January 26, 2000: Disclosure 2000 Is This the Year - Stephen Bassett
The broadcast also features presidential candidate Dr. Heather Ann Harder, a Democrat campaigning in New Hampshire who holds the unique distinction of being the only candidate with a stated position on UFO disclosure and government secrecy. She argues that activating the disengaged majority of American voters is the key to forcing transparency, and calls for single-issue bills written in plain English and a national referendum process.
Art presses both guests on the nature of government secrecy, including the existence of information classified beyond the clearance level of the president. Bassett warns that the imbalance between constitutional government and the sprawling intelligence apparatus represents a serious dysfunction that elections alone cannot fix.
Key Moments
Defining disclosure after two failed years: Bassett recaps the prior 'Disclosure 98' and 'Disclosure 99' broadcasts, blames the Lewinsky scandal and the Hillary Clinton senate run for derailing the timetable, and defines disclosure as 'the formal acknowledgement by our government of the presence of extraterrestrial life forms in our world now.'
Information classified above the president: Heather Ann Harder argues secrecy correlates with dysfunction, says some material is classified above the president, and Bassett pushes the implication that an intelligence apparatus the Constitution never anticipated now decides which presidents get briefed on the ET issue.
Carter's broken UFO promise: Harder cites Jimmy Carter as evidence that some presidents are briefed and silenced - Carter campaigned on his sighting and pledged to make the truth known, then never spoke publicly about it again after taking office.
The question for Vice President Gore: Bassett unveils the on-air debate question Paradigm Research Group wants reporters to put to Vice President Al Gore: was he aware of the UFO/ET briefings provided to President Clinton by Laurance Rockefeller and other senior administration officials between 1993 and 1998?