Disclosure Diaries Update #98

In a New York Times opinion piece, columnist Ross Douthat pushed back against the WSJ's recent “deep state disinformation” theory, asking a provocative follow-up: if the UFO surge is just psychological operations, what’s the op actually hiding?

Douthat acknowledges that UAP belief may have been seeded within the national security community through decades of deliberate misdirection, classified experiments, and bureaucratic myth-making. But he cautions that the WSJ's explanation - relying heavily on Dr. Kirkpatrick (former AARO lead) - doesn’t resolve the core mystery. The “weird aerial encounters” that kicked off this era still defy explanation and continue to be taken seriously by defense officials.

He concludes that while skepticism is warranted, the psy-op explanation leaves open the bigger question: what’s the deeper truth being obfuscated?

“[No-one should assume that] debunking explanations filtered through Kirkpatrick and other sources are themselves trustworthy. [...] If we’ve been living through a golden age of strange leaks and insider claims... then what, exactly, might this era’s particular psy-op be intended to conceal?”

In a new interview with Ross Coulthart, Senator Mike Rounds (co-sponsor of the original UAPDA language) confirmed he intends to push for the reintroduction of the UAP Disclosure Act.

Rounds expressed concern that some information on UAPs “has been improperly withheld” and stressed that Congress must determine what it actually knows about the phenomenon. He also addressed whether UAPs pose a national security threat and reaffirmed his belief that “there are things out there that we cannot explain.”

He does admit, however, that he has not seen any "smoking gun" evidence related to the NHI/UAP question.

Former deputy director of AARO, Lt. Col. (ret.) Tim Phillips, confirmed in a recent interview that UAP data from the infamous Tic‑Tac incident originated from the USS Princeton, and that “DARPA scientists dressed in black did land” to retrieve materials following the event.

This lends further credibility to broader claims that high-level agencies have physically retrieved UAP-related data tying back to (many, and in this case) one of the most consequential documented anomalous encounters.

During his time at AARO, he also admits:

"There were two physical searches that occurred with us trying to find that data. And the CNO staff trying to find that data. We couldn't find it"

• Following the UAP hearing on the 26th of July, Members of Congress have called for a select committee with subpoena authority, to “go about the task of collecting information from the Pentagon and elsewhere” on unidentified flying objects. There have been conflicting messages from various Members of Congress on whether this is likely to happen anytime soon.
  
  Note – a select subcommittee was formally requested on March 13th. Rep. Burlison reiterated a desire to establish such a committee on Nov 13 2024.
• Reps. Moskowitz, Luna, and Burchett have repeatedly stated their intent to hold field hearings to overcome stonewalling from the Pentagon and military establishment
  
  "I think we [Congress] should try to get into one of these places [housing UAP evidence]...and if they won't let us in I think we should have a field hearing right outside the building...and the military will have to explain why that is." – Rep. Moskowitz (D)
  
  It is currently unknown when exactly we might expect that to occur, however as of Jan 12 – Rep. Luna confirmed: "I feel confident that we have enough evidence to move forward with our first field hearing. @mattgaetz @JaredEMoskowitz @timburchett . We will be announcing details soon."
• Several journalists have indicated that first-hand witnesses of the alleged UAP legacy programs are in the process of providing testimony/evidence to the relevant authorities (e.g. the IC IG) and/or are on the verge of making public statements in the near future (Example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4)
• David Grusch has received additional clearances through DOPSR to discuss some of his (alleged) first-hand knowledge of Legacy programs. He has mentioned he may be covering more of this information in an upcoming Op-Ed
• Skywatcher aims to host a UAP summoning event in March-May for an audience of 50-100 people (no update as of Jun 2025)