UFO Year in Review

Hosted byGeorge Knapp

UFO Year in Review

About the show

Researcher and author Richard Dolan appeared in the first half and first decried the general nature of UFO study as presented in online forums and social media as counterproductive and filled with needless conflict. He quickly added that recent developments in the study of the subject and particularly its coverage in the media are unprecedented and remarked that we are now "talking about it in a way that no one could have imagined." This, in spite of the fact Dolan said, that the U.S. government has always engaged in a "debunking program of UFOs." He also characterized the efforts of the To The Stars Academy group as "definitely not a government operation" even though the members are former government or military employees.

Dolan commented on the game-changing New York Times story about the now-famous Navy fighter UFO encounters which was released exactly two years ago, with his guess that the management of the paper decided to "get out in front of this rather than playing catch-up." Dolan also discussed a document purporting to be notes of a conversation with retired Navy Admiral Thomas Wilson in which he expressed frustration with being denied access to information about supposed UFO technology. Dolan said he has confirmed that the meeting took place and that Wilson was told by a private contractor that he did not have permission to access the information but that he was informed that "we will tell you this is E.T. related and that we have made painfully slow progress in understanding it." Dolan has concluded that, with regards to UFO information, that "the special access programs are all privatized."

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In the second half, UFO journalist and organizer of the International UFO Congress, Alejandro Rojas talked about significant changes in how the media covers the subject. He characterized this last year as a period when there has been "an extraordinary shift" in the attitudes of journalists and writers as well as news organizations. He was heartened to observe that, instead of fading away after the initial excitement of the Navy UFO story, the cycle has only been reinforced by the willingness of the pilots and other witnesses to continue to discuss and reveal more about their experiences. Rojas pointed out that the press that covers defense issues tend to "take the word of the pilots much more seriously."

Rojas also spoke about the efforts of other governments to study the UFO issue and in particular Latin American countries like Chile, where the "public takes it seriously and always have." He believes that Russia and China have extensive official UFO study organizations and that perhaps someday they will "throw a bomb out there to prove that they’re better and more open about the subject" than the United States. Rojas praised the efforts of the To The Stars Academy and believes that the organization acts as an unofficial public interface with people who are still in the government structure and studying UFO cases. Rojas concluded that UFO researchers and organizations can contribute to the scientific study of the subject "if they act in a professional manner."

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Last Night

Alternative Fuel & EVs / Otherworldly Communications
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Ecological biologist David Blume reported on biofuels and problems with electric vehicles. Followed by author and filmmaker Rich Martini on otherworldly communications.

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