'Aliens could attack at any time' warns former UK MoD chief
Pastor Dale Morgan
Aliens could attack at any time' warns former UK MoD chief*
10.11.06
UFO sightings and alien visitors tend to be solely the reserve of sci-fi
movies.
So when a former MoD chief warns that the country could be attacked by
extraterrestrials at any time, you may be forgiven for feeling a little
alarmed.
During his time as head of the Ministry of Defence UFO project, Nick
Pope was persuaded into believing that other lifeforms may visit Earth
and, more specifically, Britain.
His concern is that "highly credible" sightings are simply dismissed.
And he complains that the project he once ran is now "virtually closed"
down, leaving the country "wide open" to aliens.
Mr Pope decided to speak out about his worries after resigning from his
post at the Directorate of Defence Security at the MoD this week.
"The consequences of getting this one wrong could be huge," he said.
"If you reported a UFO sighting now, I am absolutely sure that you would
just get back a standard letter telling you not to worry. ''Frankly we
are wide open - if something does not behave like a conventional
aircraft now, it will be ignored.
"The X-Files have been closed down." If these words had come from a
sci-fi fanatic, they could be easily dismissed by cynics.
But Mr Pope's CV - he was head of the UFO project between 1991 and 1994
- cannot be ignored.
When he began his job, he too was sceptical about UFOs but access to
classified files on the subject and investigation of a series of
spectacular UFO sightings gradually changed his mind.
And while Mr Pope says that there is no evidence of hostile intent, he
insists it cannot be ruled out.
"There has got to be the potential for that and one is left with the
uneasy feeling that if it turned out to be so, there is very little we
could do about it," he said.
"If you believe these things are extra terrestrial craft then you cannot
rule out that what is happening is some kind of covert reconnaissance."
One incident which persuaded him of the existence of alien lifeforms was
in 1993. There were reports of a "vast, triangular-shaped craft" spotted
flying over RAF bases in the West Midlands.
"Most of the witnesses were police and military personnel," he said.
"Hundreds of members of the public also had sightings over a period of
several hours."
In another incident in 1980 at RAF bases in Suffolk, staff investigated
a suspected plane crash after bright lights were reported coming from
nearby woods.
They found a kind of lunar landing module standing on three legs which
then flew off. The indents it left in the ground were found to emit ten
times the normal levels of radiation. Mr Pope said: "These sort of
incidents are why I got so frustrated.
"In my time I would brief the more interesting sightings up the chain of
command to people like the Chief of the Air Staff and would get the
answer back that it was very interesting and I had clearly done a good
job investigating it and that was it.
"Every one is a piece of a puzzle but no one takes it seriously. There
needs to be more resources and people who are prepared to look past the
philosophical issues, look at the reports and investigate them properly.
"Whether you believe these things are foreign air forces testing
prototype aircraft or whether you believe they are something more
exotic, with the speeds and movements they are capable of, it's
technology we would very much like to get hold of."
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence insisted that all UFO sightings
were investigated for "evidence to suggest that UK airspace has been
compromised by hostile or unauthorised air activity."
She said: "Unless there is such evidence, the MoD doesn't attempt to
positively identify what was seen."
Mr Pope is continuing his UFO research in a private capacity since
leaving the MoD and is recognised as a leading authority on UFOs and the
unexpected.
He has written four science fiction books drawing on his experience at
the MoD, and lectures around the world on the subject.
He has appeared on BBC Newsnight and Radio 4's Today programme and has
acted as consultant on numerous television documentaries.