April 30, 1998: UFO Disclosure - Stephen Bassett & Dr. Steven M. Greer
Apr 30, 1998
2h 42m
0:00 / 0:00
Art Bell hosts UFO lobbyist Stephen Bassett and Dr. Steven M. Greer of C-SETI for a wide-ranging discussion about the state of UFO disclosure. Bassett announces the launch of his Paradigm Research Group website featuring the "Paradigm Clock," modeled after the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' Doomsday Clock, tracking proximity to formal government acknowledgment of an extraterrestrial presence. He also discusses White House correspondent Sarah McClendon's continued investigation into UFO secrecy.
Dr. Greer describes C-SETI's two main programs: the Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind Initiative training teams worldwide to attempt real-time communication with UFOs, and Project Starlight's effort to identify top-secret military witnesses and brief senior government officials. He recounts briefing CIA Director James Woolsey, who reportedly said he could not penetrate the secrecy surrounding UFO-related programs despite heading the intelligence community. Greer reveals that a key witness was spirited away before congressional briefings to prevent testimony about plans to use back-engineered alien reproduction vehicles to stage a false invasion scenario.
Greer calls for a privatized civilian disclosure process involving primetime documentaries and a global press conference featuring dozens of top-secret witnesses, estimating the effort would cost roughly two million dollars. He reports having over 150 identified military and intelligence witnesses ready to come forward.
Dr. Greer describes C-SETI's two main programs: the Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind Initiative training teams worldwide to attempt real-time communication with UFOs, and Project Starlight's effort to identify top-secret military witnesses and brief senior government officials. He recounts briefing CIA Director James Woolsey, who reportedly said he could not penetrate the secrecy surrounding UFO-related programs despite heading the intelligence community. Greer reveals that a key witness was spirited away before congressional briefings to prevent testimony about plans to use back-engineered alien reproduction vehicles to stage a false invasion scenario.
Greer calls for a privatized civilian disclosure process involving primetime documentaries and a global press conference featuring dozens of top-secret witnesses, estimating the effort would cost roughly two million dollars. He reports having over 150 identified military and intelligence witnesses ready to come forward.
Key Moments
Sarah McLendon's March 30 disclosure article: Bassett dates the McLendon disclosure piece exactly: written starting January 5 after Greer's first appearance on Coast, delayed by the Lewinsky news cycle, and finally released March 30, 1998 alongside the Mars Cydonia developments.
Paradigm Clock modeled on the Doomsday Clock: Bassett unveils his Paradigm Clock, modeled on the 1947 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Clock of Doom, which started at seven minutes to midnight, got as close as two minutes, and after the Berlin Wall reset to a neutral 15 minutes.