Investigative adventures in Brazil

Introduction

With an area of 8.52 million square kilometers, and a population of 215 million, the country of Brazil has a rich history of UAP and this is reflected in the number of both Brazilian and non-Brazilian organizations and individuals who have taken time to explore this history. There are dozens of local Brazilian UAP research groups who have contributed volumes of case studies over the years. However, in this article I wish to examine the American interest in the Brazilian phenomena, book marked by two individual Brazilian researchers. These are early investigator Dr. Fontes, and the current Rony Vernet. 

Dr. Olavo T. Fontes 

One of the earliest local Brazilian researchers was Dr. Olavo T. Fontes, who was the Brazilian representative for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) between 1957 and his death in 1968. According to the May-June 1968 issue of the "APRO Bulletin" Dr. Fontes was a medical doctor specializing in gastroenterology and was a Professor of Medicine at the National School. A careful investigator, who documented his UAP research in an impeccable manner. 

Notable cases which he investigated include the 16 October 1957 abduction of Antonio Vilas-Boas: the Ubatuba "UAP fragments," and the 1957 Itaipu Fort incident. 

His work is recorded in numerous articles in the "APRO Bulletin" and in a number of Jim and Coral Lorenzen's UAP books including "Flying Saucer Hoax." (Lorenzen, C.E. William Frederick Press. New York. 1962;) "Flying Saucers: The Startling Evidence of the Invasion from Outer Space." (Lorenzen, C.E. Signet. New York. 1966;) and "UFOs Over the Americas." (Lorenzen, J. and C. Signet. New York. 1968.) There is also rare 1966 archival recording on YouTube of Fontes discussing the Vilas-Boas case. 

J. Allen Hynek

Professor J. Allen Hynek was one of the earliest academics who took an interest in UAP. Hynek was an astronomer at North Western University in Chicago, in the U.S.A. He was also a consultant to the United States Air Force's Project Blue Book. In that role he investigated a lot of cases occurring in the U.S. 

Hynek authored two classic books on UAP. The first was "The UFO Experience." (Regney. New York. 1972.) The second was "The Hynek UFO Report." (Dell. New York. 1977.) He also co-authored "The Edge of Reality." (CreatSpace. 1973.) with Jacques Vallee.

In August 1975, according to Vallee's "Forbidden Science Volume 2" in a diary entry dated 19 July 1975.

"Allen is elated because he'd received an invitation to Brazil that includes an opportunity to address the Brazilian Congress next month."

However, this visit did not go well. Vallee reports, in a diary entry dated 27 September 1975:

"The next day over a private breakfast Allen confessed his trip to Brazil was a fiasco. General Uchoa, who invited him, had no clout. The man who managed the much-advertised congress was a French journalist trying to make a quick buck. He must have lost a ton of cruzeiros, because in the end he begged Allen to give more lectures to balance his finances. As for his talk before the Brazilian Congress, that went flat: his interpreter was an enthusiastic lady who was big on ufology but short on linguistics. As for the official files, the military is keeping them under lock and key."

Bob Pratt

Image courtesy of Amazon Books

Robert Vance Pratt (1926-2005) was an American journalist who made ten visits to Brazil between May 1978 and July 1993. His detailed reporting on what he found in Brazil is in his 1996 book titled "UFO Danger Zone: Terror and Death in Brazil. Where Next?" (Horus House Press, Madison WI.) His first four trips between 1978 and 1980 were paid for by one of the U.S. publications in which he published his work. The other trips were funded by him as he was so interested in what he had found on these earlier visits.

In chapter after chapter Pratt describes his firsthand interviews with individuals who were chased by lights or distinct objects; hit by beams of light; suffered medical issues as a result of their encounters; were lifted off the ground; or were paralyzed. He even came across cases where individuals were said to have died as a result of their encounters. Pratt also interviewed medical staff who had seen for themselves the results of some of the medical aftereffects of the UAP incidents.

Although a number of the accounts had occurred years before Pratt's visits, some of them had reportedly occurred only days or weeks before Pratt conducted his interviews. Despite his lengthy stays in Brazil Pratt himself never reported having personally encountered any UAP. 

Chapter twenty of the book records events in Colares, at the mouth of the Amazon River. Pratt writes 

"UFOs have been deadlier in Colares than perhaps any other place in the world...in Colares alone approximately forty were burned and two of them died." 

The year was 1977. Pratt reports that the Brazilian military conducted a several months long investigation and interviewed hundreds of people. The Brazilian Air Force conducted Operation Prato in the area. Pratt relates that the data gathered was sent to the Air Force Headquarters. 

Pratt visited Colares for the first time in February 1979, then twice after that. He interviewed Captain Uyrange Hollanda, who had led the official investigation in the Colares region. Pratt was later able to secure brief summaries of 281 incidents in Colares and surrounding areas, plus maps, and twenty photographs. Hollanda told him his team "...took about three hundred photos and we photographed eight different types of UFOs."

Pratt's "Epilogue" chapter describes the then (1996) known facts about the Varginha live captured aliens who were reportedly sent to the U.S.A.

Here is a link to several hundred pages of Bob Pratt's own material, including many on Brazil. 

Jacques Vallee

Well known researcher Jacques Vallee made two trips to Brazil. The first in 1980 and the second in 1988. On the first trip in April 1980, Vallee and his wife Janine went to Argentina with a stopover in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, they met researcher and writer Irene Granchi. According to a diary entry dated 29 April 1908 in Valle's book "Forbidden Science Volume three" "...we spent most of the time talking about the 1966 Lead Mask mystery..." and met the pathologist who conducted the autopsies on the two dead men. Later that day they visited the site of the incident. 

The second visit in July 1988 had a much longer stay in Brazil. In "Forbidden Science Volume three" Vallee describes in some detail his research there with his wife Janine. They visited Fortaleza, together with an American friend Bill Calvert who had lived in Brazil, and a Professor, Agobar Oliveira, a local UAP investigator. Travelling on to Parnarama they interviewed firsthand witnesses to incidents. One such account which they attempted to verify was that of a man called "Ramon" who was reportedly killed by his encounter with UAP. Vallee wrote that there was no object in the sky at the time, no beam, and that the man had died of symptoms which fitted a heart attack. 

Vallee writes:

"We have brought back details of about twenty cases, two of them involving characteristic chupa injuries. So far there is no proven instance of any death related to the objects."

Continuing their investigations they travelled on to Balem, Brazil, gathering firsthand accounts. They met with Colonel Hollanda Lima, in the headquarters of the First Air Force region. He led the team sent to the Colares region during Operation Prato. Vallee was shown a military file which: "...held the military photographs, detailed aerial maps, trajectory analyses by the staff of Project Prato." The Vallees and party went on to interview the medical doctor from the island of Mosqueiro during the Colares wave, before returning to the U.S.A. 

Vallee published more details of his on-site investigations in Brazil, in both 1980 and 1988, in his book titled "Confrontations: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact." (Anomalistic Books. Charlottesville, Virginia. 2008.)

BAASS

As part of the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Systems (BAASS) sent a group of team members to Brazil in May 2009, with a second visit in October 2009.

In a 7 April 2020 blog article, French researcher Marc Cecotti and I told the story of the May 2009 Brazilian visit by BAASS. We communicated with a number of former BAASS employees and UAP researchers in South America. One such researcher Ademar Gevaerd, met BAASS members in Curitiba, Brazil. In part Gevaerd said: "They wanted artifacts from UFOs, such as metamaterials."

In a second blog article dated 17 April 2020 we reported that the BAASS team visited Fortaleza. Here, they photographed and filmed files and case notes of the local UAP organization, over several hours. Fortaleza based researcher Helio Loyola told us:

"Here in Brazil they didn't do any research. They took and photographed what the ufologists saw and documented."

BAASS members also visited other locations in Brazil. 

Image courtesy Amazon Books

One of the projects undertaken by BAASS was the creation of the CAPELLA data warehouse, conceived by Jacques Vallee. In the book "Skinwalkers at the Pentagon" (RTMA LLC, Henderson, Nevada 2021.) by Lacatski et al there is a list of products of AAWSAP. These include:

* BAASS March 2009 Monthly report - "The UFO Assault on Brazil with its Epicenter at Colares (1977-2003) by John Schuessler."

* BAASS August 2009 Monthly report - "Relations with South American organizations."

* BAASS July 2009 Ten monthly report - "Project Colares/Brazil, Outreach to South America."

The CAPELLA data warehouse was a collection of eleven individual data sets of which one was titled "Brazil."

Image courtesy Amazon Books

Chapter fifteen of the Lacatski et al book "Inside the U.S. governments covert UFO Program: Initial Revelations" (RTMA LLC, Henderson, Nevada. 2023.) says the following about the Project Colares database:

"Data base containing all UAP sighting events related to the 1977-1978, Colares, Brazil, UAP flap. Total records 346. Event timeline 1977-1978."

Rony Vernet

Rony Vernet is a Brazilian electronics and computer engineer, who has spent several years researching UAP. One of his areas of specialization has been that of documenting the UAP accounts of indigenous communities in Brazil. Recently, with the part sponsorship of the Australian Non Human Intelligence Research Institute, he travelled to a remote part of Brazil to document onsite accounts by people in an isolated village. While there, he encountered the phenomena for himself. 

Vernet reports:

"During my mission in Amazon, I witnessed 4 types of phenomena:

Type 1 - Poltergeist activity (sounds of heavy furniture against ground, sounds of people walking on forest, lamps blinking, battery drainage, radio communications, smartphone freezing, camera shut down.)

Type 2 - Blinking orange spheres. A two-part object that blinks a huge orange light and flew low until enters the forest. 2 meters in diameter.

Type 3 - Steady orange sphere. A continuous orange to red light like a ball of fire that flew low until enters the forest. Around 1 meter in diameter.

Type 4 - luminous fog. Like a white aurora that becomes dense and forms a huge 3D shaped image. Paralyzed a boy and entered inside the forest at the same point of other lights.

A 5th type was not witnessed in person but recorded in multiple equipment. Types 2,3, and 4 also recorded.

Type 5 - A luminous entity with humming sound that illuminates the area and projects another oval shaped UAP near the ground. Silenced nature sounds before disappearing."

Rony was interviewed by Australian investigative journalist Ross Coulthart for Ross' show "Reality Check" where Rony provided further details on his own observations. He stated that he was intending to return to the remote locality later this year, but that in the meantime date was being remotely collected.

In conclusion

The work of all the above individuals and organizations details the ongoing nature of the Brazilian UAP phenomena. 

There is a growing awareness in the UAP community, that the next breakthrough in our understanding of UAP will come, not from governments, but from individual or collectives of civilian researchers such as Rony Vernet. 

Digitized Australian UAP related material held in the Archives for the Unexplained (AFU)

The AFU 

The AFU website advises that:

"Archives for the Unexplained (AFU) was founded in 1973 and now has more than 2 kilometers of shelves...currently house collections and archives from a large number of internationally well-known researchers and authors like Hilary Evans, Luis Schonherr, Bob Rickard, W. Raymond Drake, Perry Petrakis, Cynthia Hind, Peter Rogerson and Willy Wegner...." 

The AFU also houses correspondence, and reports files from a number of organizations. They are physically located in Norrkoping, Sweden.

Downloads

The download section of the site holds 12 directories, and a search through these, reveals that there is much digitized Australian UAP related content. My perusal of the directories revealed the following:

(1) Audio - Wendy Connor's Faded Discs collection - disc 3.

* Track 03 - "Medical files: UFO. A rare Australian radio show dramatizing an actual event. This is the earliest known recoding using the acronym UFO, coined by Capt. Edward Ruppelt. 1952."

* Track 13 - "William Gill lectures in the United Kingdom regarding his UFO encounter in Papua, New Guinea. Ends abruptly. June 26, 1959."

* Track 17 - P.F. Norris, Australian researcher, audio letter of January 14, 1965, to Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe, Director of NICAP."

* Track 23 - "Colin McCarthy lectures on the UFO in Australia from the early 1950s to the early 1960s. January 7, 1967.

* Track 24 - "Andrew Tobias gives a short talk on Ufology in Australia. January 7, 1967.

* Track 25 - "James E. McDonald comments regarding his tour of Australia radio. July 1967."

* Track 42 - "Maureen Puddy of Frankston, Australia regarding her abduction. July 27, 1972."

* Track 50 - "Paul Norman of the Victorian UFO Research Society (VUFORS) is interviewed on radio. October 20 and 24, 1968."

(2) Books - no Australian authors are listed.

(3) Clippings - See (9) Topics, countries, Australia.

(4) Databases - Wendy Connors' Faded Disc archives. See (1) Audio above.

(5) Discussion lists.

There are three relevant discussion lists shown:

a. UFO Research List.

b. UFO UpDates.

c. Usernet.

Various Australian researchers, like me, contributed to material on these discussion lists.

(6) PhD Dissertations - No Australian dissertations listed. However, here is a link to my own listing. 

(7) Documents - Australia.

Between 2003-2008 the Disclosure Australia Project mined the National Archives of Australia for Australian government UAP related files. As a result of this effort plus others during the period 2009-2024, over 100 relevant files were located and digitized at cost.

Here on the AFU website, you will find digitized copies of these files, which tell the story of the Australian government's interest in the topic of UAP from 1951 to 1996. For a comprehensive study of what was found on these files there is a document available, plus a listing of the files found. 

(8) Magazines - Australia.

Australia has a rich history of civilian UAP research groups, Since, around 1954 there have been dozens of publications produced by these organizations. The AFU collection draws upon 18 Australian UAP related Newsletters, Digests, Journals etc.

(9) Topics- Countries - Australia - clippings

Isaac Koi from the United Kingdon collected 3500 newspaper clippings from the TROVE digitized Australian newspaper collection which can be found here in the AFU archive.

(10) Transcripts - of podcasts etc.

(11) UFO reports - nil from Australia.

(12) Websites - nil from Australia.

Note:

Congratulations to both Isaac Koi and AFU for preserving the above Australian material. 

A National Science Foundation initiative - a UAP workshop

 Introduction

Details have emerged of a workshop titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP): A Dialogue on Science, Public Engagement and Communication" organized by a National Science Foundation initiative, and held at a location in Virginia, USA between 15 and 17th May 2024. So far, only one of the participants, has spoken out about the workshop. The Kainaat Astronomy in English YouTube channel carried a 26-minute-long interview with self-identified participant Dr. Salman Hameed.

Salman Hameed | Hampshire College

Details of the workshop

Here are some dot points of information which Dr. Hameed mentioned during that interview:

* It was held at an undisclosed venue in Virginia, USA

* It attracted about 25 participants

* It was part of a National Science Foundation initiative

* Individuals who participated held a range of views as to the nature of UAP

* There were a range of views as to how best to communication the subject to the general public

* The organizers did a good job of cultivating a space where participants' views were treated with respect

* It was well run, and well organized

* There was an application process - potential attendees were asked what they could contribute to the process

* Individuals held a wide spectrum of beliefs

* The purpose of the workshop was not to provide and discuss the existence or origin of UAP but to examine ways to destigmatize discussions on the topic of UAP. How do you talk about the topic in a way that would lead to investigating UAP? How do we talk to the public? What are our responsibilities?

* There is a need to better define the term UAP

* U.S. government officials were there from the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office. Their business cards did not have their names on them

* A follow up process is being organized.

Comments

1. Discussions at a workshop organized by an initiative of the National Science Foundation is another big step indicating that the academic community are getting involved in UAP studies.

2. Perhaps other participants will now come forward and discuss their own input at the event and provide a deeper understanding of the work that is still to come. 

3. A fuller description of Dr. Hameed's comments about the workshop, and additional information concerning the NSF initiative, may be found in a 24 May 2024 article by Baptiste Friscourt. 

Update: 9 June 2024

Florida State University's School of Information Assistant Professor Gretchen Stahlman is revealed as one of the co-leads of the NSF workshop.

Update: 12 July 2024

Astro Accel itself published an Executive summary of the event. 

The latest academic UAP workshop - held in Germany

 Introduction

In recent times I have been drawing attention to non-United States research into UAP, given that the issue is one of a global nature. In this post, I will provide some details of yet another academic level workshop, this one held in Germany between 6 and 7 June 2024. This latest workshop was organised by the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Extraterrestrial Studies; part of the Julius-Maximilian-University of Wurzburg, in Germany.

Topics discussed

The following is a list of the speakers, and the topics they gave presentations on:

Dr.-Ing, Hakan Kayal - "Anomaly Detection & Observations System (ADEOS): A reliability rating for UAP observations " together with D. Schulze-Makuch).

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hakan Kayal - (uni-wuerzburg.de)

Andre Kramer - "50 years of civilian date collection on UAP."

Andreas Muller - "A Review of German files within 'Project Blue Book.'"

Michael Landwehr - "Introducing the Electromagnetic and Gravitational Effects Database."

Dr. Dirk Schulze-Makuch - "A reliability rating for UAP observations."

Philippe Alleris - "Under the UFO Radar: Exploring Ufology's Impact on European Society."

Dr. Greg Eghigian - "Alien Traumas: A History of Debate Over the Alien Abduction Experience."

Dr. Beatriz Villarroel - "ExoProbe: a system of wide-field telescopes to search for ET probes."

Dr. Massimo Teodorani - "Investigating UAP Events Using Astronomical Techniques."

Dr. Christian Peters - " The Social Epistemology of Alien Minds."

Dr. Andreas Anton - " Thinking the Unthinkable. Is there still a UFO Taboo?"

Klaus Stahle - " UFOs/UAP's in German federal politics and authorities."

Dr. Moritz Wullen - "A Cube in a Sphere: Prefigurations of Common USAP-shapes in Early Modern Images."

Dr. Matthew Szydagis - " The Latest Scientific News From UAlbany& UAPx."

Dr. Kevin Knuth - Who is Hanging Out in Our Oceans?"

Larry Hancock - "UAP Intentions Studies."

Dr. Joshua Pierson - "Building a UAP Profile."

As can be seen from the titles above, there was a diverse range of topics covered by the presentations. Hopefully, at some stage it will be possible to view videos of the presentations. 

The Japanese government and UAP

In recent times, members of various Countries' parliaments have shown interest in the topic of UAP. These include the U.S.A., Canada, the European Parliament, with the latest being Japan.

Japan Times article

An article dated 28 May 2024 on the Japan Times website was titled "Japan lawmakers to create group for government probes into UFOs." Here is the text of that article:

"Japanese lawmakers met on Tuesday to create a nonpartisan group that will ask the government to establish an organization for investigating unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP, also known as UFOs.

Yasukazu Hamada

The lawmaker group will be chaired by Yasukazu Hamada, parliamentary affairs leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Former Environmental Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, also from the LDP, will serve as Secretary-General. The group will hold its founding general meeting on June 6 after Tuesday's preparatory meeting, which was held in parliament. The U.S. government has created a specialized organization in the Defense Department to probe UAP.

The lawmaker group will urge the government to gather and analyze information on UAP and pursue cooperation with Washington by forming a counterpart organization. In its founding statement, the group said that if UAP, which have been witnessed many times over Japanese territory, are cutting-edge secret weapons or unmanned spy drones from other countries they would present a major security threat to Japan. The group is asking members of parliament from all parties to join."

South China Morning Post article

Another article, this time on the South China Morning Post website, dated 30 May 2024 by reporter Julian Ryall, also reported the story and added a few further details, as follows:

"The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Clarification League for Security-Oriented National Security will be officially formed at a meeting in the Diet on June 5."

"Former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba will be an advisor to the panel, which will also include Kei Endo, Chair of the Japan Restoration Party, in the House of Representatives and Diet member Yoshiharu Asakawa."

"At a press conference to announce the creation of the group, both Endo and Asakawa claimed to have seen UFOs...themselves."

"Questions about UFOs over Japan emerged in April 2020 when the defense minister Taro Kono denied that Japanese military pilots had reported encountering alien spacecraft. '...I don't believe in UFOs,' Kono said at a press conference in Toyko, but added 'We would like to establish procedures in the event an encounter takes place with a UFO.' "

Minister Taro Kono

A follow up to the April 2020 statement by defense minister Kono was reported in a The Japan Times website article, dated 14 September 2020. In part it read:

"Protocol for UFOs? That's exactly what Defense Minister Taro Kono ordered the Self-Defense Forces to follow Monday as he issued standing orders for dealing with unidentified aerial objects that could pose a threat to Japan's security. In a statement, Kono asked SDF members to record and photograph any such objects that they encounter or enter Japanese airspace and take steps for the 'necessary analysis' of the sightings, including information provided separately by the public."

"In February 2018, the Japanese government made public its official position on UFOs, saying that 'no confirmation has been made of their existence.' "

A 2007 statement

The above reported Japanese government in 2018, follows a much earlier official comment in 2007. An 18 December 2007 article by Reuters, was titled "Japan government spokesman says UFOs do exist." The story read:

"Yes, UFOs do exist, Japan's top government spokesman said on Tuesday. The comment by Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutako Machimura drew laughter from reporters at his regular briefing on general policy.  Earlier the Cabinet, responding to an opposition lawmaker's question, issued a statement saying it could not confirm any case of unidentified flying objects. 

'This is an issue that the nation is interested in - it is a defense issue and a confirmation operation needs to take place,' Rynji Yamane, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party who submitted the question to the Cabinet, told Reuters. 'But the government does not even try to collect information necessary for the confirmation.' 

Machimura, asked about the government's view on UFOs at a regular press conference, told reporters that the government can only offer a stereotyped response. 'Personally, I definitely believe they exist,' he said apparently tongue in cheek. 

But the Prime Minister stuck to the official view - 'I have yet to confirm (that UFOs exist)' Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told reporters later in the day."

Update from Christopher Mellon 5 June 2024

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Inaugural Address to the Japanese UAP Caucus June 5th, 2024 CHRISTOPHER MELLON JUN 6   READ IN APP   Esteemed Members of the Japanese Parliament, I want to first of all express my profound respect and admiration for the remarkable step you have taken by establishing a caucus dedicated to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, commonly known as ‘UAP.’ This initiative marks an important and admirable commitment to transparency, national security, and scientific inquiry.  For decades, the phenomena we now refer to as UAP has captured the imagination and sparked the curiosity of individuals around the globe, notwithstanding efforts by many to belittle the issue. These UAP occurrences have been the subject of countless discussions, investigations, and speculations. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration quite rightly referred to UAP as “One of the great mysteries of all time.”   As elected officials, I know it takes political courage to confront the stigma that has for far too long surrounded this UAP issue. Thankfully, the Japanese and American people are both fortunate to have legislators willing to put national security and science ahead of narrow political considerations.  If there was ever any doubt, we now know UAP is a global issue, one that transcends national borders and demands international cooperation. As we seek to understand UAP it is best to work together, pooling our resources and expertise for the sake of both national security and scientific progress, as we have done in so many other areas. Collaborative efforts will enable us to address potential threats more effectively and perhaps uncover truths that lie beyond our current understanding. We also know that from a national security standpoint the importance of identifying and monitoring unmanned aerial systems cannot be overstated. The immense impact of unmanned vehicles in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is on display daily in Ukraine. By staying vigilant and informed, we can enhance national security and leverage these technologies for positive outcomes. As you launch this new caucus, I would like to share some observations from my own experiences that I hope will underscore the importance of the work you are undertaking.  Observations and Lessons Learned  Notwithstanding the sophistication and advancement of human science and technology, the survival of modern nation states is still a fundamentally Darwinian process. The key to survival remains successfully adapting to changes in the world around us. This is more challenging than ever because the world around us is changing at an unprecedented and accelerating rate.  It is therefore both ironic and unfortunate that one of the notable attributes of modern bureaucracies, especially government bureaucracies, is their lack of transparency and instinctive resistance to change – unless of course that change involves an expansion of their authority or resources. This is why it is more important than ever for legislators in modern democracies to vigorously monitor and challenge the policies, priorities, and budgets of government agencies, especially those entrusted with national security responsibilities. This is not micromanagement; it is akin to an effective Board of Directors focusing on strategy and requirements.  I learned this important lesson early in my career while working for Senator William S. Cohen on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees. I was stunned to repeatedly see desperately needed reforms fiercely opposed by the Department of Defense, the military services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and often even the White House. I’ll provide some examples to help illustrate this point. A major problem facing the US Department of Defense after WWII was the excessive independence of the military services. This produced wasteful inter-service rivalries and a dangerous inability to properly equip and train forces for joint operations. President Eisenhower proposed changes in 1957 to fix this by enhancing the authorities of the combatant commanders and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, these proposals were defeated in Congress after military leaders leaked false claims that the proposed changes would undermine civilian control of the military. America continued to struggle with integrating its military forces effectively, evident in failed operations like the Iranian hostage rescue mission and the Beirut Marine barracks bombing. Then in the Grenada operation we learned Army and Navy radios were not interoperable and that Special Operations Forces (SOF) were not properly integrated into the operation and suffered excessive casualties as a result. These systemic problems stemmed from an inability to properly train and equip forces for effective joint operations.   While staffing Senator William S. Cohen, I was astounded by the fierce resistance of DoD and the Joint Chiefs to the eminently sensible and important reforms proposed by Senators Nunn and Goldwater. Thankfully, a veto-proof majority in Congress passed this critical legislation in 1986. The benefits can be seen by the stark contrast between the mix-ups and disasters of the operations in Iran, Beirut, and Grenada versus the stunning display of synchronized joint force displayed by the US and its allies during Desert Storm. This was the only first instance of resistance to badly needed reforms that I saw during my stint working for Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees.  I also saw the Air Force strongly resist investment in drones and unmanned aircraft, which as we can plainly see today in Ukraine are absolutely fundamental to modern combat operations. We are fortunate Congress directed the establishment of a new organization, the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office to ensure proper leadership and funding for the development of drones and large unmanned vehicles. I staffed a bill of Senator Cohen’s to establish the US Special Operations Command, and of course that was also implacably opposed by the Pentagon despite the merits. Once again, Congress took action and US Special Operations Capabilities are far better as a result. As the budget monitor for the National Security Agency (NSA) at the Senate Intelligence Committee in the 1990s, I found the senior managers unwilling to redeploy resources from existing programs to begin adapting to the explosive growth of the internet.  Again, it was Congress that initially took action to rectify this shortcoming.   I saw the Air Force repeatedly reprogram funds earmarked by Congress to purchase desperately needed airlift for Special Operations Forces (SOF), because the Air Force preferred to use those funds to add to their existing inventory of 550 F-16s rather than support the mission of another service.  Sometimes, as was the case with the Special Operations Command, there was even resistance after Congress had passed legislation requiring change. In the case of the Special Operations Command, resistance to implementation was so fierce Congress had to pass supplemental legislation the following year. None of these critical problems would have been addressed had it not been for vigorous oversight by members of Congress. Today there is widespread acknowledgment at the Pentagon that these changes were for the better. I could provide many more examples, but hopefully these are sufficient to underscore why it is so important today for members of the legislatures in democratic nations to be assertive in their role as the nation’s Board of Directors. Too often, left to their own devices, these bureaucracies will fail to adapt to changing threats and requirements. In that regard, I am pleased to report that earlier today the Senate Intelligence introduced new language to strengthen UAP oversight in its annual authorization bill. That seems an auspicious development for the inaugural meeting of this new caucus.  The UAP issue in the US followed this familiar pattern. I spent months working with Pentagon official Lue Elizondo trying to get senior DoD officials to engage on the USP issue, but it soon became clear nothing would change without Congressional interest and direction. Thankfully, after we arranged for Navy aviators to share their first-hand UAP experiences with Congress, the issue gained traction on Capitol Hill. One of the Senators briefed by Navy aviators was Bill Nelson, who afterwards became Director of NASA. I’m confident these briefings are the reason he became the first NASA Director to recognize the legitimacy of UAP. Following these briefings, I recommended Congress seek a report on UAP incidents from DoD and the Intelligence Community. Although the Air Force claimed it didn’t have any pertinent reports prior to 2020, the report still identified 144 military UAP encounters since 2004. In doing so, the report validated the reality of UAP and stimulated further congressional inquiry, eventually leading to the establishment of a new organization, the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office  (AARO) dedicated to compiling, analyzing and investigating UAP reports. Now that members of Congress are actively engaged, and UAP reporting guidance implemented, we are seeing an explosion of UAP reports. From 2004-2021 less than 10 UAP reports per year were being received. Now, hundreds of military UAP reports are being received each year. It will be fascinating to watch this process in the years ahead to see what lessons are learned and discoveries made. Conclusion What I have tried to illustrate today is the vital role of elected officials in advancing national security. Due to the unprecedented rate at which the security environment is changing, it has never been more important for national legislators to vigorously examine, and when appropriate, challenge the status quo. As these examples demonstrate, left to their own devices, our vital but massive security organizations will often fail to reveal important information or implement critical reforms. Were it not for action by Congress, the public would still have no idea how many near mid-air collisions with UAP have occurred, how often UAP are being reported, or the frequency and extent of UAP reports. UAP today would still be violating military airspace with impunity; pilots and radar operators would still fear reporting these events; and there would be no office to receive and analyze UAP data or develop new collection strategies. This is why I feel so strongly about the importance of what you are doing and why I welcomed this opportunity to applaud and encourage your efforts.  The establishment of the UAP Caucus exemplifies Japan's commitment to progress, innovation, and the advancement of human understanding. It confronts the unknown with an open mind and a critical eye. The potential national security and scientific ramifications are profound and of inestimable importance.  In conclusion, I applaud the intellectual integrity you are demonstrating by placing science and national security above outdated stigmas. Congratulations to all the members of this distinguished caucus for your visionary leadership. May your efforts yield fruitful discoveries and pave the way for a future where knowledge and curiosity, rather than fear, guide our progress. Arigatou gozaimasu

The Canadian government's interest in UAP between 2021 and 2024

The purpose of this article is to provide background information about the Canadian government's interest in, or lack of interest in the subject of UAP, between 2021 and 2024. 

 February 2021

 An 18 May 2022 article by CTV News, the news division of the CTV television network in Canada, reported that according to the office of Conservative MP Larry Maguire, both Maguire and another Conservative MP, had a 16 February 2021 briefing by Luis Elizondo.

Elizondo is quoted in that article as saying:

"Mr. Maguire is absolutely correct in his concern, because he knows that these reports do occur...I think the time has come for us to have an open and honest dialogue about this topic without fear of retribution, without stigma and associated taboo."

Briefing requested for the Canadian Minister of Defence 

May 2021

In a 10 May 2022 article by journalist Tristin Hopper, it was reported that relevant UAP documents had been obtained for CTV News, via the Access to Information Act, the Canadian equivalent of the US Freedom of Information Act. One of these documents was an email, dated 19 May 2021, from George Young, Chief of Staff for the then Minister of Defence, Harjit Sajjan, asking for the Minister to receive a briefing on UAP. In full, it read:

"Good afternoon,

I expect I am not alone in noting the recent increase in comment regarding Unidentified Flying Objects in the media internationally, particularly in the US. UFOs have been the focus of comment both in the Congress and in open media from former President Obama who has noted that he received briefings on UFOs. I also note in this article, for instance, that:

"A stipulation in the "committee comment" portion of the Intelligence Authorization Act for the 2021 fiscal year directed U.S. Intelligence agencies to hand over unclassified reports about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena to Congress by June of this year."

It should/could be expected that the imminent US release of information will prompt questions domestically and with Defence-related implications, more than likely given the nexus with DoD in the US for the upcoming report. 

U.S. Intelligence agencies are expected to deliver a report on "unidentified aerial phenomena" to Congress next month, sparking renewed interest and speculation into how the government has handled sightings of mysterious flying objects - and if there's any worldly explanation for them. The unclassified report, compiled by the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense, aims to make public what the Pentagon knows about unidentified flying objects, and data analyzed from, such encounters. 

Anticipating this, I believe is is prudent to request a full briefing for Minister Sajjan from the Canadian perspective on this issue. That is to say, a report on any and all research that has been done by CAF/DND; any sightings that have been reported in recent years; any historical information that may be on file; interfaces with other governments on the issue, and any other related information that might be pertinent. In other words, use the broadest possible lens to inform us of any Canadian angle to the issue. We will need this done in a very timely fashion please, given the timeframe noted for the US release of the report."

A second email dated 20 May 2021, from Lt. Col Kris M Reeves, Senior Military Advisor to the Deputy Minister of National Defence tasked out the preparation of briefing material.

The briefing material was prepared, and a briefing was undertaken in June 2021, exact date unknown. The FOI material obtained, included five briefing slides, as follows:

October 2021

The 18 May 2022 article cited above, also noted that there had been two other briefings, this time by a U.S. based organization.  

1. A 20 October 2021 briefing for a Liberal member of Parliament, by members of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies. These members included Robert Powell, as well as Chris Mellon.

2. 28 January 2022. Presenters not stated.

Conservative MP Larry Maguire

A recent, 13 May 2022,  Op-ed piece was written by MP Larry Maguire, titled "UAPs are real, and Canada should take them seriously." The piece included the following:

"...it is time to demand action from our government departments. Moreover, it's time for them to engage with the scientific community in an open and transparent manner...Last year I met with Elizondo to learn more about UAP and to better understand the issue. While I did not get access to classified information, it was a good opportunity to ask some in-depth questions...Knowing all this, the two most logical questions we should be asking in Canada are: What information does the government of Canada possess, and what are they doing with it?" and:

"There is documented evidence outlining where DND reports their own internal UAP information, including to NORAD through the 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba, or the 21 Aerospace Control and  Warning Squadron in North Bay, Ontario. This has never been brought to the attention of either Parliament or the Standing Committee on National Defence"

 The 18 May 2022 article added:

"Ontario NDP MP Matthew Green agrees, saying Canada has nothing to lose by investigating UAP. Green is quoted as saying:

"If the testimony coming out of the States provides the public with a glimpse into the seriousness in which they're taking it, then I think it would be well-advised for us to follow in the same pursuit...If they're having public hearings of this nature, I can only begin to imagine what they already privately know."

Chris Rutkowski

Twitter user Steve T.E. advised me that there was an earlier, 6 May 2022 version of the CTV report.  Canadian science writer and University of Manitoba communications professional Chris Rutkowski, is cited in this earlier article as providing "...material for the Minister's briefing as a 'civilian advisor' and that he last received official UFO data in early 2021."

A communication directly from Chris Rutkowski, to me, stated "One other thing: Maguire doesn't note that he was also briefed by a Canadian UAP researcher. The same one who was noted in the Sajjan briefing." This was, in fact, Rutkowski himself. Rutkowski also provided a link to a 21 May 2022 article on the Winnepegfreepress.com website titled "Disdain, Confusion around official's handling of UFO reports," reviewed by Rutkowski. It discusses the work of Canadian historian Matthew Hayes, who wrote a thesis on the topic. This work is now available as a book, published 15 May 2022, titled "Search for the Unknown: Canada's UFO Files and the Rise of Conspiracy Theory." 

Rutkowski also pointed out that he had been receiving, and publishing, government reports for decades, and that the briefing to the CDN defence minister made reference to him personally, with the unredacted version of the briefing slides even included a photograph of him.

Canadian Air Force intercept of unknowns 

In a 3 November 2022 Canadian TV news item, there was information given about Canadian Air Force jets launched to intercept unknowns. 

February 2022

In a 16 November Canadian TV news item, it was revealed that on 22 February 2022, "Members of the Pentagon's UFO task force briefed Canadian military officials."

The briefing was led by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence's National Intelligence Manager for Aviation; and was attended by ten Canadian defense officials, "...including personnel from the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Forces Intelligence Command."

March 2022

On 2 March 2022, National Resources Canada (NRC) appeared before a meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Resources on the Supplementary Estimates. MP Larry Maguire asked a question on incident reporting of drone and UAP, in or near Canadian nuclear facilities.

NRC responded on 14 March 2022 to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources. This response was signed off by the Director General, Directorate of Security and Safeguards. The response was that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC,) Canada's independent nuclear regulator, had advised "...there has been no reported drone intrusion or attempted intrusion at Canadian high-security nuclear facilities."

Further correspondence

Two letters dated 6 June 2022 are relevant to this matter. These are:

1. John Hannaford, Deputy Minister of Natural resources Canada, wrote to MP Maguire.

"I am writing in follow-up to my May 18, 2022, appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources, where you raised security-related questions regarding the Government of Canada's position on drones and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) near North American nuclear facilities.

This is an important matter that my colleagues and I in the Natural Resources portfolio take very seriously. I would like to share with you some specific steps we have taken recently.

Beyond regular collaboration, in recent weeks the Department has liaised with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Transport Canada and Public Safety Canada on this issue. Natural Resources Canada and the CNSC are working to support Transport Canada in developing a strategy to address emerging drone security issues.

To date, there have been no reported or attempted drone incursions at Canadian high-security nuclear facilities. However, a request was made to fly a drone over a nuclear facility in early 2021, which the CSNC declined. 

Given the shared priority for nuclear safety and safety of nuclear facilities, and the growing interest in UAPs in both Canada and the United States, the CSNC is committed to raising the issue with its United States counterpart and sharing any related information going forward.

We have reached out to counterparts in the United States Department of Energy regarding the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's Preliminary Report on UAPs to learn more about its perspective in order to help inform analysis and action in Canada.

Finally, Natural Resources Canada has a long-established Energy and Utilities Sector Network that shares threat information between the Government of Canada and energy sector critical infrastructure operators. We will continue to use this to gather intelligence on emerging threats, including drones and UAPs.

Kathleen Heppell-Masys, Director General of the CSNC, will respond in a follow-up letter to the six specific questions you asked during my May appearance.

Thank you for your interest in this important safety and security issue."

2. Dr Kathleen Heppell-Masys, Director General, Directorate of Security and Safeguards, Canada Nuclear Safety Commission to Larry Maguire.

https://www.ourcommons.ca/content/Committee/441/RNNR/WebDoc/WD11637088/11637088/LetterDeputyMinisterJohnF.G.Hannaford-e.pdf

"It was a pleasure to meet with you on May 17th, 2022. The information you provided in your March 4th letter helped us further understand the context and nature of your interests, concerns, and questions regarding drones and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and I understand you raised a number of related issues the following day during a meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources (RNNR.)

Before I turn to addressing your questions, I would like to clarify that the CNSC is Canada's independent nuclear regulator. The CSNC is a quasi-judicial administrative tribunal that reports in Parliament through the Minister of Natural Resources, and not to the Minister. As such, we will be able to to address your concerns and questions more expeditiously in the future if you contact us directly. As an open and transparent regulator, we welcome the opportunity to work with Parliamentarians to ensure their information needs are met.

As we discussed on May 17th, the CSNC's nuclear security requirements, including reporting requirements, encompass any nuclear security threats that involve an attempted or actual breach of security, or an attempted or actual act of sabotage, including credible threats made against a nuclear power plant. This would include events involving drones and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP.) The Nuclear Safety and Control Act, Nuclear Security Regulations, associated regulatory documents and license conditions outline strong requirements on the part of licensees to ensure readiness to mitigate, deter, and respond to credible threats to regulated facilities.

The CNSC is taking steps to enquire with our licensees about any reported drones or UAP sightings and to confirm that nuclear safety was not put at risk from any related sightings. That includes a letter that I have sent to licensees for high-security nuclear sites.

We have also approached our Unites States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) colleagues regarding the nature of their nuclear security requirements for drones and UAPs and potentially evolving requirements. We will discuss their approach further as it evolves. For now, existing nuclear security requirements in both countries are well-aligned.

You had three particular questions for follow-up after our May 17th meeting:

1. Understanding the spectrum of CNSC- regulated facilities; 

2. The length of time Canadian nuclear facilities retains security-related data, including video footage, and:

3. Confirming with CNSC licensees that no incidents with drones or UAPs have occurred at nuclear facilities since the March 2nd RNNR meeting.

On the first question. Canada has one of the most diverse nuclear sectors in the world. Regulated facilities include uranium mining, milling and refining; nuclear substances processing and end users; fuel production; nuclear power and nuclear research reactors, and waste management.

On the second question, High Security Site Licensees are required to retain all relevant security related records regarding security events for the duration of their operating licence. Unless there is an identified incident, data that are not related to specific events may be disposed of by these licensees as per their specific security program and management system program.

On the third question, the CNSC is not aware of any reported incidents of drones or UAPs near Canadian nuclear facilities. With a regulatory lens regarding nuclear security, we have taken steps to confirm with licencees that no such events have occurred.

You raised six related questions to Mr Hannaford, Deputy Minister of NRCan, at the May 18th meeting of RNNR. I would like to provide a response to five of the six questions. On the sixth question which pertains to the CNSC's receipt of your March 4th letter, I can confirm we have received your letter and have since discussed these issues with NRCan.

1. A lack of standardized reporting requirements for licensees to report on UAP or drones and no formal investigative guidelines to understand origin and/or intent; and

2. Your request to direct nuclear facility licensees to ask employees and security  officials to ensure all drone and UAP incidents are properly reported.

As discussed on May 17th, our regulatory framework is largely performance-based and not prescriptive in how licensees are to meet safety and security objectives and requirements. Licensees are required to report on credible threats. As mentioned above, I have sent a letter to licensees of high-security nuclear sites asking for relevant information. I will be pleased to update you with any related information received that I am able to share.

Licensees are required to prepare for and respond to any credible threats against their sites or facilities. In the case of nuclear security events, an investigation would typically be led by the police service of jurisdiction and would be supported by the CNSC.

3. Whether NRCan would support the Chief Scientist Advisor (CSA,) were the Government to direct that she lead a whole-of-government approach to standardize the collection of reports and analysis for unidentified drones and UAPs.

While this question was directed to NRCan, the CSNC as a technical and scientific organization would offer its full support to the CSA were she directed by government to undertake such an effort.

4. The willingness of the CNSC to begin a conversation with the US NRC on unidentified drones and UAPs.

As noted above, I have reached out to the US NRC and have concluded that our respective nuclear security reporting requirements are aligned. As noted above, we will discuss their approach further as it evolves.

5. Awareness by CNSC officials of UAP sightings near Canadian nuclear facilities.

The CNSC has not received any reports of drones or UAP sightings near any nuclear facilities. Since our conversation, we have also confirmed that neither drones nor UAPs have caused breaches to nuclear security, or been involved in attempts or actual acts of sabotage  to the nuclear security of nuclear facilities.

I would be pleased to provide you with the results of our Request for Information to licensees as mentioned earlier. Please feel free to contact the CNSC directly in the future on nuclear regulatory matters, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions."

March 2023

An article in Canadian media reported that the Canadian government was launching an investigation into UAP. 

March 2023

On 13 May2023, a copy of a letter appeared on Twitter, on an account named "Cambria." The letter was dated 22 March 2023, and was from Canadian politician Larry Maguire, addressed to the Canadian Minister of National Defence. The appearance of the letter at this time went largely unremarked upon. The same letter then resurfaced and was discussed in Episode #22 of the Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp podcast "Weaponized." It gained massive exposure as a result of this podcast episode.

https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/larry-maguire(7251)

Text of letter

The full text of the letter read:

"22 March 2023

RE; Defence Research and Development Canada in possession of recovered UAP material.

Dear Minister Anand,

It has come to my attention through meetings with American officials that the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Senate Committee on Armed Services have been undertaking in-camera hearings with government and military subject matter experts on the recovery and exploitation of physical material from Unidentified Aerial phenomena (UAP).

I am concerned that expected upcoming public announcements will be coordinated between AUKUS which could damage Canada's credibility with our allies and the Canadian public on the global stage. There is an opportunity to have a prepared communications plan in place by May 2023 to reduce this risk.

As Minister of National Defence, you may not be aware, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) has participated in efforts to analyse UAP, which is publicly traceable to circa 1950. This recovered foreign material is studied through the Five Eyes Foreign Material Program (FMP) which, in Canada is sponsored by the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command linked with several intelligence sharing arrangements and treaties. I am writing to recommend you request a classified briefing, containing full sensitive and protected program information from your officials on the Government of Canada's historic and ongoing efforts on analyzing recovered UAP material. 

Canada's Chief Science Advisor has also launched the Sky Canada Project, which is investigating how the government of Canada manages UAP reports. They are in the process of identifying key Canadian stakeholder institutions. It is essential the Chief Science Advisor be given full access to defence programs and be briefed on the collaborative scientific research efforts with our allies.

It is imperative the Government of Canada have a communications plan to respond to these upcoming public revelations that will stem from these American FMPs. Not only are there national security and aviation safety concerns that need to be addressed, but there will also be a larger debate about why there is a lack of transparency and accountability regarding UAP programs and policy.

I also believe there must be Parliamentary oversight of efforts by government institutions, and responsible ministers should be fully briefed on this program, including releasable-to-the-public content that aligns with allied public disclosure. It is incumbent your department inform you of what collaborative efforts have occurred with our allies and the details of existing Agreements and Memorandum of Understanding that govern the program and may have been conducted through Global Affairs.

Canada's credibility with our allies and the Canadian public must transcend politics and I firmly believe we can work together in a bipartisan manner regardless of the classified details of specific FMPs, the public revelation by these subject matter experts who have testified before Congress present an opportunity for the Government of Canada to take a visible leadership role in confirming the existence of recovered material and balances our national security objectives.

I look forward to your response and if you seek any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Larry Maguire, MP

Brand-on Souris.

CC:

Hon. Melanie Joly, PC, MP.

Hon. Omar Alghabra, DC, MP.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Science & Technology.)

Dr. Mona Nemer, Chief Science Advisor.

Major General Michael Wright, Commander of Canadian Forces Intelligence Command.

Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, Office for Release & Disclosure."

 The Canadian Government's response

In a 25 June 2023 article CBC News wrote in part:

"A spokesperson with National Defence Minister Anand's office said she is 'kept fully appraised of relevant incidents through established reporting protocols,' She received the letter and told Maguire in response that neither Defence Research and Development Canada nor the Canadian Forces Intelligence Committee are involved in any 'formal analyis of UAP,' according to a statement sent to CBC News on Monday. All efforts studying UAP at the federal level stopped in the 1960's, the spokesperson said.'

Toronto journalist Daniel Otis undertook his own enquires and on Twitter, published the full text of the government's reply:

"Minister Anand did receive Mr Maguire's letter and has replied to him.

In her reply minister Anand confirmed that neither Defence Research Development Canada (DRDC) nor Canadian Forces Intelligence Command (CFINTCOM) are involved in any type of formal analysis of UAP. In fact all efforts to study UAP ceased in the 1960's.

The Department of National Defence (DND) occasionally receives anecdotal reporting of unusual phenomenon, however, these are only investigated when cases are identified as potential threat incidents or events of distress. The Minister of National Defence is kept fully appraised of relevant incidents through established reporting protocols.

We will continue to work closely with our allies and domestic national authorities ensure the safety of Canadians. This collaboration includes providing updates requested by parliamentarians, for example, through Parliamentary committees. In addition, DND and the Canadian Armed Forces maintain lines of communication with NORAD and the United States Department of Defence, and routinely exchange information on a number of subjects as part of our long-standing cooperation."

Comments by me:

1. Much was made of the existence of this letter when it finally hit the news in June 2023. Highlights brought forward in numerous outlets included:

* DRDC involved in analysis of UAP material since circa 1950; implying, but not explicitly stating, that this was on-going.

* Maguire was expecting public announcements from AUKUS.

* There is a previously unknown to us, Five Eyes Foreign Material Program.

2. The Canadian Government's response was that neither DRDC nor CFINTCOM 'are involved in any type of formal analysis of UAP.' So, a denial of the two areas which Maguire thought were working on the issue. Note that this denial did not extend to the whole of the Canadian Government. There was no "No areas of the Canadian Government are currently, with the exception of the Chief Science Advisor, working on the subject of UAP"

3. The reference to "circa 1950" in Maguire's letter is probably concerning Project Magnet, which was an official Canadian "flying saucer" study established by Wilbert Brockhouse Smith, who was a senior radio engineer in Transport Canada. The project was active until 1954 and ran informally until 1962. Project Magnet ran in cooperation with the Defence Research Board and the National Research Council.

4. What did Maguire mean when he stated: "expected upcoming public announcements will be coordinated between AUKUS..."? As at 29 June 2023 no such public announcements have been made. 

5. What are Foreign Material programs? Here's a link to an excellent article on the FMP Exploitation Squadron of the USAF's National Air and Space Intelligence Center, which explains FMPs. This article defines foreign material to be such things as weapons systems, parts of aircraft or indeed whole aircraft, drones etc. We kow for example, that NASIC was legislated to receive UAP reports, but the question really is, does the FMP include the recovery and exploitation of UAP? We just don't know. Maguire states that there is a Five Eyes FMP, however, I have so far drawn a blank in trying to find out information about it.

5. Politician Larry Maguire is to be congratulated for raising the UAP subject with the Canadian government as a whole. However, is it possible that some of the information being fed to Maguire, is incorrect? In my opinion, a reference to something going on circa 1950 does not necessarily equate to an ongoing program.

May 2023 - Sky Canada's website

Sky Canada now has its own website.

July 2023

Toronto journalist Daniel Otis tweeted details of the Canadian government's response to two questions he posed to them. They were:

Q. Is any other part of the DND/CAF currently involved in formal analysis of UAP?

A. No.

Q. Did any past analysis or involvement pertain to recovered materials/objects, as Maguire alleges?

A. We can confirm that the Canadian Armed Forces/ Department of National Defence (as well as previous iterations) have never had any possession of any UAP materials. 

March 2024

The Canadian Chief Scientist provided an update on the Sky Canada Project. 

April 2024

The "Ottawa Citizen" carried an article by David Pugliese dated 16 April 2024, titled "Canada joins secret Pentagon meeting on UFOs. DND can't figure out who attended." 

It was previously acknowledged by the Canadian government that someone from the Royal Canadian Air Force had attended the May 2023 Five Eyes UAP briefing by the former Director of AARO, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick. However, the "Ottawa Citizen" article said that Canada had no plans to attend additional meetings of UAP, nor were Canadian Forces working with the science advisor to the Canadian government on the Sky Canada project. 

Who actually attended on behalf of Canada remains a mystery. "A Canadian Forces intelligence Command officer confirmed his organization had not attended" 'We further confirmed with DRDC that they did not attend either..." DRDC stands for Defense Research and Deveopment Canada. 

May 2024

Canadian journalist Daniel Otis continues his pursuit of information on Canada's relationship with the USA, on the subject of UAP.