Lynn Picknett

Since the late 1940s-the beginning of the "modern" UFO era-many people have suspected that governments in general, but the U.S. government in particular, have hidden much of their knowledge about UFOs. And, in fact, revelations during the past three decades or so show just how extensive the cover—ups have been. In the United States, it was not only the air force that was investigating UFOs-so were several other government agencies, including the CIA, the NSA (National Security Administration), and even the FBI. With the passing of the Freedom of Information Act, many documents about the government's involvement in UFO research were made available to the public. Many people suspect that more documents remain to be found-or have been destroyed.

In the following article, British author Lynn Picknett, a former editor of The Unexplained, summarizes some...