A UFO meta-conspiracy

[Jonny T]

This struck me a while ago when watching a documentary on the Roswell incident.

they were interviewing someone who had worked on the weather balloon which many believe to be the actual object found at the crash site. the balloon project was top secret at the time. the man mentioned in passing that CIA agents working with the team had basically advised them to let the UFO thing run for a while, as it would act as the perfect distraction.

admittedly he could be bullshitting - it was sixty years ago, after all - but it got me thinking.

I remember reading a case of UFO sightings, early 90s I think. the craft they described sounded very familiar to a particular model of stealth jet. it was revealed years later that this (then-classified) jet had indeed been taken for test flights near the area of the sightings.

a UFO conspiracy acts as the perfect decoy. maintain an official silence (under the entirely legitimate grounds of "classified information") but also allow the UFO story to circulate so that some will be distracted and others will dismiss the matter altogether.

what does anyone reckon? I guess this idea could be divided into "passive" and "active", the former being that governments have simply allowed UFO rumours to circulate once they recognised their potential to mask classified research, and the latter being that they actively promoted disinformation for the same purpose.

I don't take the second that seriously and it's more there as an example of a tinfoil interpretation of this possibility. but the former - what does anyone think?

(I'm not that committed either way, just idle thought.)

Personally,I have always thought that Roswell and many UFO conspiracies were fabricated by the US government to begin with.

Back in the time before Roswell,many people were afraid of alien invasions.No one knew that much about aliens and UFOs.The War of the Worlds fiasco didn't help either.

So what could the military forces do to protect the american people against a threat that doesn't exist?Their plan was nothing short of brilliant.

By staging "UFO" sightings and keeping everything classified,the military could give the illusion of "taking care" of the alien problem while at the same time disguising the fact that they were doing nothing and didn't know anything more about aliens than anyone else.

Think how Area 51 shows signs that trespassers will be shot on sight,yet I have never heard of anyone arrested there,much less shot,despite many people visiting the surroundings and taking pictures.

Then there's the interviews of people who have been briefly employed on Area 51,or other top secret projects involving aliens who as soon as their contracts are over blab about what they saw to the press with no consequences.

The military is playing a flirting game with the UFO conspirator,keeping them away so they don't find the truth under the truth,yet keeping them attracted to the mystery so whenever a guy runs into the local pub yelling about UFOs,people smirk at the fool who probably saw a military project rather than run in fear at the imminent alien invasion.


Of course that's just my opinion

Originally Posted by Malalaise

Think how Area 51 shows signs that trespassers will be shot on sight,yet I have never heard of anyone arrested there,much less shot,despite many people visiting the surroundings and taking pictures.

If the signs are the ones I think they are, then they are the standard, "Deadly Force is Authorized" signs you see at a lot of military bases. Heck, they have them at KSC around the ROCC.

Note, I've always wanted to steal one, but have yet to figure out a way that would not get me in BIG trouble.

Originally Posted by Malalaise

Think how Area 51 shows signs that trespassers will be shot on sight,yet I have never heard of anyone arrested there,much less shot,despite many people visiting the surroundings and taking pictures.

I had some friends harassed for taking pictures of their family IN FRONT OF an oil refinery...Most likely due to legitimate security reasons...

I'd wager security around EVERYWHERE is more tight post 9/11 though.

[Singing in the Drizzle]

Hasn't Area 51 been shut down for several years.

[me, no really]

Originally Posted by Singing in the Drizzle

Hasn't Area 51 been shut down for several years.

That's what they'd like you to think.

me

[Jonny T]

Originally Posted by Singing in the Drizzle

Hasn't Area 51 been shut down for several years.

not AFAIK, tho there are theories that some of the work there has been moved elsewhere.

Originally Posted by Singing in the Drizzle

Hasn't Area 51 been shut down for several years.

Well obviously since Area 51 is a tourist attraction now they won't be conducting any of their real secret experiments there again any time soon.

[Ali Infree]

[QUOTEWell obviously since Area 51 is a tourist attraction now they won't be conducting any of their real secret experiments there again any time soon.][/quote]

You think you can see their work? They have this whole underground complex built with nuclear demolitions during the bomb-testing days. It is beneath your feet.

Arrrrgh!!! I have said too.
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Ali "tinfoil failure" Infree

I'm under the assumption that back in the days area 51 may have been a testing grounds for secret projects (it is after all called groom lake testing grounds) , and probably stopped using it for that later and now just keep the stories floating around because well if everyone is concentrated on one place (area 51) then that gives the government free reign to go somewhere else and do whatever they want. Just my 2 cents

Originally Posted by Jonny T

what does anyone reckon? I guess this idea could be divided into "passive" and "active", the former being that governments have simply allowed UFO rumours to circulate once they recognised their potential to mask classified research, and the latter being that they actively promoted disinformation for the same purpose.

If you lurk around any of the many UFO blogs, you'll see both ideas getting aired. Check out the name Paul Bennewitz; it's been claimed he was the target of a deliberate Air Force disinformation campaign.

Area 51 was the best wheeze the area 50 boffins ever came up with.