whether or not an agency would issue a “no records” response, even though the resignation letter exists, but it is not considered an agency record,  or would they issue a denial on the records, acknowledging they are there, but exempt due to FOIA exemption (b)(6). I have found evidence to the latter in response to a FOIA request for the alleged “resignation letter” that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had potentially drafted.  If there was a resignation letter, the Department of Justice decided that they would neither confirm nor deny it even existed, based on the (b)(6) “privacy information” FOIA exemption.  This was the letter sent to the Huffington Post in FOIA Case DOJ-2017-005525.)

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The Navy Denials

Another denial from the military came in that contradicts the story and testimony that the public is being given.

In one interview given by Mr. Elizondo, he states the following:

“AATIP receives the cases from various different channels, so where our office sat at the top of the office of the secretary of defense, we had multiple avenues of approach, so you had in some cases reporting would come up through navy channels, in other cases it would come up through air force channels, in other cases it would come through the intelligence community, and as the focal point, if you will, for this capability, all roads I guess lead to Rome in this particular case. All roads led to our office regarding the phenomena.” 

Based on this testimony, I filed a FOIA request to the Department of the Navy on March 14, 2018, which asked for the following:

1) All photographs / videos / reports / letters / memos / etc. that were sent by your agency, to the Office for the Secretary of Defense (OSD) / the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI), or to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in regards to the “Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program” or AATIP. It is also referred to as the “Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program” also AATIP.  

2) I also ask that you include all reporting procedures / methods / instructions / manuals / directives etc. that mandate your agency’s personnel to reporting these types of reports under the AATIP program. According to Mr. Elizondo, there were protocols in place that if unidentified objects were seen, they were to be reported to his office, as he stated above. Therefore, a reporting procedure, of some kind, must exist.

The verbatim testimony was also included in the FOIA request for reference.

The request was filed and given FOIA Case Number DON-NAVY-2018-005476. In the course of processing my request, the Navy searched the Naval Air System Command (NAVAIR), Naval Air Forces Pacific (AIRPAC) and the Chief of Naval Operations Office of Information Warfar (OPNAV N2/N6) for responsive records.

All offices searched produced ZERO results and I was given another  “no records” response by a key agency mentioned by Mr. Elizondo.

I appealed the “no records” response, and it was denied. I filed again in September of 2019 based on new Navy statements, however that, too, was denied. In January 2020, I appealed that determination, and it is currently awaiting a final response.

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The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

It should be noted in addition to the above, that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is said to be the Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR) for documents released on AATIP.  Therefore, since day 1 of the announcement of this, I have had multiple FOIA requests open to the agency. I asked for, but lost, a request for expediting the request. Although I appealed the decision, I lost that too. In January of 2019, the first document was released. Here is some background:

In July of 2018, Mr. George Knapp released a leaked version of the 38 reports created under The Aerospace Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). On this, were various, highly scientific and technical reports, by various authors, regarding fusion, advanced propulsion etc. The exact role they played in the AATIP program, is unclear.

On January 16, 2019, the DIA responded to my FOIA request for the letter sent to Congress (explained in more detail below) with a list of the reports created under AATIP. This was my release, sent to me by the DIA, dated January 16, 2019:

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My Concerns

There are many things that actually concern me over the discovery of this program, which I feel will need to be addressed in the coming weeks and months (now YEARS?). Let me preface my concerns, by giving my thanks and compliments to Tom Delonge, the team at the To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science, Mr. Elizondo, and all others involved for getting this information out.  My concerns are not personal in nature, and should not take away from the work the aforementioned are doing.  But, I feel this should be addressed in order to put some concerns to rest.

1. The media, and even much of the UFO Community, is mis-representing this story as the “first time” the government has conducted UFO Research since Project Blue Book closed in 1969.  This, for a fact, is not true.  For those who follow The Black Vault, you will that more than a decade, I lectured about, talked about, and profiled a Air Force Manual (that same agency which has denied UFO interest for so long) that specifically talked about UFO reporting procedures.  When procedures exist to report something, it is probably safe to assume those reports actually go somewhere and mean something, therefore some kind of UFO Research project was underway. (See: Air Force Instruction 10-206 – The Vanishing UFO Regulation) You will notice from the above page, that although I spoke about this publication for roughly a decade, and even put it into some UFO Documentaries I produced on History Channel, it was mysteriously removed when the Huffington Post was going to profile it.  A fascinating story, but proof a UFO Research program of some kind was well underway, even before the “DOD Aerospace Threat Program” allegedly even existed. Was there synergy between the two programs? Only time will tell, but that’s another story in itself. That said, this “new” program we are all hearing about sounds admittedly larger in scale than the Air Force manual reference, but one aspect on why I don’t feel it’s the start of “disclosure” is the testimony of Luis Elizondo himself. He said that no one was “taking the threat seriously”, which played a role in his resignation and exit from the DOD. I can respect that, but does it show that no one else involved (bit of an assumption here) saw anything worthy of investigation? I would feel if this really was “disclosure” — and the government was starting to come clean — we would have much more evidence, a more serious approach, and the government would stay quiet and let the information drip out. However, on the contrary, they responded to some media outlets saying yes, it existed, but it didn’t find anything worthy of additional dollars or time/effort.
2. Robert Bigelow was given the task to house recovered alloy and material?  According to the NY TIMES article:

   “Under Mr. Bigelow’s direction, the company modified buildings in Las Vegas for the storage of metal alloys and other materials that Mr. Elizondo and program contractors said had been recovered from unidentified aerial phenomena. Researchers also studied people who said they had experienced physical effects from encounters with the objects and examined them for any physiological changes. In addition, researchers spoke to military service members who had reported sightings of strange aircraft.”

   Well, that’s just downright intriguing, right? I mean, captured alloys and material from UAPs/UFOs? That has to be alien, right? This rivals the Roswell debris going to Hangar 18, right?  Probably not — here’s why:

   Why would the government trust “alien technology” (I know I am taking a leap assuming that is what may be hidden) to a corporate entity aiming to profit in the privatization of space travel and space exploration? It would seem that is a rather large secret to be kept – and although corporations are trusted with many high level security issues and the specs to some of our most advanced pieces of technology, I would think the U.S. may keep that material a bit close to their chest.

   Because, if this was proof, the smoking gun, or “alien technology” that could not be refuted – why would Mr. Bigelow keep that a secret? He obviously knew/knows Elizondo was going to go public — and when he did — people would start asking questions. So, why wouldn’t he join hands and say this is what we have (or this is what we DON’T have)?

   What is more likely, is that Mr. Bigelow was able to do a “privatized” and modern Project Moon Dust, wherein he was on the receiving end of possible recovered Chinese, Russian, Iranian etc. technology.  Project Moon Dust captured space debris during the space race, seeking to back engineer more advanced, captured, technology from a foreign entity.  It’s possible, and probable, that this is simply a modern day version of that.

   It seems to me there is something suspicious and/or shady at the root of this. I feel with Bigelow’s personal interest and fascination with this, and the fact he has no problem touting his belief that aliens may be walking among us, he would let it spill that alien technology exists — and he had it.  Of course, many will cite his security clearance and access as something that would stop him from talking about it. Maybe it would. But likely, there are other employees, or people close to this, that would talk about it. However, no one ever has. Mr. Elizondo, only eluded to it on Tucker Carlson (Fox News), which has spurred much controversy. However, no additional details or evidence has ever been offered since that interview.

3. The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program probably didn’t find anything.   I think it is wonderful that Mr. Elizondo has come out with this information, and I respect his contribution.  However, according to his own testimony, I think we can determine that there was likely nothing found by the program he said he headed, simply because the DOD found zero interest in continuing the program. Here is why: On the surface, this looks and sounds amazing.  But when dissecting what was given to us — we are still lacking any answers whatsoever. The government admitted the secret program is real — that sounds groundbreaking — but they also said in the same breath they cancelled it after about 5 years. They also maintain it had nothing to do with UAPs/UFOs.Although the NY Times said that members of the group still continue to investigate the sightings, there is no evidence to that exists.
4. It had a $22 Million dollar budget. $22 Million? Stop and think about how small of a number that really is.  $22 Million divided by 5 years (assuming the longevity is true). That’s $4.4 Million per year. That’s $367,000 per month.  That’s $91,750 per week.  Sounds like a lot — but to U.S. Government standards?  That’s kinda nothing at all. When you look at the project overall, as indicated by the media, the financing was spearheaded by Senator Harry Reid, from Nevada.  As I mentioned above, and according to the NY TIMES, “most of the money” went to Robert Bigelow of Bigelow Aerospace. Do you know where Mr. Bigelow resides?  You guessed it, Nevada, Senator Harry Reid’s home state.Out of curiosity, I looked up the donations given to Senator Harry Reid’s campaigns from Mr. Bigelow.  The dollar amount stretches to $10,000 and likely far beyond.

   

   Given this fact, what are we looking at? Senator Harry Reid doesn’t strike me as a UFO aficionado (though claims he has had an “interest” for many years) but he does strike me as someone who loves his constituents that donate the big bucks.  I think it’s a big possibility that this project, with the majority of the money going to Mr. Bigelow in Nevada, spearheaded by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, is nothing more than pork, and not motivated to better humanity, get answers or uncover the truth.  That is NOT a popular statement to make, but I believe there is a lot of evidence to support that if you look at Senator Reid’s NY Magazine Interview and other statement’s he’s made. I will soon be doing a more extensive outline of this.

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“Declassified” Videos Released

The following were the videos released by the To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science on December 16th, 2017, and largely published by the media.  According to Mr. Luis Elizondo, the videos were obtained by the submission of a  DD Form 1910, CLEARANCE REQUEST FOR PUBLIC RELEASE OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INFORMATION.  It is believed that the “Chain of Custody” documents referenced by the To The Stars Academy is the actual DD Form 1910 filed by Mr. Elizondo.  However, by definition, this is not a “Chain of Custody” record, but rather, simply proof of proper declassification.

An entire breakdown of this process by Mr. Elizondo, as revealed by a FOIA request from The Black Vault, is available here.

The review is then conducted, and a determination can be made.

Here are 18 various DD Form 1910s that I dug up for reference. They are as early as 1989 and stretch all the way through December of 2018.

These are all sourced directly to various military and government (.mil and .gov) sources.  They include the following (in order of the above gallery):

Source: https://history.defense.gov/Portals/70/Documents/oral_history/OH_Trans_LACEY%20Mary1-16-09.pdf?ver=2017-12-07-093146-747 
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1039679.pdf 
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a640445.pdf 
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a603516.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a603749.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1034560.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a575861.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1036036.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a215200.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a608403.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a588078.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a300047.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a318780.pdf
Source: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1043438.pdf
Source: https://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/Downloads/OE/Concept%20of%20Operations%20for%20Military%20ECUs.pdf
Source: https://navysustainability.dodlive.mil/files/2017/03/USS-MONTEREY_SC_CompletePackage.pdf
Source: https://adlnet.gov/uploads/SF298%20Final%20Report%20SenSe.pdf
Source: https://history.defense.gov/Portals/70/Documents/oral_history/OH_Trans_BUNNBradley9-12-08.pdf?ver=2017-12-07-093136-903

If Mr. Elizondo was part of an ongoing effort to investigate Unidentified Aerial Phenomena as he has stated, and the effort was not cancelled in 2012 as the Government stated, than his filing of the DD Form 1910 was during the time he was investigating the phenomena.  Mr. Elizondo said the Pentagon did not take Unidentified Aerial Phenomena seriously, so this led to Mr. Elizondo’s resignation in October of the same year he secured the release of the videos.  What is strange is that KLAS-TV decided to redact Mr. Elizondo’s name – since it was Mr. Elizondo who has been credited since day one for securing the release of the videos, ie: he filed the DD Form 1910.  In addition, Mr. Elizondo outlined the entire process he undertook, in his February 25, 2018, interview with Mr. George Knapp on Coast to Coast AM. This interview is what motivated me to file a FOIA request, specifically for these document(s). So, why is this redacted since it’s already long established public knowledge?

Moving on from that oddity; in section 1, item d, Mr. Elizondo (based on reporting, I will move forward he is the name redacted that filed this document), told DOPSR that the subject matter of the three videos (referenced in item b) were, “UAV, Balloons and other UAS.”  UAV, to the DOD, means “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” or better known as a drone.  Balloons are just that, but a really bizarre way to describe these videos of “unidentified aerial phenomena.” And lastly UAS, to the DOD, means Unmanned Aircraft System. (Source: DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms).

Why would these descriptions be falsely attributed to the videos when according to Mr. Elizondo, they were “unidentified?” It should be noted, the U.S. Navy agree with Mr. Elizondo, and they went on the record with The Black Vault who broke the story that went viral that the three videos were considered “unidentified.”

Therefore, it’s misleading as they can not be UAVs, UASs or balloons. Did he fabricate this line just to get the form pushed through? Mr. Elizondo decided to address this in his interview with Open Minds for the UFO Congress, Mr. Elizondo said:

“No, there was no trick and there was no false pretense. The videos were released in accordance with the strict manner that DOD prescribes to DOD manuals and regulations involving the release of information. It went through the official DOPSR process and then furthermore an additional step was taken to have the videos reviewed by foreign disclosure representatives. In fact, the most senior foreign disclosure representatives in the department, and ultimately required OCA or original classification authority approval and review to release the video. So in essence, I didn’t release anything, the department of defense released those videos. The documentation is held by the department of defense and the justification for releasing those videos were exactly as stated, and that was to create an unclassified database that people could then access and help us identify the signatures we were seeing.”

He clearly says there was no false pretense, except he led DOPSR to believe that the videos were identified craft, including military drones (UAVs or UASs) or even insinuated they were just balloons.

That leads us to section 3, as filled out presumably by Mr. Elizondo. Section 3 of a DD Form 1910, is a description of why the person is requesting the information to be released. This clues DOPSR into the reasoning and the future use of the material, in order to make the best, and most informed, decision about a release. Mr. Elizondo stated:

“Not applicable. Not for publication. Research and analysis ONLY and info sharing with other USG [U.S. Government] and industry partners for the purposes of developing a database to help identify, analyze and ultimately defeat UAS threats.”

So, in a nutshell, Mr. Elizondo said these videos were for research and analysis ONLY (with emphasis and CAPS on ONLY), and they would only be used by the U.S. Government and their partners, which I take, would mean contractors.  The database portion partially lined up with Mr. Elizondo’s statement to Open Minds (even though he didn’t say it would be for government or contractor use), yet, the rest does not line up all.

In the end, once the videos were “released by the Pentagon”, Mr. Elizondo did not put them to use by the U.S. Government and their partners; but rather, he resigned from the agency only about 6 weeks after DOPSR gave their approval for internal use only. After resignation, he then utilized them in a for-profit venture he is now involved in, known as To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science. There is no database (yet) even though it has been teased by this corporation, but rather, they watermarked the videos, and have largely touted said videos to garner attention for their corporation, a non-government entity, to invite investments into their venture.

It should be noted that although the U.S. government maintains the videos should not have been released; they have blamed the internal process / DOPSR and not Mr. Elizondo for the mistake.

I will let you decide, on whether or not that all constitutes “false pretense” and if the e-mails released after The Black Vault’s FOIA request supports the narrative. DOPSR was given erroneous information, and false descriptions on what they were reviewing, and the DOPSR staff is cleared at the highest levels of secrecy to review information. This is reinforced by their website, showing without question they have “Top Secret” communication methods, obviously detailing, they are cleared at the Top Secret Level:

The above is pointed out, to show that DOPSR would be cleared to receive and review Top Secret information. Multiple sources confirm that DD Form 1910s can be submitted via secure channels, up to and including, Top Secret. Mr. Elizondo has stated that the true description of the videos were withheld from DOPSR because of the secrecy involving the process, which at this point, does not make sense.

“The GIMBAL Video”

According to the To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science:

GIMBAL is the first of three US military videos of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) that has been through the official declassification review process of the United States government and has been approved for public release. This footage, and all official USG footage you will see on TTS Academy’s Community of Interest (COI), comes with essential chain-of-custody documentation validating that it is received in its original and unaltered form and is authentic. The US Department of Defense uses this process in order to meticulously ensure that information and material retain their integrity without revealing sources and methods. This documentation is what sets this footage apart from anything else that has previously made its way to the public domain, by establishing its authenticity and thereby giving it enormous historical significance.

While that fact alone is of historical significance, what this 34 seconds of video provides is remarkable. Several key observations are contained in this one video that may help us collectively better understand the physics and technology being employed. In addition, we hear US fighter pilots struggling to determine the nature of object. Key findings include:

• Low observability in both electro-optical and electromagnetic spectrums.

• No distinguishable flight surfaces.

• Lack of obvious propulsion system.

• Never-before-seen flight capabilities.

• Possible energy or resonance field of unknown nature.

The filename “GIMBAL” seems to be traceable to the unusual maneuvering of the UAP.

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The NIMITZ Video

According to the To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science:

FLIR1 is the second of three US military videos of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) that has been through the official declassification review process of the United States government and approved for public release. It is the only official footage captured by a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet present at the 2004 Nimitz incident off the coast of San Diego. Like GIMBAL, this footage comes with crucial chain-of-custody (CoC) documentation because it is a product of US military sensors, which confirms it is original, unaltered, and not computer generated or artificially fabricated. While there have been leaked versions on the internet, the CoC establishes the authenticity and credibility that this version is the original footage taken from one of the most advanced sensor tracking devices in use.

The sensor, a Raytheon AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) pod, has two imaging modes: mid-wave infrared and visual. It has high resolution and can locate and designate targets at distances exceeding 40 nautical miles. The FLIR1 footage shows what was on display to the fighter pilots in the cockpit of their Super Hornet.  

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The GO FAST Video

According to the To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science:

GO FAST is an authentic DoD video that captures the high-speed flight of an unidentified aircraft at low altitude by a F/A-18 Super Hornet ATFLIR forward-looking infrared system. While TTSA was the first to obtain a copy, it should be available to any member of the press or public via the Freedom of Information Act.

This video, GO FAST, was captured by a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet using the Raytheon AN/ASQ- 228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) Pod.  This sensor has two imaging modes – mid-wave infrared and visual.  It has high resolution and can locate and designate targets at distances exceeding 40 nm.  The video imagery represents the image displayed in the cockpit to the pilot and Weapon Systems Operators (WSO).  Major features of the display are shown in Figure 1.

The date, location, and other information has been removed by the originating authority as part of the release approval process.

GO FAST was selected for release, like GIMBAL and FLIR1, after review by multiple government organizations.  The object in this video remains unidentified. 

Based on the above information, I did request numerous documents and videos from various government agencies.  I will be updating this case file as the investigation progresses.

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The OFFICIAL Line

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Office of Public Affairs

Since nearly day one, a debate has raged on what the name of the “Pentagon’s Secret UFO Study” as touted by the media, really was. There was, for quite some time, a discrepancy on whether it was “Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program” or “Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.”  Since the media reported the name both ways, it was a standing debate. To some, this was a frustrating question to ask, but it was one that needed to be answered. As you will see below, a Major from the Pentagon repeatedly stated it was “Aviation”, while on February 12, 2019, I got confirmation from the DIA it was, in fact, “Aerospace,” when AATIP was headed by the DIA.

This will cause some, who were frustrated at the question being asked, to feel vindicated. However, as one question becomes answered, many more arise. It is with this reason alone, that research is key, and questions are crucial to understanding the bigger picture. Blind allegiance to one source of information is the absolute recipe for major let-downs and disaster. I stand by asking that question and pushing for answers, because in the process of doing so, more information comes to light.

Research is sometimes slow and boring. But I ask questions until they are adequately answered. After more than two decades of researching government secrets — I feel that is the only way to do it. That – and I trust no one in the process.

On February 12, 2019, the DIA Public Affairs Office answered multiple questions that I had for clarification, but in the process, brought up some new ones.

• It is now confirmed by the DIA, that the name was, in fact, “Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.”
• It is now confirmed by the DIA, that Bigelow Aerospace was the ONLY bidder for the Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program (AAWSAP) contract, which later became (or is the same) as AATIP. I clarified this statement to ensure I was accurate in reporting this, and the DIA confirmed my follow-up that Bigelow Aerospace was the sole bidder for this contract.
• The DIA was also not aware of any report or study produced, outside the 38 reports listed in the “Attachments” section of the letter to Senator’s John McCain and Jack Reed.  This contradicts multiple statements that there is a 490 page study produced about UFOs.
• It was determined that the approximate 5 year study known as AATIP, was going to be cancelled (or moved out of DIA) about 2 years after it started. In other words, not even half way through it, the DIA was giving up on it.
• I asked if there was any knowledge that the DIA had, if it was moved. They said they had no information after it was ended in 2012 at DIA.
• When asked about UFOs specifically, the answer was about aerial threats and projecting ahead 40 years on what those threats could be. That part is not new, however, it appears the DIA is standing strong that was not a UFO research program, or at least, will not address it.

See below for the questions I originally asked the DIA. Please note – I was in the process of doing a television series (as of February 2019), where I am being asked about AATIP. In regards to question #1 below – I said that question was the “most important.” For well more than a year, I have always said the name discrepancy is NOT the most important issue, so that may be confusing to some. However, I said this was the most important question in this e-mail, due to the fact it was about accuracy in talking about AATIP for the television series. I knew I would not get all the answers I wanted, but I wanted to make sure when referencing AATIP, I did so accurately with the name itself. Plus, it would settle the long standing debate. I am sure some will attack me on that, but wanted to clarify that is not the most important in the overall scope about what AATIP was about, but rather, was the most important framing it around a television interview for accuracy.

The Pentagon

I spoke to the Public Affairs office at the Pentagon many times over the telephone in late December 2017 through the first six months of 2018, specifically with Major Audricia Harris, official spokesperson for the Department of Defense.  I asked for her releasable facts on AATIP to be sent in writing, that way I had a firm confirmation from their side on what the program was (and was not).

Below, you will find the official e-signed response from Major Harris (Please note: I decided to redact the identifying contact information for Major Harris.  Regardless of it being public domain, I did so to stop her from getting flooded with UFO type requests.  She was kind enough to respond to me, as I was working on a television show concept that dealt with this, and therefore my work in television [History Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, etc.] does put me in a “member of the news media” category. Her email address is not for general public use, so I opted to withhold it here.):

In the above letter, she confirms:

1. The program was cancelled in 2012.
2. The DOD did NOT release the three videos, as said they did by the To the Stars Academy.
3. Funding for AATIP was from a July 2008 Supplementation Appropriations Bill.  This contradicts it was a “black budget” program funded by “black money” as touted by many news articles, including the heading of the original NY Times article (“Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program”). To date, the appropriations bill that can be tied to this has never been found.

These are discrepancies that need to be addressed, by the media, TTSA and maybe the Pentagon itself if the first two stand strong behind their statements.

In addition to the above, on April 10th, 2018, I did share another e-mail exchange with Major Harris.  I chose a few questions which I felt were the most pressing that her side may be able to address.  You will find the letter exchange below.  Again, I opted to remove direct contact information to Major Harris, for obvious reasons. In the text version, I put my questions in blue.  For Major Harris’ responses, I left them black/bold.  The screen shot is also available.

John,

My responses are below:

1) In regards to its mandate that you mention, as outlined in a 2009 letter from Reid to DSD, is this letter/document public? Is there a way to get a copy of this, or would it needed to be obtained under the FOIA?

I do not have a copy of this letter in my possession.

2) There is one man who used to head the program, Mr. Luis Elizondo, who is speaking publicly and received quite a bit of press.  His exact story varies with various news articles, but in short, he claims the program is still ongoing and using funds from other projects.  My concern over this claim, is that it doesn’t quite sound right that there was money taken from line items for one budget, and slid over to continue AATIP.  Do you have any response to his claim that AATIP continues?  (Please note: I understand you already stated it was cancelled, I just had a concern that he continues his claim that it continued well after 2012.)

The Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program ended in 2012. It was determined that there were other, higher priority issues that merited funding and it was in the best interest of the DoD to make a change.

3) Mr. Elizondo, and a “public benefit” corporation he is now tied to (trying to raise $50,000,000 to do various projects), has released three videos claiming they were “declassified by the U.S. Government” but I note your statement the “DoD has not released videos related to this program.”

It is assumed that it was either OSD or DIA (possibly NAVY?) that released the videos, but I take from your statement, that would not be true?

According to Mr. Elizondo, he filed a DD Form 1910 for the videos to be released, but will not produce any evidence to prove his claim.  Does this seem accurate to you?  Any information you could give on this, even if you think they are not genuine, would be very helpful.

DD Form 1910 is the form used in requesting review and clearance of DOD information proposed for public release. The Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review(DOPSR) is responsible for managing the Department of Defense security review program, reviewing written materials both for public and controlled release. This includes official government and defense industry work products, as well as materials submitted by cleared or formerly cleared individuals pursuant to their voluntary non-disclosure agreement obligations. DOPSR also coordinates official work products with Defense enterprise stakeholders to ensure that information being released is both accurate and represents the Department’s official position. This organization conducts a security review of products proposed for release – it does not approve the release of DOD information.

4) There was initially a lot of talk in many media outlets about “metal alloys” discovered and sent to Bigelow Aerospace for investigation, but I am getting the feeling the magnitude of this part of the original NY TIMES story has been walked back. This is where most of the rumors preside, as you could imagine. Is there any light that you can shed on the “metals” involved with the AATIP program?

I have no information on this at this time.

5) Last question — which loosely ties to the above. Some media outlets and online blogs are writing the idea that all of AATIP’s material, documents, research etc. was contracted out to Bigelow Aerospace and therefore hiding the entire program from the use of FOIA.  Personally, this also doesn’t seem right to me, since it sounds like Mr. Elizondo led the program through OSD, and had nothing to do with Bigelow. Can you comment on Bigelow Aerospace’s involvement, and was it primarily done at Bigelow? Partially? They had a small involvement?  In short, I am trying to put that controversy to bed, but would appreciate any official address to these points.

I have no information on this at this time. Have you reached out to Bigelow Aerospace?

Sincerely,

Maj. Harris
direct: XXX-XXX-XXXX
mobile: XXX-XXX-XXXX

A few notes here on this exchange.  Although the narrative continues that AATIP ended in 2012, of course, there is a possibility (albeit a small one) that the objectives of AATIP continued under a different name.  Her exact words were, “The Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program ended in 2012. It was determined that there were other, higher priority issues that merited funding and it was in the best interest of the DoD to make a change.”  One could argue this is safely worded that AATIP as a name was ended, but another name with the same objective began.  To me, this is very unlikely. The program was not announced until the end of 2017, in fact, there was never even a rumor or a “leak” about it… ever.  So the likelihood they felt the need to make such a change to cover-up AATIP’s existence, 5 years before it was known to the public, seems rather unlikely, but always possible.

Second, Major Harris offers additional details about DD Form 1910s and the DOPSR process. Regardless of Mr. Elizondo filing DD Form 1910s to get these videos “reviewed” or not — to the Pentagon — it’s irrelevant.  The only thing that matters, in this instance, is that the DOD never released the videos.  According to Mr. Elizondo and TTSA — the DOD released the videos.

Third, she recommended reaching out to Bigelow Aerospace, which I have already done.  I tried via telephone, where I was stonewalled and told to email specific questions to the PR personnel. I did that, however, have yet to receive any response whatsoever.

I appreciate her time that she spent answering the above, and as I receive more information that adds to the story, I will post it here.

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George Knapp Story About “Tic Tac UFO Analysis” Document

On May 18, 2018, investigative journalist George Knapp of CBS Channel 8, Las Vegas, broke a story about a document said to detail the Tic Tac UFO sighting (the same “Tic Tac” video released by TTSA above) and analyzed the importance of the encounter.

According to Mr. Knapp’s story, it states:

Since the Pentagon’s release of three UFO videos, armchair experts have speculated that maybe the objects are birds or balloons or something mundane.

But now, the I-Team has obtained an in-depth report prepared by and for the military, and it analyzes the so-called Tic Tac UFO using the most sophisticated sensor systems in the world.

Over a two-week period in late 2004, an unknown, 45-foot long Tic Tac shaped object played cat and mouse with the U.S. Navy off the coast of California. The mighty U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier, and its support ships including the U.S.S. Princeton, carrying the most sophisticated sensor systems in the world, repeatedly detected recurring glimpses of the Tic Tac but were unable to lock on.

… SNIP …

But in the months since the release, the Pentagon has clammed up. It has declined to release official documents about the Nimitz Tic Tac encounter, or similar incidents.

… SNIP …

Pilots reported a large disturbance just under the surface of the ocean, round and 100 yards across. It appeared as if the Tic Tac was rendezvousing with the underwater object.

Among the key findings in the report — the AAV is not something that belongs to the U.S. or any other nation. It was so advanced, it rendered U.S. capabilities ineffective. It showed velocities far greater than anything known to exist, and it could turn itself invisible, both to radar and the human eye. Essentially, it was undetectable, and unchallenged.

… SNIP …

The report including statements from seven F-18 pilots as well as radar operators on the ships. Despite the seriousness of the encounter, the pilots faced ridicule after their encounters. The Navy’s initial report was buried, not forwarded to command. It was decided the AAV was not a threat.  

Five years later, a more comprehensive assessment was compiled but was never made public and has been seen by few, even inside the Pentagon.

Former intelligence official Chris Mellon opined in the Washington Post that the Pentagon’s unwillingness to discuss these encounters or share information with other military branches is a threat to national security, comparable to when the CIA and FBI failed to share information prior to 9/11

The analysis report is not dated and has no logo, but four separate people who are familiar with its contents confirmed to the I-Team it is the real deal and was written as part of a Pentagon program.

I have used only portions of the article that I feel are relevant here. I invite you all to click on the link above to see the entire breakdown of Mr. Knapp’s story.

The document that was obtained, and released by Mr. Knapp / I-Team, is here:

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My analysis on this document is based on my opinion, and I in no way want to insinuate Mr. Knapp has falsified the document or is misleading the public with this story. Rather, I offer my critique in hopes to bring some insight into understanding what this may, or may not, ultimately be.  Mr. Knapp should be commended for his reporting about the UFO phenomenon, and my critique here is solely based on my opinion about this particular document.

Now, that being said, there are some issues with the above story that need to be pointed out.   First and foremost, the document itself does not, in any way, resemble a report prepared by the Pentagon or any branch of the U.S. Military.  Although there are many types of report and briefing formats, and they vary from agency to agency, there are still common characteristics that you will find in documents such as this.

The most obvious, to me, is a lack of any classification stamp or  header/footer. It is noted in Mr. Knapp’s story the document was “unclassified” — however, most “unclassified” documents still contain the identifying marks to stipulate the classification level of the document.  (EXAMPLE #1 | EXAMPLE #2) Of course, there are exceptions and mistakes, but this is a sign it was probably not prepared by the Pentagon, or it would contain such a classification level stamp or mark.

Second, there are no headers, contracts numbers or any cover page. Most, if not all, reports of this nature contain a cover page identifying what the information in the report is, what it refers to, what contract it pertains to, etc. (EXAMPLE #1 | EXAMPLE #2). In these examples cited here, from different time frames and agencies, they both have cover pages and reference pages about what the reports are about. This is another indication this document in question, is not official.

Third, the names are blacked out with the exception of Commander David Fravor.  At first, I noted this as being suspicious, but later got clarification that Mr. Knapp was the one who did the redaction, based on a tweeted comment he posted on Twitter.  Although that explains the discrepancy, it does bring up another fact, and that is, nothing about the document’s release is close to being “official” or “by the book.”  Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), when documents such as these are released, ALL names are redacted/blacked out. This is due to FOIA exemption (b)(6) which stipulates that for privacy reasons, names (and other personally identifiable information) are redacted to ensure their identities remain private. Whomever gave this document to Mr. Knapp, obviously did not care to conceal identities of those mentioned, and I think Mr. Knapp deserves credit for taking the step to ensure these names remain outside the public domain (except Commander Fravor who has gone public). I will note, Mr. Knapp never claimed this was obtained under a FOIA release. However, I note this FOIA exemption because this is a standard rule/practice when agencies release documents, they will follow the same policies and procedures when they proactively release information to the public, but not under the FOIA.  These facts support the document was a “leak” rather than a “release.”

But the same red flags that I have noted above about the exact provenance of the videos released by TTSA, are displayed here. Was this document really written/prepared BY the Pentagon as this news article states? If so, then the circumvention of the review process to get a document in the public domain was skipped, and we are seeing a record that may not be officially in the public domain (yet). In today’s world we live in, it’s news cycle after news cycle of “leak” after “leak” — drip after drip.  The question on whether or not this is a healthy news environment I will leave for a different discussion, but this does make us question who gave it to Mr. Knapp, and if it was prepared by the Pentagon, will there be repercussion for this type of record to be “leaked” to a journalist (regardless of it being “unclassified”) without a proper review?

Further to this point, I feel with the red flags above, along with the fact that we may not see any repercussions as time goes on, there is a large possibility this was not prepared BY the Pentagon, but rather, was possibly sent TO the Pentagon. We can probably assume by a contractor, like BAASS, which is connected to the AATIP program.   This is supported by the style of the report itself, and the footnotes used on the bottom of the record. It’s fairly rare to see non-government sources, especially Wikipedia, which is used quite often as a source. But what is rather even more strange, is AATIP, “Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program,” the “Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program,” or the “Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program” (see below) etc.  are not named in the report, AT ALL.

Away from analyzing the record itself, the backstory to it raises some questions that need to be addressed. The CBS 8 / I-Team’s story states it is a “Confidential Report” in the title of the news release yet the body of the story itself says that it is “Unclassified”.  This may be semantics, but since “Confidential” is an actual classification level, it can not be “Confidential” and “Unclassified” at the same time. So, either this was just for some flair to the title of the article, or the record itself was “Confidential” but was declassified to a “Unclassified” level. If this is the case, declassified by whom? Safe to assume the latter is probably not the answer here, but it should be considered.

Also, the article states, “But in the months since the release, the Pentagon has clammed up. It has declined to release official documents about the Nimitz Tic Tac encounter, or similar incidents.”  This is actually inaccurate. If documents related to the Nimitz encounter were created under AATIP (which it sounds like they were), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is the Office of Primary Responsibility or OPR for declassifying the records. The DIA has not declined one request on these records for AATIP or anything related. Rather, they are so behind with processing their FOIA Case backlog, it may take literally years for records to be released.  That isn’t fun, exciting or helps us here, but that is the reality of it, and it is a reality I have dealt with for many years. Now, some in the UFO Community for quite some time have insinuated this is a cover-up denial by the government to release information, and that is not accurate. Sadly, that often touted belief in online articles and blogs is echoed in this article here, and it should be noted that is not accurate.

In closing, the document itself comes up with intriguing and interesting conclusions. The question, is intriguing and interesting conclusions by whom? Who was the author? What was the context of the document? Why was it written? When was it written? Who was it written for?

Although some of this is addressed and confirmed by anonymous sources in the article, sadly to the investigation of this program, we can not consider it gospel until additional records turn up and official documents are further released. We need to do better than “anonymous” or unnamed sources, and especially with documents which appear to be leaked, or non-government records.

To make matters a bit more confusing, investigative journalist Leslie Kean (one of the authors of the original NY TIMES article that broke the AATIP story) sent out a post on Facebook on May 19, 2018, the day after Mr. Knapp’s news story was published, and she stated she had this record back in 2017, and she said that it was from BAASS.

This contradicts the story, because BAASS is not the Pentagon, and if they did prepare it on an official basis/submission as part of their contract, then private contracted reports/analyses follow the same guidelines (like a classification statement/stamp/header/footer) as I noted above.

I’ll use a report by Dr. Eric Davis to prove that point: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/advanced-propulsion-study-air-force-research-laboratory-september-2004-dr-eric-w-davis/

This was a private contracted report back in 2004, paid for by US Tax Dollars.  You’ll see what I mean with the cover page and in this case, a “Distribution Statement” showing the document was UNCLASSIFIED and approved for public release.  This, and many other examples, show what official records/reports look like, even from a private contractor having not been prepared by the Pentagon itself.

On May 23, 2018, I asked the Pentagon about the report, and they gave this short response to my inquiry:

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Congressional Record Documents Cites AATIP

In mid August of 2018, the blog, “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena – scientific research” published an article of a discovery that references the, “Advanced Aerospace Threat and Identification Program.” It came from the April 9, 2018, Congressional Record, and reads as the following:

“4381. A letter from the Chief, Congressional Relations Division, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, transmitting a list of all products produced under the Advanced Aerospace Threat and identification Program contract for the Defense Intelligence Agency to publish; to the Committee on Armed Services.”

Credit is given to Roger Glassel from Sweden; Curt Collins from the USA; Paul Dean from Melbourne, Australia, and Keith Basterfield from Adelaide, South Australia for the find.

At this point, there is no indication of what hearing (if any) this is referring to.  This also introduces another variation of the name (adding in an “and” to the name and using the “Aerospace” variation.)  At the time of writing this addition to this page, there is not much we can deduce from this.

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In July of 2018, Mr. George Knapp released a leaked version of the 38 reports created under The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). On this, were various, highly scientific and technical reports, by various authors, regarding fusion, advanced propulsion etc. The exact role they played in the AATIP program, is unclear.

On January 16, 2019, Mr. Nick Pope, formerly of the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) who ran the “UFO Desk” there, received a similar list of reports, but from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)’s Office of Corporate Communications. At the same time, multiple FOIA requesters, including myself, were sent via postal mail, responses to various requests of the same.

This was my release, sent to me by the DIA, dated January 16, 2019:

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The Black Vault Responds to FAQs

Comment: You won’t find anything. It’s all classified “Top Secret”

The Black Vault’s Answer: 

This one is fairly easy to address, and we have two things supporting the fact this is NOT true.

1) Mr. Elizondo is talking about the program. Any program that is fully/entirely classified will in most cases, be off limits where you can go on major media outlets and start discussing it.  A prime example of this, would be the programs that were revealed with the Snowden leaks. Those are entirely classified programs with “Top Secret” designations, and they were completely shielded from public disclosure, until, of course, the leaks.  If the AATIP program was classified to this degree, Mr. Elizondo would never be able to violate a security oath, as a former head of the program, then start preaching about the inner-workings of AATIP and ignoring his oath.

2) The DOD openly admits the program was real.  Any real, classified, programs likely would get a “no comment” or “we can neither confirm nor deny” response. This has never happened, since day 1.

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Comment: You won’t find anything. The U.S. Military hid it all within Bigelow Aerospace to circumvent the FOIA.

The Black Vault’s Answer: 

This is a common statement in regards to Bigelow Aerospace and AATIP, but I just don’t believe this would be accurate. And here is why:

Mr. Elizondo was not contracted by Bigelow Aerospace, but rather, by OSD. Therefore, any information from his e-mail, his reports, his documents,  his whatever, is FOIAable.

Mr. Elizondo has also spoken about the sources of his reports being from multiple DOD components, not the private sector. Also, all FOIAable because those records were generated under certain criteria and guidelines.  

In regards to Bigelow’s contract with DIA, of course Bigelow is going to have documents generated within, which are not FOIAable. And that may seem like a conspiracy/cover-up, but I don’t believe it is.  With a contract like this, the majority of the work will be in the form of quarterly reports, yearly reports, inventories, document transmittals, etc. etc. etc. which are all subject to FOIA. There is no way around that. Are internal emails from one Bigelow employee to another subject to FOIA? Of course not, but they have to turn information over, and once we can see the contract itself (which I am going after) we will see exactly what they had to turn over, or generate, or create, or bake, or sculpt, or color, or whatever. Then, a new slew of FOIA requests will commence.

For those with doubts of what I am saying, here is a prime example, and it loosely ties into this.

Dr. Eric W. Davis (who is tied to TTSA, Hal Puthoff and was on Coast to Coast AM in the beginning of 2018 talking about AATIP) was given money many years ago through contract F04611-99-C-0025. It appears that contract sent money to multiple different private corporations to do research on various types of projects. This will bring up different reports made under that contract: https://www.google.com/search?q=F04611-99-C-0025&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS754US754&oq=F04611-99-C-0025 as proof of what I am saying.

Dr. Davis’ portion of the money went towards the subject of Advanced Propulsion. His report, although public domain and now available online, can be obtained under FOIA from the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). I received it and archived it here: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/advanced-propulsion-study-air-force-research-laboratory-september-2004-dr-eric-w-davis/

Warp Drive Metrics, as listed on the report, I believe is Dr. Davis’ own company. I haven’t dug too deep, so I could be wrong, but it’s private / non government, and yet here is proof the information contracted is all subject to FOIA in the form of a final report. Did Dr. Davis send out emails regarding his research? I’m sure. Can I get those under FOIA? No. But clearly, the money that financed this all was taxpayer money; and that information submitted back to the government is FOIAable in the form of his final report.

Here is another example, wherein this contract gave him money to finance research on laser light propulsion: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/review-of-laser-lightcraft-propulsion-system-october-16-2017-by-dr-eric-w-davis/

And another on teleportation physics: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/teleportation-physics-study-air-force-research-laboratory-august-2004-dr-eric-w-davis/

I believe that we get into conspiracy fantasy land if we think that proof of aliens / AATIP material / alien alloys etc. etc. are all hidden within a bunker deep inside Bigelow Aerospace and it’s planted there to circumvent FOIA and we chance giving alien/secret technology to a private corporation just so we can dodge people like me filing FOIAs.

Or………

Occam’s Razor dictates that documents are there for us to find under FOIA, and it’s just going to take time to get them, but we will likely find out that POSSIBLY, the AATIP program is not what we are being led to believe. 

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Comment: Around the end of April 2018, researchers brought forth the name AATIP was wrong, and it was actually the Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program (AAWSAP). That is why the AATIP FOIA requests brought up nothing.

The Black Vault’s Answer: 

There is a lot wrong with this statement.  Here is why: First and foremost, many are talking about how this is a “new” revelation discovered by Mr. Paul Dean from Australia. He writes (in part):

In March, 2018, I was contacted by someone who claimed to be in a senior defence program leadership role. He stated that the UFO program on everyone’s lips was not officially called the “Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program” (AATIP). This was, apparently, a loose, almost ad hoc term for one part of a somewhat larger defence program. The true name of the overall program, or at least the official starting title, was the “Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program” (AAWSAP), or something extremely similar.

Of course, all this is based on what a DoD contact told me. The term “Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program”, or its “AAWSAP” abbreviation, hasn’t been mentioned by anyone else. Not the New York Times, not Luis Elizondo, and not even the DIA’s public relations staffers who must, by now, have been flooded with enquiries. 

As I eluded, Glassel has found two examples of the AAWSAP project title. This had been shared privately with me, by two people, and I thought that there was simply no references available to absolutely confirm them for sure. I searched, but with no luck. Well, the “Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program” indeed did, or does, exist. Glassel, on a hunch, with keen-eyed Curt Collins in tow, discovered that Dr. Eric Davis, who has been closely associated with the AATIP and TTSA story, had published a number of scientific papers for the DIA, and two of those publications were already released and available online. The titles are, “Traversable Wormholes, Stargates and Negative Energy” and “Warp Drive, Dark Energy and the Manipulation of Extra Dimensions”. Both are listed as “Defence Intelligence Reference Documents” and both were published in late 2009.

What I gather is that the AATIP desk was a major part of the overall AAWSAP effort. Also, the term AATIP was developed over time, and may have been tacked on to, or into, AAWSAP. AATIP was a looser title for internal usage, and it continued in other channels while the overall AAWSAP appears to have ended. 

The documents referenced above, used to confirm this new program, have been available online since at least December 18, 2017. There is nothing “new” about them:

– Source 1
– Source 2
– Source 3
– Source 4

I saw these documents back in late December and early January, but dismissed them as they are largely sourced/credited to Corey Goode, a very controversial figure to begin with. If they are genuine (and they may be) these documents do not appear that they were released under any official channels.   So the biggest question is, “How did Corey get them?”  I have not found an ‘older’ source, but am open if anyone else has.

It also should be noted, as I wrote the answer to the question above this one which has been on The Black Vault now for months, records like this are already publicly available which were written by Dr. Eric Davis. It would not surprise me if these documents are, in fact, genuine, but even if they are, they don’t teach us anything new. We already could deduce the Defense Intelligence Research Documents (DIRDs) as referenced by Dr. Davis on Coast to Coast AM, were probably going to be along the same lines as what I found while answering the question above and those documents ARE IRREFUTABLY genuine.  In the end, just because a document is written about Warp Drives and advanced propulsion, doesn’t mean the government took it seriously, built the devices or continued the research within the walls of the black budget intelligence community.

Given the assumption these documents are real, and the name “Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program” has already been confirmed as of 5/3/2018 by Major Audricia Harris, DoD Spokesperson to Roger Glassel, it should be blown too far out of proportion.  As Major Harris also says to Mr. Glassel, when asked if “Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program” was the actual project name, or was it AATIP, she replied:

“I would stick with AATIP. It is the official name.

Maj. Harris”

So, it’s settled. We are right back where we started, and we now know (again) that AATIP is the correct wording for those interested in the UFO/UAP phenomenon.

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FOIA Request Responses

Federal Aviation Administration

Since Bigelow Aerospace and Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) was mentioned as being a part of the AATIP program, I had recalled that many FAA manuals had BAASS listed as a place of contact for commercial pilot UFO reports.

The dates that Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS entered into the manuals very much coincide with the start of the AATIP program.  Prior, the manuals reference Bigelow Aerospace’s previous project called NIDS starting in 2002.  However, all references to Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS have been removed, which coincides with the actual cancellation of the AATIP program (although this ‘cancellation’ date that is controversial, since Mr. Elizondo has gone on the record saying the program continued). It appears, however, that the removal of Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS from the FAA manuals coincides completely with this cancellation date.  The FAA now recommends contacting private organizations like the National UFO Reporting center to report their sightings.

In January of 2018, I requested under the FOIA all communications between Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS and the FAA.  I received a stack of communications on March 23, 2018, which include most of the communications about the change of contact within the FAA manuals.

Surprisingly, there were no other communications.  What I intended, was to get a hold of any reports that may have come in to the FAA, and forwarded to Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS.  By the below FOIA release, nothing was ever forwarded from 2005 on.

So, it appears that if anything was reported during this time frame, it went directly to Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS.  Sadly, in THIS specific case, all of those reports from any commercial pilot made DIRECTLY to Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS, would never be subject to the FOIA (unless Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS included any of the reports they received in any documents they submitted under their AATIP contract.  That is still being determined.).

Regardless of the fact that I didn’t quite find what I was looking for, it still is an interesting look into the fact that the FAA had this in their manuals to report to Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS, but then had removed it.

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FAA Manuals and Bigelow Aerospace

The FAA manuals can serve as an important clue when it comes to AATIP’s cancellation, or in fairness, at least the involvement of Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS. The following is a breakdown of various manuals, and dates, that reference Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS, and then when the manuals were updated wherein they do not.

 ORDER JO 7110.65X, October 17, 2017 – NO Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS Reference [614 Pages, 5MB]
 ORDER JO 7110.65W, December 10, 2015 – NO Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS Reference [729 Pages, 5MB]
 ORDER JO 7110.65V, April 3, 2014 – NO Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS Reference [660 Pages, 15.8MB]
—-> AATIP was (allegedly) cancelled in 2012
 ORDER JO 7110.65U, February 9, 2012 – Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS Reference [606 Pages, 3.4MB]
 ORDER JO 7110.65T, February 11, 2010 – Bigelow Aerospace/BAASS Reference [602 Pages, 5MB]
—-> See the above email exchanges between Bigelow Aerospace and the FAA to change the NIDS reference to BAASS
 ORDER JO 7110.65S, February 14, 2008 – Bigelow Aerospace/NIDS Reference [591 Pages, 4.8MB]
 ORDER 7110.65R, February 16, 2006 – Bigelow Aerospace/NIDS Reference [622 Pages, 5MB]
 ORDER 7110.65P, February 19, 2004 – Bigelow Aerospace/NIDS Reference [599 Pages, 4.3MB]
 ORDER 7110.65N, February 21, 2002 – Bigelow Aerospace/NIDS Reference [578 Pages, 20.7MB]
 ORDER 7110.65M, February 21, 2002 – NO UFO Reference at all [528 Pages, 14.6MB]

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Department of Defense (DOD)

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National Security Agency (NSA)

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The post The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), Tom DeLonge, Luis Elizondo and the Claims of To The Stars Academy first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), Tom DeLonge, Luis Elizondo and the Claims of To The Stars Academy appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations. There was no formal investigation to the case, and is offered here for informational purposes.

Witness Testimony

The witness submitted the following summary of their sighting:

Large ball of light come across I thought it was a plane at first flying low but it just kept coming closer until it was above me and one of my good friends. Then it just stopped mid air, flashed and shot up in the air at kind of like an arch and like it just disappeared but the speed it was going was just something I have never seen when I asked my friend u just saw that too right he laughed and said what did u just see. We just could believe what we saw but cant deny it either. But it was not of this world for sure.

The Evidence

No evidence submitted.

The Analysis

Information Case Only; No Formal Investigation

Conclusion

Information Case Only; No Formal Investigation

The post UFO over Belchertown, Massachusetts, December 14, 2019 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Belchertown, Massachusetts, December 14, 2019 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault/TBV Investigations on 06/19/2019 and was assigned to investigator Jim Kerr for analysis and investigation.

Witness Testimony

The witness submitted the following statement.

“My male Basenji had to go outside, so I took him out the garage door that opens up to the backyard on the left side. I had our house lights on, but they didn’t shine far from the back area near the houseitself and driveway, front. I noticed all of a sudden a brilliant whitish-yellowish light that was stationary. Jacksonville Internatl Airport does have planes that do fly over our house and this area in /out of the airport but this was NO plane, no helicopter.

The object seemed huge as it was so bright and appeared to shimmer, but it did not go further away like a plane would be leaving this airspace or come near us like a plane would be heading to the airport to land. I couldn’t walk back with him because of my knees (replacement not long ago), or I would have to get a better look. This light seemed to shimmer and darken but then again it appeared as bright as ever, still affixed where it was.

The property where this objet was stationary also has a home there but an open place for their large yard. They do have a security light, but there is ABSOLUTELY no way that light reflected any beam into the sky to cause something that large and bright to occur and remain in spot. There were no people out at all other than myself and my dog.

I went in to get my brother, but when we came out the object was gone. This is not my first time experiencing a “UFO.” I am working on the email to send. Next time I go out at night, I will bring the cell phone to record if I see anything like this again.”

Additional witness statements after being interviewed

“My experience on this one was brief, but whatever that stationary orangish-yellowish huge globe like object was, it could not have been a plane or helicopter, light from the ground, house, or highway 1/4 mile up the road. Not at 1:05 Am at all. I just wish I had my cellphone………or been able to walk across our 2 yards to get a better look. That object was so big, and seemed closer than it was. Incredible!

I live in northeast Florida in a little town about 2 miles west of the town itself. The town is Callahan. Roughly we are about 17 miles northwest of Jacksonville, but like all places, it depends on from where in Jacksonville one is coming to this area.

That was amazing that night, but I admit when it fazed out, then came back on in the same spot, I knew it could NOT have been some weather thing or meteor et al. Unfortunately I opted to go in and grab the cell phone and get my brother up but when we came out it was gone.”

The Evidence

No photos or video footage was taken by the witness.

The Analysis

At approx 1:00 am, the witness took her dog outside and observed a whitish-yellowish light that was stationary in the sky. The witness is adamant; the object was not an aircraft as she is familiar observing aircraft over her location from the Jacksonville International Airport. The size of the object did not change like an aircraft traveling toward or away from her location. The witness went into her house to retrieve her cell phone to take photos, but when she returned, the object was gone. With the lack of photographic or video evidence it is impossible to identify what the witness observed.

The post UFO Sighting Over Callahan, Florida, June 19, 2019 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO Sighting Over Callahan, Florida, June 19, 2019 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

The attached photograph was found by Black Vault user “Willease” who submitted it here for dissemination to the public.

Additional details and some analysis are below.

The Photograph

Original Photograph:

(Download a raw .tif file released by NASA. Note: File size is 190MB)

Cropped / Zoomed / Rotated Photograph:

Image Analysis

The following were submitted by “Willease.”

Photograph Data Available

The post Unknown Triangular Object in Apollo 9 Photograph over Chuska Mountains, Arizona – NASA Photo ID: AS09-22-3325 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Unknown Triangular Object in Apollo 9 Photograph over Chuska Mountains, Arizona – NASA Photo ID: AS09-22-3325 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations on August 15, 2019. There has been no formal investigation.

Witness Testimony

I have been meaning to post my UFO sighting here for a while but never got around to it. I have attached a image that I just put together in Photoshop, it represents the underneath part of the craft that I saw. This thing was right above me, I could have thrown a stone at it and hit it. I did put together a similar image a few years ago but sadly I lost it, it was a much better version than the one I attached. This object was glowing intensely and the light from the craft was spinning around the black spot so fast that it didn’t look like it was spinning at all if that makes sense?

It was like a black hole or vortex,best way I can describe it. Also the light was contained and what I mean is that my vision did not get distorted when looking directly at the orange and white light. Not like when you look at the sun or a light bulb that is shining. Also it was dark outside and the craft did not light up its surroundings like the ground or nearby tree. This craft was in line with the roof of my house as it slowly glided along and lowered itself to where I could now see the top and side of the object.

The top and side was pure white light, no orange light accept for little bits of orange light flickering up the sides from the underneath part. Still I could see no physical part to it but on the side of the craft were two little red lights flashing back and forth from within the white glowing light. The craft eventually glided slowly past my house and then it made a sharp left hand turn, glided across the valley and up over the hillside across the valley from me. It then disappeared into the clouds above that hillside and I lost sight of it.

This all happened in 2008 in the early hours and was still dark outside. The Photoshop image does not do my sighting justice nor does description. It was an amazing life changing experience!

Witness Depiction

The witness submitted the following graphic representation of their sighting. 

Conclusion

Information Case Only; No Formal Investigation.

The post UFO over Hebden Bridge, United Kingdom – June 29, 2008 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Hebden Bridge, United Kingdom – June 29, 2008 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations on December 3, 2018. It was assigned to TBV Investigations’ researcher Michael Glenn for analysis.

Witness Testimony

I was driving west in Avon Ohio. Between 10:00pm and 12:00am on a night on a late summer night. The year was 2018. The info is not exact simply because at the time I did not want to risk men in Black encounters for nothing so I forgot when and what time. At the moment I was looking at the moon while driving. Then a white light seemed to have come from behind the left side of the moon. It resembled a star. It came from about it’s ten o’clock. If I remember correctly it seemed to sling shot and move east. After I parked in the Walmart parking lot it seemed to be going obviously east and then it turned to move South. When it turned south it had red light. The lights I remember where white and also red but I could only see a light . Not any kind of shape the craft was in. It was flying high and slow. To high to be a helicopter such as life flight . To odd to be airlines. Not near a army base. to travel to this parking lot while traveling west on detroit you have to turn right onto a street that may be state route 83 to go north. then you turn right onto the street that should be Chester. The airspace is the western Cleveland suburbs. No authorities where called and I didn’t have a bad feeling. It seemed to be ten minutes . it’s 11:11 as I write this which to some means synchronicity. Private researchers are welcomed to this vague info. However no pics or videos where taken so at best this is just a story between close friends. There for I thought I may disclose do to lack of interest from big government so not sure why a true man in Black would have interest. My personal name was changed but questions can be sent to the email address. I rather not answer questions any other way unless necessary . In the end my word is my bond. 

The Analysis

by Michael Glenn

First order was to establish via Google maps the direction and location of the sighting to eliminate mundane causes. The witness saw the object come from behind the moon. On August 1st 2018 the moon was in its waning gibbous phase, quite bright. The distance to the lunar body is significant and would not make much logical sense to see the object come from behind it, and then suddenly be in the atmosphere of the planet. It’s more likely that the moon light obscured the object until it passed into the background of dark space. The object had red and white lights. Red lights are indicative of a wing light on the left side of most aircraft. This would make sense if the object were moving to the east. White lights are typically runway lights or anti-collision lights. The right wing is usually green lights, but the witness does not state seeing green. Possibly because the object was facing away from the viewer. To the east of the Walmart where the witness paused to see the object is the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE). On the night in question there would have been 10-20 incoming flights.

Conclusion

In the screenshot from Google maps I have marked the pertinent details. The most likely explanation is that the witness saw an airplane preparing to land at the nearby airport. Without more substantial information such as video or still images it is impossible to ascertain what the witness saw.

The post UFO over Avon, Ohio – August 01, 2018 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Avon, Ohio – August 01, 2018 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The following case was first submitted through the UFO Reporting hotline for The Black Vault / TBV Investigations. It was assigned to Jim Kerr for investigation and analysis.

Witness Testimony

By Jim Kerr, TBV Investigations

The witness stated in essence; this incident took place in April 2015 between 7:00 and 8:00 pm, but he can not remember the date in April. The witness and a friend were sitting inside a parked car engaged in conversation at the corner of Metzler Road and Lamoille Highway in the city of Elko NV. The sky was clear, with no rain or wind, and the temperature was cool.

While seated inside the car, he observed an orange light approx 85-90 degrees overhead slightly moving in different short directions but remained in the same location in the sky. Using his Windows 10 cell phone camera he began videoing the sighting. After several seconds the orange light turned white then opened up like a cube-shaped portal slightly larger than his fist held at arm’s length. The light inside the portal changed to orange and blue and was swirling around like food coloring mixed with water going down a sink drain, but the two colors did not mix. Suddenly the object began to take on the shape of an orange cube. It transformed into this cube similar to someone printing a cube with a 3D printer. The size was slightly larger than his closed fist held at arm’s length. Within this cube, at least two side profiles of human-like faces appeared. The faces appeared to morph changing slightly in shape and size. After approx one minute the portal closed vanishing into the night sky. The witness stated he was convinced he and his friend had witnessed a paranormal event of unknown origin.

Telephone Interview

On 02/27/2017 at 9:17 am. I conducted a recorded telephone interview with the witness.

The Evidence

On 02/20/2019, the witnessed emailed me two links to his YouTube channel of the video he filmed of the portal. Both videos are of the same object. The first video is the unedited footage. The second video the witness enlarged to see the object more clearly. Note; to protect the witness anonymity, I am not posting direct links to his YouTube channel in this investigation.

Unedited Video Footage Submitted by the Witness

Edited Video Footage Submitted by the Witness

The Analysis

By Jim Kerr, TBV Investigations

Weather and Astronomical Data

Due to the fact, the witness could not remember the exact date of this event; I am unable to research and report weather and astronomical data for this sighting.

Summary and Analysis of Witness’ Statement and Video Evidence

The witness couldn’t remember the day, but in April 2015, between 7-8:00 pm, he and a friend observed a portal open in the night sky that, in the witness’ words, painted or 3D printed swirling colors within a cube-shaped portal. Moments later, profile images of human-like faces then appeared. The entire sighting and video of the event lasted less than one minute. The witness believed he had witnessed a paranormal event of a portal opening in the night sky.

I spoke to the witness twice along with a recorded telephone interview and exchanged several emails. The witness’ story never varied in detail, and he seemed sincere in relating his sighting. When I first viewed both his original video and edited video, the video was dark due to being videoed at night. In the edited, cropped, and enlarged video, I could see what he described as the profile of human-like faces but suspected the objects might fall into the category of pareidolia.

Conclusion

The witness’ own video footage revealed that his sighting and claims are without any doubt a hoax. During the hours of darkness, he videoed a house with two windows, with a tree in front of the right portion of the house, and a vehicle parked in front of the house. Most likely, after viewing his video, he decided to hoax a paranormal event in the sky telling tall tails of portals, swirling colors, cubes, and the faces of human-like entities.

My conclusion: Solved; Hoax. Filming a house at night claiming it was a paranormal portal in the sky.

The post Paranormal Portal Opens Over Elko, Nevada – April 2015 (Hoax) first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Paranormal Portal Opens Over Elko, Nevada – April 2015 (Hoax) appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

Download Raw Digital Files

Also, with permission, Mr. Beaty would like to disseminate the raw video files for others to be able to download and access. I have put the files up here on multiple dedicates server for quick and easy downloads. Just pick one of the servers, and download away!

The post The Nimitz Encounters Full Movie – Released May 26, 2019 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post The Nimitz Encounters Full Movie – Released May 26, 2019 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations. There was no formal investigation due to the age of the sighting, but is archived here for reference and informational purposes.

Witness Testimony

The witness submitted the following testimony regarding their sighting:

“Looking towards the west at a constellation, I noticed a dark void blocking the stars. The void was heading east and it went directly over me. It was silent. The craft was pitch black except for circles on the leading edges of what I will call its wings. They were perfectly round. And they were about the color of the night sky. The triangular void was pitch black. It took about one minute for the craft to cross the sky over north Austin, Texas.”

Witness Sketch

The witness submitted the follow sketch, representing their sighting.

The post UFO over Austin, Texas – August 19, 2018 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over Austin, Texas – August 19, 2018 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.