(OPINION) Startling claims emerged in a new documentary titled The Age of Disclosure, reigniting the debate over extraterrestrial life and alleged government secrecy.
According to reports from the Daily Mail and The Guardian, UFO whistleblowers, including former U.S. military and intelligence officials, have testified that aliens are not only real but are already present on Earth.
These assertions, accompanied by accusations of an “80 years of lies and deception” orchestrated by the U.S. government, have captured global attention. But how much of this is credible, and what does it mean for our understanding of the cosmos?
The Daily Mail reports that The Age of Disclosure, directed by Dan Farah, features 34 American military and intelligence veterans claiming direct knowledge or experience with extraterrestrials.
Among them is Luis Elizondo, a former senior intelligence official who once worked with the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).
Elizondo, the documentary’s lead subject, labels this alleged cover-up as “the most successful disinformation campaign in the history of the US government,” spanning eight decades.
The film also highlights the infamous 2004 “Tic Tac” UFO sighting off San Diego, where an object reportedly defied known physics—reaching speeds ten times that of U.S. aircraft and performing impossible maneuvers without visible propulsion.
Adding political weight, the documentary includes bipartisan figures like Marco Rubio, Donald Trump’s new Secretary of State, and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who advocate for government transparency on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs)—the official term now preferred over UFOs.
Their involvement suggests a shift from fringe conspiracy to mainstream concern, though concrete evidence remains elusive.
These claims build on prior whistleblower testimony. In July 2023, David Grusch, a former Air Force intelligence officer, told a House Oversight subcommittee that the U.S. government has recovered “non-human biologics” from crash sites and possesses alien spacecraft, as reported by NPR and The Guardian.
Grusch, who led UAP analysis within a defense agency, alleged a “multi-decade” retrieval and reverse-engineering program hidden from Congress.
While he cited interviews with 40 witnesses, he admitted he hadn’t personally seen the evidence, deferring specifics to classified settings due to security concerns.
The 2023 hearing, alongside a November 2024 congressional session covered by Space.com, featured other credible voices like retired Navy Commander David Fravor and former NASA administrator Mike Gold.
Fravor recounted his 2004 encounter with the Tic Tac object, emphasizing its otherworldly capabilities. Yet, as PBS News noted in its analysis, these hearings failed to produce physical proof, leaving the claims in a limbo of compelling anecdote versus verifiable fact.
The “80 years of lies and deception” phrase ties back to the 1947 Roswell incident, often cited as the genesis of UFO conspiracy theories.
Elizondo and his peers allege that since then, the U.S. has engaged in a secret race with nations like China and Russia to capture and reverse-engineer alien technology, according to the Daily Mail.
They argue this secrecy stems from a belief that the first country to master such tech would dominate globally—a high-stakes game justifying extreme measures.
The Guardian coverage of the SXSW premiere of The Age of Disclosure on March 12, 2025, highlights Elizondo’s dismissal of a 2019 Intercept report questioning his credentials as government disinformation.
Jim Semivan, a former CIA officer featured in the film, called this suppression a “tradition of disbelief.” Critics, however, point out the lack of declassified documents or wreckage to substantiate these assertions, a recurring critique echoed in SETI.org’s skepticism of Grusch’s earlier claims.
Despite the pedigree of these whistleblowers—decorated pilots, intelligence officers, and NASA affiliates—the scientific community remains unconvinced.
SETI.org astronomer Seth Shostak argued in 2023 that if alien craft were crashing frequently enough to be recovered, astronomers would detect them in droves—yet they don’t.
Similarly, planetary scientist Sara Russell told Wikipedia-cited sources that distinguishing terrestrial from extraterrestrial materials should be straightforward, yet no such samples have surfaced publicly.
The Pentagon has consistently denied these allegations. A 2023 statement to AP News reiterated that no verifiable evidence supports claims of alien tech or biologics in U.S. possession.
This official stance contrasts sharply with the whistleblowers’ narrative, raising questions: Is the government truly hiding something, or are these accounts a mix of misinterpretation and speculation?
Posts on X reflect current sentiment, with users like @DefenceOp and @Capemayrocky amplifying the documentary’s claims on March 14, 2025, linking to news articles and stirring debate.
Public interest isn’t new—a 2019 Gallup poll cited by Smithsonian found 68% of Americans believe the government knows more about UFOs than it admits.
Politically, the issue has gained traction, with lawmakers like Chuck Schumer pushing to declassify UAP data, per Smithsonian in 2023.
The incoming Trump administration adds intrigue.
The Guardian notes Trump’s 2024 podcast hint at releasing more UAP footage, suggesting a potential shift if he acts on this populist streak. Whether this yields disclosure or more ambiguity remains to be seen.
The whistleblowers’ claims are provocative: aliens among us, an 80-year cover-up, and a secret tech race.
Their credentials lend weight, yet the absence of tangible evidence—photos, wreckage, or biologics—keeps this in the realm of extraordinary claims without extraordinary proof.
Could this be a genuine exposé stifled by classification, or a modern myth fueled by credible voices with secondhand stories?
The establishment narrative of denial clashes with a growing call for transparency, leaving the public to ponder: Is the truth out there, or just beyond our grasp?
