The aliens are among us: this is the conspiracy theory that has been circulating for years and is not dying.
From time to time, it subsides, but then it resurfaces, thanks to a personality or a veteran with bonafide military service claiming to have confidential information on the subject. In 2020, Former Israeli space security chief claimed that a "Galactic Federation" had already been in contact with some earthlings and had begun to conduct experiments on our planet.
The U.S. government, he said, is in very close contact with aliens. But space visitors felt it was too early to come out, because humanity was not ready. This does not prevent aliens, according to Haim Eshed, from having built a base with the help of the Americans below the surface of Mars. No human has yet been to the red planet.
Does the U.S. Have a UFO Retrieval Program?
Haim Eshed was no ordinary ufologist. A retired officer, he began his career in 1969 in military intelligence. With a doctorate in aeronautical engineering obtained in the United States, he was at the forefront of new technologies in his country, before becoming the boss of the Israeli military space program, from 1981 to 2010.
His claims have never been substantiated.
Three years later, another ex-military man claims that the U.S. government has a secret UFO retrieval program
David Grusch, 36, an Air Force veteran and former member of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, says that the U.S. government has retrieved a craft of non-human origin, according to NewsNation. Grusch, who recently filed a whistle-blower complaint, declined to provide evidence for his claims to NewsNation, taking refuge behind claims of national security.
Despite the lack of public evidence, Grusch's account has been shared and discussed on social media for the past few days. It reinforces conspiracy theory and UFO fans in their convictions. This is the case with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, candidate for the Democratic nomination for the 2024 presidential election and a known conspiracy theorist himself. He shared an article on Grusch's statements, mocking the critics.
"Another conspiracy theory that turned out to be true. I guess Men in Black got it right. #Kennedy24," Kennedy posted on Twitter on Jun. 6.
'I Have Seen Zero Evidence'
The problem for Kennedy is that Elon Musk, who gave him a huge platform by interviewing him the day before, does not believe in this theory. The Techno King is disputing the claims of Grusch.
"I have seen zero evidence of aliens fwiw," Musk said on Jun. 6, in response to the NewsNation's story.
FWIW stands for "for what it's worth."
SpaceX, the billionaire's company, develops systems which will be used to conquer space. Starship, the latest rocket developed by the company, is supposed to allow humans to conquer Mars and to return to the moon. All of this gives Musk the necessary credence to speak out on these UFO theories.
The Department of Defense (DoD) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The billionaire's comments prompted his millions of Twitter followers. Some were delighted to see him put an end to what they consider to be false information.
"He probs has more eyes in the sky than nasa. He 💯 believes there are other life forms out in the universe but visiting us no," said one Twitter user referring to Musk.
"People keep saying there will be an alien invasion false flag lol," commented one Twitter user.
"I don’t think we are alone in the universe buuuuut I highly doubt they just come and crash their vehicles," said another user.
"No one said there are definitely aliens but the universe is infinite, so it's statistically likely there's something out there," a user said.
Public pressure on the US to release what it knows about extraterrestrials has been building for decades, with civil groups of so-called ufologists claiming evidence of their existence having been suppressed by the government. The pressure has pushed the authorities to act in recent years.
NASA and other government agencies say that they have no evidence of extraterrestrial existence on earth. But America's military and political leaders have moved from a state of skepticism towards extraterrestrials to a state of curiosity.
Last July, the Department of Defense (DoD) renamed and expanded a task force to investigate, detect and analyze phenomena attributed to UFOs. The group is now called All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
"The mission of the AARO will be to synchronize efforts across the Department of Defense, and with other U.S. federal departments and agencies, to detect, identify and attribute objects of interest in, on or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use airspace and other areas of interest, and, as necessary, to mitigate any associated threats to safety of operations and national security," the Pentagon said in a statement on July, 20, 2022.
This includes anomalous, unidentified space, airborne, submerged and transmedium objects.