Monday, June 17, 2019

AATIP: Pentagon Reinforces Previous Statement That Luis Elizondo Had “No Responsibilities”



 Pentagon Reinforces Previous Statement That Luis Elizondo Had “No Responsibilities”

     Nearly two weeks ago, The Intercept published a Pentagon denial about the involvement of Mr. Luis Elizondo, and his wide-spread claims about heading a “secret Pentagon UFO program” known as the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program or AATIP. Now, newly received statements from the Pentagon issued to The Black Vault specifically address a 2009 Harry Reid memo that is being offered by some supporters as proof of Mr. Elizondo’s alleged leadership of the program. Yet, it is now revealed that the existence of this document does not alter the Pentagon’s original position about his claims.
John Greenewald
By John Greenewald
The Black Vault
6-14-19

Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough stated, “I can confirm that the memo you’re referring to is authentic… It makes no change to previous statements. Mr. Elizondo had no assigned responsibilities for AATIP while he was in OUSD(I) [the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence].”

Her statement comes amid a firestorm of controversy, when on June 1, 2019, as reported by Mr. Keith Kloor, the Pentagon had also said, in part, “Mr. Elizondo had no responsibilities with regard to the AATIP program while he worked in OUSDI, up until the time he resigned effective 10/4/2017.”

Harry Reid Memo
One page from the 2009 Harry Reid memo, showing Mr. Luis Elizondo and Dr. Hal Puthoff were redacted by KLAS-TV on the initial release, for unknown reasons.
The week following this controversial article by The Intercept, Mr. George Knapp, journalist from KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, Nevada, re-issued a new version of a previously leaked memorandum written by Senator Harry Reid. The document, dated July 24, 2009, previously had the names of Mr. Elizondo, along with another name well-established to have worked within the program, Dr. Hal Puthoff, redacted. The memo outlined Senator Reid’s request and reasoning to get the AATIP a “Special Access Program” or SAP status, and was written to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, William Lynn III. That letter was first published in the July 25, 2018, KLAS-TV story written by Mr. Knapp and Mr. Matt Adams, but It remains unclear why both journalists, or their source, asked them to redact those two names in the first place.

However, there are problems with the letter. Not only does the date precede Mr. Elizondo’s claim by at least five months of heading the AATIP (thus not disproving the Pentagon’s original statement) the Pentagon now confirms that although the letter is genuine; the content therein “makes no change” to their previous statement issued by Pentagon spokesperson Mr. Christopher Sherwood to The Intercept.

“I can confirm that the memo you’re referring to is authentic. DOD received it and responded to Sen. Reid,” Ms. Gough said. She then explains that her office is unable to provide The Black Vault a full copy of the response, since the Public Affairs office does not release Congressional correspondence, but she adds, “It makes no change to previous statements. Mr. Elizondo had no assigned responsibilities for AATIP while he was in OUSD(I). DIA [Defense Intelligence Agency] administered AATIP, and Elizondo was never assigned to DIA. Elizondo did interact with the DIA office managing the program while the program was still ongoing, but he did not lead it.”

Mr. Elizondo did not respond to a request for comment.

This statement, received on June 13, 2019, goes against many claims written online that a “new Pentagon statement” would be forthcoming that would further clarify the Pentagon’s stance, and confirm Mr. Elizondo’s directorship of the program. Most notably, on June 2, 2019, Mr. Bryan Bender, defense editor for Politico who authored one of the main articles breaking the AATIP story in December 2017, tweeted, “I’d stay tuned for a much more definitive statement from the Pentagon this week. The Intercept’s assertions and innuendo (it never definitively reported anything) were wrong. And the issue should be settled once and for all. Though with this crowd I won’t count on it.”

Mr. Bender has since deleted this tweet, some time after it was pointed out the Pentagon statement was not issued the week that he claimed.
Bender Tweet 6-2-19
Original tweet by Mr. Bryan Bender, defense editor, Politico.
Mr. Bender declined to comment on why he deleted the tweet.

Although no correction has been made by the Pentagon as hoped for by some, Dr. Puthoff, co-founder of To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science where Mr. Elizondo is now employed, offered his support to counter the Pentagon’s assertions. When asked for documented proof or any evidence to the contrary, Dr. Puthoff only issued the following statement to The Black Vault:
“I have been following all the buzz back ‘n forth concerning Elizondo’s role in AATIP, and recognize that there are a number of misunderstandings – for reasonable reasons – given that the public doesn’t have detailed access to daily activities in Pentagon projects/offices. Unfortunately for the public, those not directly connected, e.g., in the Public Affairs Office, are often themselves sketchy about details concerning highly-classified sensitive programs for which they have little-to-no access for security reasons. However, I have no problem asserting that as an AAWSAP [Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program]/AATIP Contractor & Senior Advisor I continued to attend meetings, provide briefings, gain access to videos, provide Proposed Program Plans, meet with staff, etc., all under the aegis of Elizondo’s leadership and responsibility for maintaining continuity of the Program effort and goals until he resigned.”
It is unclear how Dr. Puthoff could have worked under Mr. Elizondo’s leadership, since AAWSAP/AATIP contracted work began in 2008 at DIA and Mr. Elizondo’s alleged leadership began in 2010 at OUSDI when the program was transferred. When asked about the discrepancy, or to clarify that the contracted work by Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies, LLC. who initially won the contract, continued after two years (or after the 2012 date when funding was cut entirely); Dr. Puthoff did not return the message.

-click and or right click on image(s) to enlarge-

Continue Reading ►

See Also:

Did Luis Elizondo Really Run The Pentagon UFO Program? Conflicting Information Arises

The Pentagon Denies Luis Elizondo’s Role in AATIP

Harry Reid: UFOs, The Military And Impeachment

New Details About UFO Encounters From Navy FA-18 Pilot

USS Nimitz, USS Roosevelt "... Video Footage of UFOs Acquired Through New State-Of-The-Art Detection Technology"

The Pentagon Denies Luis Elizondo’s Role in AATIP

A Description of a Government UFO Info Operation – Tom DeLonge’s Origin Story For To The Stars Academy

If UFO Disclosure Is Coming, Is the World Prepared?

Are We Getting Closer to Disclosure?

Did Luis Elizondo Really Run The Pentagon UFO Program? Conflicting Information Arises

Military Pilots Had Ongoing Encounters with UFOs, Says Fmr. Commander Dave Fravor | VIDEO

Multiple F/A-18 Pilots Disclose Recent UFOs Encounters, New Radar Tech Key In Detection

Aliens Exist By Tom DeLonge

America has Been Investigating UFOs for Years – Time for the Rest of Us To Catch Up

Five UFO Traits, Seen by Navy Fighters, Defy Explanation

UFOs Exist and Everyone Needs To Adjust To That Fact

Navy Pilots Reported UFOs Daily Over East Coast

The Pentagon Finally Admits It Investigates UFOs

Why Is the Pentagon Interested in UFOs?

UFOs: Why Should Congress Act?

The Pentagon UFO Videos Brouhaha Explained?

Deciphering the Pentagon's Release of Military UFO Videos

Pentagon Release of UFO Videos Continues To Be a Bone of Contention

Evidence Supporting Official Pentagon Release of UFO Videos is Disputed

'Pentagon Release' of UFO Videos Confirmed | VIDEO REPORT

How The Navy Stopped Dismissing UFO Sightings

Just Don’t Call Them UFOs

UFOs And The Department Of Defense – What The Hell Is Going On?

New Navy UFO Guidelines – What Does That Mean?

New Navy Guidelines for Reporting UFOs

New-Witness Angle to Nimitz Tic Tac UFO Incident

Health Effects of UFO Encounters’ – The Top-Secret Government Investigation

Forensic Analysis of Navy Carrier Strike Group's UFO Encounter

The Nimitz UFO Encounters – New Military Eyewitnesses Interview

The Nimitz UFO Encounters – A Short Documentary Film

"UFOs Are Real," says Former DoD, Intellgence Officer

Secret UFO Program Recorded Encounters with Unknown Objects | INTERVIEW – VIDEO

Nevada Senator Fought To Save Secret UFO Program | VIDEO

Pentagon UFO Study Examined UFO Activity at Nuclear Missile Sites Says Former U.S. Senator Harry Reid

What the Government Knows About UFOs | Interview with Harry Reid

New Interview with Navy Pilot Who Chased Tic-Tac UFO – Pt 2 | VIDEO

New Interview with Navy Pilot Who Chased Tic-Tac UFO – Pt 1 | VIDEO

Harrowing Encounter Between F/A-18s and UFO; Detailed Official Report Surfaces

Executive Summary Report: UFO Encounter with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group

AATIP / AAWSAP - A Tale of Two Programs

UFOs are Suddenly a Serious News Story

UFO Info Wars

UFOs May Have Attempted Rendezvous With Giant Undersea Object | VIDEO

Executive Summary Report: UFO Encounter with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group

Confidential Military Report on 'Tic Tac UFO Event' | VIDEO

Long-Awaited Government-Funded UFO Reports Now In The Public Domain

Documents Prove Secret UFO Study | VIDEO

AATIP or AAWSAP?

Dr. Eric W. Davis, of NASA's Breakthrough Physics Propulsion Project, Discussed UFOs During Lecture | VIDEO

UFO Research By NASA Affiliated Physicist Dr. Eric W. Davis is Confirmed By Colleague

Dr Eric Davis, Physicist, Explains Why Scientists Won't Discuss Their UFO Interests

Deciphering The Pentagon UFO Program and Release of The UFO Videos

BREAKING: Formerly Secret UFO Program NOT Called, 'Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program' (AATIP)?

'Getting the Mainstream Media to Approach the UFO Puzzle as Legitimate News

OREGON UFO EVENT: Air Traffic Control Audio Tapes Released via FOIA Request

What the Government Knows About UFOs | Interview with Harry Reid

3rd AATIP Video & the Pentagon UFO Study – Interview with Luis Elizondo | VIDEO

Third Government UFO Video Released | VIDEO

The Military Keeps Encountering UFOs – Why Doesn’t the Pentagon Care? | VIDEO

UFO Research Gets New Life By Way of The Pentagon's Mysterious Project

BREAKING NEWS: The Pentagon’s Mysterious UFO Program Revealed | VIDEO

Ex-Military Official Details Pentagon's Secret UFO Hunt | INTERVIEW – VIDEO

Billionaire Robert Bigelow's Decades-Long Obsession With UFOs

Navy F-18 'Gimbal UFO' Video Explained?

Post Pentagon’s UFO Research Program Revelations – Skeptics Regroup

Understanding the Science of UFOs and Space Time Metric Engineering | VIDEO

UFO-Pentagon FOIA Request Delayed

BREAKING NEWS: The Pentagon’s Mysterious UFO Program Revealed | VIDEO

Ex-CIA Chief - Keep Studying UFOs

Herald Tribune Reporter, Billy Cox Queries CIA On Chase Brandon's Roswell UFO Claims

Luis Elizando Former Head of Secret Pentagon UFO Program Describes Five Categories of UFOs | INTERVIEW

While Waiting for the Next New York Times UFO Bomb to Drop

Navy Pilot, Who Chased A UFO, Says ‘We Should Take Them Seriously’

UFO Legacy: What Impact Will Revelation of Secret Government Program Have?

UFO Reports at Nuclear Missile Sites and The Pentagon UFO Program

Astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson Discusses The Pentagon UFO Program on Colbert | VIDEO

Ex-Military Official Details Pentagon's Secret UFO Hunt | INTERVIEW – VIDEO

Pentagon's Secret UFO Search, Stanton Friedman Weighs In | INTERVIEW – VIDEO

What the New York Times UFO Report Actually Reveals

'Second' Navy Pilot Comes Forward Re UFO Encounter | INTERVIEW – VIDEO

'The Pentagon’s Newly Revealed UFO Research Program' – What a Week!

On the Trail of a Secret Pentagon U.F.O. Program

UFO-Pentagon Story Reflects Fundamental Problems

Pentagon UFO Study Examined UFO Activity at Nuclear Missile Sites Says Former U.S. Senator Harry Reid

UFO Study Focused on U.S. Military Encounters

PENTAGON UFO PROGRAM: 'Recovered Material' From UFOs Discussed By Leslie Kean | INTERVIEW – VIDEO

Senator Reid Discusses Secret UFO Program | INTERVIEW – VIDEO

Navy Pilot Recounts UFO Encounter | INTERVIEW – VIDEO

Aliens, UFOs, Flying Discs and Sightings -- Oh My!

Secret Programs, U.S. Senators and Money, Who Wants to Talk UFOs Now?

Navy Pilot Talks: The UFO Jammed Their Radar — ‘It Accelerated Beyond Any Airplane We Have’

BREAKING NEWS: The Pentagon’s Mysterious UFO Program Revealed | VIDEO

Navy UFO Encounter: 'It Accelerated Like Nothing I’ve Ever Seen’ – F/A-18F Pilot | VIDEO

Secret UFO Pentagon Program Explained By Leslie Kean | INTERVIEW – VIDEO




REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE




 HELP SUPPORT THIS SITE 


ABOUT DONATIONS



No comments :

Post a Comment

Dear Contributor,

Your comments are greatly appreciated, and coveted; however, blatant mis-use of this site's bandwidth will not be tolerated (e.g., SPAM etc).

Additionally, healthy debate is invited; however, ad hominem and or vitriolic attacks will not be published, nor will "anonymous" criticisms. Please keep your arguments "to the issues" and present them with civility and proper decorum. -FW

LIVE SIGHTING REPORTS BY MUFON

Mutual UFO Network Logo