DoD News Briefing
Tuesday, August 5, 1997 - 1:15 p.m. (EDT)
Briefer, Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD (PA)


Q: On the UFO study that the CIA did over the weekend, or it was
released or reported on over the weekend -- as Pentagon spokesman are
you concerned about a report that says that the government willfully
misled individuals to conceal programs?

A: I've read the CIA study, and I have read what they said about the
Air Force. It's their characterization of what the Air Force said. I
have not gone back and checked what the Air Force said at the time, so
I'd prefer not to comment on what the study said. It is not the policy
of Secretary Cohen or any of the people who work for him to mislead
the public.

Q: Were you at all aware of any misleading of the public that was done
by the Air Force prior?

A: I was not aware of that. I will say that one interesting aspect of
the report was that for years, UFO people have been charging that
we've covered up the fact that there really are UFOs, and the CIA
study confirms, as has every other study done by the government, that
we have no evidence of UFOs. We have no evidence of extraterrestrial
visitors to this planet. The study goes on to say that one explanation
for many of these sightings might have been airplanes that were being
tested at the time.

Q: Do you think that applies to any programs that might be tested now,
or can you say categorically that the Department does not engage in
that kind of public relations activity in terms of programs that are
perhaps flying today?

A: First of all, we certainly have classified programs and we
certainly have legitimate reasons for not disclosing some of the work
we're doing, whether it's research and development or whether it's
operations. I am not aware that we are putting out stories that
misstate the truth about those programs. The distinction would be we
just don't talk about the programs at all, so I certainly wouldn't
talk about any of those programs today.