Luis Elizondo

US former military intelligence officer

Luis Elizondo

Born|

Luis Daniel Elizondo

Texas, United States

Other names| "Lue" Elizondo
Education| University of Miami
Occupation| Former military intelligence officer
Organization(s)| Department of Defense, U.S. Army Counterintelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences
Website| luiselizondo-official.com

Luis Elizondo is a former United States Army Counterintelligence special agent, former employee of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, media commentator and author. Elizondo reports he was a director of the now defunct Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), which was associated with the Pentagon UFO videos. Elizondo's statements about his Pentagon role with AATIP have been contested by Pentagon officials.[1][2][3][4][5] Since 2017, he has stated that UFOs (or UAPs) exist and are not the result of human technology.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Elizondo is the son of Luis Elizondo III, a Cuban exile who volunteered for Brigade 2506, a CIA-sponsored group of exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro, which culminated in the Bay of Pigs invasion.[6][7] According to his 2024 memoir, Elizondo grew up being trained for Alpha 66, which he describes as a "slightly rebranded Brigade 2506".[8][9] Born in Texas, his family "moved to Sarasota around 1975".[7] Elizondo graduated from Riverview High School in Sarasota in 1990, where he was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, and also participated in the drill team and scholastic wrestling programs.[7] At the University of Miami, Elizondo studied double majors in microbiology and immunology, with minors in chemistry and mathematics.[4][10] During his education, he obtained advanced research experience in parasitology, and diseases including malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis.[10][4][11]

## Career

[edit]

### United States Army intelligence

[edit]

Elizondo served in the United States Army with service in the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, and in the United States, and then as a civilian intelligence officer during which he ran military intelligence operations in Afghanistan, South America, and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and its Camp Seven.[12][4][10] During military tours in Afghanistan he was an operations officer, joined the United States Army Counterintelligence program, and was "battle captain" managing a tactical operations center.[10][13] Elizondo ran anti-terrorist missions against the Islamic State (ISIS), al-Qaeda and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.[12]

Regarding his military career, Elizondo stated he "dealt with a lot of stuff, like coup d'états, black market terrorism, violent drug cartels, all that kind of stuff".[14] The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported in 2021 that during the course of his military career, Elizondo reported to the United States Secretary of Defense, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Office of National Intelligence, the Director of National Intelligence, and the White House.[7][15][11]

### Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence

[edit]

From 2008 until his resignation in 2017, Elizondo worked with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSDI) in the Pentagon.[3][16] Elizondo has reported that he worked with officials from the U.S. Navy and the CIA out of his Pentagon office for this program until 2017, when he resigned to protest what he characterized as "excessive secrecy and internal opposition".[16][2] Elizondo was Director for the National Programs Special Management Staff in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.[11][15]

At the time of his resignation, Elizondo had reached the highest level of civilian non-political appointment employment in the Federal government of the United States as a "GS-15 employee", the civilian equivalent to colonel rank.[7] Elizondo's resignation was tendered on October 4, 2017, directly to then Secretary of Defense James Mattis.[2] Elizondo's resignation was reported to have caught the Office of the Secretary of Defense off-guard, and various government spokespeople afterwards would issue alternating and conflicting accounts of his role in government over the following years, both confirming and denying his intelligence work and work related to the topics of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAPs).[7] Senator Harry Reid sent a letter to NBC News stating "I can state as a matter of record Lue Elizondo's involvement and leadership role in this program".[4]

In 2019, journalist Keith Kloor reported in Issues in Science and Technology from the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that in a 2016 government performance evaluation, Elizondo was "lauded" for "his ability to manage a highly classified program in a manner that protects US national security interests on a global scale", and that Elizondo's office had "identified and neutralized 6 insider threats" and "co-authored 4 national-level policies involving covert action". Elizondo's performance was further evaluated by the Pentagon as exemplary, and noted that it "cannot be overstated the importance of Mr. Elizondo’s portfolio to national security".[2]

Between his 2017 resignation to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, his subsequent release of the Pentagon UFO videos and 2024, Elizondo retained "the highest security clearance" and still serves as a contractor for the United States government.[12] In August 2024, Elizondo told Ross Coulthart on NewsNation that he had worked on UAP-related topics with David Grusch for the United States Space Force.[17]

### Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program

[edit]

Main article: Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program

Elizondo was recruited in 2009[12] to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), a special access program funded at the initiative of the then United States Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada[18] to investigate aerial threats including unidentified aerial phenomena.[19] In a June 2009 letter to then United States Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III, then Senator Reid discussed requirements for personnel to be attached to AATIP under a security clearance BIGOT list, including then Special Agent Luis Elizondo, USDI.[20] The New Yorker reports that Elizondo was asked to take over the program in 2010, which was an outgrowth of a government project awarded to businessman and paranormal enthusiast Robert Bigelow to investigate Utah area cryptids; the article notes that Elizondo then turned the program into part of AATIP to investigate "the national-security implications of military U.A.P. encounters".[21] Elizondo reports that ending in 2012, he was the director of AATIP.[22][23][19] Elizondo told a reporter he thought that he might have been selected for AATIP because of his scientific background, work as a counterintelligence agent protecting American aerospace technology, and lack of interest in science fiction.[4] Elizondo asserts that "underestimating or ignoring these potential threats is not in the best interest of the Department no matter the level of political contention".[24] According to the Department of Defense, the AATIP program ended in 2012 after five years due to budget cuts.[1][16]

In 2017, Elizondo was confirmed as an AATIP leader by Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White to Politico, but White would not divulge further program details due to their sensitive nature.[1] In spring 2019, journalist Keith Kloor reported that Elizondo was asked to take over management of security for AATIP, and had "experience in technology protection", having worked with Boeing on protection of Apache Longbow helicopter technologies, and with Raytheon on cruise missile technology.[2]

However, in June 2019, the Pentagon amended their position, and spokesperson Christopher Sherwood confirmed that AATIP "did pursue research and investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena", and added to The Intercept that Elizondo "had no responsibilities with regard to the AATIP program while he worked in OUSDI, up until the time he resigned effective 10/4/2017".[3] In response, Elizondo filed a 64-page long complaint with the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General describing "a coordinated campaign to discredit him for speaking out" including "Pentagon press statements asserting he had no official role in UFO research, even after his role was officially confirmed".[25][26][27] In the Inspector General's complaint, Elizondo also stated that he was the target of "a personal vendetta from a Pentagon rival", who attempted to harm his career via investigations of Elizondo's role in the 2017 release of the Pentagon UFO videos, despite Elizondo having been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Pentagon.[25][24] One day after Elizondo filed the complaint, the Inspector General initiated an investigation into Pentagon “actions” on UFOs related to incursions of United States airspace by unknown high-performance craft.[25][28] "The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the DoD has taken actions regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)", Randolph Stone, assistant inspector general for evaluations on space, intelligence, engineering and oversight, stated.[28]

Senator Harry Reid again confirmed Elizondo held the post in a 2021 letter.[29] Elizondo remarked in his 2024 memoir that he had been formally invited to the program to manage security and counterintelligence, under its then-current identity of the Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Applications Program (AAWSAP).[30]

### To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences

[edit]

Soon after resigning from the government, Elizondo along with Christopher Mellon, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, joined To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences, a public-benefit corporation co-founded by musician Tom DeLonge, CIA veteran Jim Semivan, and engineer Hal Puthoff to research UFO-related topics.[21][31] According to legal filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and a research and development agreement between the United States Department of the Army and To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences to investigate technologies the civilian group had in its possession, Elizondo's title and position with the organization was listed by the United States Army as "Director of Global Security and Special Programs".[32][11] After joining To the Stars, Elizondo announced they were "planning to provide never-before-released footage from real U.S. government systems—not blurry amateur photos but real data and real videos".[21]

#### United States Navy UFO videos

[edit]

Main article: Pentagon UFO videos

In 2017, Elizondo distributed three declassified videos to the press that were made by pilots from the United States Navy aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt which became known as the Pentagon UFO videos, which were publicized by the New York Times.[33][34] The release was accompanied by the first mainstream press reporting on the existence of the AATIP.[16] Elizondo, speaking with Erin Burnett on CNN in 2017, described the UFOs he was aware of as "These aircraft -- we'll call them aircraft -- are displaying characteristics that are not currently within the US inventory nor in any foreign inventory that we are aware of", and "things that don't have any obvious flight services, any obvious forms of propulsion, and maneuvering in ways that include extreme maneuverability beyond, I would submit, the healthy G-forces of a human or anything biological."[35]

The classified nature of the videos and the validity of Elizondo's authorization to distribute them were questioned.[24][36] Elizondo, in a Pentagon memo, stated the videos could "help educate pilots and improve aviation safety"; in interviews after their release, Elizondo remarked his intention was to "shed light" on the Defense Departments program to collect UFO data.[23] Popular Mechanics reported in 2020 that Elizondo stated, "I initially requested the videos be cleared for restricted release to industry partners, however, it was DOPSR, not me, who suggested the videos be released in an unrestricted manner. The emails on this exchange are out there now. They’ve been made public, so people can see this for themselves, precisely how this occurred."[24] DOPSR is the Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review, under the Pentagon's Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and "manages the Department of Defense security review program, reviewing written materials both for public and controlled release".[37]

Journalist Tim McMillan in the article detailed that Popular Mechanics located the involved party who made the recommendation, and wrote, "Not shown in the series of emails, the person recalled, in their coordination with DOPSR, it was suggested it would be easier if the request was amended to 'unrestricted.' Subsequently, the person said this information would have been passed along to Elizondo."[24] The matter of the classification of the videos was settled in 2020 by Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough, who told Popular Mechanics, "The videos were not cleared for general public release because DOPSR did not receive final approval from Navy. Navy’s approval would have included PA review from Navy’s PA office (Public Affairs)," and that after an investigation, "the investigation determined the videos were not classified", and that the Pentagon and Gough faulted neither Elizondo or To The Stars for the release, but as Gough told Popular Mechanics, "DOPSR, in this specific case".[24]

In April 2019, the Navy acknowledged drafting new guidelines for pilots and other personnel to report encounters with unidentified aircraft, and Elizondo told The Washington Post that it was "the single greatest decision the Navy has made in decades".[38] In April 2020, the United States Department of Defense released the three Navy videos themselves and acknowledged them as real.[5][39] In response, Elizondo commented, "We are fueled by the Pentagon's significant actions and hope this encourages a new wave of credible information to come forward".[40]

#### Documentary series and departure to lobby government

[edit]

A History Channel docuseries titled Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation produced by To the Stars featured Elizondo and others who present themselves as affiliated with AATIP.[41][42][43][44]

Elizondo, along with Christopher Mellon and Steve Justice, left To the Stars in late 2020, saying "Tom [De Longe] is really focused on the entertainment side, so there's not a whole lot for Chris, Steve and I to do [...] Our talents lie in engaging governments, Congress and international organizations, and we're ready to shift into second gear. Entertainment is one way to do it, but it's not comprehensive."[7] In 2023, journalist Art Levine credited both Elizondo and Mellon for their role in President Joe Biden signing that years National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision to investigate UFO-related topics, including creation of the Pentagons All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.[5][45]

### Further UFO-related works

[edit]

In the summer of 2021 Elizondo appeared on the CBS News program 60 Minutes in a segment titled "UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace" in which he was interviewed by Bill Whitaker, who included interviews with Christopher Mellon and two U.S. naval aviators.[46][47] Elizondo believes UAPs might be from another dimension, they might use hydrogen found in water to "warp space time", and the US government may be in possession of "exotic material" associated with UAPs.[4]

Elizondo was announced on October 30, 2021 to have joined as a research affiliate to The Galileo Project, a program began by astrophysicist Avi Loeb to search for extraterrestrial intelligence or extraterrestrial technology on and near Earth and to identify the nature of anomalous unidentified flying objects and unidentified aerial phenomena.[48][5]

### 2024 memoir Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs

[edit]

Imminent book cover

Elizondo's memoir, Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for U.F.O.s, was published on August 20, 2024 by HarperCollins[9] and debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.[49]

Late in his military and intelligence career, Elizondo is recruited by Pentagon officials to manage security and counterintelligence for a deeply classified UFO-related research program.[50] Through his involvement in the program, Elizondo comes to embrace ufology, ultimately espousing belief in non-human UFOs, a conspiracy to cover up United States government awareness of UFOs and non-human intelligent life, the Roswell crash incident and other crash retrievals including recoveries of 'biologics', alien abductions, and alien implants.[50] In the memoir, Elizondo describes his early experiences in various government and military programs, ranging from his time in the regular Army, his experiences in military intelligence, a remote viewing program under Hal Puthoff when younger, to his years later his recruitment into the UFO research program where Puthoff was among the project scientists.[51] He also describes a personal encounter involving a "green, glowing ball" floating through his home.[12]

He also alleges that the US government has retrieved technology and biological remains of nonhuman origin from crashed UFOs.[9]

## See also

[edit]

* Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force

## References

[edit]

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.

1. ^ a b c Bender, Bryan (December 16, 2017). "The Pentagon's Secret Search for UFOs". Politico. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019.
2. ^ a b c d e Kloor, Keith (March 1, 2019). "UFOs Won't Go Away". Issues in Science and Technology. United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019.
3. ^ a b c Kloor, Keith (June 1, 2019). "The Media Loves This UFO Expert Who Says He Worked for an Obscure Pentagon Program. Did He?". The Intercept. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019.
4. ^ a b c d e f g Burton, Charlie (November 9, 2021). "This man ran the Pentagon's secretive UFO programme for a decade. We had some questions". GQ. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
5. ^ a b c d Levine, Art (July 20, 2023). "Spaceship of Fools". The Washington Spectator. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
6. ^ Farwell, Matt (August 10, 2020). "Tom DeLonge's Warped UFO Tour". The New Republic. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020.
7. ^ a b c d e f g Cox, Billy (January 3, 2021). "From the shadows into the light – the man who broke the UFO embargo grew up in Sarasota". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021.
8. ^ Elizondo, Luis (2024). "A reluctant warrior". Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0063235564. "Later I learned that my father was preparing me for something called "Alpha 66," a slightly rebranded Brigade 2506 in which the new generations of Cubans were to be trained for the reinvasion of their country."[page needed]
9. ^ a b c Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (August 16, 2024). "A Memoir Offers an Insider's Perspective Into the Pentagon's U.F.O. Hunt". New York Times. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024.
10. ^ a b c d Elizondo, Luis (March 3, 2024). "Luis Elizondo - Biography". Luis Elizondo. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
11. ^ a b c d "Annual Report Pursuant To Regulation A of the Securities Act of 1933, For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017; To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science Inc". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. December 31, 2017. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
12. ^ a b c d e York, Josie Ensor, New (August 26, 2024). "Pentagon UFO expert says secret group has 'non-human material'". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
13. ^ Levengood, Matthew (July 5, 2023). "The Battalion Battle Captain". The Military Leader.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024.
14. ^ McMillan, Tim (February 14, 2020). "Inside the Pentagon's Secret UFO Program". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
15. ^ a b Kean, Leslie (October 11, 2017). "Fmr. Manager of DOD Aerospace Threat Program: "UFOs are Real"". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
16. ^ a b c d Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (December 16, 2017). "Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017.
17. ^ Luis Elizondo (August 29, 2024). UFO whistleblowers: Lue Elizondo calls David Grusch a 'hero' - Reality Check with Ross Coulthart. NewsNation. Event occurs at 6:22. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
18. ^ Cillizza, Chris (April 28, 2020). "This former senator isn't surprised by the new UFO tapes". CNN. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020.
19. ^ a b Blumenthal, Ralph (December 18, 2017). "On the Trail of a Secret Pentagon U.F.O. Program". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017.
20. ^ Reid, Harry (June 24, 2009). "June 24th, 2009 letter from Senator Harry Reid to William Lynn III, Deputy Secretary of Defense" (PDF). Wikimedia Commons. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 28, 2024.
21. ^ a b c Lewis-Kraus, Gideon (April 30, 2021). "How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
22. ^ Chow, Denice; Schwartz, Gadi (May 19, 2021). "UFOs are about to make their way to the U.S. Senate. Here's what to know". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
23. ^ a b Warrick, Joby (December 16, 2017). "Head of Pentagon's secret 'UFO' office sought to make evidence public". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017.
24. ^ a b c d e f McMillan, Tim (January 17, 2020). "The Tale of the Tape: The Long, Bizarre Saga of the Navy's UFO Video". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on January 17, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
25. ^ a b c Bender, Bryan (May 21, 2021). "Ex-official who revealed UFO project accuses Pentagon of 'disinformation' campaign". Politico. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021.
26. ^ Sharma, Shweta (May 27, 2021). "UFO whistleblower claims Pentagon threatened him after leaking military reports". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021.
27. ^ Villarreal, Alexandra (May 28, 2021). "Whistleblower who spoke out on UFOs claims Pentagon tried to discredit him". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021.
28. ^ a b Bender, Bryan (May 4, 2021). "The Pentagon's Secret Search for UFOs". Politico. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021.
29. ^ Reid, Harry (June 8, 2016). "Letter from Office of Senator Harry Reid regarding Luis Elizondo" (PDF). Wikimedia Commons. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 19, 2023.
30. ^ Elizondo, Luis (2024). "Chapter 1: Damned If I Do, Damned If I Don't". Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs. HarperCollins. p. 12\. ISBN 978-0063235564. "In this second meeting, Jim Lacatski formally asked me to handle counterintelligence and security for the program."
31. ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (September 26, 2019). "How Blink-182's Tom DeLonge Became a U.F.O. Researcher". New York Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019.
32. ^ "Cooperative Research and Development Agreement Between To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science, Inc. and The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center, Novel & Emerging Technology Exploitation" (PDF). NextGov.com, Government Executive. United States Department of the Army. October 30, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
33. ^ Mellon, Christopher (March 9, 2018). "The military keeps encountering UFOs. Why doesn't the Pentagon care?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
34. ^ Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (May 26, 2019). "'Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
35. ^ Watkins, Eli; Todd, Brian (December 19, 2017). "Former Pentagon UFO official: 'We may not be alone'". CNN. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017.
36. ^ Scoles, Sarah. "What Is Up With Those Pentagon UFO Videos?". Wired (magazine). ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on February 17, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
37. ^ "Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review". Washington Headquarters Services. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
38. ^ Paul, Deanna (April 25, 2019). "How angry pilots got the Navy to stop dismissing UFO sightings". Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019.
39. ^ Turak, Natasha (April 28, 2020). "Pentagon declassifies three UFO videos taken by Navy pilots". CNBC. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
40. ^ Yuhas, Alan (April 28, 2020). "The Pentagon Released U.F.O. Videos. Don't Hold Your Breath for a Breakthrough". New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
41. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (May 31, 2019). "TV Review: History's 'Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation'". Variety (magazine). Archived from the original on May 31, 2019.
42. ^ "Watch Preview: Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation: Aware Clip - Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation". History Channel. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
43. ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 12, 2019). "History Boards Six-Part UFO Docuseries 'Unidentified' Featuring Pentagon Whistleblower". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019.
44. ^ Wallis, Adam (March 13, 2019). "Tom DeLonge says he'll 'expose new evidence' about UFOs in upcoming TV series". Global News. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024.
45. ^ O'Brien, Connor (December 23, 2022). "Biden signs defense bill repealing military vaccine mandate". Politico. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023.
46. ^ Whitaker, Bill (August 29, 2021). "UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
47. ^ Weber, Peter (May 17, 2021). "UFOs are very real, 60 Minutes reports, they're still unidentified, and they aren't American". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
48. ^ "The Galileo Project welcomes Christopher Mellon and Luis Elizondo as Research Affiliates" (PDF). Harvard University, The Galileo Project. October 30, 2021. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
49. ^ "The New York Times Best Sellers". The New York Times. September 8, 2024. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
50. ^ a b Chung, Frank (August 19, 2024). "Former Pentagon UFO investigator makes claims of 'non-human' craft, biological implants in memoir". News.com.au. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
51. ^ Elizondo, Luis (2024). Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0063235564. "Also in attendance was Harold "Hal" Puthoff, a legendary figure in government and intel community research circles. He is a physicist, an engineer, and a man of deep mystery when it comes to some of America's most sensitive and controversial projects. For over fifty years, he worked as the chief scientist on highly classified projects for the government. In various past capacities, he had regularly reported directly to the White House and the director of the CIA. This is a man who walks around with knowledge that the vast majority of the human population will never know. My respect and admiration for Hal is immeasurable. He was the program's chief scientist... When I was still a young soldier in the Army, my career path had crossed briefly with Hal's. But I met him for the first time in person that evening. The fact that I was about to rub elbows with Hal Puthoff impressed upon me the significance of the meeting... Stargate trained "supersoldiers" to spy on hard targets using their psychic gifts. No, I am not kidding, this was an official US government program. They called the highly controversial technique "remote viewing." The program, pioneered at Stanford University in the late 1960s, was led by none other than Hal Puthoff, whom I met at the dinner meeting I described earlier. Hal had been a Stanford University researcher and an employee of the NSA when he and his colleague Russell Targ were approached by the CIA and told that Russia had a remote-viewing program. The US needed to catch up and beat their efforts. That's how it all started."[page needed]

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Elizondo and others featured on '60 Minutes' - May 2021

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States