Welp, Dr Edgar Mitchell, sixth man to walk on the Moon, has set tongues a’wagging all over the world with his revelations in a radio interview that Earth has been visited by aliens, and that the government has covered it up (not to mention, “I think we’re heading for real disclosure”). Rick and RPJ covered it over the past couple of days, when it was an ‘underground’ thing, but now it’s hit mainstream – check the frenzied press coverage via Google News.
For those who want to hear it for themselves, check out this UFO Blogger post, which has the relevant excerpt, as well as NASA’s response (“Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinion on this issue.”).
It should be an interesting story to follow. But let’s clarify things. Dr Mitchell has been saying this for a long time. In fact, a similar story to this one broke ten years ago, when he made the same claims in another interview:
I am an American astronaut and a trained scientist. Because of my position people in high places confide in me. And, as a result, I have no doubt that aliens HAVE visited this planet.
…As a former astronaut, the military people who have access to these files are more willing to talk to me than to people they regard as mere cranks. The stories I have heard from these people, who are more highly qualified than me to talk about UFOs, leave me in no doubt that aliens have already visited Earth.
…So when I learned that aliens really do exist, I wasn’t too surprised. But what did shock me when I started investigating extra-terrestrial reports a decade ago is the extent to which the proof has been hushed up.
…Make no mistake, Roswell happened. I’ve seen secret files which show the government knew about it – but decided not to tell the public.
Also, here’s a video interview from this year’s X-Conference in which he says much the same again. This story is old news, just with a fresh helping of hype. It makes for good copy though, that’s for sure.
Skeptics will no doubt point out that Dr Mitchell has been involved in plenty of other ‘fringe’ science subjects, from remote viewing to alternative healing. We actually profiled Dr Mitchell, and the organisation he founded – the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) – in Sub Rosa Issue 5 (free PDF download), so if you’re looking for a good summary of the research he’s been involved with, that’s a good place to start.
Finally, for a little perspective, here’s what Dr Mitchell wrote about UFOs (with a little SETI conspiracy thrown in for good measure) in his autobiography The Way of the Explorer (Amazon US and UK), originally published in 1996:
Claims and denials have continued unabated for decades. At the time of this book, however, there has yet been no hard, undeniable, physical evidence available in the public domain to substantiate such claims. But the circumstantial evidence has continued to mount as unusual sightings and bizarre events are reported and investigated by credentialed professionals. A significant number of persons, many quite elderly, formerly in military intelligence and government service, have privately dropped intriguing pieces of their stories on the ears of serious investigators, in hopes of getting the true story revealed, and in hopes of achieving amnesty from tough, punitive secrecy oaths they were forced to sign. In addition, certain documents from the presidencies of Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower have surfaced that add to the controversy about ET visitation and government cover-up. In this intriguing environment of claims, counterclaims, and denial, one might easily conjecture that even SETI, although it enjoys a certain scientific respectability today not in evidence when originally funded, was initially advanced as a smokescreen and diversion from the real activities taking place behind the scenes. Garnering funds and political support for an advanced science project is nearly impossible without strong concurrence in the scientific community, and there was no strong scientific support in the 1960s.
As always, we’ll keep an eye on where this one heads.
