UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There

Garrett M. Graff, a New York Times bestselling author, has written a book about the government's decades-long quest to solve the mystery of whether we are alone in the universe. The book explores the history of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, including the creation of secret programs by the US Air Forces to investigate unidentified phenomena. It features original archival research, declassified documents, and interviews with senior intelligence and military officials. The book is filled with twists and turns and provides a thrilling story of science, national security, the secrets of space, and the enduring mysteries of the universe.

Format: Hardback
Length: 544 pages
Publication date: 07 December 2023
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

From the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Raven Rock, The Only Plane in the Sky, and Pulitzer Prize finalist for history, Watergate, comes the first comprehensive and illuminating exploration of our governments decades-long quest to unravel one of humanitys greatest mysteries: Are we alone in the universe?

For as long as we have gazed up at the heavens, the question of whether life on Earth is the sole existence has been at the heart of the human experience, fueling scientific inquiry, shaping spiritual belief, and prompting existential contemplation across borders and generations. And yet, the notion of extraterrestrial intelligence has largely been dismissed as a jest, relegated to the realm of fantasy and conspiracy. Now, for the first time, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Garrett M. Graff unveils the full story of our nations enduring obsession with UFOs—and the covert, decades-long search by scientists, the United States military, and the CIA for evidence of alien life—in a meticulously researched and reported history.

The journey begins in 1947, when two headline-grabbing sightings of mysterious flying objects—the first near Mount Rainier, Washington, involving a pilot named Kenneth Arnold, and the second a ranch on the outskirts of a New Mexico town called Roswell—trigger the newly established Department of Defense of the US Air Forces to establish a series of secret programs to assess how unidentified phenomena may pose a threat to national security. Over the next half-century, as the atomic age gives way to the space race and the Cold War, the search continues, bringing together an unexpected array of astronomers, military officials, civilian contactees, and ardent believers who bring us closer, then further, then closer again, to answering one of our most enduring queries: Who are we?

The quest for answers takes us on a journey through the halls of power, where political agendas clash with scientific curiosity, and where the pursuit of knowledge becomes entangled in the murky waters of secrecy and deception. We meet the pioneers of UFO research, from the enigmatic Kenneth Arnold, who first spotted the flying objects near Mount Rainier, to the enigmatic Roswell incident, which remains one of the most baffling mysteries in history. We delve into the classified programs that were established to investigate UFO sightings, from Project Blue Book, which was launched in 1952, to Project Grudge, which was launched in 1969, and to Project Condor, which was launched in 1973.

We also explore the personal stories of those who have claimed to have had encounters with extraterrestrial beings, from the enigmatic "contactees" who claim to have been taken aboard UFOs to the military personnel who have reported seeing strange objects in the sky. We hear from the scientists who have dedicated their lives to studying UFOs, from the astronomers who have analyzed the data from UFO sightings to the physicists who have proposed theories about the nature of extraterrestrial life.

As we delve deeper into the mystery, we begin to uncover the complexities and contradictions that surround the search for alien life. We question the validity of the evidence that has been presented, from the enigmatic photographs and videos that have been claimed to show UFOs to the anecdotal accounts of alien encounters. We also confront the ethical implications of our obsession with extraterrestrial intelligence, from the potential impact on our sense of self and our place in the universe to the potential risks of contact with alien beings.

In the end, the quest for answers to the question of whether we are alone in the universe remains as tantalizing and elusive as ever. But through Garrett M. Graffs meticulous research and compelling storytelling, we gain a deeper understanding of the forces that have shaped our nations obsession with UFOs and the profound implications of our search for extraterrestrial life.

Weight: 786g
Dimension: 166 x 247 x 46 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781982196776