Press Release

From: "Steven  M. Greer M.D." <103275.1472@compuserve.com> (by way of "A.J. Craddock" )
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 12:09:17 -0800
Subject: Press Release

                  PRESS RELEASE FOR MEDIA AND NEWSGROUPS

                    CSETI HEADQUARTERS, ASHEVILLE, N.C.
                              25 JANUARY 1997



BEGIN:

The Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CSETI)
through its Project Starlight initiative, has identified a significant
number of first hand United States government, military and
intelligence programs witnesses to UFOs of extraterrestrial origin.

In an effort to widen the scope of these investigations, CSETI is
calling for additional government UFO witnesses to come forward,
and for the US Congress to hold open hearings where these
witnesses may testify without fear of reprisal.

CSETI has received legal opinions that the ongoing, extra-
constitutional covert management of this subject is in violation of
the US constitution, and that therefore the witnesses to these events
are not legally bound to silence by pre-existing national security
oaths on this subject (see attached documents).

In a letter dated 15 November 1996(enclosed) CSETI stated this
position, and asked for relevant  feedback from the White House,
key members of Congress, the CIA, and other government officials.
The letter also stated that, unless otherwise directed (UNODIR) we
would regard these witnesses as free to speak openly about this
matter as of 1 January 1997.  None of the agencies or government
leaders, all of whom acknowledged receipt of the letter, provided
any policy, guidance or refuting materials by 1 January 1997 to
correct this position.

Additionally, under current legal opinion, these witnesses are now
considered free to speak without penalty, punishment or reprisal
because of provisions provided by the Congress within the so-
called 'Whistle Blower' legislation. This legislation, designed to
allow government employees and government contractor employees
to come forward with information regarding corruption and wrong-
doing, protects these government UFO witnesses from any
punishment or reprisals.  This protection extends to both
government employees and civilian employees of  private
government contractors.

Given the illegal and extra-constitutional nature of current covert
projects dealing with these issues, CSETI maintains that
government and government contractor witnesses to UFO programs
and events have a constitutional obligation to come forward with
information on this subject, and are encouraged to do so .

CSETI will be convening a closed meeting of such witnesses in the
early spring of 1997, and will be asking members of Congress to
hold open hearings where these witnesses may testify.

Since the current covert management of this issue constitutes a
grave and growing threat to the national security of the United
States, CSETI is asking that these hearings take place by this
summer.

Any government employee or government contract UFO witnesses
who would like to cooperate with this initiative should contact
CSETI's International Director Steven M. Greer M.D.  as soon as
possible. CSETI has determined that assembling numerous such
witnesses in a coalition, to come forward in unison, is the safest
and most credible way to move this subject to public disclosure.

These prospective witnesses should contact Dr. Greer at:

704-274-5671 or
Fax: 704-274-6766
 email: 103275.1472@compuserve.com
or write: CSETI  PO Box 15401 Asheville NC 28813

END PRESS RELEASE
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EVALUATING THE VALIDITY OF NATIONAL SECURITY
OATHS RELATED TO THE UFO/EXTRATERRESTRIAL
SUBJECT

                    copyright 1996 Steven M. Greer M.D.


 A number of first hand military, intelligence and government-
associated witnesses to covert projects dealing with UFOs and
Extraterrestrial Intelligence (ETI)  have been identified by CSETI's
Project Starlight effort.   Over the past three years, we have located
several dozen such potential witnesses as part of a comprehensive
strategy to collect adequate evidence for a global, definitive
disclosure on this subject.  The story which these important
government witnesses can tell will make a credible, undeniable
case for the reality of UFOs and the existence of extraterrestrial life
forms in proximity to the earth.

One of the persistent obstacles to this testimony  coming out into
the public arena has been the issue of so-called national security
oaths and restrictions placed on these witnesses.  Some feel that
they are not free to speak unless 'released' from these national
security oaths and restrictions, and  so we have been working to
encourage Congress and the White House to take actions which
would remove these restrictions.

In the summer of 1995, a number of these witnesses gathered at a
witnesses summit, and we all signed a letter to President Clinton
asking him to take actions leading to the release of these
restrictions.  While receipt of this letter was acknowledged by a
special assistant to the President, we still await specific action from
the executive branch of the US government.

With this said, it is important to visit the question of whether or
not such national security oaths and restrictions are themselves
legally valid.

We have compelling witness testimony that the operations dealing
with this subject currently exist,  and have existed for several
decades, outside of normal governmental projects.  Members of the
Project Starlight Team have met with very senior members of the
Administration, Congress, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA and
other relevant government agency operatives. The picture which
emerges from these discussions is that of an operation dealing with
UFOs which is functioning outside of the normal channels of
government, as it is usually considered. Indeed, we have found that
the most senior levels of the executive branch,  Congress, the
military etc. are totally out of the loop on this extraordinary matter.

This then brings up the sobering question of who is in the loop,
and under what authorization are such projects operating? It is our
assessment that for the large part, these operations do not fall under
any constitutionally sanctioned avenues of authorization, and as
such are, perforce, illegal.

Aside from the lack of oversight and authorization from the
executive branch and Congress, these operations have, from time
to time, engaged in deceptive practices which have frustrated the
organs of constitutionally legal inquiries and democratic processes.
Any such operation which behaves in this fashion unilaterally
removes itself from the inherent legality and protection which
exists for  projects which are consonant with constitutional law.

This being the case (we are eager - nay, desperate- for someone to
prove otherwise...) all of the so-called 'national security oaths' and
other 'restrictions' placed on military, intelligence and government
contract workers are null and void.  That is, they appear to have no
legal validity since the operations for which they were obtained are
themselves illegal.  In a constitutional democracy, it is a basic
requirement of law that such operations be constitutionally legal,
and if they are not, then all that flows from them - including such
'oaths'- are illegal and therefore non-binding. IF these operations
are legal, nobody in the Congress, executive branch or senior
military with whom we have spoken knows of it. The production
of a single current executive order or congressional directive
authorizing these projects, which can be independently verified,
would convice us otherwise.

More than one covert contact has told us that, indeed, any such
witnesses can and should speak out at the right time and place
since no legal entity would - or legally could - do anything about
it.   We agree.

Beyond this, it is the legal, moral and patriotic duty of such
witnesses to come together, and at the highest, best and most
credible venue possible, speak out in unison regarding the truth on
this matter.   Granted, if only one or two such persons come
forward, the case will be weak, and the risk will be unacceptable.
But if ten, twenty or more such witnesses come together, and
united, resolve to share their information and experiences on this
subject, then a definitive case will be made , and a great service to
the world  and their country will be fulfilled.

The return of this matter to the legal channels of government and
the deliberation of the people is one of the great unfulfilled tasks
of the post cold war era. Over half a decade has elapsed since the
end of the cold war, and there can no longer be a justification (if
there ever was) for this type of extraordinary secrecy and covert
agenda.  Both national and world security requires that this matter
be returned to the world community as soon as possible.

We recommend that men and women of vision, courage and
dedication join with us in fulfilling this task. Far from being a legal
violation of 'security oaths', the public testimony by such witnesses
is a highly moral and legal act. Further, is it not true that the
continuation of this secrecy itself is illegal and immoral, given the
inherent unconstitutionality of such programs? Credible witnesses,
joining together and providing their testimony in a united strategy
can return this  subject to legal oversight and control, and thereby
enable the people of our country and of the world to begin the
public deliberations which should have occurred 50 years ago.

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National Security Implications of the
UFO/ETI Subject: A brief summary


National Security Implications of the UFO/ETI subject are
profound and far-reaching, albeit currently largely unrecognized.

These implications may be considered in separate but related
aspects: those intrinsic to ET activity and those arising from current
covert management of the issue.

Historical Background:
Early National Security considerations dealt with concern over
public panic arising from the detection of near earth and earth-
landed  extraterrestrial spacecraft (ETS)and from the technological
implications of advanced Extraterrestrial material as it may impact
the arms race and cold war.  Additional concerns were related to
the impact on religious belief systems, the political order and
economic systems.

Importantly, once actual ETS were retrieved in 1947, thereby
allowing Extraterrestrial hardware to be studied and back-
engineered for possible human military applications, the need for
complete secrecy regarding the matter was deemed paramount by
authorities at that time.  Given the tensions of the early atomic era
and the mounting 'cold war' with the USSR, it is understandable
that the introduction of Extraterrestrial technology was thought to
be destabilizing to an already dangerous situation.  Moreover, given
the history of technological secrets related to atomic and hydrogen
weapons being stolen by agents of the USSR, there was
understandable concern that any technological breakthrough related
to Extraterrestrial technology might find its way into Soviet hands.
If such an event enabled the USSR to produce actual military
applications before the US, obviously this would have placed the
US military capability in a potentially catastrophic disadvantage.

Since the 1970's, we have reason to believe that a degree of
cooperation on this matter has evolved  with the USSR and the US
and perhaps other nations.  Certainly the end of the cold war has
largely removed earlier concerns vis a vis technological
breakthroughs and the fear of Soviet aggression.

Moreover, the psychological reasons for secrecy related to public
panic are not valid today.  At least 57% of the population accept
that UFOs are real and are of Extraterrestrial origin.  And 30-40
years of space exploration by human society has prepared the
population for the possible existence of other Extraterrestrial
civilizations capable of space travel.  In short, the previous
concerns motivating secrecy are not relevant today.

Intrinsically, there is no reason to believe that the Extraterrestrial
presence poses a threat to the national or world security.  If
hostility and aggression were related to their purpose here, it is
likely that events congruent with hostility would have transpired
long before now.  It is our assessment that the Extraterrestrials are
not hostile, but are very concerned with human capability related
to warfare and the militarization  of space.  Activity by
Extraterrestrial assets related to the neutralization of ICBM
facilities and to  containing military  oriented space exploration
should be understood in light of their concern over a known history
of human aggression which has been coupled with the advent of
weapons of mass destruction and space exploration.  Indeed, given
the past history of  human military assets focusing on and pursuing
Extraterrestrial Spacecraft, we believe the Extraterrestrials have
responded with remarkable restraint.

Ironically, the threat to national security exists not with the
Extraterrestrial presence, but the current covert management of the
subject.  In the absence of Extraterrestrial hostility over 50 years,
current secrecy cannot be justified on the basis of fear of
Extraterrestrial aggression.  A disclosure related to the
Extraterrestrial presence, if calmly and rationally presented, will not
cause public panic in the US or elsewhere.  1995 is not 1945, and
world society has evolved to the point where this information can
be assimilated in a positive fashion.


In contrast, the covert and apparently extra-constitutional
management of this matter is a real threat to national and world
security, and undermines constitutional freedom and democracy.
Unless it is terminated, this covert management will greatly harm
US national security and the chances of a  lasting  world peace.

It is our assessment that the current covert management of this
issue involves the following elements which are a direct, immediate
and ongoing threat to the national security:

1. The continued denial of the Extraterrestrial presence creates a
situation where a sudden, undeniable, public Extraterrestrial event
could induce panic, since proactive disclosure efforts which could
ameliorate public fears are non-existent.  It is likely that such a
public Extraterrestrial event will transpire within the next 2-10
years or sooner.  Therefore secrecy and denial are a real threat to
national and world security.

2.  The current covert management of this issue appears to be
operating independently  and outside of the constitutional chain of
command.  The group controlling these operations, which involve
reconnaissance, Extraterrestrial technology reverse-engineering, and
space - based targeting of ETS (among others) is non-responsive to
congressional or Executive branch oversight and control.  This
constitutes a real threat to the national security and to constitutional
democracy and freedom.

3. We have credible, first hand sources who insist that
extraterrestrial spacecraft have been targeted by human covert space
weapons and on at least two occasions have been destroyed.  If
true, the risks to world peace and security are real and imminent,
and the continuation of these covert activities constitute the gravest
dangers to national and world security .  Hostile actions taken by
human covert assets against Extraterrestrial assets constitute a grave
and immediate threat to the national security.  A relatively small ,
covert entity , acting without consultation with the United Nations,
the  Congress, the President of the United States or the public is
engaging in actions on behalf of all  humans which endanger the
earth and world peace.  Unless controlled, these actions could
precipitate interplanetary conflict and a disaster for the world
generally and the United States specifically.   This covert
management must be terminated and control of this issue returned
to constitutional authority and to the public domain.

4.  The concentration of the technological advances related to the
reverse-engineering of Extraterrestrial technology into the hands of
a small covert operation constitutes a  threat to the national
security, to world security and to the future of the earth.  These
Extraterrestrial technologies, which have been the object of covert
research and development for over 45 years, are potentially of great
benefit to humanity if used wisely for peaceful purposes, but are of
immense danger when concentrated into a small covert operation
which is unresponsive to the pubic or the legal and constitutional
chain of command.  The threat this poses to the US and world
security is great, and the longer this situation continues, the greater
the concentration of advanced technological power in the hands of
a relative few.  The secret control of such powerful technologies is
inherently a threat to freedom, democracy and to our nation  and
the world.  Its utilization for covert agendas outside constitutional
control represents a grave danger to our country and must be
restrained and reversed.

5.  Importantly, secrecy and covert operatives per se constitute a
real threat to the national security, since national security in a
constitutional democracy can only be legitimately related to
freedom and democratic government.  Only in very rare and well-
justified circumstances can extreme secrecy and covert operations
exist, since by nature freedom and democracy cannot co-exist with
unrestrained secrecy and secret power.  The profound implications
of the detection of Extraterrestrial civilizations cannot be allowed
to be the exclusive domain of covert operations which are unrelated
to public discourse and consultation.  To do so is to undermine the
US Constitution, democracy and freedom, and this constitutes a
serious threat to the national security.

6.  Finally, exclusive covert control of this matter has resulted and
continues to result in the loss of opportunity for the world to come
to terms with the Extraterrestrial presence in a peaceful and
mutually beneficial fashion.  This means that the people of the
world, the United Nations and other international and national
institutions are deprived of the opportunity to deal rationally with
this issue. National and world security are therefore negatively
impacted by the loss of opportunities in the following areas:

     >The Environment, which is seriously at risk for large
scale collapse over the next 100 years, would be profoundly
improved if extraterrestrial technologies could be peacefully
deployed. So-called zero point or free energy systems, which are
non-polluting, would permit a sustainable technological civilization
to exist on earth and would transform the earth environmentally
and economically.  Establishing peaceful and mutually beneficial
relations with extraterrestrial civilizations would eventually permit
us to understand and apply such technologies.

     >World unity and peace will be enhanced by the global
realization that we are not alone in the universe.  The
acknowledgement of this fact will enhance the awareness that we
are really one people living on the shared homeland of earth, and
many of  the conflicts currently afflicting the earth will be seen in
a new perspective. This can be achieved without either deifying or
demonizing the extraterrestrial presence, but rather placing it in a
fair, scientific and neutral light. Eventually, world peace and a
significant enhancement in the current geopolitical situation may
result from the disclosure  that we are not alone.  An international
infrastructure, and institutions capable of dealing peacefully with
relations with extraterrestrial civilizations would, of necessity,
evolve, and this in turn would strengthen world unity and
cooperation.

     >World culture, ideas, science and many other diverse areas
may benefit through the development of peaceful relations with
other worlds. While this process may take decades, if not centuries,
its delay only puts off the time when the people of the earth will
be united not only globally, but with other planetary civilizations
as well.

In summary, it is imperative to the national security that the
President and Congress undertake measures to terminate the secret,
covert management of the UFO/ETI subject.  Failure to place this
matter in open, public discourse and control constitutes the gravest
failure of democracy and government in the history of the world.
That we do this is the test of our faith in democracy and our faith
in the people.  As the 21st century approaches, we must roll up the
cancerous excesses of secrecy which are the legacy of the cold war
and unfurl a new era wherein democracy is reaffirmed and a lasting
world peace is given a chance.