Secrecy & UFO Disclosure / Paranormal Encounters

About the show

In the first half, attorney and Wyoming State Director of MUFON Richard Beckwith joined George Knapp to discuss secrecy laws in the US, as well as the ongoing battle for UFO disclosure. Beckwith traced the roots of the modern security state to the National Security Act of 1947, coinciding with the Roswell incident. He noted that while the government was aware of UFOs well before 1947, this legislation formalized the secrecy infrastructure that governs classified information today. He explained that while intelligence agencies require legal authorization from Congress, these groups often exploit gray areas to withhold information from lawmakers themselves. This creates a paradox where Congress struggles to access information despite its oversight role.

Beckwith also explored the idea of "mosaic theory," which posits that even innocuous pieces of information, when combined, could reveal sensitive secrets. This rationale has blocked disclosure in cases such as the toxic exposure of workers at Area 51, where employees suffering illness were denied information about hazardous materials due to national security concerns. Beckwith expressed skepticism that full disclosure will ever occur voluntarily—he explained that much of the secret work is outsourced to private contractors, which operate beyond the reach of Freedom of Information laws. "The whole idea of disclosure has been completely taken out of governmental hands," he said.

Beckwith raised the possibility that non-human intelligences themselves might be orchestrating all this secrecy, noting that if they wished, they could reveal themselves openly but have chosen not to. This relates to a problem he called "catastrophic disclosure," where a sudden revelation could shatter societal beliefs and institutions, potentially causing a cultural breakdown and radical religious movements. He suggested that a gradual, managed release of information might be necessary to avoid chaos.

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In the second half, seasoned paranormal investigator Andy Thomas explored a wide range of unexplained phenomena and the cultural attitudes surrounding them. Central to his work is his engagement with ordinary people who have paranormal experiences yet often remain silent to avoid judgment. "Many people fear ridicule… but when they see me standing up, they're talking about it," he noted. Thomas shared his personal experience of precognition involving the death of his grandfather, where he witnessed a detailed replay of events in a dream before they occurred in reality. This led him to consider that "maybe time jumps tracks, and sometimes it gets stuck in a groove and briefly replays itself."

Thomas distinguished between ghosts—spirits of the deceased—and poltergeists, which he associated with psychokinetic phenomena. He suggested that some individuals may act as "living portals" that attract paranormal activity, citing cases where apparitions followed people from house to house. Using Skinwalker Ranch as an example, he described locations with intense paranormal activity as portals where multiple layers of reality intersect, allowing spirits, entities, and otherworldly beings to cross over.

Thomas also discussed the concept of psychic imprinting, where traumatic or emotional energy leaves a residual "recording" on objects or locations. He referenced the eerie stories surrounding the wreckage of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, where salvaged parts allegedly carried paranormal activity to other aircraft. Regarding psychic phenomena and mediumship, he warned of the risks involved in opening oneself to unknown forces. Thomas acknowledged the presence of both benevolent and malevolent beings in other realms and urged caution: "You can get negative entities coming through… you have to be so careful."

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