Group Calls for Disclosure of UFO Info

On May 9, 2001, ABC News reported on a press conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., organized by the Disclosure Project. The event featured a group of approximately 20 former government, military, and security officials who asserted that the United States government has been aware of the existence of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) for at least 50 years and has maintained a policy of secrecy regarding this information. Steven Greer, the director of the Disclosure Project, stated that there are roughly 400 witnesses with firsthand experience regarding UFO sightings or alien evidence who are prepared to testify before Congress. Among the individuals associated with the group is Washington lawyer Daniel Sheehan. Sheehan alleged that during the Carter administration, he discovered government-held UFO information that then-CIA Director George Bush refused to release. Sheehan further claimed that he was granted access to the National Archives, where he was shown photographs of captured UFOs featuring alien symbols, though he was restricted to taking notes and tracing the images onto a legal pad. James Oberg, an ABC News space consultant and retired NASA engineer, provided commentary on the claims, noting that while Greer posits the existence of a global 'X-file cabal' utilizing UFO technology, not all witnesses at the conference necessarily subscribe to this specific theory. Oberg suggested that the witnesses should not be mocked, as documenting strange, unexplained phenomena is valuable for military intelligence and science.