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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: {1}{1}23.976 {6229}{6299}I grew up in Hot Springs,|Arkansas {6314}{6400}with my younger brother, Kyle,|and my mother and father. {6498}{6570}My father died when I was|four in a car accident. {6571}{6639}He was hit by a drunk driver.|T-boned. {6646}{6694}It was a closed|casket funeral. {6841}{6985}My mother was|undiagnosed bipolar and {7034}{7082}self-medicated with alcohol. {7107}{7275}After my father died, it was challenging|for her to manage Kyle and I. {7309}{7453}And one day when I was 12,|I came home and found her {7465}{7536}what I thought was passed|out on her bedroom floor. {7617}{7761}I grabbed her by the hair and pulled her|out and she was actually not breathing. {7857}{7909}After that,|we moved around even more. {7919}{8039}Kyle and I were kept together for|a little while and then separated. {8064}{8159}And we just took it|out on each other. {8195}{8243}So we didn't want|to stay in touch. {8282}{8313}I did very well|in high school. {8331}{8383}I enjoyed science immensely. {8432}{8624}I knew in the 11th grade that I was|destined to become a marine biologist. {8657}{8695}And I took my studies|very seriously. {8731}{8781}I didn't have a|lot of friends. {8798}{8870}Because I didn't know|how to be a girl, really. {8944}{9052}I graduated with honors and received|a full ride scholarship to UCLA. {9116}{9200}Which was amazing because I knew I|was going to get to see the ocean. {9225}{9328}And I was able to lead an|expedition off the coast of Mexico {9347}{9443}to study the communication|methods of the Humboldt squid. {9490}{9550}They change color|through bioluminescence. {9553}{9617}They flash,|they communicate with light. {9651}{9725}The Mexican fisherman|called them “Diablo rojo” {9732}{9788}because of how|aggressive they are. {9805}{9855}My diver had to|wear chainmail. {9923}{9956}I did not go into the water. {10010}{10058}My diver’s name was Scott. {10206}{10235}Well, we'll call him Scott. {10271}{10343}Scott and I developed|a very close friendship {10355}{10417}spending so much time|together on the boat {10419}{10457}and we fell in love. {10519}{10567}He was my knight|in shining armor. {10593}{10617}Literally. {10636}{10721}Although if he was too shiny,|that's when he got attacked. {10722}{10801}He proposed on the boat|with his grandmother's ring {10840}{10934}stuck in a squid that he knew|I was going to be cutting open. {10973}{11022}It was disgusting, but sweet. {11081}{11213}We were perfectly matched. {11415}{11539}But that doesn't always mean|that it's meant to last forever. {11875}{11958}In 2002 I was flying|from Heathrow to JFK. {11968}{11996}Sunday, March 10th. {12026}{12098}I was seated in the|rear of the plane. {12125}{12207}K57. In economy {12293}{12396}I was seated next to a man who|was trying to get my attention. {12438}{12486}And I just was|not in the mood. {12499}{12595}So I tried to display|my engagement ring. {12613}{12716}He didn't seem to|be affected by that. {12717}{12791}So I thought I would just|pretend to sleep instead. {12861}{12981}As I was drifting off it|suddenly got very quiet. {13002}{13139}There was this|light on my face. {13173}{13279}It wasn't a cabin light, though,|because it was coming from one side. {13331}{13379}I heard a little bit|of nervous laughter {13389}{13462}and then the man beside me {13520}{13570}He said “What the|fuck is that?” {13702}{13842}I opened my eyes and the|entire cabin was illuminated {13843}{13941}by a yellow glow. {14072}{14127}I wanted to get up|to see what it was. {14138}{14210}The man beside me was frozen|so I had to climb over him {14235}{14307}and I found myself|an empty seat. {14425}{14490}When I looked out the window,|what I saw was {14492}{14599}two massive,|glowing yellow disks. {14638}{14710}Hovering somewhere between|the plane and the horizon. {14859}{14907}They were so bright. {15267}{15315}Now, keep in mind,|it was 2002. {15319}{15391}So even though we all had cell|phones, they were pieces of crap {15393}{15441}and the cameras were garbage. {15446}{15517}Not that anyone had the presence|of mind to use them anyway. {15524}{15592}When you see something|like that, you just {15615}{15644}you're stunned. {15666}{15714}All you can do is stare at it. {16020}{16092}And then suddenly,|they just disappeared. {16526}{16574}And it was completely|black again. {16652}{16724}I don't think I heard anyone even|make a joke about it after that. {16725}{16804}It was just totally|silent on the plane. {16894}{16928}I got up and went|back to my seat {16928}{16996}and the guy didn't bother me|for the rest of the flight. {17000}{17065}But my mind was spinning. {17099}{17173}I was trying to process|what the possibilities were. {17177}{17228}What that could|have possibly been. {17240}{17321}Was it some sort of|weather phenomenon? {17422}{17494}Now something like that,|with that kind of size {17502}{17587}could not enter the atmosphere|without going unnoticed. {17613}{17706}Something of that mass, pushing|its way from outer space {17708}{17777}into the earth would|ignite the atmosphere. {17813}{17861}The sky would be on fire. {17888}{17960}So it had to be one of|a few possibilities. {18069}{18139}Either it was something|from the earth. {18194}{18266}Some sort of|natural phenomena. {18267}{18406}Or if it was, in fact,|a solid object {18408}{18477}it had to either have|been made on the earth {18492}{18591}or it was created|by a technology so {18638}{18733}enormously advanced that it|could completely sidestep {18736}{18798}all the laws of physics|as we know them. {18798}{18884}And although I didn't get|confirmation for many years {18895}{18943}that was in fact what it was. {19030}{19114}Disembarkment was just normal. {19115}{19180}I thought about talking|to the pilot, but {19221}{19257}decided against it. {19322}{19350}So I went home. {19373}{19418}Scott and I were living|in New York at the time {19476}{19519}and I told Scott|what happened. {19550}{19586}What I had seen. {19675}{19778}And he just looked at me|like he was disappointed. {19850}{19898}So I just didn't|bring it up again... {19965}{19994}Until later. {20115}{20163}Despite the subject|being taboo at home {20167}{20204}I could not stop|thinking about it {20205}{20291}almost to the point of obsession|for a number of months. {20306}{20402}Then one day I was online and|I saw an article from the Post. {20587}{20659}The pilot,|Ray Thompson, was fired {20722}{20803}for quote unquote, making|the airline look ridiculous {20820}{20903}with his quote unquote,|unbelievable story. {20963}{21006}That was my pilot. {21120}{21144}I was... {21210}{21246}I was pissed. {21264}{21312}So I immediately wrote|a letter to the Post {21348}{21388}backing up his claims. {21388}{21568}I felt like my having a solid scientific|reputation would somehow support him {21571}{21639}and maybe have him|not end his career. {21648}{21749}I signed my own name and I gave|them permission to publish it. {21751}{21847}I did not think anyone would|read it, nevermind care. {21914}{21945}But I was wrong. {21947}{22103}And it was possibly the|worst decision I ever made. {22119}{22191}Scott found out from a colleague|of his who sent him the letter. {22208}{22256}"Is this your Laura?" {22360}{22432}He printed it off, brought it|home and confronted me with it. {22531}{22603}I honestly didn't feel like|there was anything wrong with it. {22636}{22696}We disagreed.|It was our first fight. {22697}{22839}The fallout from my acquaintances|and colleagues was very swift. {22873}{23005}Even at work, I felt like I was|being dismissed, questioned. {23038}{23071}My authority was gone. {23125}{23188}I heard people referring|to me as a UFO nut. {23221}{23343}I was invited to a dinner|party with Scott shortly after. {23370}{23454}I thought maybe it was a sign|that things were dying down. {23455}{23506}It was a very|prestigious party. {23521}{23560}I won't name names, but... {23633}{23715}It very quickly devolved into|a round robin of people taking {23718}{23775}passive aggressive|potshots at me. {23786}{23834}Making jokes about|little green men. {23854}{23892}In the car ride home... {23994}{24087}Scott was... absent. {24116}{24188}Just shut me out, really,|from that point forward. {24300}{24396}I think it was in the car that I knew|that things would never be the same again. {24524}{24596}It didn't take very long|before he ended the engagement. {24628}{24676}His career was in trouble. {24699}{24771}People were questioning him|because they were questioning me. {24776}{24848}He had no choice,|as far as he could tell. {24850}{24958}My career was taking a nosedive, and he|felt like his career would be following. {24959}{25091}So... I understand. {25145}{25239}It wasn't very long after that,|that I received a form letter {25239}{25301}telling me that my grants|had been cancelled. {25454}{25526}I suppose I could have|recanted the story. {25602}{25650}I thought about it. {25882}{25911}After the engagement ended {25911}{26009}I was without a job in New|York, which is not possible. {26012}{26096}So I decided to|move back to LA {26102}{26198}which was the last place I|could remember feeling happy. {26206}{26367}I didn't think that my new|reputation would follow me {26369}{26425}all the way to the west coast,|but it did. {26426}{26477}And I had trouble|getting a job. {26524}{26634}The only job I could secure was|teaching high school biology {26641}{26682}at Hollywood High School. {26745}{26819}I was there from|2004 until 2006. {27015}{27063}One day in June of 2006 {27074}{27201}I was grading finals in my|classroom and two men entered. {27202}{27274}They were like G-men|out of a movie. {27292}{27364}They started asking me|about my UFO experience. {27374}{27422}So I immediately|got my back up. {27440}{27516}I assumed that they were|either tabloid reporters {27518}{27590}or some sort of|kooky UFO researchers {27591}{27649}and I threatened|to call the police. {27697}{27848}They informed me at that point that|they belonged to a three letter agency. {27878}{27933}They said they were there to|potentially offer me a job. {27961}{28042}They handed me a white card|with a phone number on it {28069}{28152}and said that the phone number|would be good for three days. {28154}{28178}Then they left. {28221}{28245}So I thought about it. {28275}{28332}I had nothing left to lose.|So... {28387}{28432}On day three, I called them. {28461}{28533}The voice that answered asked me|if I would consent to an interview. {28549}{28578}I said yes. {28619}{28643}That was it. {28664}{28764}And the next morning|another G-man shows up {28766}{28796}in a black sedan {28802}{28901}knocks on my door and tells me he's|there to take me to my interview. {28913}{29005}We drive to an abandoned|parking lot in downtown LA {29006}{29078}where I'm transferred to a|bus with blacked out windows. {29088}{29180}I'm the only person on the bus and|the driver does not speak to me. {29182}{29245}We drive for what feels|like about two hours. {29245}{29293}I have no idea|where we're going. {29324}{29370}Then when we arrive|at the destination {29370}{29467}two more G-men get on the bus,|fit me with blackout goggles. {29493}{29575}Very dramatic, vey annoying. {29613}{29653}And lead me off the bus. {29695}{29804}When the goggles are removed, I am|in a white room with a table, a chair {29822}{29868}a very obvious two way mirror {29901}{29946}and a mountain of paperwork. {29984}{30084}There's a speaker above me,|and a woman's voice comes on {30087}{30219}and asks me to please go|through the paperwork in order. {30236}{30334}First thing is a ridiculous|personality questionnaire {30348}{30388}easily 500 questions. {30390}{30493}The next thing is a bunch|of legal texts outlining {30501}{30655}how classified and confidential the|information that I may receive would be. {30730}{30770}which I read thoroughly. {30806}{30904}After that, I am asked to|make a list of everyone. {30920}{31014}All of my close friends,|relatives, acquaintances {31017}{31095}Their contact information,|their known whereabouts. {31156}{31186}Very short list. {31314}{31362}I didn't really have anyone|in my life at the time {31363}{31418}so I wrote that down. {31464}{31555}After that, I was asked to|write down my UFO experience. {31615}{31709}Then I started to get an inkling|of what this might be about. {31761}{31862}So I was taken back to|the bus with the goggles. {31886}{31992}two hour drive back to downtown|LA, into the sedan, and home. {32174}{32224}I felt buzzed on the way home. {32233}{32278}I couldn't sleep that night. {32361}{32443}Like maybe something good|would come of this after all. {32455}{32510}A couple of days later,|I got a call {32522}{32602}asking me if I would|accept the position. {32631}{32687}I had no idea what|the position was {32696}{32751}but I just said yes. {32812}{32992}The next day, new guy shows up at the|door and a black sedan. Same outfit. {33052}{33196}I'm taken to downtown LA again,|onto the bus, driven for two hours. {33237}{33275}Goggles, whole nine. {33306}{33347}Back in the white room. {33355}{33430}Only this time instead of|a mountain of paperwork {33445}{33540}there's an NDA and a book. {33587}{33627}The book is blue, bound. {33664}{33705}Nothing on the cover. {33719}{33835}The voice tells|me to sign the NDA {33836}{33897}and then read the|book cover to cover. {33955}{34031}At this point, I'm starting to get|the vibe of what it must feel like {34033}{34096}for Scientologists when they're|pulled into the little room {34096}{34161}and given the documents|about Lord Xenu. {34172}{34258}Turns out it was something|quite similar to that anyway. {34288}{34349}The book, "The Assessment" {34354}{34469}was compiled from over half|a century of covert research. {34477}{34542}Everything that the United|States government knew {34543}{34640}or at least this small cell|within the Defense Department knew {34645}{34686}about the UFO phenomenon. {34775}{34799}So... {34843}{34940}If you want to know the truth|about unidentified flying objects {34949}{35041}and the non-human intelligence|that operates them... {35149}{35173}Here it is. {35326}{35404}The universe is nearly|18 billion years old. {35416}{35479}The milky way galaxy, in|which our solar system resides {35482}{35587}is aged about 13 billion years, and|contains as many as 400 billion stars {35589}{35647}and just as many|individual planets. {35648}{35775}These are spans of time so vast that it’s beyond|the comprehension of the individual human brain. {35776}{35913}Our Earth was formed around 4.5 billion years|ago, and life evolved relatively soon after. {35914}{36086}Electricity arced through the early seas and certain molecules,|over a couple billion more years, coalesced into organized forms. {36088}{36263}They became the same mindlessly-replicating nucleic acids that still|comprise your own genetic code, as well as that of all other life on Earth. {36265}{36379}This process still took another two billion|years before it produced anything interesting. {36389}{36556}The first sea creatures to shape their fins into feet and|drag themselves ashore only did so 370 million years ago {36558}{36647}while early humans finally appeared as|recently as just 3-million years ago. {36648}{36776}And even then we only arrived at a point of real|technological ability within the last century. {36784}{36887}Human beings took their first powered|flight only as recent as 1903... {36888}{37011}But something much more sophisticated has been|flying around our skies since long before then. {37018}{37111}The first real UFO|report dates from 1878. {37113}{37233}A farmer in Texas watched as a strange,|apparently silent object flew overhead {37238}{37344}which when viewed from below resembled,|as he put it, “a large saucer”. {37346}{37430}The object shot away into|the far horizon and vanished. {37433}{37551}The paper which reported his story opined that|it “deserves the attention of our scientists”. {37553}{37642}Then, as now,|it publicly received none. {37771}{37820}More visitations|soon followed. {37831}{38004}Over the next few decades came waves of reports of bright lights|with dark bodies attached racing about the night skies of America. {38004}{38124}The quaint minds of the time interpreted these|as airships created by some hidden genius. {38124}{38250}As the wave wore on reports became more dubious|and obviously the products of limited imaginations {38252}{38394}but many of the sightings as described line up|neatly with types of objects still being seen today. {38421}{38588}Over the first few decades of the 20th century, the|intelligences piloting the UFOs made only infrequent appearances. {38590}{38748}Even the first World War, with its nascent aerial battles,|was apparently not worthy of more thorough observation. {38748}{38787}That would soon change. {38800}{38901}World War II marks the emergence of|the UFO phenomenon in its current form. {38901}{38973}In both European and|Pacific theaters of combat {38976}{39112}pilots reported being tailed or paced by mysterious lights|and wingless crafts that completely outmaneuvered them. {39113}{39305}Despite these objects never acting in a hostile fashion, they were assumed by the|militaries of the world to be a new weapon developed by one of the various enemy nations. {39312}{39456}American pilots over Germany dubbed them “Kraut fireballs”,|believing them to be some sinister Nazi innovation {39459}{39547}while their counterparts stationed in|England took to calling them “Foo Fighters” {39552}{39711}which was originally “Fuckin’ Foo Fighters”, but this more colorful|variant of the term was sanitized by the press of the time. {39713}{39879}UFOs were now a subject of private concern to the military,|but awareness would soon spread to the public in 1947 {39881}{40068}when pilot Kenneth Arnold and others reported seeing a fleet of saucer-like|objects racing through the skies at supersonic speeds above Washington state. {40069}{40242}Newspapers picked up the story and reported it without mockery or ridicule,|and a tide of open curiosity and interest spread across the globe. {40245}{40286}The public wanted answers. {40296}{40376}The problem, however, was|that the military had none-- {40377}{40461}a frightening scenario for the|world’s most powerful nation. {40464}{40613}Thus began a policy of denial and ridicule that would forever|poison the topic in the minds of the scientific community {40613}{40708}and make them unpaid stooges for|the military’s campaign of secrecy. {40807}{40898}But why were these advanced beings|suddenly so interested in us? {40898}{40952}That answer was|obvious even then. {40980}{41087}The Air Force has officially analyzed the|motives of possible visitors from space. {41087}{41161}Here is a direct quotation|from the official report. {41163}{41305}"Such a civilization might observe that on earth we|now have atomic bombs and are fast developing rockets. {41307}{41389}In the past history of mankind,|they should be alarmed. {41391}{41505}We should therefore expect at this time|above all to behold such visitations." {42690}{42742}The start of the|Anthropocene epoch {42743}{42885}a proposed geological time scale that marks the era when|human technology began to significantly impact the Earth {42886}{43009}has been proposed to start in 1945 with|the detonation of the first atomic bomb. {43009}{43141}It is not coincidence that our visitors turned|out in droves at this exact same point in time. {43143}{43284}Their increased observation of our planet runs|precisely parallel with our increased destruction of it. {43287}{43375}Carl Sagan, the patron|saint of armchair scientists {43380}{43516}once opined that it was absurd to entertain the idea that beings|from another planet would be such regular visitors to our own {43516}{43687}likening such a scenario to every anthropologist on Earth running to|go see the natives on some remote island develop a new fishing net. {43687}{43865}His apparent prejudice against the worth of native cultures aside, this|argument has always seemed to me to be both stupid and in bad faith {43866}{44024}considering this view is commonly espoused by the same type of|scientist who will also try to instill you with a schmaltzy sense of awe {44026}{44080}about the wondrous|nature of life on Earth. {44081}{44273}Either this planet is a backwater dump unworthy of cosmic study, or it’s|a glowing jewel of beauty unique amongst the vast emptiness of space. {44286}{44338}I wish they’d make|up their minds. {44376}{44417}But we are not alone. {44431}{44568}The question of the origin and purpose of the UFO craft|visiting the Earth has spawned competing hypotheses {44570}{44615}some more valid than others. {44623}{44736}The most popular, and most obvious, is that|they are extraterrestrial vehicles or technology {44737}{44861}operated by intelligences that evolved in another|solar system, possibly even another galaxy. {44862}{45028}After all, they have been tracked on radar entering the atmosphere from|outer space, and have been quietly observed by astronauts in orbit. {45029}{45153}Though it is not the sexiest or most exotic|explanation, it is the one that fits the data {45156}{45313}and is the one subscribed to by myself personally, by the|majority of CEU personnel and by most of the military. {45314}{45416}Those more exotic explanations include|the Interdimensional hypothesis {45417}{45620}which argues that the craft originate from another dimension or plane of reality,|which sounds exciting and dangerous, but is completely untestable scientifically {45622}{45693}and basically tantamount|to saying they are magic. {45696}{45904}Then there is the Cryptoterrestrial hypothesis, in which the UFOs are explained|as technology developed by an even more advanced species endemic to the Earth {45912}{46028}who have somehow never been discovered and have also|left no trace of themselves in the fossil record. {46028}{46157}In a similar vein is another explanation, which every|few years gets trotted out by some new researcher {46159}{46298}who thinks it’s bold and novel and not something that has|occurred to every stoned undergrad in their dorm room at 3am. {46300}{46457}I am of course referring to the idea that UFOs are simply|time travel devices used by humans from the future, {46458}{46577}an idea so silly and far fetched that it was|once even used as the plot of a Godzilla movie. {46578}{46739}Finally, there is a hypothesis that has a depressing but unsurprising|number of adherents at both the Pentagon and in government {46739}{46917}which is the belief that UFOs are demonic in origin and emissaries|of Satan meant to test the faith of our god fearing Christian nation. {46918}{47101}The term “UFO”--unidentified flying object-- as well as the|fashionable, newer term “UAP”- -unidentified aerial phenomena {47104}{47157}are both something|of a misnomer. {47160}{47246}While the craft are often viewed|in the sky, they are not "flying", {47248}{47402}which describes a solid object moving atop the gasses that|make up our atmosphere by some means of physical propulsion. {47403}{47450}UFOs do not do this. {47459}{47651}While they move at often hypersonic speed, they do not create sonic booms, or any|sound at all, which indicates there is no displacement of the air around them. {47652}{47742}They give off no exhaust plume or|indications of conventional propulsion. {47745}{47859}In fact, one of the fastest ways to send|a UFO report into the trash at the CEU {47859}{47997}was to say that it made loud noises, gave off exhaust|or any other indicators of conventional jet propulsion. {47998}{48123}Such cases can almost always be comfortably|written off as hoaxes or misidentifications. {48123}{48243}Not only do the craft not create sonic booms,|they also sidestep the concept of inertia. {48244}{48377}They regularly make hard right angle turns|going at speeds of over 14,000 miles an hour {48379}{48492}so fast that they can lap the entire|circumference of the Earth in less than an hour. {48492}{48641}Theoretically, anything with mass that occupies physical|space should be subject to inertia, gravity, the whole lot {48641}{48814}but UFOs, which occasionally show up on radar and therefore have a|concrete, physical presence in conjunction with their visible appearance {48815}{48934}have apparently never heard of any of these human|concepts of physics, because they disregard all of them. {48934}{49126}Not only do they merrily zip through space completely unimpeded, they|plunge into the depths of the ocean without so much as a splash or a ripple. {49133}{49306}They seem to be both here and not here at the same time,|phasing through space, or simply bending it around them somehow. {49309}{49457}They don’t really move in and of themselves-- what they|actually seem to do is move the immediate universe around them. {49459}{49536}In addition to this, they have|advanced cloaking capabilities. {49537}{49746}UFOs will commonly show up on radar or sonar while being completely invisible to the|naked eye, only becoming so when viewed through infrared or the ultraviolet spectrum. {49748}{49891}Conversely, they will often show up plain as day for|all to see, but remain completely undetectable by radar. {49892}{50125}If they are detected or seen, it seems to be either an intentional display, such as their|frequent appearances above nuclear weapons sites in both the United States and former Soviet Union {50125}{50226}or simply a rare instance of them letting|their guard down and apparently not caring. {50227}{50338}After all, even if they are seen there|is nothing we can really do about it. {50339}{50437}Their favored method of concealment,|however, is also the most simple. {50438}{50493}They are not really|hanging out in our skies. {50494}{50672}Their preferred habitat on Earth is at the bottom of the ocean, where they can|conduct their business with almost no interference or detection by humanity. {50672}{50854}One of the jokes commonly told among CEU staff was the idea that someday|we will finally crack the language of the dolphins and the whales {50857}{50980}whereupon they will tell us that space aliens have|been visiting and communicating with them for aeons {50980}{51080}but did not want to talk to us stupid,|primative landwalkers on shore. {51112}{51181}We know they are here--|but why are they here? {51189}{51234}The CEU still does not know. {51247}{51329}Neither do the various other top|secret research groups, I’d wager, {51332}{51451}many of which are housed and protected at private|corporations so as to be off limits to government auditors. {51452}{51515}And neither do the|civilian investigators. {51515}{51594}Modern ufology is not a|science, it is a subculture {51601}{51696}and it attracts mainly either New Age|post- hippies or paranoid right-wingers {51697}{51836}who add UFOs to their list of fringe hobbies next to|the Illuminati and various antisemitic conspiracies. {51837}{52024}And it is also no coincidence that the Alien abduction craze reached its|zenith in parallel with the Satanic panic of the late 1980s and early 90s {52025}{52229}when quack investigators used the supremely unreliable technique of regressive|hypnosis to make their victims believe that they had been anally probed by space beings {52230}{52313}or forced to participate in|suburban basement blood orgies. {52371}{52587}What I do know is that there are over 9 million species of life on Earth, which means|over 9 million points of potential study for hypothetical scientists from elsewhere. {52595}{52778}That number, however, is rapidly shrinking thanks to just one species on Earth,|which will probably soon include itself among the number of the vanished. {52784}{52937}I often think of the intelligences visiting us as being|akin to our own scientists stationed in Antarctica {52939}{53079}who occasionally cross paths with a disoriented penguin|heading away from shore and into the endless frozen wastes. {53083}{53287}The scientists follow a strict code of non- intervention; and so they must|watch as the poor creature waddles out into the white horizon to die alone {53288}{53392}unable to save it with merely a|simple nudge in the other direction. {53730}{53802}So after reading all of this,|I was given two choices: {53820}{53916}Either join the|Counter-Espionage Unit, the CEU {53922}{54063}or rot in mediocrity for the rest of my life|in complete fear of all the NDAs I just signed. {54121}{54175}Needless to say,|I joined the CEU. {54208}{54400}The CEU was so named because the UFO phenomenon is so elusive that|it's nearly impossible to gather data on them in the first place. {54402}{54495}So we can either do it by chance,|or through purposeful spying. {54495}{54563}However, whenever,|wherever we can. {54565}{54690}The UFO intelligences observe us,|so we do our best to observe them. {54718}{54840}The CEU was formed in 1972|by the Nixon administration. {54846}{54923}Now, Nixon was a|paranoid psychopath {54926}{55166}so it must come of no surprise that he would be spooked by the UFO phenomenon|and want to do anything possible to get as much information as he could. {55177}{55291}Although there were several other|organizations that existed prior to the CEU, {55292}{55417}the CEU was the first one that was actually|beginning from a point of acceptance. {55421}{55648}All of the other organizations from prior administrations began with the idea|that we need to investigate this phenomenon, to see if it actually exists. {55651}{55823}Whereas we said, we know that this exists, we know that|there are alien craft or alien intelligence of some sort. {55827}{55959}And we're going to start from that as our|benchmark, and then investigate from there. {55959}{56079}The woman who ran the CEU during my|tenure was-- we'll call her Rachel. {56100}{56195}She managed to hold on to her|position for more than 20 years. {56196}{56261}She was appointed by|Ronald Reagan in the 80s. {56263}{56378}I occasionally think how quickly|our differences worldwide {56387}{56523}would vanish if we were facing an|alien threat from outside this world. {56540}{56663}And yet, I ask you, is not an|alien force already among us? {56684}{56828}She had wonderful stories about her time|in the CEU when Reagan was in charge. {56849}{56986}He used to come by the office and|demand to see the "dead space aliens". {57017}{57122}At which point she would tell him|there are no dead space aliens... {57124}{57165}That we know of, on earth. {57208}{57278}And he would say "Oh,|okay", and then leave. {57288}{57418}And then he would come back a couple of months|later demanding to see the space aliens again. {57419}{57459}Because he was senile. {57465}{57570}At which point she would again tell|him there are no dead space aliens. {57570}{57680}Until finally he came back and|threw a complete temper tantrum. {57683}{57856}She told him "Okay, give me a week, Ronnie, I'm going to|show you the dead space aliens, but they're top secret." {57901}{57969}She thought that maybe just telling|him that would make him go away {57970}{58104}but then he told her "If I don't see those those dead space|aliens in a week, I'm cutting the funding to the CEU". {58134}{58307}So her top secret location where she was holding the dead|space aliens was actually a Halloween store in Burbank. {58314}{58525}She went and found two foam prop space aliens, covered|them with green slime and stuck them in a freezer {58533}{58640}and then called Ronnie to come in the|middle of the night and take a look at them. {58648}{58761}After he saw them, he was so impressed|he doubled the budget for the CEU. {58784}{58867}In terms of staff at the CEU,|there are several tiers. {58873}{59005}There are approximately 10 to 15 high|level staff who have read the Assessment {59006}{59174}and who are in charge of interpreting|data, either in part or in full. {59179}{59323}And then there are approximately 30 to 50 low|level staff who have not read the Assessment {59324}{59482}but who do mostly field work, and they're in charge|of collecting data or they're mainly functionaries. {59490}{59634}Most of our time was spent either analyzing|data that we stole from other countries {59634}{59701}or that was given to us by , {59724}{59916}a billionaire who was obsessed with UFOs, and who proved|to be a useful idiot for funding and other resources. {59933}{60149}When I was at the CEU, we were understaffed. So Rachel and I included, there|were only seven high level staff who actually got to analyze data as it came in. {60154}{60418}Forming any kind of close relationship with any of my colleagues at the CEU|was forbidden, because of the sensitive nature of what we were studying. {60438}{60582}I did however get buddy-buddy with|a colleague, who we'll call Paul. {60607}{60871}Paul was in his late 50s, early 60s. Balding,|paunchy, glasses. Typical science nerd. {60884}{61052}And Paul and I bonded over the fact that we had both|been essentially laughed out of our respective fields. {61076}{61172}Paul was an astronomer,|and very well respected. {61210}{61308}He had actually no interest in|UFOs until he was at a conference {61323}{61478}a high level conference actually, and he went outside|to have a cigarette during the keynote speech. {61489}{61573}Like most people of this generation,|he was a pretty heavy smoker. {61574}{61639}While Paul was outside|he had a sighting. {61653}{61840}A UFO descended from the clouds and hovered above|the building where he was having a cigarette. {61855}{61963}He ran inside the conference, interrupted the|keynote speech and yelled at the top of his lungs: {61965}{62040}"There is a UFO outside,|everyone come and look!" {62093}{62237}350 astronomers,|and nobody moved. {62250}{62394}He said, "No, I'm, I'm serious!|There's a UFO outside!" {62443}{62568}He said people turned away from him.|Literally turned their backs to him. {62648}{62686}Nobody went outside. {62731}{62817}In that moment, he knew his|career was over. And it was. {62840}{62937}Until Rachel came and scooped him|up, and brought him in to the CEU. {62979}{63099}When I was at the CEU, the main focus|of our work was codenamed "Deep One". {63121}{63349}And this was the investigation of a deep sea base off the coast of Mexico that|appeared to be some sort of waystation for the UFO craft visiting our planet. {63350}{63623}The craft would descend somewhere north of Catalina Island, just off the|coast of Los Angeles, then cruise along the coast to Guadalupe Island {63624}{63659}and then submerge. {63669}{63770}Now what they were doing|underwater, we still don't know. {63794}{63927}We took several trips out to the installation|in order to ascertain what was going on there. {63929}{64060}By the time I left, the only things that|we knew for sure were, one: the coordinates {64062}{64164}the approximate size of the base, which|was about three miles by three miles. {64166}{64276}And three: that it was guarded by some|very sophisticated sonic weaponry. {64277}{64421}Anything that you send down there:|cameras, submersibles, divers... {64445}{64606}doesn't come back,|at least not in one piece. {64647}{64959}The CEU learned this the hard way in the 70s when they attempted to send down|a submersible, piloted by divers, that was capable of reaching the deep sea. {64977}{65153}At a certain point, the crew topside received frantic|messages from the divers that was quickly replaced by static. {65198}{65267}When they tried to reel|them back up, well, {65271}{65415}they found the submersible had|been crushed, like a tin can. {65415}{65475}There were no survivors,|obviously. {65497}{65593}After that, the CEU's work at|the site was mostly indirect. {65594}{65815}No one wanted to be responsible for instigating an interstellar war,|so we were forbidden from on high from trying to make any contact. {65831}{65999}Which was much to Rachel's dismay, because|her sole purpose in life was to make contact. {66127}{66347}We had videos of lights deep down under the sea, which|was a potential glimpse of Deep One from far away. {66481}{66639}We had sonar readings, we had videos of|the craft entering and exiting the sea. {66698}{66746}Always filmed from far away. {67029}{67151}But whatever it was that was going on|down there, we just weren't meant to know. {67261}{67377}We've talked about things that are. Now|let's talk about things that are not. {67380}{67524}Majestic-12? Complete bullshit.|Project Serpo? Forgot it. {67530}{67692}Anything that tells you that there are aliens running|around or having dinner with the President? Complete crap. {67695}{67862}No, there can't be any real government alien conspiracies|because they're too stupid to actually create them. {67869}{68133}It's incredible to me that the general public thinks that the government is|capable of concealing a secret for 50 years over multiple administrations. {68149}{68229}They can't even keep a secret|through one administration. {68231}{68446}And if one government can't keep it together to keep it a secret, how in the|hell could the entire world's governments keep it together to keep it a secret {68448}{68493}over the course of 50 years? {68507}{68555}There is no conspiracy. {68581}{68724}Headline news, July 8 1947. {68733}{68865}The Army Air Force has announced that a flying disc has|been found and is now in the possession of the Army. {68867}{69005}Army officers say the missile, found sometime last|week, has been inspected at Roswell, New Mexico {69006}{69081}and sent to Wright Field,|Ohio for further inspection. {69082}{69180}No, a flying saucer did not|crash at Roswell in 1947. {69190}{69311}It was exactly what they said it was when|they revealed the documents in the 1990s. {69312}{69456}It was a balloon, an espionage balloon|that was part of Project Mogul. {69481}{69697}Now, for some reason the first story that was created was|that it was a UFO because UFOs were popular at the time. {69704}{69769}And it was an idiotic story, {69769}{69892}and they realized very quickly that it just made|people more curious about what they were in fact doing. {69926}{70042}So they wheeled back on that story and they|told a new story, that it was a weather balloon {70044}{70118}which was closer to the truth|but not actually the truth. {70128}{70382}And then continued to just create stories about crash test dummies|and other other stories that would convolute the actual truth, {70384}{70554}which of course, when it came out in the 90s wasn't believed by that|point because they'd been lying for so long and creating false information {70556}{70647}that why should you believe them|when they actually do tell the truth? {70660}{70806}This has been a constant pattern with the military|and their relationship with UFOs since day one. {70806}{70991}We operate from a designated base in the United|States. It's in the state of Nevada in an area called {71000}{71040}Area 51 or "Dreamland". {71041}{71257}The extraterrestrials have complete control|of this base, which is located in Nevada. {71263}{71334}No, there are no|aliens at Area 51. {71335}{71668}The reason we think there are aliens at Area 51 is because the government has hired disinformation|agents in order to propagate interesting tales about aliens and UFOs operating from that site. {71680}{71856}The reason they've done that is because it is a site of|testing of defense weapons, dumping of illegal chemicals... {71869}{72133}All sorts of games that the government plays that wastes|money, and they would rather not have people witnessing. {72134}{72249}The mythmaking was started when the|government hired these disinformation agents. {72251}{72388}Gave them basically, you know, free rein to create|whatever types of stories they wanted to create. {72389}{72518}It doesn't seem like they had a lot of oversight in terms|of what was coming out of the mouths of these people. {72528}{72751}It began with Richard Doty. In 1988, he made an|appearance on a show called "UFO Cover Up? Live!" {72837}{72945}He appeared as a secret government|informant under the codename Falcon. {73314}{73510}He revealed such top secret information as|aliens have big black eyes, and gray skin... {73710}{73768}...and like to eat|strawberry ice cream. {74042}{74179}From there, he created all sorts of|incredible science fiction stories. {74181}{74423}As a matter of fact, I think he would rival L. Ron Hubbard for the|sheer volume of sci- fi that he's created over the course of his career. {74439}{74562}MJ-12 was a group of people|within the government. {74570}{74676}MJ-12 was created by President|Truman in the early 50s. {74688}{74825}So after Richard Doty came Bob|Lazar. Very quickly after, actually. {75041}{75075}Hi, I'm Bob Lazar. {75079}{75271}During late 1988 and early 89, I worked on the propulsion systems|of extraterrestrial vehicles for the United States government. {75331}{75379}Bob Lazar is a complete fraud. {75413}{75480}Nothing he says should|be taken seriously. {75485}{75572}Now, the CEU is a|government agency. {75574}{75814}We're a small unit buried under layers of bureaucracy, that of course|no one within the government even knows exists for the most part {75821}{75868}and definitely didn't|know what we were doing. {75869}{76143}So when you think about people like Richard Doty being financed by completely|other arms of the government that are not focused on science at all {76151}{76274}but are focused on the military and|covering up whatever the military is up to, {76282}{76449}"aliens" is just a convenient side story that they can|use in order to distract from what's really going on. {76452}{76589}Now unfortunately, when you're funded by the|military you have a lot more at your disposal {76601}{76707}as opposed to our funding which|was trickling down on a good day. {76723}{76807}The CEU actually has one|UFO in its possession. {76814}{77051}It was found in the 60s. It is about the size of a|camper van and shaped vaguely like a popcorn kernel. {77086}{77214}Despite all the rumors about Area 51, nothing|has ever been reverse engineered from this. {77224}{77373}It is extremely old. We know that from carbon|dating of the stones that it was found embedded in. {77395}{77456}It's made of a|beautiful silver alloy. {77472}{77544}The fuselage is impenetrable. {77626}{77708}Because it's impenetrable, we've|never been able to get in in any way. {77731}{77851}It's just sitting in a top secret|hangar in storage, gathering dust. {78299}{78369}We never studied alien|abductions at the CEU {78412}{78523}mostly because there was no scientific|evidence to support that they actually exist. {78534}{78703}Now the main reason for this is that every single explanation|of an alien abduction always begins with the same story, {78703}{78871}and that story is exactly in alignment with|stories that come with sleep paralysis. {78936}{79062}The second reason is that the narrative|of alien abductions has changed over time. {79101}{79302}If in fact the same thing was happening to|everyone, we would see very, very similar {79314}{79388}specifications in|terms of the story. {79388}{79553}I'm not talking about, you know, I was probed and my eggs|were stolen, and they made me ejaculate and stole my sperm. {79565}{79674}I'm talking about the narrative|surrounding what the beings look like. {79692}{79884}So even the typical greys that have permeated pop culture, every|person who describes them has a slightly different interpretation. {79884}{80036}The eyes are positioned differently, they're bigger or|smaller, and then that has even changed over time as well. {80049}{80198}They've wrapped around the head, or there's a nose or there's|no nose, or there's ears or no ears, and the skin is different. {80199}{80295}The height is different. The|noises they make are different. {80326}{80535}I just don't give much credence to reports of aliens because the odds|of something like that adapting on another planet that looks humanoid {80535}{80571}are extremely rare. {80572}{80697}The other thing is, how are they running|around with the ability to breathe our air? {80699}{80844}If they did evolve on another planet, chances are,|you know, they would need some sort of spacesuit {80845}{80965}or clothing at the very least in order|to be able to deal with our atmosphere. {80969}{81197}Now people who report alien abduction|stories shouldn't be mocked or made fun of. {81216}{81274}Sleep paralysis|feels very real. {81299}{81484}As you know, anything that happens between the waking and asleep|state, it's very difficult to discern what is real and what isn't. {81484}{81700}And for many people, these alien abduction stories|become part of a recurring, waking nightmare. {81722}{81792}And I have a lot of|empathy for those people. {81793}{82039}But it just seems as though the popular culture narrative has|permeated these sleep paralysis experiences, nothing more. {82073}{82197}I had a coworker at the CEU.|We'll call him Joe. {82205}{82254}He was an excellent|researcher. {82279}{82320}Seemed like a decent guy. {82385}{82468}One day, he just completely|disappeared from his desk. {82528}{82574}I asked Rachel what happened. {82632}{82738}She didn't want to tell me at first,|but eventually she revealed that {82770}{82914}Joe believed he had made|direct contact with the aliens. {82974}{83187}He'd been camping and a grey alien with black eyes had|come into the tent and brought him aboard the spaceship. {83214}{83340}It's a very typical sleep paralysis story.|And frankly, I was kind of disappointed {83360}{83384}in Joe. {83484}{83628}I mean, regardless of what happened, because|who am I to say at this point, really {83690}{83764}that story compromised|the security of our unit. {83848}{83928}It undermined the integrity|of what we were trying to do. {83944}{84063}We're never going to be taken seriously|with gray beings with big black eyes. {84146}{84177}So he had to go. {84277}{84444}I have very mixed feelings|about Rachel in retrospect. {84466}{84610}She sought me out to work|there, and she was very kind {84651}{84777}and gave me a lot more leeway than I probably should|have been allowed in that type of organization. {84779}{84882}She had built something truly|extraordinary, but then had leveled off. {84882}{85026}In a way, it felt like at a point that|she was just humoring me professionally. {85050}{85155}And the whole system, the way it's|set up, really is quite ridiculous. {85156}{85249}You know, to have a scientific|organization reporting to a government. {85250}{85346}It's like toddlers|running a daycare center. {85421}{85505}There were moments in,|you know... {85506}{85575}We spent a lot of time|working together and {85586}{85682}Rachel, I think was attracted|to me from the beginning. {85757}{85901}And when I started to realize|that, a bitterness grew inside me. {85919}{86205}Just for all the years of feeling like I was being promoted or paid|attention to because of my looks and not because of my ability. {86216}{86418}It's hard to articulate what|the reason was for my departure. {86482}{86522}But I just had had enough. {87204}{87352}In 2009, Rachel received communication|from the Coast Guard off the Bering Strait. {87386}{87554}There had been several counts of|first, contact on sonar and on radar, {87594}{87711}and then sightings of a large,|boxcar shaped object. {87740}{87886}We immediately charted a flight and|went to Alaska. Myself, Rachel and Paul. {87937}{88110}We arrived in Alaska and boarded a ship with a|skeleton crew, and went out into the Bering Sea. {88110}{88210}Into the spot where all of the|the observations had taken place. {88237}{88315}On the first day,|about 2:30 in the afternoon, {88387}{88677}we saw a large, boxcar shaped|craft emerge from the sea. {88734}{89098}It was two rectangular objects tethered in the|center that ascended from the sea to the sky. {89125}{89181}Almost like an|amusement park ride. {89451}{89643}It almost looked like some sort of conveyor belt, in a way, that|wasn't attached to anything by the way that it moved on top of itself {89645}{89674}as it ascended. {89680}{89766}We estimate that they were|about 200 feet in length. {89780}{89945}The vessel moved from the sea to the sky|without displacing any water, any air... {89945}{90094}...and took about a minute to travel from the sea to the|clouds, to the point where we couldn't see them anymore. {90107}{90265}According to the Coast Guard, this was the same spot that it was occurring|in over and over again, so we were pretty sure we were going to see more. {90267}{90373}Although on the way out there, I didn't actually|think that we were going to witness anything. {90413}{90600}Because what typically happens is that there's a sighting in a spot, and even|multiple sightings. And then once people start to show up in anticipation {90601}{90660}it's almost like they know|and they don't come back. {90666}{90800}So I was really floored|that we saw anything at all. {90839}{90928}On the second day, there was|very poor visibility. Storms. {90976}{91016}We didn't see anything. {91125}{91187}The third day, in the morning, {91219}{91315}we saw another craft, and|then again in the afternoon. {91345}{91522}At this point, Rachel hypothesized that|they were transport vehicles of some sort. {91541}{91654}That they were mining something in the|ocean and taking it up into the sky. {91675}{91723}Paul was disturbed. {91762}{91870}You know, it's one thing to study|but it's another thing to experience. {91922}{91973}The next night,|we were sleeping {92013}{92153}and one of the Coast Guard staff came down and woke|us up, and told us to get to the deck immediately. {92155}{92229}And we did,|and what we saw was... {92251}{92395}a green glow coming from|beneath the surface of the sea {92416}{92500}with a very distinctive,|spherical shape. {92516}{92617}We tracked it on sonar. It was in|fact a solid object, and it moved {92652}{92777}from where it was to|directly underneath our ship. {92975}{93080}Now the craft was about three|times the size of our ship. {93140}{93199}And our ship was|nearly 80 feet long. {93219}{93291}Nothing about the movement|of our ship changed. {93355}{93446}I didn't feel any vibrations.|Nothing. {93658}{93699}But I did feel afraid. {93759}{93984}If it were to ascend, it would have|toppled our ship in an instant. {94019}{94091}Then all of a|sudden it was gone. {94123}{94217}It was no longer on the sonar,|and the light had disappeared. {94367}{94612}The next day, Paul and I had a long discussion about the|very strong feeling that we both had that we should leave. {94671}{94731}But Rachel was|hearing none of it {94785}{94854}and became obsessed|with making contact. {94937}{95120}That night, she started by shining a very, very|bright spotlight onto the surface of the sea. {95148}{95354}And she decided to use Morse code, because she figured that since they've been|able to disrupt our technology that they would be able to decipher Morse code. {95373}{95548}That night, she started to fire Morse code with|a giant spotlight onto the surface of the sea. {95588}{95684}"We want to make contact",|over and over again, for hours. {95776}{95800}Nothing. {95853}{96001}The next day, she decided to emit audio signals|through the water through a very high powered speaker. {96003}{96182}She continuously, for hours, said: "We want to make contact,|we are representatives of the United States government." {96293}{96317}Nothing. {96360}{96458}Until Rachel decided|to shoot a laser {96550}{96598}at the transportation vehicle. {96692}{96931}But this time instead of, I don't know, her long|ass Morse code message, she just shot "contact". {96948}{97020}C-O-N-T-A-C-T. {97027}{97104}For the entire time from|emergence to ascendance. {97201}{97225}No response. {97307}{97371}Until the craft|ascended into the clouds {97405}{97504}and then every system|on our ship shut down. {97598}{97797}The engines turned off. All of the communication devices,|our cell phones, our camera equipment, everything dead. {97810}{97934}For 20 minutes, the crew was running around|trying to get everything back online. {97941}{97993}Paul was completely frantic. {98044}{98068}Then... {98126}{98166}along the horizon line... {98246}{98428}I saw a massive object start|to ascend out of the water. {98435}{98559}It looked like a landmass|was rising out of the sea. {98733}{98908}As it ascended out of the water,|bone dry, not a drop coming off of it {98938}{99075}it was easily the largest thing I've ever seen,|and I've never seen anything that size moving. {99099}{99178}As it cleared the water it|started to move toward us {99494}{99579}and positioned itself right|over top of our vessel. {99645}{99697}Completely blocking|out the sun. {99906}{100038}It was so close we could have thrown|a rock off the bow and hit it. {100076}{100101}Paul fainted. {100193}{100231}I felt like, just... {100246}{100291}incapable of moving. {100350}{100374}And then... {100430}{100505}a noise started to come|out of Paul's throat. {100619}{100758}It was like nothing|I'd ever heard before. {100823}{100863}It did not sound human. {100922}{100994}And the noise became words. {101118}{101142}And it said, {101162}{101186}"No contact". {101255}{101280}"No contact". {101286}{101311}"No contact". {101345}{101369}"No contact". {101396}{101420}Four times. {101592}{101632}And then it was gone. {101655}{101684}It disappeared. {101726}{101894}It was like it went from night to day, because|when it disappeared the sun blinded us. {102024}{102070}Paul came to... {102106}{102154}and was just out of his mind. {102177}{102358}He needed medical attention, so we rested back at the Coast|Guard facilities for a couple of days and then returned home. {102489}{102668}When we got back to the office, I filled out|my reports, my observations, and the whole time {102698}{102909}I kept thinking about how momentous this experience was, and|how important it was to share this information with the world. {102948}{103068}Rachel didn't want|to talk about it. {103146}{103226}Eventually, I just felt|like I had to say something. {103226}{103255}I cornered her. {103343}{103455}And I asked her if this was the|first recorded incident of contact? {103528}{103561}And she said yes. {103721}{103777}She said yes but|it meant nothing. {103824}{103929}She felt that if they didn't want to make|contact with us, then what was the point? {103931}{104075}She felt like all of the work that she|had done at the CEU was for nothing. {104122}{104146}So myopic. {104182}{104446}Like, if this was the first known contact, recorded contact, then this is|the most significant thing to happen to mankind in all of recorded history. {104489}{104537}And the public needs to know. {104559}{104645}And she said, "No". {104802}{104915}And I said, "I don't think that you get|to be the one to make that decision." {104943}{105015}She said, "Yes, I am." {105046}{105221}So I went back to my desk, and I memorized|as many of the data points as I could. {105253}{105305}And I left. {105476}{105534}I knew I was never|going to be back. {105636}{105827}As soon as I got home, I wrote down everything that I could remember from that|incident and every incident that had taken place over the course of my time there. {105866}{105914}And I started writing my book. {105936}{106133}I wrote for three days straight, completely lost track of time,|but I didn't want it to get away. I didn't want to forget anything. {106194}{106290}And after three days is when|Rachel showed up at my apartment. {106372}{106506}She found my address through the personnel files.|The same way she had hunted me down and recruited me. {106525}{106620}When she came, she told me she|knew what I was planning to do. {106626}{106679}That I was planning|to go public. {106707}{106760}I don't know how she knew,|but... {106846}{106966}She tried to reason with me, to tell me|that she was once like me. Idealistic. {106989}{107034}Wanting to change the world. {107112}{107211}There was a very slight chance that|I would ever be able to pull it off. {107236}{107300}Something about having|her in my home... {107409}{107481}I felt violated. {107483}{107542}And it colored all of|my memories of her. {107592}{107713}All the times she brushed my hand|accidentally or stood a little bit too close. {107714}{107798}She told me she cared.|And I just freaked {107872}{107907}Called her a dyke. {107927}{107973}Slammed the door in her face. {108100}{108127}That was mean. {108183}{108209}I regret that. {108373}{108464}Well, what are they really?|I mean, we don't even know. {108465}{108518}We sort of know|what they're not. {108562}{108664}It's not human technology. It|definitely doesn't belong to us. {108677}{108840}And if it belonged to Russia, or|China or North Korea, we would know. {108850}{108980}But if they are aliens from outer space|hanging out in our oceans to avoid detection, {109006}{109107}whatever they're doing, they|certainly don't give a shit about us. {109165}{109532}I mean, they've been visiting for probably millennia, and only started|making themselves seen or interacting with us in any way in World War Two. {109586}{109672}They didn't intervene during|the Holocaust or Hiroshima. {109707}{109829}Which leads me to believe that they|probably only give a shit about the planet. {109861}{110042}As a matter of fact, it's been said many times that we should|count ourselves as lucky that they're not talking to us. {110056}{110471}Because even according to our own history, when someone more technologically advanced invades a primitive|culture, no matter what their intentions, the primitive culture does not come out on the other side better. {110485}{110640}They come out with diabetes, or|smallpox, or dead or enslaved. {110702}{110891}If they are aliens, their technology demonstrates|such immense power and sophistication {110892}{110989}that if they wanted to make contact with|us, they would have done it aeons ago. {111055}{111095}But we'll never know. {111124}{111239}Because the subject is a|heretical taboo to academia. {111351}{111555}We will never have the financial resources in order to|properly study them, even if it is just counterespionage. {111605}{111773}Because the government, administration after|administration, has turned it into a joke. {111786}{111848}I mean, it's turned|itself into a joke. {111963}{112019}I think it's a tragedy,|personally. {112115}{112151}What have I gained? {112196}{112288}A slightly more comprehensive|understanding of the universe. {112364}{112572}It may seem insignificant, but I think|what I've lost has impacted me more. {112706}{112783}I lost my career. Twice. {112885}{112933}I lost respect. {113006}{113080}And I lost the|love of my life. {113122}{113218}I heard that Scott married a|hyperaccredited AI researcher. {113266}{113530}Apparently, studying artificial intelligence is more|respectable than studying extraterrestrial intelligence. {113712}{113832}My life isn't exactly how|I thought it would be. {113886}{113973}I wrote a book called|"The Gulf of Silence" in 2012 {114076}{114268}which contained most of the information from the Assessment|and new information that I learned while working with the CEU. {114374}{114450}The title actually came|from something Rachel said. {114487}{114736}She said the philosophy behind the CEU was to try and bridge|the gulf of silence between us and whatever's out there. {114803}{114843}I thought it was poetic. {114932}{115023}Turns out books don't actually|sell themselves, so... {115065}{115146}I tour UFO conventions. {115178}{115260}Answering questions,|sometimes speaking. {115273}{115381}Mostly just signing books. {115426}{115690}You know, it's incredible. My book is every ounce|of truth that exists as we know it concerning UFOs. {115712}{115903}And I'm seated next to a guy who's written a book that he|perceives to be every ounce of truth about the frog people. {115931}{116021}If I think about it too much,|it feels humiliating. {116069}{116285}I suppose that's one of the reasons why I wrote my book.|To like, drop a pebble into the ocean of disinformation. {116291}{116444}So hopefully, at some point, someone will be|able to pick up the gauntlet and run with it. {116503}{116580}It's not going to be in my|generation, that's for sure. {116603}{116701}I actually saw Rachel at the last|convention I was at in Nevada. {116739}{116834}I guess she knew I was speaking|and I saw her in the audience. {116877}{116966}And then she came up to my|table afterward with a book and {116997}{117035}asked me to sign it. {117250}{117292}I was grateful to see her. {117542}{117640}I signed the book and just|said thank you for the title. {117756}{117849}I imagine that's probably the|last time we'll see each other. {117923}{117974}She just smiled|and walked away. {118409}{118484}I don't think I'll see|anyone from the CEU again. {118602}{118642}Unless Joe writes a book. 61723