UFOs are at risk of going 'down the paranormal rabbit hole', expert warns - as bombshell report reveals Pentagon planted myths

Daily Mail​

10-06-2025

UFOs are at risk of 'going down the paranormal rabbit hole', an expert has warned in wake of a bombshell report by the Wall Street Journal.
The report revealed that UFO conspiracies were fuelled by the Pentagon in a bid to conceal a classified weapons programme.
According to the 2024 US Department of Defense (DOD) review, the government conducted a deliberate disinformation campaign during the Cold War era, going so far as to distribute fake photos of flying saucers to residents.
Following the release of the report, Nick Pope, who worked on the MoD's UFO desk for three years from 1991, claims that some UFO investigators are introducing 'too much religiosity' into their theories.
In a post on X, Mr Pope wrote: 'The subject of UAP has gone from fringe to mainstream.
' Congress is engaged.
'We risk losing this if we go down the paranormal rabbit hole, or introduce too much religiosity or spirituality into the narrative.
'Let's keep the focus on defense, national security and safety of flight.'
Over the last few years, there has been growing interest at the highest levels of US politics in the topic of UFOs and UFO sightings.
Members of Congress, largely coming from the Republican Party, have formed a caucus to examine what they call 'unidentified anomalous phenomena' or 'UAPs'.
In 2023, this c ulminated in a major congressional hearing in which former US officials testified to the existence of a secret UFO recovery programme.
David Grusch, who led the analysis of UAP within a US defence agency, claimed that the government had taken possession of alien craft and 'biologics'.
However, UFOs' growing credibility now risks taking a serious blow as it emerges that a number of UFO theories might have been deliberately started by the Pentagon itself.
The new claims of a secret weapons cover-up come from a report by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) - a congressional task force within the DOD created to investigate persistent rumours of secret government projects involving alien technology.
Sean Kirkpatrick, the first director of the AARO, was appointed by the government in 2022 to investigate and make sense of the countless UFO theories swirling through public and military channels.
Investigating UFO reports dating back to 1945, AARO discovered several cases where high-ranking military officials deliberately misled the public and their colleagues.
Mr Kirkpatrick told the Wall Street Journal he had met a number of former Air Force members who claimed to have been briefed on a project called 'Yankee Blue'.
For decades, some newly recruited officers were given a picture which appeared to show a flying saucer and were told that they were part of a programme called Yankee Blue which was responsible for reverse-engineering the technology.
However, the picture was a fake and there was such a reverse-engineering programme.
Instead, Yankee Blue appears to have been a bizarre hazing ritual or loyalty test for new recruits into the Air Force.
And even decades later, news that Yankee Blue was fake stunned the now-retired servicemen.
It was not until 2023 did the defence secretary's office sent a memo out across the service ordering the practice to stop immediately.
Kirkpatrick told then President's director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, who was also stunned.
Haines was said to have pressed the issue, questioning how the hazing could have carried on without being stopped.
The official responded: 'Ma'am, we know it went on for decades. We are talking about hundreds and hundreds of people. These men signed NDAs. They thought it was real.'
As these reports rattle many UFO believers, Mr Pope insists that it is key for those in favour of UFO disclosure to 'push narratives that compete with the religious/spiritual one'.
Mr Pope wrote: 'Let's keep the focus on defense, national security and safety of flight.'
His comments come in response to a growing number of UFO supporters who argue that aliens are actually angels or other supernatural creatures.
For example, Luis Elizondo, one of the leading UFO whistleblowers and disclosure advocates, has claimed that he psychically transformed into an angel to scare terrorists as part of a secret Pentagon programme.
Yet despite the Wall Street Journal's revelations and Mr Pope's appeal to stick to the facts, many UFO believers have only entrenched themselves deeper in conspiracy theories.
Speaking on the Good Trouble Show podcast, Mr Elizondo said: 'The absurdity of the WSJ article is not only a disingenuous piece, it appears to be well orchestrated with the usual players in the DoD [Department of Defence].'
Likewise, commenters on the popular r/UFO Reddit page shared their belief that the WSJ investigation must be another conspiracy.
Experts say that conspiracy theories are 'sticky', meaning that believers cannot give them up easily even when faced with contradictory evidence
One commenter wrote: 'The fact they are claiming this is totally absurd but it's important to see why they are doing it. WSJ is being fed this info from Pentagon sources. Why? What is their angle?'
However, psychologists say that this reaction to the sudden release of new information is normal for conspiracy theorists.
Dr Daniel Jolley, an expert on the psychology of conspiracy theories from the University of Nottingham, told MailOnline: 'Conspiracy beliefs can be very 'sticky' because they're often tied to people's identity and worldview.
'When someone invests in a conspiracy belief, it becomes part of how they make sense of the world and themselves. New evidence that contradicts those beliefs can be dismissed or rationalised away since accepting it might threaten deeply held assumptions and create psychological discomfort.'
This means that the suggestion that UFO myths were created as a disinformation campaign is unlikely to affect the deeply held beliefs of those who already think UFOs are real.
WHAT MAKES SOMEONE BELIEVE IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES?
Over the course of three online-based studies, researchers at the University of Kent showed strong links between the belief in conspiracy theories and certain psychological traits.
Narcissism and self-esteem levels have a large impact on a persons belief in conspiracy theories.
The results showed that people who rated highly on the narcissism scale and who had low self-esteem were more likely to be conspiracy believers.
However, while low self-esteem, narcissism and belief in conspiracies are strongly linked, it is not clear that one - or a combination - causes the other.
But it hints at an interesting new angle to the world of conspiracy and those who reinforce belief.
There are widely believed to be three main reasons as to why people believe in conspiracy theories.
The desire for understanding and certainty - Seeking explanations for events is a natural human desire.
The desire for control and security - Conspiracy theories can give their believers a sense of control and security.
The desire to maintain a positive self-image - People who feel socially marginalised are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories and it gives them a sense of worth in the UFO community.
These three things tie in with the previously stated qualities and combine to create an avid conspiracy theorist.