UFO story gets Congressional attention

The drama surrounding Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) reached a new level this week. Specifically, the Senate Intelligence Committee now has before it a bill that addresses the UFO phenomenon directly. At issue: whether, as some have alleged, agencies of the U.S. government have been recovering, disassembling, and “reverse engineering” the wreckage of extraterrestrial (E.T.) scout, diplomatic – or war craft. The possibility that these agencies have acted beyond what the law allows, without notice to Congress, has made them irate.

Latest on the UFO story

Again, the expression UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object. The government has begun to use an alternative expression: UAP for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon. That might cover mere apparitions, not necessarily physical objects.

These expressions once stood for something that might be a stray Soviet or Chinese ICBM (or balloon). Now they stand strictly for any object in the sky that even professionals, civilian and military, cannot identify. The general percept is that these objects are the products of extraterrestrial civilizations. They could therefore be scout, spy, or even ambassadorial craft – or war craft.

Earlier this month, a retired Air Force officer named David Grusch caused a sensation with an incredible story. He alleges that the Air Force has in fact been recovering nearly intact wrecks of flying objects that have crashed. These, he says, are spacecraft, some of which had crew – and the Air Force has their remains.

Tucker Carlson made these shocking allegations the subject of his first Twitter show. Beyond that,l the outlet News Nation interviewed Mr. Grusch to ask him about it.

Jordan “The Angry Astronaut” Wright picked up on the story and pronounced it, if not credible, at least worth investigating.

Wright returned to the theme a few days later, speculating on motives for an interstellar expedition:

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said this:

In other words: showtime!

More UFO whistleblowers

Now Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) shared with News Nation that other witnesses – who prefer to stay anonymous – have come forward. These witnesses – some with “high clearances” – essentially corroborate Grusch’s story. At least some witnesses express fear for their jobs – either because most will think them crazy, or their superior will say they are crazy.

On Friday, News Hour First carried an even more electrifying report. Witnesses speak of “metallic orbs,” flying so thick that pilots are afraid they might someday collide with one. Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, Director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), briefed NASA on these stories recently.

These objects appear as dark-colored cubes inside transparent spheres. This could represent rectilinear craft generating magnetic force fields for protection.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has accused unnamed U.S. government officials of “downplaying” such reports, or keeping them from the public.

Now Congress seems to be livid – as one can well predict. If the stories are correct, some person or persons unknown, have engaged in illegal activity. They’ve used, without Congressional authorization, substantial sums from one or more appropriations in successive National Defense Authorization Acts, to carry out a research program, the nature and results of which they’ve kept secret from Members of Congress and other responsible officials. According to The Hill, the Senate Intelligence Committee has unanimously voted to cut off funding for any such secret program(s). Moreover, they added this language to the National Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024:

Any person currently or formerly under contract with the Federal Government that has in their possession material or information provided by or derived from the Federal Government relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena that formerly or currently is protected by any form of special access or restricted access shall—

(1) not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, notify the Director of such possession; and

(2) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, make available to the Director for assessment, analysis, and inspection—

(A) all such material and information; and

(B) a comprehensive list of all non-earth origin or exotic unidentified anomalous phenomena material.

Who are the responsible officials?

The Director who bears mention in the Act is the Director of AARO. The Act also defines the appropriate committees as the Committees on Intelligence, the Armed Services, and Appropriations in both Houses. Congress seems to think that whoever was running these secret programs kept Congress and the AARO Director in the dark. Now they propose to demand every artifact, shard, subassembly, or other piece of wreckage, and every record of same. The AARO Director is himself under a deadline to notify “Congressional leadership” and the “appropriate committees” of any such material as he receives, within thirty days of receiving it.

Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), who introduced the bill, and the Committee gave very specific instructions as to what sort of programs they would forbid, without appropriate notification. The bill also lists extensive protections for anyone who comes to Congress directly to report such activities.

Jordan Wright summarized – and speculated on – the latest Senate committee action at the beginning of this video.

He, and Marik von Rennenkampf, writing in The Hill, seem to agree: some law-enforcement agency, perhaps the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General, is now running a “broad, and possibly criminal, investigation” of whatever the government is doing with or about the UFO phenomenon.

Of particular note is this “sense of Congress” subsection that precedes the notification requirement:

It is the sense of Congress that, due to the increasing potential for technology surprise from foreign adversaries and to ensure sufficient integration across the United States industrial base and avoid technology and security stovepipes—

(1) the United States industrial base must retain its global lead in critical advanced technologies; and

(2) the Federal Government must expand awareness about any historical exotic technology antecedents previously provided by the Federal Government for research and development purposes.

What is a stovepipe?

That word stovepipe has become a common metaphor lately. It refers to different offices and projects getting different funding – and seldom or never communicating with one another. In using that word, the Senators seem to believe that reserving exotic technology to a select few, harms society. Better to foster more rapid technological development than to try to keep that kind of information secret forever.

Are these UFO wrecks real, and if so, how to handle them?

So what have these agencies got? If nothing else, this new language in the Intelligence Authorization Act should let Congress find out. And they want to find out – both Parties. Or so they would have the public believe.

True, all this could be a vast dog-and-pony show for the benefit of a gullible public breathlessly desiring a God-substitute. But if it is not – if government agents have recovered physical craft (and even dead crew members!) – what next?

In such a case, these craft are wrecks, and they and everything in them constitute salvage. Both these concepts are matters of admiralty and maritime law. References are available on American and Canadian law regarding salvage and wreck. In addition, Wikipedia offers a reasonably good summary of the law of salvage. (Admiralty and maritime law, once two different areas, are now the same area, as the courts of each expanded their jurisdictions into areas the other courts covered. See this reference from an admiralty and maritime practice.)

In the United States today, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in admiralty and maritime law. Technically, the builders of these wrecked craft, whatever they are, would have rights. But thus far, none have identified themselves. Moreover, what rights they would have, only a treaty could guarantee. And until they identify themselves, the President cannot treat with them.

Nevertheless, certain rules of salvage and wreck still apply, though their final application is necessarily unusual.

Finders are not keepers!

Contrary to popular belief, finders are not keepers! If something washes up on a beach, and you find it, you may not keep it. You must turn it in – but you are entitled to some reward for finding it and bringing it back. (And if you prevented pollution of the environment, you rate a special reward for that.)

In the Commonwealth of Nations, or other countries having a British maritime heritage, a Receiver of Wrecks exists. Disposal of unclaimed wrecks is his responsibility – and as such he has authority over all wrecks within his country’s territorial waters. International law is less clear concerning wrecks in international waters. In U.S. territorial waters, coastal States have their own receivers of wrecks, and have jurisdiction over all wrecks off their respective coastlines, within the territorial limit.

One might infer from this that any UFO wreck belongs to the State in which it fell. But these ET wrecks are not commercial wrecks at all, but military. As such they belong to the federal government. So if any technological exploitation is to happen it all, then it must happen with the government’s permission and under its guidance.

The Intelligence Authorization Act, or its current draft, would make the AARO Director the American receiver of UFO wrecks. He would have sole authority to award technology development contracts and licenses, subject to dispute resolution by the Supreme Court. So his appointment would be one of the most consequential appointments any President could make.

Conclusion

Again, none of this is to say that the UFO phenomenon has any objective reality. But if it is real, we know how to handle it – and not the way we’ve been handling it. And real or not, ordering anyone having possession of what anyone might think are ET artifacts to turn them in, is a good step. If this phenomenon is not real, we’ll find out. And if it is, then we can start handling it according to principles of admiralty and maritime law we’ve already worked out.

Of course, once the ET expeditionary force (if it exists) does send a recognizable signal, all bets are off.