Was Reagan briefed about UFOs and original ‘Day the Earth Stood Still’ movie?

By Steve Hammons

(Related article “Reagan’s 1987 UN speech on ‘alien threat’ resonates now” is posted on the CultureReady blog, Defense Language and National Security Education Office, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, U.S. Department of Defense.)

In the 1951 movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still” actor Michael Rennie played the part of Klaatu, a friendly but firm extraterrestrial with a very serious warning for Earth humans and their leaders.

That message: Due to the development of atomic weapons, if the apparently destructive and self-destructive nature and behavior of Earth humans is not corrected, an interplanetary alliance will intervene, and it won’t be pretty – “Earth will be eliminated,” Klaatu tells a prominent physicist (actor Sam Jaffe).

In the 2008 version of the movie, actor Keanu Reeves played Klaatu, who again brings his warning to Earth humans. With the help of an astrobiologist tapped by U.S. national security officials (Jennifer Connelly), Klaatu lays out the situation for the leading physicist, this time played by John Cleese.

Back in 2006 and 2007 there were online reports making the rounds among people interested in UFOs that Pres. Ronald Reagan’s secret briefing on that topic included information about the 1951 movie.

Unsubstantiated claims within alleged “information releases” about UFOs were made via anonymous intermediaries reportedly associated with the U.S. national security community. Many people did not take these reports seriously, though they were thought-provoking.

INTERVENTION A LAST RESORT?

According to these reports, Reagan received a UFO briefing at Camp David, Maryland, between Friday, March 6 and Sunday, March 8, 1981. Other top advisors to Reagan were also reported to be present.

Allegedly, the briefing was presented to Reagan by an intelligence community contract employee. This contract employee reportedly worked within a group of "caretakers" who were said to safeguard records and assets about extraterrestrial visitation to Earth, and their activities on Earth.

These claims about a supposed briefing went on to state that Reagan was told about U.S. government activities informing the public about UFOs, including the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still" movie.

It was claimed that Reagan responded, "I always knew there was some form of cooperation between our government and the motion picture industry. I heard rumors over the years ... even during my acting days."

According to the unsubstantiated reports, the briefer allegedly told Reagan, "Well, Mr. President, the first cooperative venture was the movie 'The Day the Earth Stood Still.' That was a cooperative venture with the United States Air Force and the movie industry."

Before we completely dismiss these accounts of a special briefing for Reagan in 1981, a story about animator and entertainment-storytelling innovator Walt Disney might be relevant. According to one of the original artists working for Disney, the Air Force approached Walt in 1957 about producing a documentary film. This film would educate and inform the public about extraterrestrial visitation to Earth, according to the Disney artist. Work was reportedly begun on the project, but the Air Force cancelled it.

In recent years, the Rendelsham Forest UFO incident at an important U.S. air base in the UK has been a focus of much attention among researchers, the media and the public. In that case, UFOs were observed over a sensitive base and nuclear weapons storage areas there. The deputy base commander had a "close encounter" in the incident, along with other U.S. Air Force personnel.

In other incidents, UFOs have been reported around multiple U.S. and Russian nuclear missile facilities. There have even been reports that U.S. and Russian nuclear missile launch systems were remotely tampered with concurrent with observation of nearby UFOs. In an American case, the launch controls were reportedly taken offline by an unknown method. In a Russian incident, controls were allegedly activated to launch status.

Should we draw any conclusions about reports of significant numbers of incidents involving UFOs near nuclear weapons and missile locations, and strange interventions on missile launch systems? Does this dovetail in any way with the supposed briefing to Reagan about the 1951 “The Day the Earth Stood Still” film?

And are these issues relevant in January 2020 as we face threats of a nuclear attack against or by the U.S.?

SAVING EARTH FROM EARTH HUMANS

In the 2008 remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” Klaatu tells the astrobiologist (Connelly) that he and his people are “friends to the Earth.” At first, Connelly is greatly relieved, because U.S. officials want to determine if he and the beings he represents are hostile.

Then she comes to understand that Klaatu means that to save the Earth, humankind needs to be eliminated due to its destructive nature.

Today, here at ground-level from the Earth human point-of-view, as we look around, some people might conclude we’re not living on a well-run planet. There is widespread poverty, disease, suffering, injustice and corruption. War and terrorism are also widespread. There is a large scope of killing and destruction. 

There is a shortage of human decency and compassion.

The planet’s ecosystem and climate are being significantly damaged, possibly beyond repair. Species of animals are becoming extinct, including insects and birds we rely on to pollinate our food crops. Many rivers, lakes and waterways are being further polluted. Seas are warming and acidifying, and the ocean ecosystems and fish supplies could be affected.

And what about the view looking down on Planet Earth? Why do these Earth humans act the way they do? Why do they constantly kill and harm each other over the thousands of years they have been around, developing bigger and more terrible weapons? 

Their leaders are often not the best of them, but the worst of them. They allow their children to suffer in homelessness, war zones and many other terrible situations. Is there any hope for Earth humans?

Obviously, if left to their own devices, they will destroy themselves and this beautiful little planet that the Creator has given them – this beautiful planet they have already disrespected and damaged. 

Then, they will probably seek other planets to disrespect, damage and destroy. Earth humans seem likely to continue to kill and abuse themselves and others amid their greed and lust for power and conquest.

When we look at the human race on Earth today from this viewpoint, we might understand why Klaatu was deadly serious in his message and mission. Many Earth humans probably agree with Klaatu that the human race on Earth is on a self-destructive path that must be corrected promptly to avoid terrible disaster in the near future.

And if Klaatu has contemporary counterparts, maybe we should expect to hear from them. If some of these counterparts are friendly toward Earth humans, maybe we could use their help.


(Related articles "Navy Research Project on Intuition," "Human perception key in hard power, soft power, smart power" and “Storytelling affects human biology, beliefs, behavior” are posted on the CultureReady blog, Defense Language and National Security Education Office, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, U.S. Department of Defense.)