Luis Elizondo: Difference between revisions
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| organization = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], [[U.S. Army Counterintelligence]], [[Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence]], [[To the Stars (company)|To the Stars]] |
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| known for = Director role in the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] and participation in the disclosure of the [[Pentagon UFO videos]] |
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'''Luis Elizondo''' is a |
'''Luis "Lue" Elizondo''' is a former [[U.S. Army Counterintelligence]] Special Agent and former employee of the [[Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence]]. Elizondo was a director and held "an array of leadership posts"<ref name="Chow">{{cite news |last=Chow |first=Denice | first2=Gadi|last2= Schwartz|title=UFOs are about to make their way to the U.S. Senate. Here's what to know. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/ufos-are-make-way-us-senate-know-rcna973|date=May 19, 2021 |work=[[NBCNews.com]]|access-date=May 19, 2021}}</ref> with the now defunct [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]], a program associated with the [[Pentagon UFO videos]], which Elizondo disclosed.<ref name="InterceptQuestion"/><ref name="Ship of Fools">{{Cite web |date=2023-07-20 |title=Spaceship of Fools |url=https://washingtonspectator.org/spaceship-of-fools/ |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Washington Spectator |language=en-US}}</ref> Elizondo has subsequently appeared in various media, including the [[New York Times]] and [[60 Minutes]]. Later, Elizondo was the Director of Global Security and Special Programs for [[To the Stars (company)|To the Stars]], and was featured in the [[History Channel]] documentary television series ''[[Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation]]''. |
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Elizondo claims he was a director<ref name="Chow">{{cite news |last=Chow |first=Denice | first2=Gadi|last2= Schwartz|title=UFOs are about to make their way to the U.S. Senate. Here's what to know. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/ufos-are-make-way-us-senate-know-rcna973|date=May 19, 2021 |work=[[NBCNews.com]]|access-date=May 19, 2021}}</ref> of the now defunct [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]], a program associated with the [[Pentagon UFO videos]], but this claim has been contested by both reporters and Pentagon officials.<ref name="InterceptQuestion"/><ref name="Ship of Fools">{{Cite web |date=2023-07-20 |title=Spaceship of Fools |url=https://washingtonspectator.org/spaceship-of-fools/ |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Washington Spectator |language=en-US}}</ref> Elizondo has also claimed to have held "an array of leadership posts" with the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] which has also been similarly contested.{{R|"Ship of Fools"}} Elizondo has subsequently appeared in various media, including [[60 Minutes]], as a UFO expert, but critics question his credibility and credulity. |
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==Early history== |
==Early history== |
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Elizondo is the son of Luis Elizondo III, a Cuban exile who volunteered for [[Brigade 2506]], a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-sponsored group of exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the [[Cuba]]n government headed by [[Fidel Castro]], which culminated in the [[Bay of Pigs invasion]].<ref name=Farwell>{{cite magazine |last1=Farwell |first1=Matt |title=Tom DeLonge's Warped UFO Tour |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/158823/tom-delonge-warped-ufo-aliens |magazine=[[The New Republic]] |date=August 10, 2020}}</ref><ref name="HeraldTribune">{{cite news |last1=Cox |first1=Billy |date=January 3, 2021| title=From the shadows into the light – the man who broke the UFO embargo grew up in Sarasota |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2021/01/03/riverview-high-school-grad-luis-elizondo-forces-ufos-into-mainstream/4064093001/ |newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune|Herald-Tribune]]}}</ref> |
Elizondo is the son of Luis Elizondo III, a Cuban exile who volunteered for [[Brigade 2506]], a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-sponsored group of exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the [[Cuba]]n government headed by [[Fidel Castro]], which culminated in the [[Bay of Pigs invasion]].<ref name=Farwell>{{cite magazine |last1=Farwell |first1=Matt |title=Tom DeLonge's Warped UFO Tour |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/158823/tom-delonge-warped-ufo-aliens |magazine=[[The New Republic]] |date=August 10, 2020}}</ref><ref name="HeraldTribune">{{cite news |last1=Cox |first1=Billy |date=January 3, 2021| title=From the shadows into the light – the man who broke the UFO embargo grew up in Sarasota |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2021/01/03/riverview-high-school-grad-luis-elizondo-forces-ufos-into-mainstream/4064093001/ |newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune|Herald-Tribune]]}}</ref> |
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Elizondo was born in [[Miami]] and graduated from [[Riverview High School (Sarasota, Florida)|Riverview High School]] in [[Sarasota]] in 1990, where he was a member of the [[ROTC]] program. |
Elizondo was born in [[Miami]] and graduated from [[Riverview High School (Sarasota, Florida)|Riverview High School]] in [[Sarasota]] in 1990, where he was a member of the [[ROTC]] program.{{r|burton20211109}} |
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At the [[University of Miami]], Elizondo majored in both [[microbiology]] and [[immunology]], with minors in chemistry and math, and trained as a scientist.{{r|burton20211109}} He was reported to be able to qualify for [[Officer Candidate School]], but chose instead to enroll as an enlisted [[Non-commissioned officer|non-commissioned]] 'grunt' in the [[United States Army]]. “My father said, in order to lead, you’ve first got to know how to follow,” Elizondo explained.{{r|burton20211109}} |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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===United States Army=== |
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⚫ | Early in his military career while ranked as a specialist, he was recruited to a "'special program' involving national intelligence," where he reported to the [[Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence]] and the [[White House]].{{r|burton20211109}} Elizondo served in the [[U.S. Army]] for 20 years, during which he ran military intelligence operations in [[Afghanistan]], [[South America]], and [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]]'s [[Camp Seven]]. Regarding his military career, Elizondo stated he "dealt with a lot of stuff, like [[coup d'état]]s, black market [[terrorism]], violent [[drug cartels]], all that kind of stuff".<ref name="HeraldTribune"/><ref>{{cite news |first=Bill|last=Whitaker|authorlink=Bill Whitaker (journalist)|title=UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace, report on the phenomena due next month |date=May 16, 2021|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ufo-military-intelligence-60-minutes-2021-05-16/ |work=[[CBS News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="PopularMechanicsLong"/> |
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===Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence=== |
===Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence=== |
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From 2008 until his resignation in 2017, Elizondo |
From 2008 until his resignation in 2017, Elizondo worked with the [[Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence]] in [[The Pentagon]].<ref name="InterceptQuestion">{{cite news |last1=Kloor|first1=Keith|date=June 1, 2019 |authorlink=Keith Kloor|title=The Media Loves This UFO Expert Who Says He Worked for an Obscure Pentagon Program. Did He? |url=https://theintercept.com/2019/06/01/ufo-unidentified-history-channel-luis-elizondo-pentagon/ |work=The Intercept |language=en}}</ref><ref name="NYTGlowing">{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Helene |last2=Blumenthal |first2=Ralph |last3=Kean |first3=Leslie |title=Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 16, 2017}}</ref> His work involved counterintelligence for advanced technologies, specifically "[counterintelligence work to stop US technology from falling into enemy hands] of advanced avionics."<ref name="burton20211109"></ref> |
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Ending in 2012, he was the director<ref name="Chow"/><ref name=Warrick>{{cite news |last1=Warrick |first1=Joby |title=Head of Pentagon's secret 'UFO' office sought to make evidence public |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/head-of-pentagons-secret-ufo-office-sought-to-make-evidence-public/2017/12/16/90bcb7cc-e2b2-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=December 16, 2017}}</ref><ref name="NYTTrail">{{cite news |last1=Blumenthal |first1=Ralph |title=On the Trail of a Secret Pentagon U.F.O. Program |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/insider/secret-pentagon-ufo-program.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 18, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Eli Watkins and Brian Todd |title=Former Pentagon UFO official: 'We may not be alone' |date=December 19, 2017|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/18/politics/luis-elizondo-ufo-pentagon/index.html |work=CNN}}</ref> of the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]], a [[special access program]] funded at the initiative of the then [[United States Senate|Senate]] [[majority leader]], [[Harry Reid]] (D-Nevada)<ref>{{cite news |last=Cillizza |first=Chris |date= April 28, 2020|authorlink=Chris Cillizza| title=This former senator isn't surprised by the new UFO tapes |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/28/politics/harry-reid-ufos-pentagon/index.html |work=CNN}}</ref> to investigate aerial threats including [[unidentified aerial phenomena]].<ref name="NYTTrail"/> Elizondo told a reporter he thought that he might have been selected for AATIP because of his scientific background, work as a counterintelligence agent protecting American aerospace technology, and lack of interest in [[science fiction]].<ref name="burton20211109">{{Cite magazine |last=Burton |first=Charlie |date=November 9, 2021 |title=This man ran the Pentagon's secretive UFO programme for a decade. We had some questions |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/politics/article/luis-elizondo-interview-2021 |magazine=GQ |language=en-GB |access-date=November 13, 2021}}</ref> |
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⚫ | According to the [[Department of Defense]], the AATIP program ended in 2012 after five years. Elizondo worked with officials from the [[U.S. Navy]] and the [[CIA]] out of his Pentagon office for this program until October 2017, when he resigned to protest what he characterized as "excessive secrecy and internal opposition".<ref name="NYTGlowing"/> Elizondo asserts that "underestimating or ignoring these potential threats is not in the best interest of the Department no matter the level of political contention."<ref name="PopularMechanicsLong">{{Cite web|title=The Tale of the Tape: The Long, Bizarre Saga of the Navy's UFO Video|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a30538203/navy-ufo-video-investigation/|last=McMillan|first=Tim|date=January 17, 2020|website=Popular Mechanics|language=en-US|access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> The ''[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]]'' reports that Elizondo was hired to take over the program.<ref name=Lewis>{{cite magazine |last1=Lewis-Kraus |first1=Gideon |title=How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously |magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=April 30, 2021}}</ref> |
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⚫ | ''New York Times'' Pentagon correspondent [[Helene Cooper]] interviewed Elizondo in 2017. In the "The Daily" podcast of the New York Times, Cooper characterized Elizondo as "completely credible," and that his behavior was typical of intelligence officers, who are "really spooky guys, they're very secretive, they tend to be more paranoid". According to Cooper, "There was a lot of looking over to make sure nobody was seeing us, he sat with his back to the wall. He said, because he wanted to see if anybody came in".<ref name="The Daily 2017">{{cite news |last1=Barbaro |first1=Michael |authorlink= Michael Barbaro|title=Listen to 'The Daily': The Pentagon's U.F.O. Program |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/podcasts/the-daily/ufo-pentagon-program.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 18, 2017 |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> |
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⚫ | According to the [[Department of Defense]], the AATIP program ended in 2012 after five years. Elizondo |
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His position in the AATIP was questioned by ''[[The Intercept]]'' and |
His position in the AATIP was questioned by ''[[The Intercept]]'' and remarked upon by Pentagon officials who confirmed he worked in the Department of Defense, with spokesperson Christopher Sherwood saying "Mr. Elizondo had no responsibilities with regard to the AATIP program while he worked in OUSDI [the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence], up until the time he resigned effective 10/4/2017."<ref name="InterceptQuestion"/> In response, Elizondo filed a complaint with the agency's inspector general claiming "a coordinated campaign to discredit him for speaking out" including "Pentagon press statements asserting he had no official role in UFO research, even after his role was officially confirmed". In the inspector general's complaint, Elizondo also stated that he was the target of "a personal vendetta from a Pentagon rival".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bender |first1=Bryan |date=May 21, 2021|title=Ex-official who revealed UFO project accuses Pentagon of 'disinformation' campaign |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/26/ufo-whistleblower-ig-complaint-pentagon-491098 |work=[[Politico]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Whistleblower who spoke out on UFOs claims Pentagon tried to discredit him |first=Alexandra|last= Villarreal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/ufo-whistleblower-pentagon-complaint |work=the Guardian |date=May 28, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=UFO whistleblower claims Pentagon threatened him after leaking military reports |first=Shweta|last= Sharma|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pentagon-ufo-lue-elizondo-complaint-b1854803.html |work=The Independent |date=May 27, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> |
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United States Senator Harry Reid sent a letter to [[NBC News]] stating "I can state as a matter of record Lue Elizondo's involvement and leadership role in this program".<ref name="burton20211109" /> |
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===Pentagon UFO videos disclosure and commentary=== |
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⚫ | A [[History (American TV network)|History Channel]] docuseries titled ''[[Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation]]'' produced by [[To the Stars (company)|To the Stars]] features Elizondo and others |
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⚫ | In 2017, Elizondo distributed three declassified videos to the [[New York Times]] that were made by pilots from the [[United States Navy]] aircraft carriers [[USS Nimitz]] and [[USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)|USS Theodore Roosevelt]] which became known as the [[Pentagon UFO videos]].<ref name="WP-20180309">{{cite news|last=Mellon|first=Christopher|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-military-keeps-encountering-ufos-why-doesnt-the-pentagon-care/2018/03/09/242c125c-22ee-11e8-94da-ebf9d112159c_story.html|title=The military keeps encountering UFOs. Why doesn't the Pentagon care?|date=March 9, 2018|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=March 12, 2018|authorlink=Christopher Mellon}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Cooper|first1=Helene|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/us/politics/ufo-sightings-navy-pilots.html|title='Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects|date=May 26, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 15, 2020|last2=Blumenthal|first2=Ralph|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|last3=Kean|first3=Leslie}}</ref> The release was accompanied by the first mainstream press reporting on the existence of the AATIP.<ref name="NYTGlowing"/> In April 2019, the Navy acknowledged drafting new guidelines for pilots and other personnel to report encounters with "unidentified aircraft", and Elizondo told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that it was "the single greatest decision the Navy has made in decades".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/04/24/how-angry-pilots-got-navy-stop-dismissing-ufo-sightings/|title=How angry pilots got the Navy to stop dismissing UFO sightings|last=Paul|first=Deanna|date=April 25, 2019|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> |
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In 2019 Elizondo was interviewed by [[Tucker Carlson]], and suggested that the government had fragments of a UFO, "then quickly invoked his security oath".<ref name=Lewis /> |
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⚫ | Elizondo, along with |
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In April 2020, the [[United States Department of Defense]] released the videos prompting Elizondo to comment, "We are fueled by the Pentagon's significant actions and hope this encourages a new wave of credible information to come forward".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Yuhas|first=Alan|date=April 28, 2020|title=The Pentagon Released U.F.O. Videos. Don't Hold Your Breath for a Breakthrough.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/28/us/pentagon-ufo-videos.html|access-date=May 7, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> According to Gideon Lewis-Kraus, Elizondo initially explained to the Pentagon in a memo that the videos would "help educate pilots and improve aviation safety", but in later interviews he stated that his goal was to shine light on the program he ran for seven-years to "collect and analyze reported UFO sightings".<ref name="burton20211109" /> |
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⚫ | In the summer of 2021 Elizondo appeared on the [[CBS News]] program [[60 Minutes]] in a segment titled "UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace" in which he was interviewed by [[Bill Whitaker (journalist)|Bill Whitaker]], who included interviews with Christopher Mellon and two [[Naval aviator (United States)|U.S. Naval Avaitors]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-29 |title=UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace - 60 Minutes - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ufo-military-intelligence-60-minutes-2021-08-29/ |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-17 |title=UFOs are very real, 60 Minutes reports, they're still unidentified, and they aren't American |url=https://news.yahoo.com/ufos-very-real-60-minutes-061200487.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=news.yahoo.com |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In the summer of 2021 Elizondo appeared on the [[CBS News]] program [[60 Minutes]] in a segment titled "UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace" in which he was interviewed by [[Bill Whitaker (journalist)|Bill Whitaker]], who included interviews with [[Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security|Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence]] [[Christopher Mellon]] and two [[Naval aviator (United States)|U.S. Naval Avaitors]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-29 |title=UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace - 60 Minutes - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ufo-military-intelligence-60-minutes-2021-08-29/ |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-17 |title=UFOs are very real, 60 Minutes reports, they're still unidentified, and they aren't American |url=https://news.yahoo.com/ufos-very-real-60-minutes-061200487.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=news.yahoo.com |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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== Criticism == |
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Writing in ''[[The New Republic]]'', [[Jason Colavito]] questioned why if Elizondo was so concerned that UFOs "were an imminent national security threat, he didn't take his concerns to national security journalists or to Congress".<ref name="Colavito">{{cite magazine |last1=Colavito |first1=Jason |title=How Washington Got Hooked on Flying Saucers |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/162457/government-embrace-ufos-bad-science |magazine=[[The New Republic]] |access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525203358/https://newrepublic.com/article/162457/government-embrace-ufos-bad-science |archive-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> |
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According to ''[[The Intercept]]'' writer [[Keith Kloor]], "Elizondo and Mellon have come to rely on a largely passive and credulous press to generate sensational UFO headlines". Kloor notes that Elizondo received considerable media attention from a 2017 ''New York Times'' story titled "Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious UFO Program", and gained visibility by starring in the History Channel TV series.<ref name="InterceptQuestion" /> ''[[Air & Space]]'' magazine wrote that the TV series "cast Elizondo as a burly, intrepid, backpack-toting crusader seeking to expose the truth in the face of a stonewalling government bureaucracy and a culture of ridicule. In doing so, the History Channel followed a long tradition within ufology of portraying the UFO investigator as a heroic figure determined to tear away the veil of secrecy surrounding extraterrestrial visitors".<ref name="A&S">{{cite web |last1=Eghigian |first1=Greg |title=The Year of UFOs |url=https://www.airspacemag.com/space/year-ufos-180973965/ |website=airspacemag.com |publisher=Air & Space |access-date=May 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317220808/https://www.airspacemag.com/space/year-ufos-180973965/ |archive-date=May 26, 2021}}</ref> |
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After resigning from Department of Defense, Elizondo in October 2017 joined [[To the Stars (company)|To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Derrick Bryson |title=How Blink-182's Tom DeLonge Became a U.F.O. Researcher |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/science/tom-delonge-ufo-research.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 26, 2019}}</ref> Elizondo announced that To The Stars was "'planning to provide never-before-released footage from real U.S. government systems—not blurry amateur photos but real data and real videos'".<ref name=Lewis /> Elizondo asked if UAPs might be from another dimension or native to earth; if they might use hydrogen found in water to "warp space time", and if the US government may be in possession of "exotic material" associated with UAPs.<ref name="burton20211109" /> |
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⚫ | A [[History (American TV network)|History Channel]] docuseries titled ''[[Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation]]'' produced by [[To the Stars (company)|To the Stars]] features Elizondo and others affiliated with AATIP.<ref>{{cite news |last1=D'Addario |first1=Daniel |title=TV Review: History's 'Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation' |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/unidentified-review-history-channel-ufo-1203229629/ |work=Variety |date=May 31, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/shows/unidentified-inside-americas-ufo-investigation/videos/preview-unidentified-inside-americas-ufo-investigation-aware|title=Watch Preview: Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation: Aware Clip - Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation|website=HISTORY|language=en|access-date=May 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/us/politics/ufo-sightings-navy-pilots.html|title='Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects|last1=Cooper|first1=Helene|date=May 26, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 29, 2019|last2=Blumenthal|first2=Ralph|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|last3=Kean|first3=Leslie}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hipes |first1=Patrick |title=History Boards Six-Part UFO Docuseries 'Unidentified' Featuring Pentagon Whistleblower |url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/unidentified-history-channel-ufo-series-luis-elizondo-1202574326/ |work=Deadline |date=March 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=Adam|last= Wallis| title=Tom DeLonge says he'll 'expose new evidence' about UFOs in upcoming TV series |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5052196/tom-delonge-ufos-new-tv-series/ |work=[[Global News]]}}</ref> ''[[Air & Space]]'' magazine wrote that the TV series "cast Elizondo as a burly, intrepid, backpack-toting crusader seeking to expose the truth in the face of a stonewalling government bureaucracy and a culture of ridicule. In doing so, the History Channel followed a long tradition within ufology of portraying the UFO investigator as a heroic figure determined to tear away the veil of secrecy surrounding extraterrestrial visitors".<ref name="A&S">{{cite web |last1=Eghigian |first1=Greg |title=The Year of UFOs |url=https://www.airspacemag.com/space/year-ufos-180973965/ |website=airspacemag.com |publisher=Air & Space |access-date=May 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317220808/https://www.airspacemag.com/space/year-ufos-180973965/ |archive-date=May 26, 2021}}</ref> |
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⚫ | ''New York Times'' Pentagon correspondent [[Helene Cooper]] interviewed Elizondo in 2017. Cooper characterized Elizondo |
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⚫ | Elizondo, along with Christopher Mellon and Steve Justice, left To the Stars in late 2020, saying "Tom [De Longe] is really focused on the entertainment side, so there's not a whole lot for Chris, Steve and I to do [...] Our talents lie in engaging governments, [[United States Congress|Congress]] and international organizations, and we're ready to shift into second gear. Entertainment is one way to do it, but it's not comprehensive."<ref name="HeraldTribune"/> |
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Writing in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' in 2021, Gideon Lewis-Kraus reported that after talking with Elizondo, it was difficult to determine what AATIP had accomplished, and when pressed, Elizondo "invokes his security oath like a catchphrase". When in 2019 Elizondo was interviewed by [[Tucker Carlson]], Elizondo suggested that the government had fragments of a UFO, "then quickly invoked his security oath".<ref name=Lewis /> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:People of the Defense Intelligence Agency]] |
[[Category:People of the Defense Intelligence Agency]] |
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[[Category:Ufologists]] |
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[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
Revision as of 22:06, 8 August 2023
Luis Elizondo | |
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Born | Luis Daniel Elizondo Miami, Florida, U.S. |
Other names | "Lue" Elizondo |
Education | University of Miami |
Occupation | Former Military intelligence officer |
Organization(s) | Department of Defense, U.S. Army Counterintelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, To the Stars |
Known for | Director role in the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program and participation in the disclosure of the Pentagon UFO videos |
Website | luiselizondo-official |
Luis "Lue" Elizondo is a former U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent and former employee of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Elizondo was a director and held "an array of leadership posts"[1] with the now defunct Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, a program associated with the Pentagon UFO videos, which Elizondo disclosed.[2][3] Elizondo has subsequently appeared in various media, including the New York Times and 60 Minutes. Later, Elizondo was the Director of Global Security and Special Programs for To the Stars, and was featured in the History Channel documentary television series Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation.
Early history
Elizondo is the son of Luis Elizondo III, a Cuban exile who volunteered for Brigade 2506, a CIA-sponsored group of exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro, which culminated in the Bay of Pigs invasion.[4][5] Elizondo was born in Miami and graduated from Riverview High School in Sarasota in 1990, where he was a member of the ROTC program.[6]
At the University of Miami, Elizondo majored in both microbiology and immunology, with minors in chemistry and math, and trained as a scientist.[6] He was reported to be able to qualify for Officer Candidate School, but chose instead to enroll as an enlisted non-commissioned 'grunt' in the United States Army. “My father said, in order to lead, you’ve first got to know how to follow,” Elizondo explained.[6]
Career
United States Army
Early in his military career while ranked as a specialist, he was recruited to a "'special program' involving national intelligence," where he reported to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and the White House.[6] Elizondo served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, during which he ran military intelligence operations in Afghanistan, South America, and Guantanamo Bay's Camp Seven. Regarding his military career, Elizondo stated he "dealt with a lot of stuff, like coup d'états, black market terrorism, violent drug cartels, all that kind of stuff".[5][7][8]
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
From 2008 until his resignation in 2017, Elizondo worked with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in The Pentagon.[2][9] His work involved counterintelligence for advanced technologies, specifically "[counterintelligence work to stop US technology from falling into enemy hands] of advanced avionics."[6]
Ending in 2012, he was the director[1][10][11][12] of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, a special access program funded at the initiative of the then Senate majority leader, Harry Reid (D-Nevada)[13] to investigate aerial threats including unidentified aerial phenomena.[11] Elizondo told a reporter he thought that he might have been selected for AATIP because of his scientific background, work as a counterintelligence agent protecting American aerospace technology, and lack of interest in science fiction.[6]
According to the Department of Defense, the AATIP program ended in 2012 after five years. Elizondo worked with officials from the U.S. Navy and the CIA out of his Pentagon office for this program until October 2017, when he resigned to protest what he characterized as "excessive secrecy and internal opposition".[9] Elizondo asserts that "underestimating or ignoring these potential threats is not in the best interest of the Department no matter the level of political contention."[8] The New Yorker reports that Elizondo was hired to take over the program.[14]
New York Times Pentagon correspondent Helene Cooper interviewed Elizondo in 2017. In the "The Daily" podcast of the New York Times, Cooper characterized Elizondo as "completely credible," and that his behavior was typical of intelligence officers, who are "really spooky guys, they're very secretive, they tend to be more paranoid". According to Cooper, "There was a lot of looking over to make sure nobody was seeing us, he sat with his back to the wall. He said, because he wanted to see if anybody came in".[15]
His position in the AATIP was questioned by The Intercept and remarked upon by Pentagon officials who confirmed he worked in the Department of Defense, with spokesperson Christopher Sherwood saying "Mr. Elizondo had no responsibilities with regard to the AATIP program while he worked in OUSDI [the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence], up until the time he resigned effective 10/4/2017."[2] In response, Elizondo filed a complaint with the agency's inspector general claiming "a coordinated campaign to discredit him for speaking out" including "Pentagon press statements asserting he had no official role in UFO research, even after his role was officially confirmed". In the inspector general's complaint, Elizondo also stated that he was the target of "a personal vendetta from a Pentagon rival".[16][17][18]
United States Senator Harry Reid sent a letter to NBC News stating "I can state as a matter of record Lue Elizondo's involvement and leadership role in this program".[6]
Pentagon UFO videos disclosure and commentary
In 2017, Elizondo distributed three declassified videos to the New York Times that were made by pilots from the United States Navy aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt which became known as the Pentagon UFO videos.[19][20] The release was accompanied by the first mainstream press reporting on the existence of the AATIP.[9] In April 2019, the Navy acknowledged drafting new guidelines for pilots and other personnel to report encounters with "unidentified aircraft", and Elizondo told The Washington Post that it was "the single greatest decision the Navy has made in decades".[21]
In 2019 Elizondo was interviewed by Tucker Carlson, and suggested that the government had fragments of a UFO, "then quickly invoked his security oath".[14]
In April 2020, the United States Department of Defense released the videos prompting Elizondo to comment, "We are fueled by the Pentagon's significant actions and hope this encourages a new wave of credible information to come forward".[22] According to Gideon Lewis-Kraus, Elizondo initially explained to the Pentagon in a memo that the videos would "help educate pilots and improve aviation safety", but in later interviews he stated that his goal was to shine light on the program he ran for seven-years to "collect and analyze reported UFO sightings".[6]
In the summer of 2021 Elizondo appeared on the CBS News program 60 Minutes in a segment titled "UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace" in which he was interviewed by Bill Whitaker, who included interviews with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Christopher Mellon and two U.S. Naval Avaitors.[23][24]
To The Stars
After resigning from Department of Defense, Elizondo in October 2017 joined To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences.[25] Elizondo announced that To The Stars was "'planning to provide never-before-released footage from real U.S. government systems—not blurry amateur photos but real data and real videos'".[14] Elizondo asked if UAPs might be from another dimension or native to earth; if they might use hydrogen found in water to "warp space time", and if the US government may be in possession of "exotic material" associated with UAPs.[6]
A History Channel docuseries titled Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation produced by To the Stars features Elizondo and others affiliated with AATIP.[26][27][28][29][30] Air & Space magazine wrote that the TV series "cast Elizondo as a burly, intrepid, backpack-toting crusader seeking to expose the truth in the face of a stonewalling government bureaucracy and a culture of ridicule. In doing so, the History Channel followed a long tradition within ufology of portraying the UFO investigator as a heroic figure determined to tear away the veil of secrecy surrounding extraterrestrial visitors".[31]
Elizondo, along with Christopher Mellon and Steve Justice, left To the Stars in late 2020, saying "Tom [De Longe] is really focused on the entertainment side, so there's not a whole lot for Chris, Steve and I to do [...] Our talents lie in engaging governments, Congress and international organizations, and we're ready to shift into second gear. Entertainment is one way to do it, but it's not comprehensive."[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b Chow, Denice; Schwartz, Gadi (May 19, 2021). "UFOs are about to make their way to the U.S. Senate. Here's what to know". NBCNews.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c Kloor, Keith (June 1, 2019). "The Media Loves This UFO Expert Who Says He Worked for an Obscure Pentagon Program. Did He?". The Intercept.
- ^ "Spaceship of Fools". Washington Spectator. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ Farwell, Matt (August 10, 2020). "Tom DeLonge's Warped UFO Tour". The New Republic.
- ^ a b c Cox, Billy (January 3, 2021). "From the shadows into the light – the man who broke the UFO embargo grew up in Sarasota". Herald-Tribune.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Burton, Charlie (November 9, 2021). "This man ran the Pentagon's secretive UFO programme for a decade. We had some questions". GQ. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Whitaker, Bill (May 16, 2021). "UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace, report on the phenomena due next month". CBS News.
- ^ a b McMillan, Tim (January 17, 2020). "The Tale of the Tape: The Long, Bizarre Saga of the Navy's UFO Video". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (December 16, 2017). "Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program". The New York Times.
- ^ Warrick, Joby (December 16, 2017). "Head of Pentagon's secret 'UFO' office sought to make evidence public". Washington Post.
- ^ a b Blumenthal, Ralph (December 18, 2017). "On the Trail of a Secret Pentagon U.F.O. Program". The New York Times.
- ^ Eli Watkins and Brian Todd (December 19, 2017). "Former Pentagon UFO official: 'We may not be alone'". CNN.
- ^ Cillizza, Chris (April 28, 2020). "This former senator isn't surprised by the new UFO tapes". CNN.
- ^ a b c Lewis-Kraus, Gideon (April 30, 2021). "How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously". The New Yorker.
- ^ Barbaro, Michael (December 18, 2017). "Listen to 'The Daily': The Pentagon's U.F.O. Program". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ Bender, Bryan (May 21, 2021). "Ex-official who revealed UFO project accuses Pentagon of 'disinformation' campaign". Politico.
- ^ Villarreal, Alexandra (May 28, 2021). "Whistleblower who spoke out on UFOs claims Pentagon tried to discredit him". the Guardian.
- ^ Sharma, Shweta (May 27, 2021). "UFO whistleblower claims Pentagon threatened him after leaking military reports". The Independent.
- ^ Mellon, Christopher (March 9, 2018). "The military keeps encountering UFOs. Why doesn't the Pentagon care?". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (May 26, 2019). "'Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- ^ Paul, Deanna (April 25, 2019). "How angry pilots got the Navy to stop dismissing UFO sightings". Washington Post.
- ^ Yuhas, Alan (April 28, 2020). "The Pentagon Released U.F.O. Videos. Don't Hold Your Breath for a Breakthrough". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ "UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace - 60 Minutes - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. August 29, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "UFOs are very real, 60 Minutes reports, they're still unidentified, and they aren't American". news.yahoo.com. May 17, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (September 26, 2019). "How Blink-182's Tom DeLonge Became a U.F.O. Researcher". The New York Times.
- ^ D'Addario, Daniel (May 31, 2019). "TV Review: History's 'Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation'". Variety.
- ^ "Watch Preview: Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation: Aware Clip - Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation". HISTORY. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (May 26, 2019). "'Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 12, 2019). "History Boards Six-Part UFO Docuseries 'Unidentified' Featuring Pentagon Whistleblower". Deadline.
- ^ Wallis, Adam. "Tom DeLonge says he'll 'expose new evidence' about UFOs in upcoming TV series". Global News.
- ^ Eghigian, Greg. "The Year of UFOs". airspacemag.com. Air & Space. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
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