Analysis of “Was It Scrap Metal or an Alien Spacecraft?” (WSJ)

"... the WSJ article’s dramatization of UFO investigations contains several misrepresentations. It overstates what AARO was tasked to do, mischaracterizes Kirkpatrick’s role, and repeatedly uses loaded language to mock UAP research ..."

The Wall Street Journal’s two-part investigation of UFOs (parts titled “The Pentagon Disinformation that Fueled America’s UFO Mythology” and “Was It Scrap Metal or an Alien Spacecraft?”) presents an out of character, specious narrative that various UFO

By The UFO Chronicles 6-25-25

accounts, imagery, etc., over decades were spawned by the Pentagon itself to mask highly classified aircraft and weapons programs. In part II, it misrepresents the mission of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and the role of its director, Sean Kirkpatrick, and it repeatedly uses loaded language to marginalize UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena) reports. Crucially, the story relies heavily on second-hand anecdotes without citing any verifiable documents, omitting key contextual facts, and contradicting established government findings. Below we point out these issues, contrasting the article’s claims with the public record.

AARO’s Official Mission vs. WSJ Portrayal

By law and Pentagon directive, AARO’s purpose is to collect and analyze data on unexplained aerial (and other) objects around U.S. military and sensitive sites, and to “mitigate any associated threats to safety of operations and national security”. The Department of Defense announcement establishing AARO (July 2022) explicitly states its mission as “synchronize efforts…to detect, identify and attribute objects of interest in, on or near military installations…This includes anomalous, unidentified space, airborne, submerged and transmedium objects”. In short, and generally speaking—AARO was created to bring scientific rigor and intelligence tradecraft to UAP sightings (e.g. determine if they are foreign drones, balloons, sensor glitches, etc.), not to hunt for aliens per se. Its official mission statement is to “minimize technical and intelligence surprise” by systematic detection, identification and analysis of UAP.

The WSJ article, by contrast, characterizes AARO’s work almost entirely as debunking a phantom “secret U.S. alien program.” Phrases like “CIA-sponsored UFO study groups,” “mythology,” “UFO true believers,” and “secret program to harvest alien technology” pervade the text. This framing is misleading. The article implies Kirkpatrick and AARO were on a crusade to prove or disprove extraterrestrial hypotheses. In reality, Congress directed AARO to review historical UAP claims and produce a “Historical Record” report, but as one part of its tasking under the NDAA – a task described as separate from its core safety mission. The AARO website explicitly notes it “accepts reports” from government personnel about programs dating to 1945 “to inform AARO’s congressionally directed Historical Record Report”. In other words, Kirkpatrick’s inquiries into decades-old UFO anecdotes were undertaken because Congress mandated them, not simply to prove or disprove alien accounts.

Likewise, the article’s emphasis on Kirkpatrick as a maverick or lone truth-seeker is at odds with the facts of his appointment. Defense.gov records show Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick was officially named AARO director on July 15, 2022 by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security. He was brought in for his scientific background (he had been Chief Scientist at DIA’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center), not as an alien hunter or debunker. The DoD announcement presents AARO’s charter under his leadership in formal terms: dealing with “objects of interest … to mitigate any associated threats”. There is nothing in the official mandate about hunting aliens or reverse-engineering “off-world technology.” Indeed, Congress on its face gave AARO unprecedented access to classified programs to determine the truth about UAP claims, not to conceal it.

Rhetorical Framing and Language Choices

Throughout the WSJ piece, the authors use loaded language that trivializes legitimate inquiry into UAPs. For example, they describe Pentagon investigators as a “growing collection of UFO true believers” who had spent years in “the outer reaches” of intelligence researching “psychic powers and teleportation…not to mention…werewolves”. This innuendo primes readers to view all UAP-related efforts as fringe fantasy rather than a serious matter. The article repeatedly calls UFO lore “mythology” and recounts (at length) anecdotes – from chupacabras to tortilla reflections – suggesting UAP reports are laughable. Headlines and phrases like “Was it scrap metal or an alien spacecraft?” and “spoiler alert: the idea didn’t fly” sensationalize the subject while minimizing its complexity.

By contrast, official U.S. science and defense sources treat UAP as a potentially real phenomenon worthy of careful study. A 2023 NASA panel on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena emphasizes a “rigorous, evidence-based approach” and notes UAP study is “a unique scientific opportunity” (with NASA working “within the broader whole-of-government framework led by” AARO). The Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG), AARO’s predecessor, explicitly collected and analyzed hundreds of UAP reports to inform safety protocols (many were ultimately attributed to mundane causes). But the WSJ article itself never acknowledges this official context. Instead, its consistent framing – “true believers,” “myths,” “legend” – serves to marginalize UAP reports as mere belief or fantasy, ignoring that Congress and the military have taken them seriously enough to stand up a dedicated office.

Lack of Verifiable Evidence Behind Claims

The WSJ narrative rests almost entirely on unnamed witnesses and colorful anecdotes – “thousands of pages of documents, emails, text messages and recordings” are referenced, but none are shown or cited.

Similarly, the Journal’s account of “witnesses” is imbalanced. It quotes David Grusch and Luis Elizondo (notable UFO whistleblowers) at length, then quickly notes that investigators found no records to support their stories. But it provides no source or evidence of what investigators did find (beyond hearsay).

Omissions of Context and Contradictory Facts

The WSJ story omits many publicly documented facts that would put its narrative in perspective. The Journal casually rehashes the Roswell events again and melds the account with “UFO culture.”

Likewise, the authors fail to acknowledge that Congress and federal agencies treat UAP as legitimate security and science issues. Apart from AARO’s formal mandate, there is a bipartisan “House Caucus on UAP” overseeing investigations, and government agencies (DOD, DNI, FAA, NASA) have published annual UAP reports, launched scientific studies, and encouraged reporting via established channels. None of this consensus is mentioned. NASA’s recent Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Report, for instance, explicitly endorses data-driven inquiry into UAP, yet the WSJ article never acknowledges that a major federal science agency has invested resources into UAP research.

Comparison with Official Sources

Contrasting the WSJ narrative with public records highlights the discrepancies. The Pentagon’s own press release announces AARO’s creation as a normal counterintelligence measure, not an admission of aliens. The WSJ article, however, largely ignores these mainstream assessments and instead highlights only the more dramatic unsubstantiated claims.

By contrast, citing official documents yields a very different tone. In short, the government’s own vocabulary treats UAP sightings as data points to analyze, not as gospel. The WSJ piece substitutes that nuance with sensationalism, e.g. in its headline question “scrap metal or an alien spacecraft?”, as if the only alternative explanation is an alien one.

Tone and Bias Assessment

Taken together, the WSJ piece exhibits a clear skeptical bias toward UAP claims. It consistently frames UFO investigators as gullible or conspiratorial, while portraying Pentagon denials as obvious truth. The narrative voice is that of debunking journalists rather than detached reporters. Almost every sentence about UFO proponents is laced with sarcasm or disbelief (e.g. calling witnesses “UFO true believers” or describing paranoia about stock markets and religion if aliens were disclosed). In contrast, statements from official sources are often described dismissively or in passing. For example, the article quotes a Pentagon spokeswoman’s denial of any UFO cover-up but does not interrogate that denial; the quote appears only as a perfunctory “Pentagon spokeswoman said… inaccurate,” without further analysis.

This tone suggests the authors came in with a presumption that UFOs are largely myth. Even when reporting facts (the alloy test result, Grusch’s claims, etc.), the language is chosen to diminish their significance (“material isn’t from outer space,” followed immediately by “spoiler alert…” sarcasm). By comparison, more neutral outlets would balance such reporting with the broader significance of a government probe and the reasons why it was undertaken. The WSJ's framing sets up an “us vs. them” scenario: on one side, enlightened officials and skeptics; on the other, credulous fringe figures. (Sound familiar?) That kind of agenda-setting undermines journalistic neutrality.

In conclusion, the WSJ article’s dramatization of UFO investigations contains several misrepresentations. It overstates what AARO was tasked to do, mischaracterizes Kirkpatrick’s role, and repeatedly uses loaded language to mock UAP research. It makes grand claims based on unnamed sources without providing documentary evidence. Those facts should temper the wildest implications of the article.

Sources: Official DoD releases and AARO documents on mission and findings; AARO website (reporting guidelines); NASA UAP Independent Study final report; U.S. Air Force Roswell investigations report; Wall Street Journal, Schectman & Viswanatha (June 2025), excerpts; etc.

See Also:

UFOs and Nukes Researcher Robert Hastings Refutes WSJ Article

	UFO Myth to Government Disinformation Myth
	1967 Malmstrom AFB UFO Incident Botched by David Duchovny
	UFO Sightings at ICBM Sites and Nuclear Weapons Storage Areas
	My Evidence: The Account of Minute-Man Missiles Being Disabled, While UFOs Hovered Over The Launch Facilities

The UFOs-Nukes Connection Press Conference: Witness Affidavits and Declassified Documents

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

Officer Who Filmed UFO Downing Missile Sets the Record Straight

A DETAILED TRUTH

The venerable Wall Street Journal recently published an article telling readers that the entirety of the UFO/UAP issue in America from 1945 through today is nothing more than an official DoD program of utter disinformation perpetrated to deflect the public from what is really going on behind closed doors, SCIF sessions, trillions of dollars being spent on God knows what and the ruse has been perpetrated by a mysterious Air Force colonel passing out photos and films of non-existent unknown flying objects. Supposedly initiated to dispel the mystique of Area 51 and Groom

By Bob Jacobs The UFO Chronicles 6-20-2025

Lake, Nevada the program now casts doubt on all UFO, alien abductions by these craft on the people, all of the people, who have reported sightings in the air, land and sea.

I am one of those people.

Many podcasters and one brilliant researcher wrote about their and our collective outrage at this disgraceful reportage. I needed to personalize it. Six million Jews murderd by Hitler is a terrible writ. One Jewish girl named Ann Frank personalizes it.

Here is a first-hand report of what I experienced. And also the result of my having reported it to Sean Kirkpatrick, then head of AARO- the All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office in DC:

In 1964 I was an Air Force officer in charge of the Photo-optical Instrumentation section of the 1369th Photographic Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base. (now Vandenberg Space Force Base).

I was OIC of this 135-man unit charged with providing both normal and high- speed motion picture coverage of every launch from the base down the Western Test Range. We had cameras on the launch pad getting detailed information from engine ignition through liftoff. There were 20 to 30 cameras at a time. I was involved personally in hundreds of such events.

In addition to on the pad coverage we also provided tracking from three opposed sites triangulating each missile with 6 to 8 cameras using long focal length lenses to follow the missile up and away on its flight heading for targets at either Kwajalein Island or Eniwetok Lagoon in the deep south Pacific.

I received outstanding OERs (Officer Efficiency Reports) all during my three and one-half years at VAFB as well as commendations from my squadron and group HQ, from contractors like Boeing, as well as the Air Force Guided Missile Badge for “making a significant contribution to America’s Missile and Space Program.” In short, I knew what the Hell I was doing.

One day in the Fall of 1964 I was called into the office of Major Florenze J. Mansmann in the Chief Scientists section of the 1st Strategic Aerospace Division HQ. He and I had worked together before determining ways to improve coverage. He asked me if I knew anything about the coastal area north of the base known as Big Sur. I told him that I did, having driven my MG-TD up Highway 1 in my college days to listen to Beat Poets like Alan Ginsberg and Henry Miller at a resort called Nepenthe.

The Major then asked me to take a film camera and a radio unit up there, staying out of uniform and make contact with a Forest Service Ranger who would escort me up to a spot close to Anderson Peak. There I was to wait for a call telling me that a launch was in progress to see if I could see the missile through all three stages of powered flight from the side. Since we were not in uniform I took my Dad up with me. We had a camera and the radio and within a couple of hours on site I got the call. An Atlas missile was about to launch. I sighted it, rolled my Bell and Howell and got the bird seen from the side.

Engineers hoped to tell more about a flight if they could get a side view rather than as seen from the base, a shot up the tailpipe. They could and my tracking site at Big Sur was established.

A few weeks after this successful experiment and fun with Dad, I had to get serious. In caravan I escorted one our M-45 tracking mounts fully equipped up Highway 1 and then up the winding Forest Service road to a large flat cutout area on the edge of a steep declining mountain side with a sweeping, unimpeded view to the Southeast looking back from Big Sur located miles northwest of the base. The map of California indicates how Point Arguello, where VAFB lay, is several miles farther east. Hence our side view. Well-established after three days on site we were notified of an upcoming launch. With our 180 -inch telephoto lenses on our tracker we provided previously unavailable reactions from contractor engineers. They were thrilled.

The stage was set for a totally unexpected, unprepared for event that would change my understanding of reality and make my life in many respects a continuing morass of danger and calamity and a fractured dream.

Next time I met with major Mansmann he had a surprise. At Cape Canaveral they had employed an experimental large astronomical telescope run by Dr. Walter Manning at Boston University. This device employed a folded Gregorian scope that, the signal from which, fed directly into a large scale Image Orthicon tube. The face of that tube was filmed by a 35mm Mitchell motion picture camera. The combining of these instruments allowed for maximum manipulation of the image for definition and focus. It was a very large device that had to be hauled around by a big rig truck. And it was arriving in two days to be transported up the Forest Service road to my tracking site. I departed for the site that day with a crew of one NCO and two airmen.

We camped in the pickup truck with a camper and an Army tent. In the morning the crew and I awoke, had lots of coffee and Cheerios for breakfast and waited. By noon, an entourage of Brass from VAFB arrived lead b Major Mansmann, a Mister Poulson from the Cape and Walter Manning. Behind them came the BU telescope and excitement as we placed it in the best spot to view down the coast.

L to R - CWO Guy Spooner, Lt Bob Jacobs Mr. Paulson Major Mansmann

That afternoon the VAFB visitors went back home, Mr. Paulson and his crew operating the BU telescope retired downhill to rooms at the Nepenthe, Staff Sergeant Dodd, Airman First class Williams and I worked on our gear to be ready for the promised launch tomorrow morning. And with all assembled back on site by 0600 hours we, with our M-45, the crew from the Cape and high hopes were set to make history.

There was a vast coastal fog bank hugging the coastline as far as we could see. It was early morning light. Over our radio we heard the countdown and trained eyes and instruments at the coordinates we knew would be Vandenberg. And the countdown reached 30 seconds and 20 seconds and the 10, 9,8, 7, I shouted out “Roll Cameras” and they rolled to 6, 5, 4,3,2,1 and we heard “engines start” and “liftoff”.

And after 3 seconds the big Atlas popped out of the white coated seacoast and up and away on AZ and on Elevation to targets, one hoped. As our M-45 cameras ran out we lost sight of the bird to distance. The BU Telescope unit however kept rolling, finally shutting down. Mr. Paulson gave a thumbs up and we all cheered the fact that we had given the Convair/General Dynamics engineers and all other stake holders in our missile and space program the cherished side view all the way. We had no idea the quality of the BU footage because the screen is not visible during the operation as it must be covered by a dark hood to prevent light hitting the Image Orthicon tube. With hearty handshakes all around I collected all of the film from both units and drove back to base to have it processed. Mission accomplished I supposed.

The second day I received a call from Major Mansmann asking me to come to his office right away. I thought it might have to with the success at Big Sur. I rapped on his office door and was invited in. There in the middle of the room was a 16mm film projector on a table. Next to it was a chair. Against the far wall was a Da-Lite projection screen. In one corner two men in business suits stared at me. Major Mansmann without introducing us asked me to sit down. He dimmed the lights. I hoped that this would be the BU film. I was not wrong.

“Lieutenant Jacobs watch the screen,” he said. Then he flicked on the projector. There was the image of the bottom of the Atlas missile seen from 130 miles away, filling the screen. My heart soared, this was, indeed the view as seen by the Folded Gregorian telescope lifting skyward. Major Mansmann said, “Watch closely to the end.”

As the bird continued on, it rose rapidly looking spectacular against the sky made black by contrast on the IO. The Atas D was a stage and a half weapon. It had a main pressurized body for fuel and liquid oxygen, when it burned out and fell away, three smaller engines propelled the nose cone holding the warhead downrange. I watched Stage One burnout and drop off, the final stage ignition puff. By this time with our eyes from Big Sur we were losing the object. But here on the screen the nose cone was a quite small white object. It opened and a small batch of aluminum foil splayed out in a fan to deflect the enemy radar tracking. The dummy nuclear warhead, in every dimension, weight and appearance identical to the real thing deployed into a slightly higher trajectory in front of the chaff. I smiled at Major Mansmann. He said, “Watch carefully.” So I did.

On that movie screen I watched another object slide into the frame. It approached the warhead from the same direction; in short it chased and caught up. The entire image on screen was moving away down range at several thousand miles an hour. The object, a larger spot on film than the warhead, moved closer and shot a beam of light striking the device. The object rotated above the package and shot another beam of light down, hitting it again. The object than dropped down in the path and struck it in the front with a third beam, rotated beneath it and fired a fourth beam then zipped out of the frame at a fantastic rate of speed back the same way it had come in. The dummy warhead than slowed and malfunctioned. It appeared to me to be falling out of the frame when the film ended.

The object as made out in fine detail later as Major Mansmann studied it frame by frame with a jewelers loupe, was a classic Flying Saucer, two dinner plates turned convex side out and stuck together with a round dome on top. The illustration is an enlarged artist’s conception.

The two CIA agents glared at me as the lights came back on. Major Mansmann stood up between them and me. He said, “Lieutenant were you guys screwing around up there?” (Meaning at Big Sur.)

“No sir,” I replied.

He said. Pointing at the screen, “Then what was that?”

Wanting badly to talk about it I said confidently, “It looks like we got a UFO!”

The agents stepped around so I could see them.

Major Mansman said very firmly, “You are never to say that again.”

I was startled.

“As far as you’re concerned, this never happened. Do you understand.”

I couldn’t reply. I did not understand.

“You can go now. Not a word to anyone.” And he escorted me to and out of the door to his office. It would be twenty years before I ever spoke with him again.

I did not talk about the revelation I had just witnessed–not to anyone.

Never a ‘believer” in flying saucers before this moment, my whole intellectual being was shaken by the fact of all facts, we are NOT ALONE in the vast universe.

One night ten years later I was hosting a late night radio talk show in Eureka, California. Topics among lost, late night souls reaching out in the dark for something, anything to soothe anxiety and god-awful loneliness, turn to ghosts and goblins and Jewish banking conspiracies and yeah, UFOs. About two a.m. a guy named Rick Van Pelt phoned in with a story that happened to him as an Air Force security force sergeant.

He and a partner were summoned to Thule AFB, Greenland to guard a flight of B-52 nuclear bombers on a frosty snowy night. While at a remote end of the base he and his partner spotted an apparent native Greenlander appearing over a snow bank a few feet away. Rick sent his partner to check the guy out. When his partner got near, it turned out that the “guy” was a couple of feet taller than the airman. He wore a skin tight iridescent ski suit and had long blonde hair. They spoke for a bit, then the partner started back to join Rick, dragging his rifle on the ground. He stared blankly. Rick stopped him. “Hey, what did he say?”

“He said we were supposed to stop using nukes.”

Just then Rick looked over to see a brilliant, glowing “flying saucer” lift up and shoot silently away.

Without even thinking about it, I went ahead and told mine. The same one you just read about.

Nothing happened. No bolts of lightning. No armed guards at the station door. My car didn’t blow up when I started it. The curse was lifted.

I thought.

It came back in a blind fury that goes on to this very day when I am still in pain for telling the truth: I and many, many more of my brothers-in-alien land. The date was November 1, 1982. I was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. I had a small alfalfa farm in the country. My pay at UWO was only for nine months. So every summer I had to make some money. I usually did it producing TV commercials. Nothing was in the offing so I turned to freelance writing. It had been 18 years now since Big Sur so I wrote a small article about it to try out. Omni Magazine, Life Magazine, Argosy Magazine all turned it down. So I sent it to sleaze publications and The National Enquirer bought it. I paid the mortgage, kept the farm and went back to teaching film production.

Shortly after the story hit the streets, as they say, the decades long nightmare began. I started to get telephone calls that ended in a click. My address got out and letters from a large number of UFO ‘nuts’ began mounting up in my rural mailbox. Some of these things were from various people around the country claiming to have been on a space ship to Venus, to have flying saucers in their back yard or being from some planet or another. Mixed in with these came a few from apparently rational humans seeking the truth. One of these was a gifted researched named Lee M. Graham. The Air Force denied to him that there had ever been any of the following: anyone named Robert M. Jacobs in the Air Force, assigned to the Photo-Optical section of the 1359th Photographic Squadron, nor had there even been an Atlas D missile launched on that date, nor that they had any record of a BU Telescope, nor of anything at Big Sur… ever.

Lee dug into them with FOIA requests, letters and phone calls and did verify that they had lied on each and every count. I was reinstated into humanity.

Then the terror campaign began on the phone. I had an answering machine back then and it began to record dozens of threatening phone calls, each ending with the epithet that I received live in person to wit; “You talk too much. You’re going down motherfucker!” My fiancé at the time, now my wife also got these calls. And one night in 1986 we had come home from a movie. There was a call waiting on the answering machine. The same gruff voice said, “Fireworks in your mailbox at night, oh, what a beautiful sight. You’re going down motherfucker!” and my rural mailbox exploded.

I bought a gun. I learned how to shoot it. I practice and I don’t miss.

Then in September, 1986 I met Robert Hastings. We are close friends today. His counsel has meant a great deal to my ability to deal with the issue. Here’s what the issue has cost me personally after appearing on several television, motion picture, print and podcasts to keep telling my account, which has never varied an iota. I left Wisconsin under the constant threats to my life and the safety of my wife. I lost my next professorship at the University of Maine under a character assassination by Phillip J. Klass, I lost my next professorship at Cleveland State University under a mysterious character assassination accusing me with no proof of sexism and homophobia and after a relatively pleasant and productive 20 years as Full Professor at Bradley University from which I retired 2017, the final character assassination of all.

In a phone call one day, Robert said that he had been contacted at AARO, led by Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, when it began its investigation into UFO- now called UAP phenomena, to see if any of his interviewees would testify. He said, with a caveat that he would. He passed this invitation on to me, to Mario Woods, and Terry Lovelace that I know of. I told him that I would be happy to do so.

A few days later I was called by a man saying he was from AARO and he would like to hear my story. I asked if he was recording me and he said that he was not. So I spoke with him for nearly an hour. Afterward I sent the following note to Robert and the others in my group:

On April 29, 2023 Sean Kirkpatrick after being praised lavishly by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, chairing the Senate Armed Services Committee testified. After extensive investigation and testimony from military and former military witnesses and ‘whistle blowers’ he reported that AARO had found “no evidence of extraterrestrial” objects, machines, space ships or little green men in the United States of America. Nothing to see here.

If you’ve hung with me to this point, I’ve tried to spell out a no doubt extraterrestrial or NHI incursion that I filmed at Big Sur. My account has been substantiated by Major Mansmann, then Dr. Mansmann who when contacted by a number of researchers and TV producers stated in writing that my account was TRUE as written. The images I captured have been seen by others in government, including by Luis Elizondo. He saw the film when he was with ATTIP in Washington, DC. He told Dave Grusch when he had left his post, exactly where to find it. When Dave got to the ATTIP office everything of Lue’s in it had been cleared out. It is certain that Sean Kirkpatrick knew all about that film if not having seen it himself. In spite of the fact that that Big Sur UFO committed an act of war, this guy is a shill for the cabal suppressing NHI presence among us; everything that every honest, American patriot has told us about since 1945.

I have been compelled for reasons I don’t fully understand to prepare this document, this testimony, this tribute to my fellow witnesses, experiencers, rational thinkers. Others of us have suffered from PTSD to depression, defamation, unmitigated anger, self-doubt, threats, loss of jobs, community standing and worse- to be sold out by shills and fakirs, like AARO and the damned Wall Street Journal. F%CK YOU!

FAREWELL THE TRANQUIL MIND.

See Also:

	Big Sur UFO Film: Government Whistleblower Reveals He Watched It Big Sur UFO Film: Government Whistleblower Reveals He Watched It - PART 2
	UFOs are Stalking and Intercepting Dummy Nuclear Warheads During Test Flights
	Mansmann Letters

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

UFOs and Nukes Researcher Robert Hastings Refutes WSJ Article

New Wall Street Journal UFO Article Badly Misses the Mark

In a recent article titled, “The Pentagon Disinformation That Fueled America’s UFO Mythology”, the Wall Street Journal attempts to foist its own disinformation on all of us. Several knowledgeable persons have already indignantly responded on X, or in podcasts such as WEAPONIZED, hosted by journalist George Knapp and researcher Jeremy Corbell. I have instead directed an email to the Journal’s Correspondence and Corrections Editor, Judi Walsh, also copying the article’s two authors, criticizing one particular part of the factually-inaccurate, arguably-absurd piece. It has been inserted below. Thus far, I have not received a response from Walsh or the authors.

By Robert Hastings The UFO Chronicles 6-12-2025

My email:

From: ufohastings@aol.com

To: judi.walsh@wsj.com, wsjcontact@wsj.com

Cc: joel.schectman@wsj.com, aruna.viswanatha@wsj.com

Tue, Jun 10 at 6:25 AM

Ms. Walsh,

I am the leading civilian researcher on the topic of UFO/UAP activity at US nuclear weapons sites, as described in declassified US Air Force documents and the testimony of 167 vetted USAF veterans who were involved in such incidents at various bases during the Cold War era and beyond. Those individuals were independently interviewed by me between 1973 and 2010.

CNN's livestreamed coverage of my September 27, 2010 "UFOs and Nukes" press conference in Washington D.C. is available at http://www.ufohastings.com, on the homepage. Seven of the veterans participated, and most are still available for questioning by the WSJ's reporters, should they be interested in doing that.

At the press conference, a former Minuteman missile targeting officer stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, Captain Robert C. Jamison, revealed his team's involvement in retargeting ten ICBMs that had been simultaneously knocked-offline on the evening of March 24, 1967. This missile-shutdown event was the one mentioned in your recent article, in which the authors wildly speculated that the missiles' mysterious loss of functionality was due to a test involving an Electromagnetic Pulse generator, meant to demonstrate their vulnerability to EMP during wartime. As [redacted] has already brought to your attention, the available facts easily debunk this groundless claim.

According to Captain Jamison, multiple targeting teams, including his, were given an unprecedented "special UFO briefing" prior to being released to the field, during which it was stated that a "UFO" had caused the multiple-missile failures. The teams were instructed to report a UFO to their command post, should one be sighted while they traveled to the full-flight shutdown site at Oscar Flight, near Roy, Montana. They were further instructed that, should a UFO appear while they were on-site at one of the Launch Facilities--underground missile silos--they were to quickly enter the silo and close the personnel access hatch, while leaving their Security Police escort above ground so that he could provide updates to the base via a two-way radio.

The other Air Force veterans appearing at my press conference provided similar accounts of their own UFO-related experiences, at other bases, during different time-frames.

Indeed, as my four-decade-long research project has convincingly established, bona fide UFO incursions at US nuclear weapons sites—fissile material production plants, weapons test ranges and storage facilities, nuclear bomber and missile bases—occurred as early as January 1945, and as recently as October 2010, and the incidents over that period numbered in the hundreds.

Nevertheless, given the embarrassing lack of factual rigor evident in your reporters’ recent effort, I rather doubt that my research findings will be of much assistance to them. Assuming that the article was not an intentional attempt at disinformation, their profound ignorance of the UAP topic, coupled with their clearly unjournalistic bias, renders them unqualified to educate your readers.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Hastings

So, we will see whether I receive a response from any of the Wall Street Journal staff members, and/or whether my email is posted online by their website. I’ll update those reading this post.

Visit Robert's Site ►

READ ROBERT'S BOOK

UFOs & Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites
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See Also:

	UFO Myth to Government Disinformation Myth
	1967 Malmstrom AFB UFO Incident Botched by David Duchovny
	UFO Sightings at ICBM Sites and Nuclear Weapons Storage Areas
	My Evidence: The Account of Minute-Man Missiles Being Disabled, While UFOs Hovered Over The Launch Facilities

The UFOs-Nukes Connection Press Conference: Witness Affidavits and Declassified Documents

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

UFO Myth to Government Disinformation Myth

The recent Wall Street Journal article “The Pentagon Disinformation That Fueled America’s UFO Mythology” proclaims that the Pentagon itself deliberately propagated UFO myths over decades—particularly during the Cold War—to mask highly

By The UFO Chronicles 6-7-2025

classified aircraft and weapons programs, notably by spreading fake flying-saucer photos near Area 51.

In short, instead of aliens being real, the government made up the alien stuff to hide real, terrestrial black projects.

Ironically, with part of the title in mind, i.e., “…America’s UFO Mythology,” the author for his argument provides no verifiable, empirical evidence (e.g., names, documents, policies, orders, save Kirkpatrick), he cites anonymous sources, unverifiable claims, and unseen seen documents, emails and texts (although he promises a part II is coming).

Long time critics and or self-proclaimed skeptics in their criques of UFO/UAP phenomenon in regards to the government or military often cite:

• Secretive insiders

• Suppressed evidence

• Institutional obfuscation

• Ambiguous authority

• Compelling, but unverifiable stories

Oh the hypocrisy!

Counter-Mythos Elements at Play

• Alien tech is being hidden	• Alien myths were fabricated deliberately
• Eyewitnesses see UFOs	• Insiders recall disinfo rituals
• Government won’t reveal the truth	• Government created the falsehood
• Cover-up of alien contact	• Cover-up of internal deception
• No documents = conspiracy	• No documents = secrecy again, but reframed

The article reframes the so-called UFO mythology without truly escaping it. It simply substitutes one mystery (alien visitation) with another (a long-running, institutional disinformation campaign), but without the evidence needed to decisively anchor it in fact.

While the author's intent may be investigative rather than mythmaking, the lack of empirical substantiation means the narrative still functions as a myth in the sociological sense—i.e., a compelling, explanatory framework that fills gaps in public understanding and is circulated without direct proof.

Unless and until the documents, names, or hard evidence are made public, the article occupies a paradoxical position: It critiques one so-called myth (UFOs as aliens) while constructing another (UFOs as disinfo)—each dependent on trust in unseen sources, evidence etc.

So let's see what round II has to offer ...

Read the article here ►

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Revealing UFO / UAP Navy Emails, Obtained by The Black Vault

The article from The Black Vault, titled "Newly Released Navy Emails Reveal UAP Coordination, Five Eyes Briefings, and Forgotten Redactions," delves into recently obtained U.S. Navy

By The UFO Chronicles 6-3-2025

emails that shed light on the coordination efforts surrounding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP/UFOs) within the U.S. military and its allies.

Key findings from the article include:

1). Interagency Coordination on UAPs: The emails reveal that the U.S. Navy has been actively coordinating with other branches of the military and intelligence agencies to address UAP sightings and reports. This coordination aims to standardize reporting procedures and share information across departments.

2). Five Eyes Briefings: The documents indicate that briefings on UAPs have been shared with members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This suggests a broader international interest and collaboration in understanding UAPs.

3). Redaction Oversights: The release highlights instances where sensitive information was not properly redacted in the documents, leading to unintended disclosures. These oversights raise concerns about the handling and dissemination of classified information related to UAPs.

Overall, the article underscores the increasing seriousness with which UAPs are being treated by military and intelligence communities, both domestically and among allied nations. The coordination efforts and international briefings point to a concerted effort to understand and address the phenomena.

For a more detailed exploration of the topic, you can read the full article here ►

See Also:

	Navy Reports Describe Encounters With Unexplained Flying Objects
	Newly Acquired UFO Reports By Navy Pilots Revealed
	Department of Defense Officially Releases Navy UFO Videos and Related Documents

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Revealing DoD Emails and Lue Elizondo's Role in The Pentagon's UFO Program (AATIP)

The article, "Defense Department Emails Confirm 2017 UAP Briefings, Further Clarify Luis Elizondo's Role in AATIP," published on The Black Vault, reveals newly released emails from the Department of Defense (DoD) that provide further insight into

By The UFO Chronicles 5-28-25

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP/UFOs) briefings in 2017 and the controversial role of Luis Elizondo.

The core of the article centers on emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. These communications confirm that briefings on UAPs did indeed occur within the DoD in 2017, a period of heightened public interest and speculation surrounding the topic. This confirmation is significant because it substantiates claims made by individuals like Luis Elizondo regarding official government engagement with UAP subject matter.

A major focus of the article is the clarification, or lack thereof, regarding Luis Elizondo's exact role within the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). Elizondo has publicly stated he headed AATIP, a claim that has been met with varying degrees of official confirmation and denial. The newly released emails, while confirming the existence of UAP briefings and discussions, appear to offer a more nuanced or ambiguous picture of Elizondo's specific position and authority within AATIP. The article suggests that while Elizondo was clearly involved in discussions and efforts related to UAPs, the emails do not definitively corroborate his assertion of being the program's director in the way he has often presented it.

John Greenewald Jr., known for his extensive FOIA work, emphasizes the importance of these documents in piecing together the official narrative surrounding UAPs and AATIP. He highlights how these emails contribute to the ongoing public debate and scrutiny of government transparency on unexplained aerial phenomena. The article implies that while progress is being made in declassifying information, the full scope of government involvement and the precise roles of key figures remain subject to interpretation and further investigation.

In essence, the article uses official DoD emails to confirm the occurrence of UAP briefings in 2017, lending credence to the idea that the Pentagon was actively engaging with the topic. However, it also critically examines the extent to which these documents support Luis Elizondo's widely publicized claims about his leadership role in AATIP, suggesting a more complex reality than previously understood.

Continue Reading ►

See Also:

	Elizondo's 'Imminent' Stands Alone
	Pentagon Utilized UFOs and Nukes Data Collected by R. Hastings
	AATIP: Pentagon Reinforces Previous Statement That Luis Elizondo Had “No Responsibilities”

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Pentagon's UFO Office (AARO) Seeks to Improve it's UFO Case Management System

The Pentagon's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is seeking to enhance its capabilities in managing reports of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UFOs/UAP) by exploring the acquisition of a secure, custom case management system (CMS).

By The UFO Chronicles 5-22-2025

This initiative aims to streamline the tracking of data, interactions, and records associated with AARO's investigations into UAPs that may pose national security threats.

AARO has issued a sources sought notice for a CMS to be deployed on the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS), the Department of Defense's top-secret intranet. The proposed system would enable AARO personnel and supporting organizations to efficiently manage UAP reports, categorize cases by type and severity, convert documents into structured data, and maintain comprehensive case histories. Additional features include automated responses, data encryption, and customizable dashboards tailored to various user roles.

This marks the first solicitation published on behalf of AARO since its establishment in 2022, reflecting the office's commitment to integrating its mission management tools and launching a public UAP reporting mechanism. The CMS is expected to assist AARO in meeting its records management requirements and enhancing its ability to detect, identify, and mitigate spaceborne, airborne, and maritime objects of interest in or near national security areas.

Contractors with active top-secret clearance interested in this opportunity must submit their capabilities statements by June 9. The performance period for the CMS acquisition is anticipated to be one base year, with options for up to four additional years.

See Also:

	New Counter-Drone Task Force to Team with Pentagon UFO Office
	New Director Named for All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)
	Senate Briefing on The Skinwalker Ranch and AARO’s Sean Kirkpatrick

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