Alien hunters say ‘we told you so’ after major government UFO update

For decades, this iconic New Mexico location has been in decline – but today, following recent events led by the US government, numbers here are starting to swell

Along the sun-scorched sidewalks of Roswell, a stream of UFO believers browse the alien-themed shops, hotels and museums.

For decades this small New Mexico city has been in decline. But today, following recent events led by the US government, numbers here are starting to swell as the belief in the existence of extraterrestrials is no longer the sole domain of the derided. Self-confessed ET geeks Ken and Caitlyn Steele, 58 and 59, drove 1,300 miles from their home in Muncie, Indiana. “We have been saying for decades that alien life is already visiting us,” says truck driver Ken. “But we were always seen as oddballs.

“Now as the government practically admits there is life beyond earth, it is satisfying to tell my pals ‘I told you so’.” Ken is referring to American lawmakers ploughing millions of dollars into research to determine what life forms exist beyond Earth, all while offering much greater transparency over previous reports they have received.

In July, US politicians discussed the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2023. And a Defence Bill included how the US would deal with the issue of aliens, speaking of “non-human intelligence” and “technologies of unknown origin”. It also stated that the government exercised “eminent domain over any and all recovered technologies of unknown origin and biological evidence of non-human intelligence”.

Appearing before them in the sombre chamber of the Capitol building was a former national intelligence official who told lawmakers that the US government is sheltering extra-terrestrial spacecraft. David Grusch, a member of a previous Pentagon office tasked with investigating unidentified aerial phenomena, testified there was a covert government programme to recover and reverse- engineer crashed alien spacecraft.

He told politicians he was informed of a multi-decade programme through his official duties, though was denied access to additional information. Adding to the alien fervour, this week NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he believed the universe harbours alien life. And ufologist Jaime Maussan presented what he claimed were two alien bodies to Mexican politicians.

Now the former lead of Britain’s own UFO programme, Nick Pope, says officials may be deliberately trying to cover up what was found at the original alien-sighting site: Roswell. The former Ministry of Defence investigator called 1947’s events in the New Mexican desert the “ground zero” for the UFO phenomenon.

Pope says Roswell’s significance transcends mere historical curiosity; it holds the potential to unlock a deeper understanding of unexplained phenomena, cover-ups and humanity’s place in the cosmos. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “Grusch’s testimony, even though he didn’t specifically mention Roswell… he’s certainly heavily hinted at it.

“One of the things in America’s current National Defence Authorisation Act is this mandate that the government must go back actually to January 1st, 1945 and give a thorough account for any programmes they’ve run, materials that they’ve recovered, conclusions they’ve drawn.”

Pope also warned Parliament needs to get “beyond the stigma” of investigating potential sightings, as he fears the UK could be left behind in the space race if not. He said: “There is a complete disconnect between the UK and the US on this, which is odd because typically, we work hand in hand with Americans on any defence issue.

“A UK investigation is long overdue, but there’s complete silence from the MoD as well as from Westminster.” Pope said the issue of UFO sightings (or unexplained aerial phenomena, UAPs, as they are now being called) had been “a very US-centric story”. But he said that UK politicians ignored it at their peril.

He added, “Of course, the stigma is still there. I think that the first person in Parliament to say, “Okay, now what about these UFOs?” will be ridiculed. Somebody will exploit it for political capital, but someone’s got to be first. Once the first person jumps in, it’s usually okay because, most times, it turns out that there is more interest in this than you would think.”

In the numerous accounts of UFO sightings, few incidents hold the same gravitational pull as the Roswell Incident. The crash of an unidentified object sparked a wave of speculation, with initial reports of a flying disc giving way to official statements about debris from a weather balloon.

Roswell’s enigma, shrouded in governmental secrecy, has fuelled decades of conspiracy theories. Pope thinks there are three plausible explanations for the incident. He said: “Either it’s just all not true, and that through a mixture of mixed messages, hope, belief, and maybe some hoaxing people are looking for something that simply isn’t there.

“Option number two is that there really is something there, but for some reason the government or the private sector don’t want it to come out. The third possibility is there is something there, and no one’s quite sure what’s there and what isn’t, and that the programme is hidden.”

He said there was a feeling in the UFO community the US government had handed over its UFO programme to the private aerospace sector, both accessing appropriate expertise and allowing the state plausible deniability if anything emerged. The launch last week of a new Pentagon UFO website has propelled the enigma of the Roswell Incident into the limelight even more.

As US lawmakers and experts convene to discuss the implications of UFO sightings, encounters, and potential national security risks, the alien-obsessed city itself inevitably occupies a central position in talks. While the hearings may not be explicitly aimed at investigating Roswell, they have created a renewed interest in revisiting the incident.

The hearings have opened a window of opportunity for revisiting classified information and scrutinising previously accepted narratives. Americans demand to know about any UFOs, UAPs, non-human intelligence or otherwordly tech. Summing up the mood, Caitlyn says: “As we move towards greater transparency, the secrets of Roswell may finally come to light. To finally be offered a glimpse into a reality that has remained beyond our grasp is incredible to think.”