Background The following speech is found within the holdings of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. The President’s speechwriter, William Safire, wrote this statement on July 18, 1969, and sent it to White House Chief of Staff H. R. “Bob” Haldeman. It was to be used in the event the astronauts were stranded on the Moon and could not return to Earth. The document, and the speech within, represents the amazing risk these brave men took on this mission. Obviously, the speech was not needed, but should serve as a reminder of what they did potentially sacrifice for the…
Author: John Greenewald
Background Excerpt from the document: “Soviet investment in space programs has been expensive but has paid handsome dividends in the form of a number of spectacular space accomplishments that created an image of military strength and technological superiority. Well-publicized Soviet space “firsts” and an official policy of concealing failures have imbued the Soviet space effort with an aura of virtually unblemished success, although well over one-third of all Soviet space attempts have ended in failure. In spite of economies resulting from the use of military boosters and facilities, total Soviet outlays for space are estimated with a relatively high degree…
by John Greenewald, Jr. – The Black Vault In a newly released set of e-mails by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), it’s revealed that the agency worked quickly, but struggled, to get ahead of the reporting when an embarrassing tweet was sent out by one of their employees. On September 3, 2016, the DIA’s official Twitter account tweeted out a New York Times article, with the headline “Heated Words and Awkward Surprises After Air Force One Lands in China.” In this article, the NY Times profiles an “awkward” situation unfolded when Air Force One landed in China for the G-20 summit:…
By John Greenewald, Jr., July 8, 2019 In a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response letter, obtained exclusively by The Black Vault, the 2015 original “UFO” reporting guidelines issued by the U.S. Navy, then re-issued in early 2019, are to remain entirely classified and exempt from release. Both the U.S. Navy’s Public Affairs Office, and now the FOIA office, both deny the public access to these records. The FOIA request was filed based off information published in an April 23, 2019, Politico news story authored by Bryan Bender. The Black Vault attempted to get a copy of the guidelines…
Background On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard, killed 49 people and wounded 53 others in a mass shooting inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Orlando Police Department officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff. Originally, the Department of Justice released the 911 call of Omar Mateen edited, and omitted the reference to “Islamic State” and the name of ISIS leader “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.” Amid controversy and pressure, they later released the full transcript, and issued a statement on June 20, 2016: Joint Statement From Justice Department and FBI Regarding Transcript…