[The UFO Rabbit Hole] Ep 34: The Disclosure Field Guide [Pt 2]: Black Budgets & The Secret Space Program
Feb 9, 2024
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The podcast discusses the history and structure of institutionalized secrecy surrounding the UFO phenomenon. It explores black budget programs, the impact of secrecy on individuals, and the existence of a classified space program. The podcast also delves into experimental geography, the Manhattan Project, the culture of military patches, and the symbolism found in black program patches.
Whistleblowers face challenges in sharing UFO information due to classified nature and limited disclosure methods.
Individuals in secretive programs lead distinct lives with restricted freedoms, curated relationships, and erased personal histories.
Secrecy in black budget programs involves erasing evidence, using legal privileges, and employing private industry to protect covert operations.
Deep dives
The challenges of sharing classified information
Whistleblowers like Lou Elizondo and David Grush face obstacles in sharing what they know about the UFO phenomenon. Classified information, such as non-human technology possession, is not directly shareable with the public or even members of Congress without a 'need to know.' However, strategies like clearing statements through Defense Office of Pre-Publication and Review (DOPSR) have been used to share information that is not classified, without confirming its accuracy.
Generational secrecy and the impact on individuals
Secret programs, like those related to classified space, often pass down knowledge within controlled communities and families. Oral traditions and initiation rituals are used to maintain secrecy. Individuals born into these secretive worlds often lead dramatically different lives, with restricted personal freedoms, limited personal information, and curated relationships. They may have specialized education, accelerated learning programs, and recruitment into intelligence communities. The impact on their lives, including erasure of personal histories, can be profound.
The mechanisms of secrecy and black budget programs
Secrecy within black budget programs involves keeping knowledge within controlled communities, purposely erasing evidence, relying on legal privileges like state's secret privilege, and using private industry to protect covert operations. Trevor Paglen, an artist and geographer, explores secret geographies through methodologies like experimental geography and the study of military patches. These patches, created for classified programs, symbolically represent secrets and act as markers for those who can't openly talk about their work. Paglen's research highlights the depth and extent of secrecy within classified programs and the challenges of uncovering and understanding their operations.
The Use of Counterintelligence to Hide Government Secrets
Counterintelligence was utilized during the Cold War to divert attention from classified military bases and spy planes. The intelligence community found that the UFO belief system provided a convenient cover story, as the UFO community readily accepted and disseminated narratives about underground alien bases and advanced spacecraft. This allowed counterintelligence agents to manipulate public perception and obfuscate the true nature of their operations.
The Culture of Secrecy and Disinformation in the Black World
The black world of government secrecy and disinformation plays a significant role in shaping public perception and maintaining control over information. The collusion between official government narratives, mass media, and education creates a culture that reinforces the power dynamics and values of those in authority. This political economy system ensures that beliefs and assumptions align with those in power, while contradictory evidence is discarded or ignored. However, there is increasing momentum in academia and institutions towards acknowledging and studying the UFO topic, challenging the existing power structure and potentially leading to a more open and transparent future.
Today we are going to be continuing our Disclosure Field Guide series. As the disclosure narrative continues to unfold, this series seeks to offer a roadmap for those trying to make sense of just what exactly is going on in this strange and confounding moment in our human history.
In the first episode, we talked about how to deal with the ontological shock of recognizing that the world that we live in is not what we were told, and how to get reoriented within that new paradigm. In part two, we’re going to go a step further by diving into the history and structure of the institutionalized secrecy that has kept the reality of the UFO phenomenon hidden in plain sight for decades.
This episode was guest written by Mark Burchick. To find out more about Mark, click on the episode brief below.
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