A spike in UFO sightings in the 1960s was likely caused by secret tests of advanced US spy planes and space technology. This is supported by a Pentagon report presented to Congress, according to which there is “no evidence” that the United States government has interacted with aliens.
Most sightings of UFOs or “unidentified anomalous phenomena” (UAP) were ordinary objects, the report's authors write, while acknowledging that this will not allay popular beliefs about aliens.
The document, published by the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Solution Office (AARO), finds that public opinion was likely influenced by pop culture.
«The proliferation of television programs, books, films and the large amount of content on the Internet and social media focused on topics related to UAPs has most likely influenced the public conversation on this topic and strengthened these beliefs within some segments of the community. population”, reads the report. One “particularly persistent narrative,” the researchers said, is that the government recovered spacecraft and alien remains and conspired to keep its alien research activities secret.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said officials approached the report with an open mind but simply found no evidence of extraterrestrial visits. “All investigative efforts, at all levels of classification, concluded that the majority of sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification,” the spokesperson told reporters.
According to a 2021 Gallup poll, just over 40% of Americans believe alien spacecraft have visited Earth; a growth figure compared to 33% two years earlier.