1 00:00:16,130 --> 00:00:16,030 [Music] 2 00:00:24,030 --> 00:00:16,140 [Applause] 3 00:00:32,549 --> 00:00:24,040 [Music] 4 00:00:35,670 --> 00:00:32,559 welcome back to the ufo rabbit hole 5 00:00:37,910 --> 00:00:35,680 podcast i'm your host kelly chase we've 6 00:00:39,830 --> 00:00:37,920 spent the past five episodes talking 7 00:00:41,750 --> 00:00:39,840 through the possible answers to the most 8 00:00:44,389 --> 00:00:41,760 obvious questions raised by the 9 00:00:45,510 --> 00:00:44,399 pentagon's stunning admission that ufos 10 00:00:47,990 --> 00:00:45,520 are real 11 00:00:50,150 --> 00:00:48,000 which are who's making them 12 00:00:52,229 --> 00:00:50,160 where are they from if these craft are 13 00:00:54,150 --> 00:00:52,239 intelligently designed and controlled 14 00:00:56,950 --> 00:00:54,160 what is the source of the intelligence 15 00:00:59,910 --> 00:00:56,960 behind them and as we've seen there are 16 00:01:01,349 --> 00:00:59,920 no easy answers the ufo phenomenon is 17 00:01:03,910 --> 00:01:01,359 hard to grasp with our current 18 00:01:05,990 --> 00:01:03,920 understanding the tighter we try to hold 19 00:01:08,469 --> 00:01:06,000 on to it try to make it conform to our 20 00:01:10,230 --> 00:01:08,479 preconceived notions and expectations 21 00:01:11,190 --> 00:01:10,240 the more easily it slips through our 22 00:01:13,030 --> 00:01:11,200 fingers 23 00:01:14,710 --> 00:01:13,040 and as it smashes on the floor 24 00:01:16,630 --> 00:01:14,720 glittering shards of possibility 25 00:01:19,109 --> 00:01:16,640 skittering in all directions 26 00:01:21,510 --> 00:01:19,119 we begin to see that this phenomenon has 27 00:01:23,350 --> 00:01:21,520 much more profound implications than 28 00:01:24,870 --> 00:01:23,360 just the potential of visitors from 29 00:01:26,870 --> 00:01:24,880 another world 30 00:01:29,190 --> 00:01:26,880 and to be honest 31 00:01:31,830 --> 00:01:29,200 there has been no aspect of my trip down 32 00:01:35,190 --> 00:01:31,840 the ufo rabbit hole that has surprised 33 00:01:37,350 --> 00:01:35,200 confounded terrified but also frankly 34 00:01:39,030 --> 00:01:37,360 delighted me quite like the story that 35 00:01:41,670 --> 00:01:39,040 we're about to cover today 36 00:01:44,310 --> 00:01:41,680 this story has everything twists and 37 00:01:46,550 --> 00:01:44,320 turns rock stars clandestine meetings 38 00:01:50,149 --> 00:01:46,560 government secrets good guys and bad 39 00:01:52,630 --> 00:01:50,159 guys angels and demons ufos of course 40 00:01:54,870 --> 00:01:52,640 and an unlikely hero who through sheer 41 00:01:56,069 --> 00:01:54,880 grit and determination accomplishes the 42 00:01:58,469 --> 00:01:56,079 impossible 43 00:02:01,190 --> 00:01:58,479 and much like the ufo phenomenon this 44 00:02:02,230 --> 00:02:01,200 story has been hidden in plain sight 45 00:02:04,389 --> 00:02:02,240 which doesn't mean that it was 46 00:02:06,310 --> 00:02:04,399 necessarily easy to find 47 00:02:08,469 --> 00:02:06,320 as we dive into this story you might 48 00:02:10,469 --> 00:02:08,479 find yourself wondering how the heck 49 00:02:12,150 --> 00:02:10,479 have i never heard of all this 50 00:02:14,949 --> 00:02:12,160 and you're not alone while the 51 00:02:16,790 --> 00:02:14,959 mainstream media has taken sporadic and 52 00:02:19,910 --> 00:02:16,800 frustratingly shallow interest in this 53 00:02:22,150 --> 00:02:19,920 story it's been largely overlooked but 54 00:02:24,150 --> 00:02:22,160 behind the scenes at the highest levels 55 00:02:26,550 --> 00:02:24,160 of our government the events that we're 56 00:02:29,190 --> 00:02:26,560 going to discuss have forced a seismic 57 00:02:31,910 --> 00:02:29,200 change in how the ufo phenomenon is 58 00:02:34,150 --> 00:02:31,920 being addressed both internally and to 59 00:02:37,350 --> 00:02:34,160 the public at large and right at the 60 00:02:40,630 --> 00:02:37,360 center of this story is pop punk icon 61 00:02:43,750 --> 00:02:40,640 and our unlikely hero tom delong 62 00:02:45,270 --> 00:02:43,760 yes that tom delong from blink182 and 63 00:02:47,589 --> 00:02:45,280 we'll get into that whole story in just 64 00:02:50,630 --> 00:02:47,599 a minute but i think it's important to 65 00:02:52,390 --> 00:02:50,640 get a sense of who tom delong is and not 66 00:02:54,949 --> 00:02:52,400 just because i will forever go to the 67 00:02:57,110 --> 00:02:54,959 mat for early 2000s pop punk is not just 68 00:02:59,110 --> 00:02:57,120 an art form but a lifestyle 69 00:03:01,430 --> 00:02:59,120 but because of the way that his life and 70 00:03:04,149 --> 00:03:01,440 career brought him to a surprising 71 00:03:06,790 --> 00:03:04,159 turning point making him one of the most 72 00:03:09,509 --> 00:03:06,800 if not the most important figures in the 73 00:03:11,030 --> 00:03:09,519 history of the ufo disclosure movement 74 00:03:13,110 --> 00:03:11,040 so let's do this 75 00:03:14,589 --> 00:03:13,120 thomas matthew delong was born on 76 00:03:18,550 --> 00:03:14,599 december 13 77 00:03:20,790 --> 00:03:18,560 1975 in poway california a small city of 78 00:03:23,190 --> 00:03:20,800 about 50 000 people just north of san 79 00:03:25,750 --> 00:03:23,200 diego the son of an oil company 80 00:03:28,149 --> 00:03:25,760 executive and a mortgage broker de long 81 00:03:30,390 --> 00:03:28,159 knew that he didn't want to in his words 82 00:03:32,550 --> 00:03:30,400 grow up and get a job that he hates 83 00:03:35,190 --> 00:03:32,560 school wasn't of much interest to him so 84 00:03:38,149 --> 00:03:35,200 unsurprisingly he wasn't a great student 85 00:03:40,070 --> 00:03:38,159 however he had an endless enthusiasm for 86 00:03:41,030 --> 00:03:40,080 his passions outside the classroom 87 00:03:43,430 --> 00:03:41,040 saying 88 00:03:45,830 --> 00:03:43,440 i knew exactly how hard i had to work in 89 00:03:48,309 --> 00:03:45,840 school as long as i got that c i 90 00:03:50,229 --> 00:03:48,319 wouldn't try one minute extra to get a b 91 00:03:51,190 --> 00:03:50,239 i just cared about skateboarding and 92 00:03:52,710 --> 00:03:51,200 music 93 00:03:54,470 --> 00:03:52,720 tom first picked up a skateboard in 94 00:03:55,509 --> 00:03:54,480 third grade and it quickly became an 95 00:03:57,030 --> 00:03:55,519 obsession 96 00:03:59,350 --> 00:03:57,040 he describes this time of his life 97 00:04:00,630 --> 00:03:59,360 saying i lived ate and breathed 98 00:04:02,710 --> 00:04:00,640 skateboarding 99 00:04:04,869 --> 00:04:02,720 all i did all day long was skateboard it 100 00:04:06,550 --> 00:04:04,879 was all i cared about after receiving a 101 00:04:08,789 --> 00:04:06,560 beat up guitar as a gift from two 102 00:04:11,190 --> 00:04:08,799 friends for christmas in the sixth grade 103 00:04:12,070 --> 00:04:11,200 tom had dual obsessions to occupy his 104 00:04:13,910 --> 00:04:12,080 time 105 00:04:16,469 --> 00:04:13,920 but planted along these seeds of the 106 00:04:19,110 --> 00:04:16,479 cultural icon that he would become was 107 00:04:20,870 --> 00:04:19,120 another life-defining passion one that 108 00:04:21,830 --> 00:04:20,880 would eventually grow to eclipse them 109 00:04:23,590 --> 00:04:21,840 all 110 00:04:25,909 --> 00:04:23,600 in junior high while being forced to 111 00:04:27,350 --> 00:04:25,919 spend quiet time in the library he 112 00:04:29,189 --> 00:04:27,360 searched the stacks for something to 113 00:04:31,510 --> 00:04:29,199 read that didn't fall into the category 114 00:04:33,350 --> 00:04:31,520 of what he called boring it was 115 00:04:35,510 --> 00:04:33,360 there that he found a book with pictures 116 00:04:36,550 --> 00:04:35,520 of the loch ness monster and a ufo on 117 00:04:38,950 --> 00:04:36,560 the front 118 00:04:41,030 --> 00:04:38,960 tom devoured the book utterly enthralled 119 00:04:43,110 --> 00:04:41,040 by the strange ideas inside 120 00:04:44,790 --> 00:04:43,120 sparking in him a lifelong obsession 121 00:04:46,070 --> 00:04:44,800 with the topic of ufos and the 122 00:04:49,270 --> 00:04:46,080 paranormal 123 00:04:50,950 --> 00:04:49,280 in 1992 after being kicked out of poway 124 00:04:52,469 --> 00:04:50,960 high school halfway through his junior 125 00:04:53,990 --> 00:04:52,479 year for showing up drunk to a 126 00:04:56,070 --> 00:04:54,000 basketball game 127 00:04:58,150 --> 00:04:56,080 tom found himself as the new kid at 128 00:04:59,510 --> 00:04:58,160 rancho bernardo high school 129 00:05:01,749 --> 00:04:59,520 he signed up to play in the battle of 130 00:05:03,909 --> 00:05:01,759 the bands organized by the school where 131 00:05:05,590 --> 00:05:03,919 he played an original song poignantly 132 00:05:08,310 --> 00:05:05,600 titled who's going to shave your back 133 00:05:09,510 --> 00:05:08,320 tonight to a packed auditorium it was 134 00:05:10,870 --> 00:05:09,520 there that he began to make the 135 00:05:14,310 --> 00:05:10,880 connections that would lead to the 136 00:05:16,870 --> 00:05:14,320 formation of blink 182 alongside bassist 137 00:05:19,110 --> 00:05:16,880 and co-vocalist mark hoppus and drummer 138 00:05:21,189 --> 00:05:19,120 scott raynor the three quickly became 139 00:05:23,270 --> 00:05:21,199 inseparable spending hours in rainer's 140 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:23,280 bedroom writing and playing music 141 00:05:27,189 --> 00:05:24,960 pausing only for punk concerts 142 00:05:29,510 --> 00:05:27,199 skateboarding and practical jokes a 143 00:05:31,909 --> 00:05:29,520 teenage boy's dream right but tom wanted 144 00:05:33,990 --> 00:05:31,919 more they released their first album 145 00:05:36,629 --> 00:05:34,000 flyswatter a combination of original 146 00:05:38,950 --> 00:05:36,639 punk songs and covers and soon after de 147 00:05:41,029 --> 00:05:38,960 long began calling around to venues all 148 00:05:42,790 --> 00:05:41,039 around san diego trying to get stage 149 00:05:43,909 --> 00:05:42,800 time for the fledgling band wherever he 150 00:05:45,590 --> 00:05:43,919 could 151 00:05:47,909 --> 00:05:45,600 showing an early tenacity that would 152 00:05:49,590 --> 00:05:47,919 drive him throughout his career he even 153 00:05:52,230 --> 00:05:49,600 called local high schools telling them 154 00:05:54,790 --> 00:05:52,240 that blink 182 was a motivational band 155 00:05:57,110 --> 00:05:54,800 with a strong anti-drug message in order 156 00:05:59,830 --> 00:05:57,120 to book assemblies in school events 157 00:06:01,430 --> 00:05:59,840 their persistence paid off and by 1995 158 00:06:03,350 --> 00:06:01,440 the band was touring constantly 159 00:06:05,830 --> 00:06:03,360 throughout the united states canada and 160 00:06:08,230 --> 00:06:05,840 australia there was no wi-fi back then 161 00:06:10,309 --> 00:06:08,240 if you can imagine such a thing and so 162 00:06:13,029 --> 00:06:10,319 tom passed the endless hours on the tour 163 00:06:14,950 --> 00:06:13,039 bus traveling between shows devouring 164 00:06:16,309 --> 00:06:14,960 stacks of books on ufos and the 165 00:06:18,150 --> 00:06:16,319 paranormal 166 00:06:20,070 --> 00:06:18,160 it was during this time that he first 167 00:06:22,230 --> 00:06:20,080 read the works of some of ufolagi's 168 00:06:24,950 --> 00:06:22,240 greatest founding fathers including 169 00:06:25,830 --> 00:06:24,960 jacques valle stanton friedman and john 170 00:06:28,790 --> 00:06:25,840 keel 171 00:06:30,390 --> 00:06:28,800 by 1996 the band had gained enough buzz 172 00:06:33,350 --> 00:06:30,400 to spark a bidding war between 173 00:06:35,270 --> 00:06:33,360 interscope mca and epitaph 174 00:06:37,350 --> 00:06:35,280 the band ultimately signed a record deal 175 00:06:40,309 --> 00:06:37,360 with mca who offered them the most 176 00:06:42,150 --> 00:06:40,319 artistic freedom however disagreements 177 00:06:44,230 --> 00:06:42,160 over this deal along with rainer's 178 00:06:46,950 --> 00:06:44,240 substance abuse issues led to the band 179 00:06:48,629 --> 00:06:46,960 parting ways with the drummer in 1998. 180 00:06:50,870 --> 00:06:48,639 he was quickly replaced with travis 181 00:06:53,350 --> 00:06:50,880 barker the drummer of another band they 182 00:06:55,270 --> 00:06:53,360 were touring with the aquabats after he 183 00:06:57,430 --> 00:06:55,280 filled in for raynor famously learning 184 00:07:00,790 --> 00:06:57,440 the band's entire set in the 20 minutes 185 00:07:02,870 --> 00:07:00,800 before the show in 1999 blink 182 186 00:07:04,950 --> 00:07:02,880 released their seminal album enema of 187 00:07:07,589 --> 00:07:04,960 the state which immediately rocketed 188 00:07:09,430 --> 00:07:07,599 them to crossover stardom dominating not 189 00:07:11,350 --> 00:07:09,440 just the rock charts but the billboard 190 00:07:12,950 --> 00:07:11,360 hot 100 as well 191 00:07:14,950 --> 00:07:12,960 the sound that the band had developed 192 00:07:17,589 --> 00:07:14,960 while heavily influenced by their punk 193 00:07:20,150 --> 00:07:17,599 rock idols like no fx the descendants 194 00:07:22,469 --> 00:07:20,160 and bad religion was infused with the 195 00:07:24,390 --> 00:07:22,479 sunny optimism of southern california 196 00:07:26,790 --> 00:07:24,400 and radio friendly hooks 197 00:07:28,950 --> 00:07:26,800 and unlike punk rockers of the past 198 00:07:30,950 --> 00:07:28,960 blink 182 never shied away from their 199 00:07:33,350 --> 00:07:30,960 commercial appeal they even had a 200 00:07:35,749 --> 00:07:33,360 contract with billabong as literally any 201 00:07:37,670 --> 00:07:35,759 picture of the band from about 1998 to 202 00:07:39,589 --> 00:07:37,680 2002 can attest 203 00:07:41,670 --> 00:07:39,599 making them the first band ever to be 204 00:07:43,670 --> 00:07:41,680 sponsored by a clothing brand 205 00:07:46,150 --> 00:07:43,680 even as the stadiums began to fill and 206 00:07:48,469 --> 00:07:46,160 blink 182 began its meteoric rise to 207 00:07:50,070 --> 00:07:48,479 fame leading the charge in a new wave of 208 00:07:52,790 --> 00:07:50,080 pop punk bands 209 00:07:55,510 --> 00:07:52,800 de long's interest in in fixation on the 210 00:07:57,270 --> 00:07:55,520 topic of ufos never wavered in 211 00:07:59,510 --> 00:07:57,280 interviews his band mates recount 212 00:08:01,110 --> 00:07:59,520 endless hours of listening to tom ramble 213 00:08:03,350 --> 00:08:01,120 on about aliens and government 214 00:08:05,430 --> 00:08:03,360 conspiracies things for which he had 215 00:08:08,230 --> 00:08:05,440 both an encyclopedic knowledge and a 216 00:08:10,070 --> 00:08:08,240 seemingly inexhaustible enthusiasm 217 00:08:12,230 --> 00:08:10,080 on breaks in between cities he was known 218 00:08:14,309 --> 00:08:12,240 to organize trips to remote locations to 219 00:08:17,029 --> 00:08:14,319 look for ufos bigfoot and other 220 00:08:19,110 --> 00:08:17,039 manifestations of high strangeness 221 00:08:20,790 --> 00:08:19,120 and through this time delong remained 222 00:08:22,869 --> 00:08:20,800 remarkably grounded 223 00:08:25,110 --> 00:08:22,879 he seemed well aware of the flash and 224 00:08:27,350 --> 00:08:25,120 the pan nature of fame and despite 225 00:08:29,510 --> 00:08:27,360 blank's meteoric rise he has had 226 00:08:31,189 --> 00:08:29,520 multiple successful business ventures on 227 00:08:33,509 --> 00:08:31,199 the side throughout his time in the 228 00:08:36,949 --> 00:08:33,519 spotlight de long established a holding 229 00:08:38,630 --> 00:08:36,959 company really likable people in 1998 230 00:08:41,350 --> 00:08:38,640 under this holding company he developed 231 00:08:43,509 --> 00:08:41,360 multiple clothing brands a shoe brand 232 00:08:45,350 --> 00:08:43,519 and even a technology and design firm 233 00:08:47,350 --> 00:08:45,360 that has handled the official websites 234 00:08:49,430 --> 00:08:47,360 and fan clubs for a range of popular 235 00:08:52,550 --> 00:08:49,440 artists including the white stripes 236 00:08:54,310 --> 00:08:52,560 pearl jam and kanye west however fame 237 00:08:56,389 --> 00:08:54,320 was more than just a flash in the pan 238 00:08:59,110 --> 00:08:56,399 for tom and his band mates with their 239 00:09:00,870 --> 00:08:59,120 2001 release and first album to debut at 240 00:09:04,150 --> 00:09:00,880 number one take off your pants and 241 00:09:06,949 --> 00:09:04,160 jacket blink 182 solidified themselves 242 00:09:09,509 --> 00:09:06,959 as both billboard chart mainstays and 243 00:09:11,829 --> 00:09:09,519 cultural icons de long at times seemed 244 00:09:13,509 --> 00:09:11,839 to resent being boxed in artistically by 245 00:09:15,430 --> 00:09:13,519 being part of one of the biggest and 246 00:09:16,790 --> 00:09:15,440 most commercially successful bands on 247 00:09:18,550 --> 00:09:16,800 the planet 248 00:09:21,190 --> 00:09:18,560 feeling an itch to do something where he 249 00:09:23,829 --> 00:09:21,200 didn't feel locked into what blink was 250 00:09:26,230 --> 00:09:23,839 in 2002 he released a new album under a 251 00:09:28,070 --> 00:09:26,240 new name boxcar racer 252 00:09:30,070 --> 00:09:28,080 although he wrote the songs himself for 253 00:09:32,389 --> 00:09:30,080 convenience he asked travis barker to 254 00:09:34,710 --> 00:09:32,399 record the drum tracks for the album 255 00:09:36,550 --> 00:09:34,720 this caused tension between tom and mark 256 00:09:38,550 --> 00:09:36,560 hoppus who was not included on the 257 00:09:40,790 --> 00:09:38,560 project and marked the beginning of a 258 00:09:43,750 --> 00:09:40,800 rift between the two that only widened 259 00:09:46,389 --> 00:09:43,760 throughout the coming years by 2004 260 00:09:48,870 --> 00:09:46,399 tensions boiled over and blink 182 broke 261 00:09:51,350 --> 00:09:48,880 up reeling from this turn of events de 262 00:09:52,630 --> 00:09:51,360 long looked to reinvent himself he went 263 00:09:54,550 --> 00:09:52,640 on the road with john kerry's 264 00:09:56,949 --> 00:09:54,560 presidential campaign and discovered a 265 00:09:58,870 --> 00:09:56,959 new side of himself one that was driven 266 00:10:00,949 --> 00:09:58,880 by the desire to bring about positive 267 00:10:03,269 --> 00:10:00,959 change in the world in the wake of this 268 00:10:05,829 --> 00:10:03,279 sweeping internal change de long formed 269 00:10:07,910 --> 00:10:05,839 the band angels and airwaves a project 270 00:10:10,069 --> 00:10:07,920 that he saw as being much more than just 271 00:10:11,990 --> 00:10:10,079 a band but an art project that 272 00:10:14,389 --> 00:10:12,000 approaches larger human themes and 273 00:10:16,230 --> 00:10:14,399 tackles them in different mediums 274 00:10:18,069 --> 00:10:16,240 he started talking about films and 275 00:10:19,750 --> 00:10:18,079 multimedia projects that he predicted 276 00:10:22,069 --> 00:10:19,760 would change and influence the youth 277 00:10:23,190 --> 00:10:22,079 culture creating a revolution through 278 00:10:25,829 --> 00:10:23,200 art 279 00:10:28,790 --> 00:10:25,839 so by the late 2000s we see this new 280 00:10:31,190 --> 00:10:28,800 version of tom delong begin to take form 281 00:10:33,670 --> 00:10:31,200 one who is equal parts businessman and 282 00:10:35,750 --> 00:10:33,680 artist and one who is passionate about 283 00:10:38,710 --> 00:10:35,760 finding ways to use his considerable 284 00:10:41,670 --> 00:10:38,720 talents and resources in both arenas as 285 00:10:44,150 --> 00:10:41,680 a catalyst for change blink 182 got back 286 00:10:46,550 --> 00:10:44,160 together in 2008 with more albums and 287 00:10:48,790 --> 00:10:46,560 tours to follow but the tensions between 288 00:10:49,990 --> 00:10:48,800 the band quickly resurfaced despite 289 00:10:52,870 --> 00:10:50,000 their success 290 00:10:54,630 --> 00:10:52,880 particularly between happis and de long 291 00:10:56,949 --> 00:10:54,640 the duo had a bit of a lenin and 292 00:10:59,030 --> 00:10:56,959 mccartney vibe with tom despite his 293 00:11:01,269 --> 00:10:59,040 class clown public persona 294 00:11:03,430 --> 00:11:01,279 often playing the mercurial and restless 295 00:11:06,389 --> 00:11:03,440 lenin to mark sunshiny and commercial 296 00:11:08,949 --> 00:11:06,399 mccartney but in the end it was ufos 297 00:11:11,829 --> 00:11:08,959 that would be their yoko ono 298 00:11:13,190 --> 00:11:11,839 in 2014 de long had an experience that 299 00:11:15,910 --> 00:11:13,200 would change the course of his life 300 00:11:16,790 --> 00:11:15,920 forever here is the story as he recounts 301 00:11:20,310 --> 00:11:16,800 it 302 00:11:22,710 --> 00:11:20,320 well-known ufologist who believed that 303 00:11:24,710 --> 00:11:22,720 ufos communicated through consciousness 304 00:11:26,470 --> 00:11:24,720 and who claimed to be able to make ufos 305 00:11:27,670 --> 00:11:26,480 appear through a set of meditation 306 00:11:29,430 --> 00:11:27,680 protocols 307 00:11:30,949 --> 00:11:29,440 i find it interesting that he's never 308 00:11:33,590 --> 00:11:30,959 come right out and identified this 309 00:11:36,230 --> 00:11:33,600 individual because to anyone who's even 310 00:11:39,350 --> 00:11:36,240 casually plugged into the ufo community 311 00:11:40,870 --> 00:11:39,360 this can really only be one person dr 312 00:11:42,470 --> 00:11:40,880 steven greer 313 00:11:44,389 --> 00:11:42,480 there are some theories as to why this 314 00:11:47,430 --> 00:11:44,399 might be and we'll get into that part in 315 00:11:49,509 --> 00:11:47,440 part two of this episode but for now you 316 00:11:52,310 --> 00:11:49,519 just need to know that dr greer has been 317 00:11:55,190 --> 00:11:52,320 a prominent albeit controversial member 318 00:11:58,069 --> 00:11:55,200 of the ufo community and vocal advocate 319 00:11:59,990 --> 00:11:58,079 for disclosure since the early 90s he's 320 00:12:02,949 --> 00:12:00,000 most well known for having developed the 321 00:12:04,790 --> 00:12:02,959 ce5 protocols which stands for close 322 00:12:06,310 --> 00:12:04,800 encounters of the fifth kind 323 00:12:08,150 --> 00:12:06,320 which is basically a series of 324 00:12:11,190 --> 00:12:08,160 meditations that you can do that he 325 00:12:14,470 --> 00:12:11,200 claims can be used to summon ufos 326 00:12:16,790 --> 00:12:14,480 so in 2014 de long and this unknown 327 00:12:18,550 --> 00:12:16,800 ufologist go camping in death valley 328 00:12:20,310 --> 00:12:18,560 with a few other people 329 00:12:22,150 --> 00:12:20,320 their plan is to do these meditation 330 00:12:23,269 --> 00:12:22,160 protocols and try to make contact with 331 00:12:24,710 --> 00:12:23,279 the ufo 332 00:12:26,870 --> 00:12:24,720 they do this for a couple of hours 333 00:12:29,030 --> 00:12:26,880 without success and eventually decide it 334 00:12:30,790 --> 00:12:29,040 was time to go to sleep delong claims 335 00:12:33,269 --> 00:12:30,800 that he was later woken up in the middle 336 00:12:35,430 --> 00:12:33,279 of the night by the sound of hundreds of 337 00:12:36,870 --> 00:12:35,440 voices outside of his tent 338 00:12:38,790 --> 00:12:36,880 he couldn't quite make out what they 339 00:12:40,949 --> 00:12:38,800 were saying but he wasn't able to make 340 00:12:42,710 --> 00:12:40,959 himself move to see what was going on 341 00:12:45,110 --> 00:12:42,720 and eventually he ended up falling back 342 00:12:46,550 --> 00:12:45,120 asleep when he woke up he discovered 343 00:12:48,710 --> 00:12:46,560 that one of the other members of his 344 00:12:49,829 --> 00:12:48,720 group had had the exact same bizarre 345 00:12:51,509 --> 00:12:49,839 experience 346 00:12:54,069 --> 00:12:51,519 leading de long to believe that his 347 00:12:56,150 --> 00:12:54,079 experience was real this baffling 348 00:12:57,509 --> 00:12:56,160 encounter with the phenomenon shook him 349 00:12:59,750 --> 00:12:57,519 to his core 350 00:13:01,590 --> 00:12:59,760 leading him to re-evaluate his purpose 351 00:13:05,910 --> 00:13:01,600 and direction in life 352 00:13:07,269 --> 00:13:05,920 in 2015 de long abruptly quit blink 182 353 00:13:09,509 --> 00:13:07,279 telling his bandmates through his 354 00:13:12,310 --> 00:13:09,519 manager that he wanted to focus on his 355 00:13:13,990 --> 00:13:12,320 non-musical endeavors delong later 356 00:13:15,910 --> 00:13:14,000 claimed that he never actually left the 357 00:13:18,150 --> 00:13:15,920 band saying that he never planned on 358 00:13:19,110 --> 00:13:18,160 quitting he just finds it hard as hell 359 00:13:21,590 --> 00:13:19,120 to commit 360 00:13:24,150 --> 00:13:21,600 whatever his intention the indefinite 361 00:13:26,069 --> 00:13:24,160 nature of his hiatus and deteriorating 362 00:13:28,470 --> 00:13:26,079 relationships within the band 363 00:13:31,269 --> 00:13:28,480 led happis and barker to replaced along 364 00:13:34,230 --> 00:13:31,279 with alkaline trios matt skibba with 365 00:13:35,910 --> 00:13:34,240 whom they continued to tour and record 366 00:13:38,150 --> 00:13:35,920 despite any hard feelings that de long 367 00:13:39,990 --> 00:13:38,160 may have had over this turn of events 368 00:13:42,389 --> 00:13:40,000 it's clear that he had more than his 369 00:13:43,990 --> 00:13:42,399 hands full with his new endeavors it was 370 00:13:46,389 --> 00:13:44,000 more clear to him than ever that the 371 00:13:48,389 --> 00:13:46,399 phenomenon was real and he was 372 00:13:50,710 --> 00:13:48,399 determined to play a role in bringing 373 00:13:52,470 --> 00:13:50,720 this issue to the public awareness and 374 00:13:54,710 --> 00:13:52,480 always a man of action 375 00:13:58,550 --> 00:13:54,720 tom de long had a plan 376 00:14:00,629 --> 00:13:58,560 in 2015 shortly after leaving blink 182 377 00:14:03,110 --> 00:14:00,639 tom de long founded an entertainment 378 00:14:04,710 --> 00:14:03,120 company called to the stars he said in 379 00:14:06,790 --> 00:14:04,720 later interviews that a major 380 00:14:10,470 --> 00:14:06,800 inspiration for this endeavor was the 381 00:14:13,030 --> 00:14:10,480 movie 13 days a 2000 film dramatizing 382 00:14:14,870 --> 00:14:13,040 the events of the cuban missile crisis 383 00:14:17,750 --> 00:14:14,880 de long recounts that after seeing the 384 00:14:19,750 --> 00:14:17,760 film he found himself suddenly intensely 385 00:14:21,590 --> 00:14:19,760 interested in the topic in a way that he 386 00:14:23,350 --> 00:14:21,600 had never been in school 387 00:14:24,870 --> 00:14:23,360 wanting to read everything he could get 388 00:14:26,710 --> 00:14:24,880 his hands on 389 00:14:28,550 --> 00:14:26,720 seeing the potential that entertainment 390 00:14:30,629 --> 00:14:28,560 had to help people engage with and 391 00:14:32,310 --> 00:14:30,639 understand complex topics that they 392 00:14:34,710 --> 00:14:32,320 might otherwise ignore 393 00:14:35,750 --> 00:14:34,720 de long formed to the stars to do just 394 00:14:37,990 --> 00:14:35,760 that 395 00:14:40,150 --> 00:14:38,000 in his opinion ufos had never been 396 00:14:43,110 --> 00:14:40,160 portrayed correctly in the media and 397 00:14:44,870 --> 00:14:43,120 with tts he saw the opportunity to 398 00:14:47,269 --> 00:14:44,880 slowly disclose the nature of the 399 00:14:49,910 --> 00:14:47,279 phenomenon to the public through 400 00:14:53,430 --> 00:14:49,920 entertainment and media to include films 401 00:14:56,069 --> 00:14:53,440 documentaries tv shows books and more 402 00:14:58,150 --> 00:14:56,079 however de long also recognized that if 403 00:14:59,910 --> 00:14:58,160 he was going to be truly successful in 404 00:15:02,230 --> 00:14:59,920 helping people come to grips with the 405 00:15:04,069 --> 00:15:02,240 true nature of the phenomenon that he 406 00:15:06,550 --> 00:15:04,079 would need some help in understanding it 407 00:15:08,389 --> 00:15:06,560 himself he'd read about every book on 408 00:15:09,990 --> 00:15:08,399 the subject that existed and certainly 409 00:15:12,069 --> 00:15:10,000 had his own opinions 410 00:15:14,230 --> 00:15:12,079 but without some kind of privileged 411 00:15:16,550 --> 00:15:14,240 insider knowledge he had no way of 412 00:15:17,750 --> 00:15:16,560 knowing for sure exactly what was true 413 00:15:19,990 --> 00:15:17,760 and what wasn't 414 00:15:22,389 --> 00:15:20,000 if he was going to do this right tom 415 00:15:24,629 --> 00:15:22,399 delong needed advisors 416 00:15:26,790 --> 00:15:24,639 and according to delong a stunning and 417 00:15:28,790 --> 00:15:26,800 wildly unlikely series of events 418 00:15:30,629 --> 00:15:28,800 unfolded over the course of the next two 419 00:15:33,269 --> 00:15:30,639 years that would bring him those 420 00:15:35,670 --> 00:15:33,279 advisors from the very highest levels of 421 00:15:36,949 --> 00:15:35,680 our government military and intelligence 422 00:15:38,710 --> 00:15:36,959 agencies 423 00:15:40,389 --> 00:15:38,720 and this is where the story really 424 00:15:42,470 --> 00:15:40,399 starts to get strange 425 00:15:46,069 --> 00:15:42,480 because over those next two years in 426 00:15:47,910 --> 00:15:46,079 2016 and 2017 de long proceeded to give 427 00:15:49,829 --> 00:15:47,920 a series of increasingly bizarre 428 00:15:52,629 --> 00:15:49,839 interviews in which he made shocking 429 00:15:54,470 --> 00:15:52,639 claims pointing to anonymous mysterious 430 00:15:56,150 --> 00:15:54,480 sources within the government whom he 431 00:15:58,470 --> 00:15:56,160 could not identify 432 00:16:00,790 --> 00:15:58,480 these interviews can be as frustrating 433 00:16:02,470 --> 00:16:00,800 to listen to as they are fascinating 434 00:16:04,470 --> 00:16:02,480 they're frustrating because although 435 00:16:05,990 --> 00:16:04,480 it's clear that de long wants to share 436 00:16:08,710 --> 00:16:06,000 every detail of what he's been 437 00:16:10,550 --> 00:16:08,720 experiencing he's trying to do so while 438 00:16:12,150 --> 00:16:10,560 not revealing any potentially 439 00:16:14,310 --> 00:16:12,160 identifying information about his 440 00:16:16,550 --> 00:16:14,320 sources this leads to a lot of 441 00:16:18,629 --> 00:16:16,560 incomprehensible stories about going to 442 00:16:20,829 --> 00:16:18,639 a certain city and being taken to a 443 00:16:23,749 --> 00:16:20,839 certain location to speak with certain 444 00:16:26,550 --> 00:16:23,759 individuals it's not easy to parse and 445 00:16:28,629 --> 00:16:26,560 basically all of it at least at the time 446 00:16:29,670 --> 00:16:28,639 was impossible to verify 447 00:16:32,310 --> 00:16:29,680 however 448 00:16:34,629 --> 00:16:32,320 these interviews are also fascinating 449 00:16:37,430 --> 00:16:34,639 because in them you find a frenetic and 450 00:16:40,230 --> 00:16:37,440 entirely unvarnished version of de long 451 00:16:42,629 --> 00:16:40,240 he talks too fast he says too much and 452 00:16:45,110 --> 00:16:42,639 you can almost hear his frustration at 453 00:16:47,110 --> 00:16:45,120 our inability to keep up and while he 454 00:16:50,150 --> 00:16:47,120 speaks cryptically about the sources of 455 00:16:51,990 --> 00:16:50,160 his information he speaks specifically 456 00:16:53,990 --> 00:16:52,000 and with the conviction of a man whose 457 00:16:56,470 --> 00:16:54,000 deepest beliefs have been proven to him 458 00:16:59,110 --> 00:16:56,480 beyond a shadow of a doubt about things 459 00:17:02,150 --> 00:16:59,120 that sound shocking bizarre 460 00:17:04,470 --> 00:17:02,160 and to be honest downright insane his 461 00:17:06,870 --> 00:17:04,480 claims fall into two main categories 462 00:17:09,189 --> 00:17:06,880 that we will address one at a time 463 00:17:11,029 --> 00:17:09,199 the first is how he assembled his group 464 00:17:12,789 --> 00:17:11,039 of high-level advisors 465 00:17:15,750 --> 00:17:12,799 and the second which we'll address in 466 00:17:17,750 --> 00:17:15,760 depth in part two is what those advisors 467 00:17:20,870 --> 00:17:17,760 have told him about the nature of the 468 00:17:23,429 --> 00:17:20,880 phenomenon what follows is an inevitably 469 00:17:26,390 --> 00:17:23,439 imperfect accounting of what tom has 470 00:17:28,710 --> 00:17:26,400 said about how he assembled his advisors 471 00:17:31,350 --> 00:17:28,720 pieced together from dozens of hours of 472 00:17:34,870 --> 00:17:31,360 interviews from tom delong himself many 473 00:17:36,950 --> 00:17:34,880 of which occurred in 2016 and 2017 as 474 00:17:39,430 --> 00:17:36,960 these events were still unfolding 475 00:17:41,669 --> 00:17:39,440 so going back to 2015 476 00:17:43,909 --> 00:17:41,679 tom recognizes that for tts to be 477 00:17:46,070 --> 00:17:43,919 successful in its mission he's going to 478 00:17:47,909 --> 00:17:46,080 need advisors with insider knowledge of 479 00:17:50,630 --> 00:17:47,919 the nature of the phenomenon 480 00:17:52,630 --> 00:17:50,640 and almost as if by magic a surprising 481 00:17:53,669 --> 00:17:52,640 opportunity presents itself out of the 482 00:17:55,830 --> 00:17:53,679 blue 483 00:17:59,029 --> 00:17:55,840 leading to one of the most insane and 484 00:18:00,250 --> 00:17:59,039 unlikely series of events honestly maybe 485 00:18:21,190 --> 00:18:00,260 ever 486 00:18:48,950 --> 00:18:43,760 [Music] 487 00:18:48,960 --> 00:19:00,520 so 488 00:20:11,350 --> 00:19:28,520 [Music] 489 00:20:16,470 --> 00:20:13,990 as he tells it delong was asked to 490 00:20:18,789 --> 00:20:16,480 introduce the lead aerospace executive 491 00:20:21,669 --> 00:20:18,799 at an open house for families of a top 492 00:20:24,149 --> 00:20:21,679 defense aerospace contracting company 493 00:20:26,630 --> 00:20:24,159 fortuitously this was the first time 494 00:20:28,549 --> 00:20:26,640 that this organization had ever even had 495 00:20:30,390 --> 00:20:28,559 an open house of this kind where 496 00:20:32,310 --> 00:20:30,400 families and other members of the public 497 00:20:34,230 --> 00:20:32,320 were invited to attend 498 00:20:36,230 --> 00:20:34,240 there's no way to know for sure but many 499 00:20:38,870 --> 00:20:36,240 suspect that de long is referring to 500 00:20:41,110 --> 00:20:38,880 lockheed martin and more specifically to 501 00:20:43,750 --> 00:20:41,120 their notorious and secretive special 502 00:20:46,070 --> 00:20:43,760 projects division skunk works 503 00:20:48,310 --> 00:20:46,080 as you may recall from episode 2 the 504 00:20:51,590 --> 00:20:48,320 skunk works division of lockheed martin 505 00:20:53,190 --> 00:20:51,600 was founded in 1943 during world war ii 506 00:20:55,350 --> 00:20:53,200 when the u.s government needed to 507 00:20:57,510 --> 00:20:55,360 quickly develop the country's first jet 508 00:20:59,190 --> 00:20:57,520 fighter to compete with the new german 509 00:21:00,710 --> 00:20:59,200 jets that were appearing in the skies 510 00:21:03,350 --> 00:21:00,720 over europe 511 00:21:05,669 --> 00:21:03,360 since then skunk works has been a highly 512 00:21:07,510 --> 00:21:05,679 favored government contractor taking on 513 00:21:10,310 --> 00:21:07,520 the development of some of our most 514 00:21:12,230 --> 00:21:10,320 highly classified experimental aircraft 515 00:21:14,710 --> 00:21:12,240 which are tested and developed at area 516 00:21:17,270 --> 00:21:14,720 51 and at groom lake 517 00:21:19,590 --> 00:21:17,280 delong knowing exactly who this 518 00:21:21,990 --> 00:21:19,600 executive was and the nature of his work 519 00:21:23,990 --> 00:21:22,000 seized the opportunity and said that he 520 00:21:26,710 --> 00:21:24,000 would agree to introduce this aerospace 521 00:21:28,470 --> 00:21:26,720 executive if he could get five minutes 522 00:21:30,789 --> 00:21:28,480 alone with him afterward 523 00:21:33,270 --> 00:21:30,799 they agreed and soon after introducing 524 00:21:35,990 --> 00:21:33,280 this executive at the open house de long 525 00:21:37,430 --> 00:21:36,000 found himself alone in a room with him 526 00:21:39,909 --> 00:21:37,440 not knowing how his pitch would be 527 00:21:40,710 --> 00:21:39,919 received delong nevertheless dove right 528 00:21:49,750 --> 00:21:40,720 in 529 00:21:51,149 --> 00:21:49,760 the youth to become less cynical about 530 00:21:53,590 --> 00:21:51,159 government secrecy and the 531 00:21:55,510 --> 00:21:53,600 military-industrial complex the meeting 532 00:21:57,590 --> 00:21:55,520 was brief and the executive didn't say 533 00:21:59,909 --> 00:21:57,600 much but he set up a meeting with de 534 00:22:01,909 --> 00:21:59,919 long to discuss the matter further 535 00:22:04,470 --> 00:22:01,919 according to de long this meeting took 536 00:22:06,789 --> 00:22:04,480 place at an undisclosed highly secure 537 00:22:09,270 --> 00:22:06,799 location where he had to pass through 538 00:22:11,190 --> 00:22:09,280 four layers of security past heavily 539 00:22:12,950 --> 00:22:11,200 armed guards and through hallways 540 00:22:15,270 --> 00:22:12,960 flooded with white noise to prevent 541 00:22:18,070 --> 00:22:15,280 conversations from being overheard and 542 00:22:19,270 --> 00:22:18,080 into a small windowless room deep within 543 00:22:21,270 --> 00:22:19,280 the building 544 00:22:23,190 --> 00:22:21,280 in this room he met with the first 545 00:22:25,909 --> 00:22:23,200 aerospace executive that he had spoken 546 00:22:27,669 --> 00:22:25,919 to along with two other high-ranking 547 00:22:30,549 --> 00:22:27,679 aerospace engineers 548 00:22:32,789 --> 00:22:30,559 de long began his pitch again as before 549 00:22:34,149 --> 00:22:32,799 carefully avoiding the ufo angle and 550 00:22:36,310 --> 00:22:34,159 focusing on the benefit to the 551 00:22:37,430 --> 00:22:36,320 government and its contractors 552 00:22:39,510 --> 00:22:37,440 however 553 00:22:41,990 --> 00:22:39,520 one of the executives had been googling 554 00:22:44,230 --> 00:22:42,000 tom and was well aware of his beliefs in 555 00:22:47,110 --> 00:22:44,240 ufos and his penchant for conspiracy 556 00:22:48,950 --> 00:22:47,120 theories this person asked him outright 557 00:22:51,190 --> 00:22:48,960 so what do you plan to do with all this 558 00:22:53,110 --> 00:22:51,200 conspiracy stuff that you're into de 559 00:22:55,190 --> 00:22:53,120 long did his best to dodge the question 560 00:22:56,950 --> 00:22:55,200 but despite his attempts to gloss over 561 00:22:59,510 --> 00:22:56,960 it the executive steered the 562 00:23:00,950 --> 00:22:59,520 conversation back to the subject of ufos 563 00:23:01,830 --> 00:23:00,960 finally saying 564 00:23:04,549 --> 00:23:01,840 quote 565 00:23:06,630 --> 00:23:04,559 we cannot be associated whatsoever with 566 00:23:08,870 --> 00:23:06,640 anything that has this topic associated 567 00:23:11,190 --> 00:23:08,880 with it specifically because there has 568 00:23:12,710 --> 00:23:11,200 never been any evidence whatsoever that 569 00:23:14,549 --> 00:23:12,720 this even exists 570 00:23:15,990 --> 00:23:14,559 at this point de long thought that he 571 00:23:18,549 --> 00:23:16,000 had hit a brick wall 572 00:23:20,789 --> 00:23:18,559 but he dug in his heels and responded if 573 00:23:22,789 --> 00:23:20,799 edgar allen mitchell the sixth man to 574 00:23:25,350 --> 00:23:22,799 walk on the moon is out telling every 575 00:23:26,950 --> 00:23:25,360 kid in the world this topic is real 576 00:23:28,630 --> 00:23:26,960 then we have a problem 577 00:23:30,630 --> 00:23:28,640 this seemed to give them pause and 578 00:23:32,310 --> 00:23:30,640 delong jumped on the opportunity and 579 00:23:34,630 --> 00:23:32,320 boldly asked to speak to the lead 580 00:23:36,470 --> 00:23:34,640 aerospace executive alone 581 00:23:38,390 --> 00:23:36,480 sensing that this was his moment he said 582 00:23:40,630 --> 00:23:38,400 to the executive i want you to 583 00:23:42,549 --> 00:23:40,640 understand something i understand the 584 00:23:43,909 --> 00:23:42,559 national security implications of what 585 00:23:46,390 --> 00:23:43,919 i'm about to say 586 00:23:47,990 --> 00:23:46,400 i'm not naive to the topic i think if 587 00:23:50,390 --> 00:23:48,000 you hear me out you'll see that there's 588 00:23:52,710 --> 00:23:50,400 merit in what i'm about to propose over 589 00:23:54,870 --> 00:23:52,720 the past 30 years there's been a program 590 00:23:57,430 --> 00:23:54,880 to indoctrinate people into the idea 591 00:23:58,950 --> 00:23:57,440 that this might be real but the problem 592 00:24:01,190 --> 00:23:58,960 is that all the young adults of the 593 00:24:03,110 --> 00:24:01,200 world they use the internet they have 594 00:24:05,110 --> 00:24:03,120 iphones they talk to each other much 595 00:24:06,950 --> 00:24:05,120 quicker than people ever have 596 00:24:09,430 --> 00:24:06,960 so this program that everyone's been 597 00:24:11,110 --> 00:24:09,440 following from the 50s is far outdated 598 00:24:12,950 --> 00:24:11,120 it's antiquated 599 00:24:15,269 --> 00:24:12,960 people have surpassed it and now they 600 00:24:16,310 --> 00:24:15,279 don't trust you guys now they don't like 601 00:24:18,390 --> 00:24:16,320 you guys 602 00:24:20,070 --> 00:24:18,400 now they graduate from mit and they want 603 00:24:21,750 --> 00:24:20,080 to work for elon musk and they don't 604 00:24:23,830 --> 00:24:21,760 want to work here at all 605 00:24:26,230 --> 00:24:23,840 help me help you guys 606 00:24:28,390 --> 00:24:26,240 the lead executive seemed swayed by this 607 00:24:30,390 --> 00:24:28,400 and after some more conversation he 608 00:24:33,669 --> 00:24:30,400 eventually admitted that yes 609 00:24:36,070 --> 00:24:33,679 ufos are real and that he thought tom's 610 00:24:38,230 --> 00:24:36,080 plan of slow disclosure could actually 611 00:24:40,310 --> 00:24:38,240 work in revealing the reality and nature 612 00:24:42,070 --> 00:24:40,320 of the phenomenon to the public 613 00:24:44,549 --> 00:24:42,080 following this conversation the 614 00:24:47,510 --> 00:24:44,559 executive then connected tom to someone 615 00:24:49,510 --> 00:24:47,520 whom he referred to as the general after 616 00:24:51,830 --> 00:24:49,520 this introduction de long begins to 617 00:24:53,990 --> 00:24:51,840 correspond with the general and after a 618 00:24:56,630 --> 00:24:54,000 lot of back and forth over email they 619 00:24:58,549 --> 00:24:56,640 eventually meet secretly in a random 620 00:25:01,029 --> 00:24:58,559 airport that they both flew into 621 00:25:03,110 --> 00:25:01,039 specifically for this meeting 622 00:25:05,190 --> 00:25:03,120 tom sits down at the table with the guy 623 00:25:07,110 --> 00:25:05,200 and without any prelude or small talk 624 00:25:09,430 --> 00:25:07,120 the general says to him 625 00:25:12,230 --> 00:25:09,440 it was the cold war and we found a life 626 00:25:15,029 --> 00:25:12,240 form and every single day we lived under 627 00:25:17,190 --> 00:25:15,039 the threat of nuclear war every single 628 00:25:19,029 --> 00:25:17,200 day we really believed that nuclear war 629 00:25:21,590 --> 00:25:19,039 could happen at any moment 630 00:25:24,390 --> 00:25:21,600 and somewhere in those years we found a 631 00:25:26,230 --> 00:25:24,400 life form and everything that we did and 632 00:25:27,990 --> 00:25:26,240 every decision that we made with that 633 00:25:29,909 --> 00:25:28,000 life form was because of the 634 00:25:32,070 --> 00:25:29,919 consciousness at the time 635 00:25:34,950 --> 00:25:32,080 he went on to tell delong that during 636 00:25:37,430 --> 00:25:34,960 the cold war ufos would routinely 637 00:25:40,070 --> 00:25:37,440 interfere with u.s and soviet nuclear 638 00:25:42,870 --> 00:25:40,080 weapons in what looked very much like an 639 00:25:44,149 --> 00:25:42,880 attempt to instigate nuclear war 640 00:25:46,710 --> 00:25:44,159 and that they were very nearly 641 00:25:49,510 --> 00:25:46,720 successful he said emphatically that 642 00:25:52,230 --> 00:25:49,520 there were heroes in russia who did not 643 00:25:54,470 --> 00:25:52,240 fire back when ufos manipulated radar 644 00:25:56,630 --> 00:25:54,480 systems to appear as though americans 645 00:25:58,870 --> 00:25:56,640 had launched a first strike as they 646 00:26:00,710 --> 00:25:58,880 concluded the conversation the general 647 00:26:02,789 --> 00:26:00,720 agreed that tom's idea of slow 648 00:26:04,870 --> 00:26:02,799 disclosure could work and that it was a 649 00:26:07,029 --> 00:26:04,880 great time for this to happen 650 00:26:09,190 --> 00:26:07,039 and by the way there's a lot of 651 00:26:11,190 --> 00:26:09,200 speculation about what he may have meant 652 00:26:13,350 --> 00:26:11,200 by that this was right around the same 653 00:26:15,830 --> 00:26:13,360 time that u.s navy pilots began to 654 00:26:18,789 --> 00:26:15,840 report hundreds of ufo sightings off the 655 00:26:20,950 --> 00:26:18,799 east coast so that could be it 656 00:26:23,269 --> 00:26:20,960 others argue that the proliferation of 657 00:26:25,029 --> 00:26:23,279 private companies in space makes it 658 00:26:26,789 --> 00:26:25,039 inevitable that someone will find 659 00:26:28,789 --> 00:26:26,799 something that makes disclosure a 660 00:26:30,070 --> 00:26:28,799 foregone conclusion and that there are 661 00:26:32,149 --> 00:26:30,080 those in the government who would like 662 00:26:34,470 --> 00:26:32,159 to get out in front of that narrative 663 00:26:36,950 --> 00:26:34,480 either way the general agreed to help 664 00:26:39,269 --> 00:26:36,960 tom find his advisors connecting him 665 00:26:41,669 --> 00:26:39,279 with top-level officials and experts in 666 00:26:44,390 --> 00:26:41,679 the fields of space intelligence 667 00:26:46,470 --> 00:26:44,400 biological warfare and even someone 668 00:26:47,510 --> 00:26:46,480 representing the president of the united 669 00:26:50,149 --> 00:26:47,520 states 670 00:26:52,710 --> 00:26:50,159 during this time tom had also begun work 671 00:26:54,070 --> 00:26:52,720 on two book series one fiction and one 672 00:26:55,669 --> 00:26:54,080 non-fiction 673 00:26:57,350 --> 00:26:55,679 he claimed that both of these book 674 00:26:59,029 --> 00:26:57,360 series were heavily informed and 675 00:27:01,510 --> 00:26:59,039 influenced by his mysterious 676 00:27:03,669 --> 00:27:01,520 high-ranking advisors who had privileged 677 00:27:05,190 --> 00:27:03,679 knowledge of the ufo phenomenon and who 678 00:27:07,269 --> 00:27:05,200 were giving him guidance and final 679 00:27:09,430 --> 00:27:07,279 approval as the books were being written 680 00:27:11,110 --> 00:27:09,440 de long managed to attach big names to 681 00:27:13,110 --> 00:27:11,120 these projects the first of the 682 00:27:15,669 --> 00:27:13,120 fictional series entitled secret 683 00:27:17,990 --> 00:27:15,679 machines chasing shadows was written by 684 00:27:19,830 --> 00:27:18,000 new york times best-selling author and 685 00:27:23,510 --> 00:27:19,840 robinson distinguished professor of 686 00:27:25,350 --> 00:27:23,520 shakespeare at unc charlotte aj hartley 687 00:27:28,470 --> 00:27:25,360 and the forward is written by former 688 00:27:30,630 --> 00:27:28,480 senior cia officer jim sumivan 689 00:27:33,750 --> 00:27:30,640 the first in the non-fictional series 690 00:27:36,230 --> 00:27:33,760 god's man in war entitled gods was 691 00:27:37,909 --> 00:27:36,240 written by author peter lavender who was 692 00:27:38,950 --> 00:27:37,919 well known for his books on occult 693 00:27:41,269 --> 00:27:38,960 history 694 00:27:43,510 --> 00:27:41,279 and in a stunning coup the foreword was 695 00:27:45,830 --> 00:27:43,520 written by the godfather of ufology 696 00:27:47,430 --> 00:27:45,840 himself jacques valet 697 00:27:50,389 --> 00:27:47,440 shortly after the books were published 698 00:27:52,789 --> 00:27:50,399 in february and march of 2017 699 00:27:54,230 --> 00:27:52,799 de long said that he was interrogated by 700 00:27:58,310 --> 00:27:54,240 the cia 701 00:28:00,070 --> 00:27:58,320 wind of his books and that some of the 702 00:28:01,830 --> 00:28:00,080 things that he was describing 703 00:28:04,389 --> 00:28:01,840 particularly with regard to secret 704 00:28:06,549 --> 00:28:04,399 government programs and technology were 705 00:28:09,029 --> 00:28:06,559 so on the nose that it caught their 706 00:28:10,870 --> 00:28:09,039 attention concerned that he truly did 707 00:28:13,190 --> 00:28:10,880 have high level advisors who could be 708 00:28:15,830 --> 00:28:13,200 leaking classified information to him 709 00:28:17,110 --> 00:28:15,840 the cia sent agents to san diego to 710 00:28:19,110 --> 00:28:17,120 question de long 711 00:28:21,190 --> 00:28:19,120 tom claims that he was never officially 712 00:28:22,630 --> 00:28:21,200 detained but that these weren't the type 713 00:28:24,230 --> 00:28:22,640 of people that you say no to when they 714 00:28:26,789 --> 00:28:24,240 asked to talk to you 715 00:28:29,110 --> 00:28:26,799 over three days in a hotel de long 716 00:28:31,110 --> 00:28:29,120 claims that he was interrogated by cia 717 00:28:33,190 --> 00:28:31,120 agents about where he got the 718 00:28:34,950 --> 00:28:33,200 information from his books and in the 719 00:28:37,190 --> 00:28:34,960 end determined that he was telling the 720 00:28:39,590 --> 00:28:37,200 truth that his advisors had given him 721 00:28:41,590 --> 00:28:39,600 hints but nothing classified and that 722 00:28:43,750 --> 00:28:41,600 tom had arrived at the conclusions that 723 00:28:45,830 --> 00:28:43,760 so nearly mirrored reality by putting 724 00:28:46,549 --> 00:28:45,840 the pieces together himself 725 00:28:48,710 --> 00:28:46,559 so 726 00:28:50,710 --> 00:28:48,720 tom is going around telling all of these 727 00:28:52,950 --> 00:28:50,720 stories about clandestine meetings with 728 00:28:55,190 --> 00:28:52,960 senior intelligence agents high-ranking 729 00:28:56,950 --> 00:28:55,200 military brass and the leaders of some 730 00:28:58,870 --> 00:28:56,960 of the most clandestine aerospace 731 00:29:01,510 --> 00:28:58,880 programs within the military-industrial 732 00:29:03,990 --> 00:29:01,520 complex and these claims about who his 733 00:29:05,750 --> 00:29:04,000 advisors are and how he found them 734 00:29:07,990 --> 00:29:05,760 aren't even half as stunning and 735 00:29:09,909 --> 00:29:08,000 fantastical as what he says they've been 736 00:29:11,190 --> 00:29:09,919 telling him which we will get to i 737 00:29:13,830 --> 00:29:11,200 promise 738 00:29:15,830 --> 00:29:13,840 as one would expect the mainstream media 739 00:29:16,789 --> 00:29:15,840 mostly snickered if they paid attention 740 00:29:18,549 --> 00:29:16,799 at all 741 00:29:21,029 --> 00:29:18,559 there were a few articles that came out 742 00:29:22,870 --> 00:29:21,039 in publications like rolling stone but 743 00:29:25,029 --> 00:29:22,880 most seemed unwilling to print much more 744 00:29:26,710 --> 00:29:25,039 than the elevator pitch for to the stars 745 00:29:28,950 --> 00:29:26,720 and preferred to dwell on the recent 746 00:29:31,830 --> 00:29:28,960 breakup of link 182 and the drama that 747 00:29:34,389 --> 00:29:31,840 ensued so most of these interviews were 748 00:29:36,230 --> 00:29:34,399 happening on far less mainstream outlets 749 00:29:37,190 --> 00:29:36,240 including fade to black and coast to 750 00:29:38,389 --> 00:29:37,200 coast 751 00:29:40,230 --> 00:29:38,399 while both of these shows are 752 00:29:42,310 --> 00:29:40,240 institutions within the ufo and 753 00:29:44,870 --> 00:29:42,320 paranormal communities they don't have 754 00:29:46,710 --> 00:29:44,880 much credibility outside of those spaces 755 00:29:49,510 --> 00:29:46,720 so these interviews were happening 756 00:29:51,430 --> 00:29:49,520 mostly off the radar however 757 00:29:53,430 --> 00:29:51,440 even in front of what should have been a 758 00:29:55,990 --> 00:29:53,440 much more open-minded and sympathetic 759 00:29:58,470 --> 00:29:56,000 audience the zealous and at times almost 760 00:30:00,870 --> 00:29:58,480 messianic tone of these interviews 761 00:30:03,029 --> 00:30:00,880 coupled with his extreme claims led most 762 00:30:05,110 --> 00:30:03,039 people to believe that tom delonge had 763 00:30:06,789 --> 00:30:05,120 lost his mind but then something 764 00:30:09,590 --> 00:30:06,799 extraordinary happened 765 00:30:12,389 --> 00:30:09,600 during the 2016 presidential campaign 766 00:30:14,549 --> 00:30:12,399 wikileaks released over 20 000 emails 767 00:30:16,630 --> 00:30:14,559 from the dnc that had allegedly been 768 00:30:19,830 --> 00:30:16,640 obtained by russian hackers 769 00:30:22,630 --> 00:30:19,840 and among these emails was proof that 770 00:30:23,909 --> 00:30:22,640 tom delonge had in fact been in touch 771 00:30:25,990 --> 00:30:23,919 with high-level members of the 772 00:30:27,190 --> 00:30:26,000 government military and intelligence 773 00:30:29,590 --> 00:30:27,200 agencies 774 00:30:32,389 --> 00:30:29,600 and was being briefed on aspects of the 775 00:30:34,549 --> 00:30:32,399 phenomenon by these individuals the 776 00:30:37,269 --> 00:30:34,559 smoking gun can be found in the emails 777 00:30:39,669 --> 00:30:37,279 between de long and john podesta 778 00:30:41,830 --> 00:30:39,679 podesta has been an integral part of 779 00:30:44,310 --> 00:30:41,840 multiple presidential campaigns and 780 00:30:46,470 --> 00:30:44,320 administrations having served as chief 781 00:30:48,070 --> 00:30:46,480 of staff to president bill clinton 782 00:30:50,230 --> 00:30:48,080 senior counselor for the obama 783 00:30:53,110 --> 00:30:50,240 administration as well as hillary 784 00:30:55,110 --> 00:30:53,120 clinton's campaign manager in 2016. 785 00:30:56,789 --> 00:30:55,120 basically this is a man who has spent 786 00:30:59,430 --> 00:30:56,799 more time in the white house than just 787 00:31:01,669 --> 00:30:59,440 about anyone including presidents 788 00:31:03,509 --> 00:31:01,679 it would be hard to point to a person 789 00:31:06,630 --> 00:31:03,519 with more power influence and 790 00:31:08,710 --> 00:31:06,640 connections in dc than podesta 791 00:31:10,630 --> 00:31:08,720 but podesta was also known on the hill 792 00:31:11,990 --> 00:31:10,640 for having a long-standing interest in 793 00:31:14,389 --> 00:31:12,000 ufos 794 00:31:16,950 --> 00:31:14,399 upon leaving the obama administration to 795 00:31:19,909 --> 00:31:16,960 work on the clinton campaign he famously 796 00:31:21,269 --> 00:31:19,919 tweeted finally my biggest failure of 797 00:31:23,590 --> 00:31:21,279 2014 798 00:31:26,310 --> 00:31:23,600 once again not securing the disclosure 799 00:31:27,909 --> 00:31:26,320 of the ufo files hashtag the truth is 800 00:31:29,990 --> 00:31:27,919 still out there 801 00:31:31,990 --> 00:31:30,000 when john podesta's emails were leaked 802 00:31:34,870 --> 00:31:32,000 it was revealed that he was one of the 803 00:31:36,630 --> 00:31:34,880 high level officials who was regularly 804 00:31:38,470 --> 00:31:36,640 in contact with de long 805 00:31:40,149 --> 00:31:38,480 confirming his claim that one of his 806 00:31:41,269 --> 00:31:40,159 advisors had a direct line to the 807 00:31:43,350 --> 00:31:41,279 president 808 00:31:45,190 --> 00:31:43,360 and it was clear the podesta had been 809 00:31:47,509 --> 00:31:45,200 briefed on de long's plan and was 810 00:31:49,590 --> 00:31:47,519 helping him to identify advisors and 811 00:31:51,590 --> 00:31:49,600 move his project forward 812 00:31:53,430 --> 00:31:51,600 i'd encourage everyone to take the time 813 00:31:55,590 --> 00:31:53,440 to read through these emails they'll be 814 00:31:58,549 --> 00:31:55,600 linked in the episode notes because 815 00:32:00,230 --> 00:31:58,559 they're honestly fascinating and some of 816 00:32:02,470 --> 00:32:00,240 them can make you laugh out loud with 817 00:32:05,909 --> 00:32:02,480 the sheer absurdity of it all 818 00:32:07,830 --> 00:32:05,919 on february 13th 2016 de long sent the 819 00:32:11,350 --> 00:32:07,840 following message to podesta with the 820 00:32:12,950 --> 00:32:11,360 subject line a good read he writes here 821 00:32:15,430 --> 00:32:12,960 is the digital copy of the secret 822 00:32:17,909 --> 00:32:15,440 machine's novel i know you're so busy so 823 00:32:20,310 --> 00:32:17,919 i apologize in advance i ask that you 824 00:32:22,149 --> 00:32:20,320 consider reading my forward i wrote this 825 00:32:23,669 --> 00:32:22,159 as a personal letter to the youth so 826 00:32:24,630 --> 00:32:23,679 that they can walk with me through all 827 00:32:26,470 --> 00:32:24,640 of this 828 00:32:28,470 --> 00:32:26,480 when you read it you will get that same 829 00:32:29,909 --> 00:32:28,480 sense a wide-eyed and respectful 830 00:32:31,990 --> 00:32:29,919 experience 831 00:32:34,870 --> 00:32:32,000 also you make an invisible appearance 832 00:32:36,549 --> 00:32:34,880 within the text at the end smiley face 833 00:32:38,230 --> 00:32:36,559 my co-author is a distinguished 834 00:32:39,669 --> 00:32:38,240 professor at the robertson school of 835 00:32:41,110 --> 00:32:39,679 shakespeare and new york times 836 00:32:43,190 --> 00:32:41,120 best-selling author 837 00:32:45,430 --> 00:32:43,200 basically he's really good 838 00:32:48,070 --> 00:32:45,440 elevated writing and a word worthy if he 839 00:32:49,750 --> 00:32:48,080 wasn't attached to my name too ha 840 00:32:52,070 --> 00:32:49,760 you may actually love the book if you 841 00:32:54,310 --> 00:32:52,080 like great stuff and have amazing taste 842 00:32:56,630 --> 00:32:54,320 but until then check out that forward if 843 00:32:59,669 --> 00:32:56,640 you find time in all the madness 844 00:33:01,990 --> 00:32:59,679 to which podesta replied a day later 845 00:33:04,549 --> 00:33:02,000 in vegas for hillary just did a taped 846 00:33:06,310 --> 00:33:04,559 interview with local cbs affiliate got 847 00:33:08,870 --> 00:33:06,320 asked about the topic and gave an answer 848 00:33:11,269 --> 00:33:08,880 i think you would like hope they use it 849 00:33:13,509 --> 00:33:11,279 wild right but there are more shocking 850 00:33:15,909 --> 00:33:13,519 revelations in these emails than just a 851 00:33:17,669 --> 00:33:15,919 casual email bro down between a man who 852 00:33:19,190 --> 00:33:17,679 has spent most of his adult career no 853 00:33:21,590 --> 00:33:19,200 more than a stone's throw away from the 854 00:33:23,350 --> 00:33:21,600 leader of the free world and a rock star 855 00:33:25,430 --> 00:33:23,360 that most people who are still paying 856 00:33:27,990 --> 00:33:25,440 attention thought had totally gone off 857 00:33:30,549 --> 00:33:28,000 the deep end because it turns out that 858 00:33:32,310 --> 00:33:30,559 basically all of what tom delong had 859 00:33:35,509 --> 00:33:32,320 been saying about meeting with 860 00:33:36,870 --> 00:33:35,519 high-level officials was actually true 861 00:33:39,029 --> 00:33:36,880 for example 862 00:33:42,230 --> 00:33:39,039 podesta's emails reveal that a meeting 863 00:33:44,710 --> 00:33:42,240 took place between tom podesta and three 864 00:33:47,269 --> 00:33:44,720 other high-ranking individuals and their 865 00:33:49,590 --> 00:33:47,279 identities give us some major clues to 866 00:33:51,669 --> 00:33:49,600 help fill in the blanks of his stories 867 00:33:53,990 --> 00:33:51,679 the first was robert f weiss the 868 00:33:56,389 --> 00:33:54,000 executive vp and general manager of 869 00:33:58,630 --> 00:33:56,399 aeronautic advanced development programs 870 00:34:01,269 --> 00:33:58,640 for lockheed martin's skunk works sound 871 00:34:03,190 --> 00:34:01,279 familiar there's no way to know for sure 872 00:34:04,950 --> 00:34:03,200 but it seems likely that weiss was the 873 00:34:07,350 --> 00:34:04,960 aerospace executive with whom he 874 00:34:08,869 --> 00:34:07,360 originally spoke and who introduced him 875 00:34:11,270 --> 00:34:08,879 to the general 876 00:34:13,750 --> 00:34:11,280 and as for the general we actually have 877 00:34:15,669 --> 00:34:13,760 multiple suspects both of whom were at 878 00:34:17,750 --> 00:34:15,679 this clandestine meeting 879 00:34:19,990 --> 00:34:17,760 the first is major general michael j 880 00:34:22,310 --> 00:34:20,000 carey who is the special assistant to 881 00:34:25,190 --> 00:34:22,320 the commander of air force space command 882 00:34:27,669 --> 00:34:25,200 at peterson air force base in colorado 883 00:34:30,389 --> 00:34:27,679 interestingly peterson air force base is 884 00:34:33,109 --> 00:34:30,399 also home to norad or the north american 885 00:34:35,190 --> 00:34:33,119 aerospace defense command as well as 886 00:34:38,310 --> 00:34:35,200 elements of the space forces space and 887 00:34:40,470 --> 00:34:38,320 missile systems center and finally major 888 00:34:41,669 --> 00:34:40,480 general neil mccaslin was also in 889 00:34:43,669 --> 00:34:41,679 attendance 890 00:34:45,750 --> 00:34:43,679 mccasland is the former head of the 891 00:34:48,069 --> 00:34:45,760 foreign technology back engineering 892 00:34:49,669 --> 00:34:48,079 laboratory at wright-patterson air force 893 00:34:51,990 --> 00:34:49,679 base in ohio 894 00:34:54,470 --> 00:34:52,000 mccasland also manages the air force's 895 00:34:55,750 --> 00:34:54,480 2.2 billion science and technology 896 00:34:57,670 --> 00:34:55,760 program 897 00:34:59,589 --> 00:34:57,680 wright-patterson air force base has a 898 00:35:01,109 --> 00:34:59,599 long history of being at the center of 899 00:35:03,430 --> 00:35:01,119 speculation about the government's 900 00:35:05,670 --> 00:35:03,440 involvement with the ufo phenomenon 901 00:35:07,430 --> 00:35:05,680 most notoriously bright patterson is 902 00:35:09,750 --> 00:35:07,440 where the army initially claimed to have 903 00:35:11,670 --> 00:35:09,760 sent the wreckage from the roswell crash 904 00:35:13,430 --> 00:35:11,680 before changing their story and saying 905 00:35:15,349 --> 00:35:13,440 it was just a weather balloon 906 00:35:17,990 --> 00:35:15,359 it was also the home of project blue 907 00:35:19,750 --> 00:35:18,000 book it seems likely that one of these 908 00:35:22,630 --> 00:35:19,760 two men is the general from de long's 909 00:35:24,550 --> 00:35:22,640 story and regardless the fact that both 910 00:35:27,270 --> 00:35:24,560 of them agreed to meet secretly with the 911 00:35:29,190 --> 00:35:27,280 long gives clear and undeniable 912 00:35:31,670 --> 00:35:29,200 credibility to his claims of having high 913 00:35:33,430 --> 00:35:31,680 level advisors within the government 914 00:35:36,390 --> 00:35:33,440 and it's important to note that these 915 00:35:38,230 --> 00:35:36,400 weren't just any high level advisors in 916 00:35:40,550 --> 00:35:38,240 each of their official positions they 917 00:35:42,150 --> 00:35:40,560 are uniquely poised to have an insider's 918 00:35:44,550 --> 00:35:42,160 perspective on secret government 919 00:35:46,470 --> 00:35:44,560 programs involving ufos 920 00:35:48,950 --> 00:35:46,480 basically if there's anyone on the 921 00:35:50,870 --> 00:35:48,960 planet who might know the truth it's the 922 00:35:53,109 --> 00:35:50,880 very people with whom tom delonge was 923 00:35:55,589 --> 00:35:53,119 meeting and whatever reasonable doubt 924 00:35:57,270 --> 00:35:55,599 remained was obliterated by what 925 00:36:01,190 --> 00:35:57,280 happened next 926 00:36:03,510 --> 00:36:01,200 on october 11 2017 de long announced the 927 00:36:06,390 --> 00:36:03,520 launch of his new venture the to the 928 00:36:09,270 --> 00:36:06,400 stars academy of arts and sciences 929 00:36:11,750 --> 00:36:09,280 the mission of ttsa expanded upon the 930 00:36:13,190 --> 00:36:11,760 earlier mission of to the stars which 931 00:36:15,109 --> 00:36:13,200 sought to leverage media and 932 00:36:16,790 --> 00:36:15,119 entertainment to educate and prepare 933 00:36:18,950 --> 00:36:16,800 people for disclosure 934 00:36:21,109 --> 00:36:18,960 to include ambitious research and 935 00:36:22,310 --> 00:36:21,119 innovation in the investigation of the 936 00:36:25,589 --> 00:36:22,320 phenomenon 937 00:36:27,270 --> 00:36:25,599 the new ttsa had three divisions a 938 00:36:29,349 --> 00:36:27,280 science division devoted to further 939 00:36:31,589 --> 00:36:29,359 understanding of the phenomenon an 940 00:36:33,910 --> 00:36:31,599 aerospace division devoted to developing 941 00:36:35,750 --> 00:36:33,920 new technologies and propulsion 942 00:36:37,750 --> 00:36:35,760 and finally the entertainment division 943 00:36:38,870 --> 00:36:37,760 which would house all of de long's media 944 00:36:40,950 --> 00:36:38,880 projects 945 00:36:42,790 --> 00:36:40,960 sitting behind along at the launch press 946 00:36:44,870 --> 00:36:42,800 conference was the team that he had 947 00:36:46,230 --> 00:36:44,880 assembled and brought together to form 948 00:36:49,829 --> 00:36:46,240 ttsa 949 00:36:52,230 --> 00:36:49,839 and the lineup was frankly astonishing 950 00:36:54,150 --> 00:36:52,240 among them were some of the top names in 951 00:36:56,630 --> 00:36:54,160 intelligence defense and aerospace 952 00:36:58,550 --> 00:36:56,640 engineering many of whom were going 953 00:37:00,310 --> 00:36:58,560 public for the first time 954 00:37:02,870 --> 00:37:00,320 so let's take a minute to meet some of 955 00:37:04,870 --> 00:37:02,880 the original members of the ttsa team 956 00:37:07,030 --> 00:37:04,880 who were on the stage that day 957 00:37:09,829 --> 00:37:07,040 first we have christopher mellon listed 958 00:37:12,150 --> 00:37:09,839 as the national security affairs advisor 959 00:37:14,230 --> 00:37:12,160 chris mellon served as deputy assistant 960 00:37:15,910 --> 00:37:14,240 secretary of defense for intelligence 961 00:37:17,349 --> 00:37:15,920 for both the clinton and the bush 962 00:37:19,670 --> 00:37:17,359 administrations 963 00:37:21,990 --> 00:37:19,680 he also worked for many years on capitol 964 00:37:24,390 --> 00:37:22,000 hill as the minority staff director for 965 00:37:26,950 --> 00:37:24,400 senator john d rockefeller iv of the 966 00:37:29,750 --> 00:37:26,960 senate select committee on intelligence 967 00:37:31,589 --> 00:37:29,760 as an aide to senator william s cohen he 968 00:37:34,150 --> 00:37:31,599 wrote the legislation that established 969 00:37:35,829 --> 00:37:34,160 the u.s special operations command 970 00:37:38,069 --> 00:37:35,839 he is a decorated member of the 971 00:37:39,910 --> 00:37:38,079 intelligence community prolific author 972 00:37:42,310 --> 00:37:39,920 of articles on topics of national 973 00:37:44,950 --> 00:37:42,320 defense and security and a political 974 00:37:48,630 --> 00:37:44,960 commentator he received his m.a in 975 00:37:51,270 --> 00:37:48,640 international affairs from yale in 1984. 976 00:37:53,670 --> 00:37:51,280 next we have steve justice listed as the 977 00:37:56,710 --> 00:37:53,680 aerospace division director 978 00:37:59,030 --> 00:37:56,720 for 31 years steve justice served as the 979 00:38:01,109 --> 00:37:59,040 program director for advanced systems at 980 00:38:03,430 --> 00:38:01,119 lockheed martin's skunk works where he 981 00:38:05,670 --> 00:38:03,440 worked on projects that in his own words 982 00:38:08,550 --> 00:38:05,680 defy the imagination 983 00:38:10,710 --> 00:38:08,560 he left this position to join ttsa and 984 00:38:12,630 --> 00:38:10,720 pursue disclosure and to lead the 985 00:38:14,870 --> 00:38:12,640 development of emerging technologies 986 00:38:17,829 --> 00:38:14,880 associated with the phenomenon 987 00:38:18,630 --> 00:38:17,839 also on stage that day was dr hal put 988 00:38:20,790 --> 00:38:18,640 off 989 00:38:23,190 --> 00:38:20,800 who is listed as co-founder and vice 990 00:38:25,589 --> 00:38:23,200 president of science and technology 991 00:38:27,589 --> 00:38:25,599 dr hal pudov is a physicist and the 992 00:38:29,589 --> 00:38:27,599 director of the institute for advanced 993 00:38:31,510 --> 00:38:29,599 studies at austin where he does 994 00:38:33,270 --> 00:38:31,520 cutting-edge research on energy and 995 00:38:35,750 --> 00:38:33,280 propulsion systems 996 00:38:37,829 --> 00:38:35,760 since 1985 he has served as the 997 00:38:39,270 --> 00:38:37,839 president and ceo of earth tech 998 00:38:42,230 --> 00:38:39,280 international inc 999 00:38:45,270 --> 00:38:42,240 and perhaps most interestingly he ran 1000 00:38:47,349 --> 00:38:45,280 the cia remote viewing program codenamed 1001 00:38:50,230 --> 00:38:47,359 project stargate 1002 00:38:53,030 --> 00:38:50,240 this now declassified program ran for 20 1003 00:38:55,270 --> 00:38:53,040 years during the cold war as the cia 1004 00:38:57,670 --> 00:38:55,280 allegedly used esp as part of its 1005 00:39:00,150 --> 00:38:57,680 intelligence gathering protocols 1006 00:39:01,589 --> 00:39:00,160 he is also a frequent advisor to nasa 1007 00:39:03,910 --> 00:39:01,599 the intelligence community and 1008 00:39:06,390 --> 00:39:03,920 corporations on leading-edge technology 1009 00:39:08,710 --> 00:39:06,400 and emerging technology trends he holds 1010 00:39:10,390 --> 00:39:08,720 a phd in electrical engineering from 1011 00:39:12,950 --> 00:39:10,400 stanford university 1012 00:39:15,910 --> 00:39:12,960 next we have jim simovin 1013 00:39:18,710 --> 00:39:15,920 co-founder and vp of operations 1014 00:39:21,270 --> 00:39:18,720 jim summervin is a retired cia officer 1015 00:39:23,990 --> 00:39:21,280 working as a spy for over 25 years in 1016 00:39:25,510 --> 00:39:24,000 the cia's clandestine service and a 1017 00:39:27,270 --> 00:39:25,520 former member for the senior 1018 00:39:29,750 --> 00:39:27,280 intelligence service 1019 00:39:31,589 --> 00:39:29,760 since retiring summervin has served as a 1020 00:39:33,829 --> 00:39:31,599 consultant to the intelligence community 1021 00:39:36,230 --> 00:39:33,839 on classified topics including 1022 00:39:38,150 --> 00:39:36,240 leadership training tradecraft training 1023 00:39:39,670 --> 00:39:38,160 and programs for countering weapons of 1024 00:39:42,710 --> 00:39:39,680 mass destruction 1025 00:39:44,630 --> 00:39:42,720 and finally we have luis elizondo 1026 00:39:45,829 --> 00:39:44,640 director of global security and special 1027 00:39:48,550 --> 00:39:45,839 programs 1028 00:39:50,630 --> 00:39:48,560 yes that lou elizondo the former 1029 00:39:53,990 --> 00:39:50,640 director of the pentagon's secret ufo 1030 00:39:56,230 --> 00:39:54,000 program atip and who only days before 1031 00:39:57,990 --> 00:39:56,240 the ttsa press conference had resigned 1032 00:40:00,069 --> 00:39:58,000 from his position in protest of 1033 00:40:01,270 --> 00:40:00,079 government secrecy regarding the ufo 1034 00:40:03,829 --> 00:40:01,280 phenomenon 1035 00:40:05,990 --> 00:40:03,839 the exact timeline of events are unclear 1036 00:40:08,150 --> 00:40:06,000 but it seems likely that de long's 1037 00:40:10,470 --> 00:40:08,160 project was a motivating factor and 1038 00:40:13,829 --> 00:40:10,480 elizondo making the move to abandon his 1039 00:40:16,790 --> 00:40:13,839 career and pension to pursue disclosure 1040 00:40:19,109 --> 00:40:16,800 beyond his role at atip elizondo brings 1041 00:40:20,630 --> 00:40:19,119 his expertise as a career intelligence 1042 00:40:22,950 --> 00:40:20,640 officer who has worked with the 1043 00:40:25,190 --> 00:40:22,960 department of defense the army and the 1044 00:40:27,270 --> 00:40:25,200 director of national intelligence 1045 00:40:29,109 --> 00:40:27,280 in his role as a secret agent he 1046 00:40:31,190 --> 00:40:29,119 conducted and supervised highly 1047 00:40:32,630 --> 00:40:31,200 sensitive espionage and terrorism 1048 00:40:34,550 --> 00:40:32,640 investigations 1049 00:40:36,710 --> 00:40:34,560 he also served as the director of the 1050 00:40:37,589 --> 00:40:36,720 pentagon's special programs management 1051 00:40:39,750 --> 00:40:37,599 staff 1052 00:40:42,550 --> 00:40:39,760 overseeing some of their most sensitive 1053 00:40:46,230 --> 00:40:42,560 portfolios he also has a background in 1054 00:40:47,030 --> 00:40:46,240 microbiology immunology and parasitology 1055 00:40:49,510 --> 00:40:47,040 so 1056 00:40:50,390 --> 00:40:49,520 let's pause for a moment to take a 1057 00:40:53,109 --> 00:40:50,400 breath 1058 00:40:55,430 --> 00:40:53,119 and just take this in because this list 1059 00:40:57,510 --> 00:40:55,440 of names is pretty staggering in terms 1060 00:40:59,349 --> 00:40:57,520 of both their expertise 1061 00:41:01,829 --> 00:40:59,359 and their proximity to privileged 1062 00:41:04,230 --> 00:41:01,839 information about secret u.s programs 1063 00:41:05,910 --> 00:41:04,240 particularly in the domains of aerospace 1064 00:41:08,630 --> 00:41:05,920 and advanced technology 1065 00:41:10,950 --> 00:41:08,640 including the guy who ran the secret ufo 1066 00:41:13,270 --> 00:41:10,960 program in the pentagon for ten years 1067 00:41:15,190 --> 00:41:13,280 from that point forward i think it's 1068 00:41:17,910 --> 00:41:15,200 impossible to argue with any kind of 1069 00:41:19,430 --> 00:41:17,920 credibility that tom delonge was lying 1070 00:41:21,030 --> 00:41:19,440 about the high-ranking government and 1071 00:41:22,470 --> 00:41:21,040 intelligence officials who had become 1072 00:41:24,630 --> 00:41:22,480 his advisors 1073 00:41:27,750 --> 00:41:24,640 not only did those advisors clearly 1074 00:41:29,270 --> 00:41:27,760 exist but they believed in delong in his 1075 00:41:30,309 --> 00:41:29,280 mission enough to come out of the 1076 00:41:32,630 --> 00:41:30,319 shadows 1077 00:41:34,950 --> 00:41:32,640 many of them putting themselves at great 1078 00:41:36,150 --> 00:41:34,960 risk personally and professionally to do 1079 00:41:37,670 --> 00:41:36,160 so 1080 00:41:39,990 --> 00:41:37,680 simply put 1081 00:41:42,309 --> 00:41:40,000 tom delonge was telling the truth 1082 00:41:44,230 --> 00:41:42,319 but de long still had one more ace up 1083 00:41:48,710 --> 00:41:44,240 his sleeve and he played it two months 1084 00:41:50,630 --> 00:41:48,720 later on december 16 2017 the same day 1085 00:41:52,710 --> 00:41:50,640 that the infamous new york times article 1086 00:41:55,109 --> 00:41:52,720 went live exposing the secret government 1087 00:41:58,390 --> 00:41:55,119 ufo program in sharing some of the 1088 00:42:01,270 --> 00:41:58,400 leaked us navy footage of alleged ufos 1089 00:42:03,750 --> 00:42:01,280 ttsa went live with the full footage of 1090 00:42:05,670 --> 00:42:03,760 gimbal and fleur the first two of the 1091 00:42:07,910 --> 00:42:05,680 now famous videos 1092 00:42:10,470 --> 00:42:07,920 it was these videos along with the later 1093 00:42:12,230 --> 00:42:10,480 released go fast footage that began to 1094 00:42:14,950 --> 00:42:12,240 wake the media up to the fact that this 1095 00:42:16,470 --> 00:42:14,960 is a real issue brought ufos back into 1096 00:42:18,710 --> 00:42:16,480 the public consciousness 1097 00:42:22,309 --> 00:42:18,720 and spurred legislation that forced the 1098 00:42:23,990 --> 00:42:22,319 pentagon to admit in 2020 that ufos are 1099 00:42:26,230 --> 00:42:24,000 in fact real 1100 00:42:27,829 --> 00:42:26,240 and we have no idea what they are 1101 00:42:30,150 --> 00:42:27,839 the story of how the new york times 1102 00:42:32,470 --> 00:42:30,160 article came to be and who exactly 1103 00:42:33,510 --> 00:42:32,480 leaked those us navy videos is a little 1104 00:42:35,190 --> 00:42:33,520 cloudy 1105 00:42:36,870 --> 00:42:35,200 most likely to protect the guilty as 1106 00:42:38,950 --> 00:42:36,880 leaking classified information to the 1107 00:42:41,670 --> 00:42:38,960 press isn't exactly legal 1108 00:42:45,190 --> 00:42:41,680 but no matter the exact details or chain 1109 00:42:46,950 --> 00:42:45,200 of events it's hard to deny one thing 1110 00:42:49,190 --> 00:42:46,960 none of it would have happened without 1111 00:42:51,030 --> 00:42:49,200 tom delonge and so that's where we'll 1112 00:42:54,790 --> 00:42:51,040 leave it with part one 1113 00:42:57,109 --> 00:42:54,800 in part two we'll get into where ttsa is 1114 00:42:59,270 --> 00:42:57,119 on all of this now we'll look at why it 1115 00:43:01,349 --> 00:42:59,280 is that tom delong has become such a 1116 00:43:04,470 --> 00:43:01,359 controversial figure within the ufo 1117 00:43:06,870 --> 00:43:04,480 community and finally will take a 1118 00:43:08,950 --> 00:43:06,880 frankly terrifying tour through what de 1119 00:43:11,270 --> 00:43:08,960 long claims his advisors have told him 1120 00:43:12,390 --> 00:43:11,280 about the phenomenon and how it shaped 1121 00:43:15,829 --> 00:43:12,400 his understanding 1122 00:43:17,510 --> 00:43:15,839 and beliefs about ufos but for now let's 1123 00:43:19,750 --> 00:43:17,520 just take a moment to enjoy and 1124 00:43:22,790 --> 00:43:19,760 appreciate the absurd beauty of this 1125 00:43:24,710 --> 00:43:22,800 story and how one man through sheer grit 1126 00:43:26,870 --> 00:43:24,720 and an abundance of passion 1127 00:43:28,950 --> 00:43:26,880 managed to turn the tide on the secrecy 1128 00:43:31,670 --> 00:43:28,960 surrounding the phenomenon forcing the 1129 00:43:33,829 --> 00:43:31,680 pentagon itself to admit a secret that 1130 00:43:36,390 --> 00:43:33,839 it has guarded more closely than any 1131 00:43:38,309 --> 00:43:36,400 other for the past 75 years 1132 00:43:48,010 --> 00:43:38,319 that ufos are real 1133 00:45:46,030 --> 00:43:58,130 [Music] 1134 00:46:23,580 --> 00:45:46,040 [Applause]