TRUMP'S LATEST MOVE ON DISCLOSURE

Several days ago, Fox News released a surprising exclusive. It began: “President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to waive prior nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) for former government employees and contractors cooperating with unidentified anomalous phenomena investigations.”

Such whistleblower protection is potentially a very big deal for the disclosure movement. It seems to indicate that it frees up witnesses following in the footsteps of David Grusch. the former Pentagon intelligence analyst who revealed in congressional testimony three summers ago that the government has not only recovered spacecraft but alien bodies in its possession. Until now, Grusch and others have said that they know a lot more than they can reveal publicly, lest they lose their security clearances or even face prosecution.

Marco Rubio, currently Secretary of State, said in 2023 when he vice-chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee that “multiple individuals with firsthand knowledge had approached the committee but were hesitant to speak publicly because of potential repercussions…..A lot of them are very fearful - fearful of their jobs, fearful of their clearances, fearful of their career, and some, frankly, are fearful of harm coming to them.”

According to the Fox News story, the Department of War and intelligence community now must “allow former government employees or contractors that have relevant information about the disclosure of UAP to come forward to meet with designated government representatives - AARO [the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office established by the Pentagon] or the President’s UAP task force = and have their prior NDAs abrogated.”

An unnamed senior administration official was quoted: “People who believe that they have information have expressed reluctance in coming forward. We are eliminating that source of reluctance.” The official went on to say: “Any information that is received that sheds light on the UAP mystery will ultimately be made public.”

Rep. Eric Burlison (R- Mo.), a leading member of Congress’ UAP Task Force, preceded this at a press conference on June 9th declaring: “Grant immunity to anyone who has already come forward, and everyone who will come forward. Open the door and let them speak.”

The caveat, however, is speak to whom? The NDAs will only be waived if the whistleblowers report through authorized government channels. Not to Congress and not to the American people. No meaningful whistleblower protections have been offered. And AARO, specifically, has a terrible track record in terms of transparency.

The day following the news, Congressman Burlison - whose office David Grusch now serves as an adviser - succeeded in the House adopting the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act as an amendment to the Fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). “If enacted,” a press release stated, “the amendment would establish a statutory framework for preserving, reviewing, and publicly disclosing” UAP records, creating a permanent collection within the national Archives. The Senate still needs to act but, on the positive side. the same provisions had earlier been left for dead in the House after they weren’t added back in June to the NDAA.

I’m willing to give the proponents the benefit of the doubt, but at the same time need to point out the response of Dr. Steven Greer to the ongoing (and so far disappointing) release of long-withheld government UFO files. Another “exclusive,” this one in the Daily Mail that’s been one of very few mass media delving deep into the subject, contained a July 19 interview with Dr. Greer, founder of the Disclosure Project back in 2000 and the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

He’s concerned because, as is evident from the first several “tranches” of documents and videos: “My understanding is that they’ve been advised to go slow on it,” only releasing “inconsequential material’ to this point, a “slow roll” that’s actually “eroding trust in government” among the millions perusing the war.gov website.

What could be “a whole new chapter in human civilization” if handled properly is falling well short, for so far unknown reasons. Dr. Greer has been building a repository of testimony for decades, taking disclosure well beyond the evidence released by the administration. Through his witnesses, it’s clear that “not every craft documented in classified files is extraterrestrial” but some are “advanced aircraft developed in secret by the US defense industry using technologies hidden from the public for decades.” Indeed, technologies that resulted in reverse engineering of downed or crashed ships. “There are ones that are nonhuman, no question,” according to Greer, “but there’s also this other phenomenon that’s actually manmade” and has been used in illegal operations beyond government oversight.

There’s also Dr. Greer’s concern about “some very questionable characters who have been put on a White House advisory council for this” - actually strengthening the influence of individuals connected to past secrecy efforts. So Greer’s organization has launched their own appeal “encouraging people working inside covert aerospace programs to disclose evidence they believe has been hidden from Congress and the public.”

“If this is released publicly,” Dr. Greer maintains, “it’s going to be quite clear to the public that we, humans, have figured out very advanced energy and propulsion systems that would absolutely replace the need for oil and gas.” With the exception of the fossil fuel industry titans being given carte blanche by the current administration, that would be the highest desirable outcome of disclosure.