AlienCon 2018: The Ancient Aliens Disclosure Panel With Richard Dolan, Linda Moulton Howe, Nick Pope, Travis Taylor & Stephen Bassett

The Ancient Aliens: Disclosure Panel at AlienCon 2018 hosted Richard Dolan, Linda Moulton Howe, Nick Pope, Travis Taylor, Stephen Bassett, and was moderated by Rob O’Brien.
Asked if we’ve entered a “new era” in “disclosure” (the idea that a government or government(s) will reveal evidence that we are not alone in the universe) in recent years, Travis brought up the subject of GPS, and it becoming part of the conversation when Ronald Regan declassified it, opening new avenues in usage. If greater disclosure is coming in terms of technology, he predicts it will “trickle” as a “little bit at a time”.
Pope said that a few years ago, it would have been unlikely that a convention like AlienCon would exist, and also that around this time last year, when “AATIP” (The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program run by the US Defense Department) news broke, Alien theories officially became mainstream as part of a “wider process”. Pope also cited government interest increasing in reported cases of “AATIP” experiences in the past couple of years as well.
Bassett spoke about recent politics surrounding the disclosure movement, and the idea that Hillary Clinton would have been a “disclosure president” if elected and an event would have been held in 2016. He predicted that in 2019, assuming developments continue as he hopes, things will look “extremely good for disclosure”.
Dolan spoke about secrecy as an “immovable object” that’s dealing with “greater and greater force”. There’s an “inevitability” of disclosure at some point, but he does predict continued resistance. Writing a recent book made him aware of the implications of disclosure, and the fact that it would indeed be “earth-shattering” and would change all aspects of human life and development, which would be destabilizing. Any bodies keeping information secret would be motivated by that reality of change and destabilization.

Howe said that feels there’s an “interstellar trade office” in the Pentagon, and that there has been one since the 1970’s. If we ask what extra-terrestrials would want from humans, she thinks that includes technology that we have reverse engineered. Humans, in turn, need rare metals for tech development, in her opinion. But if 2019 or 2020 reveals alien contact with humans, that would be a big gap in knowledge and development that humanity needs to bridge in order to “catch up”. That gap is something that she deems “debilitating” for humanity.
Dolan commented on the existence of videos which are still classified, and therefore can’t be revealed to the public, which would affect disclosure. He thinks there are entities who are “deeply interested” in making sure that information gets declassified who are currently working on that.
The panelists spoke about the Nimitz video, of which Bassett said only a fragment had been released, and Travis doubted our ability to measure speed by. However, Bassett still finds the footage convincing, saying there was not a “snowball’s chance in Hell that was created by human beings” regarding the craft reportedly seen in the video.
Pop added that there have been major mainstream articles about AATIP reveals, but mainly in British newspapers. But answers to questions about what’s shown in the Nimitz videos will be in a briefing sent to the House Armed Services Committee, and if and when that briefing is released, either in full or in redacted form, it will “help us get answers to those questions”.

Pope spoke about similarities between the secrecy required for investigations by the government(s) in the UK and the USA, often with people working in one area not aware of information available to people working in other areas, a subject introduced by Travis.
AATIP was “a” UFO program, Pope reminded, but it may not be “the” UFO program. That may have been the result of a “believer” faction, he said, and urged people to continue to distinguish between what we “know” and what we “think” about these matters, to applause.
Howe reported hearing that there are no fewer than four other UFO programs aside from AATIP, all ready to start “unloading” material once sanctioned to do so. She feels very strongly that the government that compartmentalizes this information and doesn’t reveal it to its citizens is no longer a government for and by the people.
Dolan referred to investigations and newspaper journalists as early as the 1950s, reporting on UFOs, which record triangulation of craft that show movements beyond what we can even do now with craft. Compartmentalization affected information gathered then, and continues to affect us today, he said, as we continue to cover that ground. He sees “no motivation” for people who have this information to release it unless they are truly pushed with no other recourse but releasing information. Dolan said that he has not spoken to anyone in this field who has convinced him that they truly “know” the full picture, due to compartmentalization.
Travis said he’d rather be “hopeful than dystopian” about the potential developments coming up, and Howe agreed that it’s time to “grow up” as a culture about these matters.
[**NOTE: Comicon.com does not vouch for the veracity of the statements made in this panel, but merely reports on the discussion held at this time at AlienCon 2018. We encourage readers reach their own conclusions on this topic.]