And instead, forged an agreement for a military base on the moon.

"The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used
against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war
without us ever having any warning...The Bush Administration has
finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the moon,
which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings
and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they
so decide."[8]

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hellyer

John Ayres