Documents / Official release

[01/08/1997 - 09/11/1997]: 24194018-20060474F-001-018-2023

· 48 pages · text by GLM-OCR

This Clinton Presidential Library folder of NSC cables, filed under "Flying Saucer or UFO" and covering January to September 1997, holds several cables plus a withdrawal sheet listing three redacted items. A Tel Aviv embassy media report notes an Israeli cartoon about a January 5 UFO alert. An FBIS translation reports that a Colombian helicopter landed in Rubio, Venezuela, prompting UFO speculation. A DoD briefing transcript quotes Kenneth Bacon saying a CIA study found no evidence of UFOs, and an FBIS summary covers Cuban radio claims about the 1947 New Mexico crash.

  • p. 13 …BACON, ASD (PA) AT THE PENTAGON MR. BACON: GOOD AFTERNOON. IT'S APRIL FOOL'S DAY…
  • p. 16 …IF IT'S SUCH A GOOD PLANE, WHY DOESN'T THE PENTAGON WANT TO BUY ANY…
  • p. 19 …CAN YOU SHED ANY LIGHT ON EITHER OF THOSE REPORTS? IS THE PENTAGON AWARE OF IT…
  • p. 20 …TO KIND OF PUT THIS STORY IN PERSPECTIVE, HAS THE UNITED STATES OR THE PENTAGON NOTICED…
  • p. 22 WITHOUT ANY PENTAGON REVIEW OF THE SECURITY THREAT? A: THE SECURITY REVIEW OF THE COSCO ARRANGEMENT…
  • p. 23 …HAVE BEEN--ARE--LOOKING AT WAYS THAT THE PENTAGON CAN BE RUN MORE EFFICIENTLY, AND THAT…
  • p. 25 …BACON, ASD (PA) AT THE PENTAGON MR. BACON: WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. IT CERTAINLY IS A GREAT…
  • p. 28 …APOSTOLOS TSOHATZOPOULOS AND THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILLIAM COHEN HERE AT THE PENTAGON? A: I HAVEN…
  • p. 30 …DOES THE PENTAGON SEE ROOM FOR COMPROMISE HERE, OR IS THE PRESIDENT GOING TO INSIST, AND…
  • p. 31 …THAT IF THE CONGRESS DOESN'T LIFT THE 60-40 RULE, THAT THE PENTAGON WILL NOT…
  • p. 33 …BACON, ASD (PA) AT THE PENTAGON MR. BACON: GOOD AFTERNOON. SORRY I'M LATE FOR THE…
  • p. 36 …OF THE SECURITY PROCEDURES? AND ARE YOU CONFIDENT GENERALLY THAT SECURITY AT THE PENTAGON IS ADEQUATE…
  • p. 38 …WERE HIS ACTIONS CAPTURED ON THE PENTAGON VIDEO MONITOR? PAGE 03 RUEKJCS7746 UNCLAS A: THEY WERE…
  • p. 39 …HE'S PART OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM THAT THE PENTAGON HAS, SORT OF A SEPARATE…
  • p. 40 PAGE 06 RUEKJCS7746 UNCLAS NAVAL HEADQUARTERS WHICH IS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR OF THE PENTAGON. FIRST…
  • p. 41 …DOES DEFENSE SECURITY GO TO THE VITAL OFFICES AROUND THE PENTAGON AND ALSO TO PROTECT TOP…
  • p. 42 …THE PENTAGON? A: WE ARE DOING IT. WE ARE, ONE, LOOKING AT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE…
  • p. 43 …OVER THE WEEKEND, OR IT WAS RELEASED OR REPORTED ON OVER THE WEEKEND -- AS PENTAGON SPOKESMAN…

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

PAGE 02 RUEKJCS3095 UNCLAS

A: IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE FOUR-MAN PATROL HAS COOPERATED FULLY WITH DOMESTIC LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES. THEY REMAINED FOR FOUR DAYS IN THE AREA. AT THE END OF FOUR DAYS, THERE WAS NO MORE DEMAND OR REQUEST FOR THEM TO PROVIDE INFORMATION, AND THEY LEFT. THAT IS MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HAPPENED.

THE MARINES HAVE LAUNCHED THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION OF WHAT WENT ON. AND THE JOINT TASK FORCE SIX, WHICH RUNS THE BORDER SUPPORT OPERATION, HAS ALSO DONE AN INVESTIGATION, AND THAT INVESTIGATION, WHICH I'VE READ IN DRAFT FORM, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN IN FINAL FORM, CONCLUDES THAT THEY WERE FOLLOWING PROPER PROCEDURES IN RESPONDING TO AN ATTACK AGAINST THEM. THEY RESPONDED THE WAY THEY'RE ALLOWED TO, IN SELF-DEFENSE.

NOW, THE MARINES ARE LOOKING INTO IT, AND THERE IS A CIVILIAN PROCEEDING GOING ON, AT THE SAME TIME. AS I SAID, THE MARINES HAVE COOPERATED WITH THAT.

Q: ANY RESULTS ON THE TODAY'S MEETING BETWEEN THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE APOSTOLOS TSOHATZOPOULOS AND THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILLIAM COHEN HERE AT THE PENTAGON?

A: I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO ANYBODY WHO WAS AT

PAGE 03 RUEKJCS3095 UNCLAS

THE MEETING TET. THEY WERE PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT A WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES -- SECRETARY COHEN WAS -- STARTING WITH NATO ENLARGEMENT, WHICH OF COURSE IS AT THE TOP OF EVERYBODY'S LIST RIGHT NOW. THEY WERE ALSO GOING TO TALK ABOUT BOSNIA AND THE PROGRESS OF THE SFOR MISSION IN BOSNIA. THEY WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT CYPRUS, AND THEY WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES IN THE AEGEAN. THOSE WERE THE MAIN ISSUES OF CONVERSATION THEY WERE PLANNING TO COVER.

Q: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON THE EXTENSIVE MEETING BETWEEN THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE APOSTOLOS TSOHATZOPOULOS AND THE UNDERSECRETARY JAN LODAL YESTERDAY AT THE GREEK EMBASSY?

A: I AM AFRAID I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT.

Q: AND LAST NIGHT, IT WAS REPORTED THAT YOUR AMBASSADOR IN ATHENS, THOMAS NILES, PROTESTED TO THE GREEK GOVERNMENT REGARDING THE WELL-KNOWN ISSUE OF THE UPGRADING THE F-4 GREEK FIGHTERS BY U.S. OR GERMANY DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT?

U.S. OR GERMANY. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT?

A: I AM AFRAID I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT. WE'LL TRY TO GET INFORMATION ON THAT.

Q: WELL, THE CINCS THAT ARE IN TOWN FOR THE CINC

CONFERENCE, WILL THEY MEET AS A GROUP WITH THE PRESIDENT? OR

PAGE 04 RUEKJCS3095 UNCLAS

WILL ANY CINCS INDIVIDUALLY MEET WITH THE PRESIDENT?

A: I DON'T BELIEVE THE CINCS ARE MEETING WITH THE

A: I DON'T BELIEVE THE CINCS ARE MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT THIS TIME AROUND. AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL CINCS WILL BE MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT, EITHE

Q: YOU MENTIONED THE STATEMENT OF COHEN TO THE TROOPS. COULD YOU JUST PARAPHRASE WHAT THAT STATEMENT IS, TO GIVE IT A LITTLE BIT ON CAMERA?

A: SECRETARY COHEN MADE BASICALLY TWO POINTS IN HIS

Cases discussed

  • Roswell Incident 1947
    explosion of a UFO in New Mexico in 1947 and the results of an autopsy... kept a secret by the Americans

About this file

Official release, from the nara collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 48 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.