9506127: 26457815-20060474F-002-003-2023

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12
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STRATEGIES AND RATIONALE
FOR
CHANGING GOVERNMENT POLICY
-JLis-tecommended that current govemment policy onJJFOs/ETI be changed
to one of increasing disclosure, openness, and cooperation with civilian
researchers. Failure to effect a review and policy change within the next 12-24
months may result in significant unfortunate outcomes insofar as it is likely that
both civilian research initiatives (e.g., CSETI RMIT research projects) and
imminent extraterrestrial events will overtake current policy.
A "window of opportunity" exists for the Administration to effect such a
change. This unique window exists as the result of the confluence of two
significant events:
1. The existing policy of secrecy exists, in part, because of justifiable
concerns during the Cold War, which included the control of possible
developments vis-a-vis extraterrestrial technology, as well as more general
psychological and sociological concerns. The ending of the Cold War provides
for a plausible rationale for changing current policy at this time, and would
provide the current Administration with an excellent explanation for the public so
that past secrecy could be justified, thereby minimizing any embarrassment to
past administrations, or to career government, military, and intelligence
employees. Since some time has already elapsed since the end of the Cold
War, this rationale is highly time sensitive.
2. Since the Clinton Administration is less than one year old, the President,
the Secretary of Defense the Director of Central Intelligence, the new Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other key government figures will have "plausible
deniability" on this issue, so long as a policy change occurs in the first one to two
years of the term. After that time, the Administration could be harmed by a late,
uncontrolled disclosure since such an event would play to the public in one of
two equally unacceptable ways: If the Administration claims ignorance on a
subject this important, it will be accused of incompetence. And if the
Administration admits to knowing about this subject, it will be subject to
accusations of unwarranted secrecy, and possibly even "cover-up" by the media
and public. At this point in time, the Administration would not be faulted for a
one-to two-year delay in disclosure, and may even be viewed heroically by a
majority of the American people, inasmuch as a majority of Americans already
believe that UFOs are real and are most likely interplanetary craft.
We believe that this "window" provides for an historic opportunity to change
current policy and enter a new era of openness on this important subject.
Beyond this, such a policy of openness, with the resulting disclosure of the
existence of extraterrestrial life, could be a world unifying event which would
serve the over-arching goal of world peace. Suddenly, the earth would indeed
appear as one homeland inhabited by one people.