MYSTERY WIRE — It could be considered another watershed moment in reporting about UFOs. Sunday night CBS News and 60 Minutes dedicated almost 14 minutes to the topic, the first time it has covered the phenomena.
In the report Bill Whitaker spoke with several people Mystery Wire has spoken with in the past.
The man at the center of the report was Lue Elizondo. He spent 20 years working with military intelligence around the world. But in 2008 he joined AATIP (Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program) and ran the program from 2010 until he left the Pentagon in 2017.
Mystery Wire’s George Knapp spoke with Elizondo about his appearance on 60 Minutes and his newfound, but not necessarily welcomed, fame.
George Knapp
Lue Elizondo, always great to talk to you. Thanks for taking some time out to talk to us today.
Lue Elizondo
Sir, always my privilege and honor. Thank you for having me.
George Knapp
60 Minutes. I mean, news platforms don’t get much bigger than that. Were you a bit nervous going into this?
Lue Elizondo
Oh, my goodness, you know, I’m always nervous going into any type of media outlet whether it’s a small podcast with just one follower or something like this. There’s a lot of eyes and ears right now, specifically paying attention to this topic. And so clearly, a major media outlet like 60 Minutes is fairly significant. A lot of eyeballs are going to be watching it.
George Knapp
So much media coverage these days, amazing what’s unfolded a lot of it due to your work, Chris Mellon, and I never thought I would live to see it. But all this so much media coverage that a lot of people don’t pay attention to not everyone reads the New York Times or reads the New Yorker or Washington Post. But people watch TV and they watch 60 Minutes. So this seems to be like a threshold, a new threshold.
Lue Elizondo
Well, George, you said something and you said thanks to Chris and I and in reality, you know, we had something to do with it. But a lot of the credit really goes to two people that are still working behind the scenes, people such as yourself, a lot of folks on social media. I also think it’s important that we don’t forget the fact that this, I inherited part of this program, but this program was started by people before me and really the lion’s share of the credit really belongs to those folks who had the guts to start this effort. Folks like Senator Harry Reid and Bigelow Aerospace and my predecessor, they really were the cornerstones that began this effort.
George Knapp
Does 60 minutes coverage? Again, the New York Times piece that was last week, does this represent a point where we have reached a stage in the discussion of the UFO UAP where you can’t put the genie back in the bottle?
Lue Elizondo
Well, I think we’re witnessing that right now. George, I think there are still some small pockets, some small elements within the Pentagon, that are really resisting this. But I think the if the last, let’s say 30 days, the last month has been any type of Litmus. There’s a lot of people now in the US government that are paying attention and want the truth to come out. We just had the establishment of a new inspector general survey that’s being done. That’s going to basically assess the Pentagon’s response to this topic over the last three years. And that’s significant. That means there’s a lot of people now watching the Pentagon very closely. And you know, I’m happy to report that for the most part, I think the Pentagon is taking this seriously, it is doing a very good job. There are people in very senior positions within the Department of Defense in the intelligence community that believe this may be a national security issue. And when I say national security issue, I don’t necessarily mean a national security threat. What I mean is we don’t know yet if it’s a threat. And I think with the coming of this 180 day report that’s due to Congress, whether it’s delayed or not. There hopefully will be some additional information in there to help us determine if it is indeed a threat. And if it’s not a threat, then maybe, maybe we need to open up the aperture a little bit and have a more whole of government approach to this. Rather than just being a defense or an intelligence effort. Maybe we need to include folks like the FAA and Department of Energy and NOAA and academia and the scientific community.George Knapp
First time we’ve seen the female aviator, you know, her identity revealed. You’ve been familiar with her, what she did, and the other aviators as well, for a long time, right?Lue Elizondo
George this is a really big deal.
I had some of those individuals with me at the Pentagon, coming in to brief very senior members of the Department of Defense. And you know, these folks represent some of America’s finest. They’re true patriots, they’ve been to war, they’ve been to combat, and they’re continuing to serve their country and they do so honorably. So for me it really takes a lot of courage for them to step out of the shadows, and have this conversation. They obviously have a lot to lose by doing so. But at the same time, I think we have a lot to gain because by these pilots coming forward like this, my hope is that other pilots will then feel enjoying that they too can step out of the shadows, and have this conversation within their chain of command. And maybe we can get to the bottom of this incredible enigma.
George Knapp
And you know, Dave Fravor, of course, friend of yours, guy I know almost as well. He’s kind of the tip of the spear, he came forward talking about Tic Tac, and he was really worried he was worried about the impact that would have on his life. But you know what, his life hasn’t crumbled. He gets irritated with some of the social media stuff and some of the other media coverage. But he’s okay after coming forward on this. It does send a message, doesn’t it?
Lue Elizondo
Well, it does. And you know, who sends the biggest message? Honestly, George, in my opinion, was Senator Reid. Here’s a former majority leader in our Senate, one of the most senior ranking individuals in our entire government. And he came out and had the courage to have this conversation with the American people. And that takes a lot, obviously. And of course, he was joined by my three other senators, Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye, and at the time, then astronaut John Glenn. And then we find out later that other senators may have supported this as well. So I think we are seeing a change, we’re seeing a shift in the way people perceive this. This topic whereas three years ago, it was fraught full of stigma and taboo. And I think people are realizing that really, this is just a scientific question.
