The United States faces a potential new arms race with China and Russia, not over nuclear weapons, but over the disclosure of information regarding unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs. U.S. Representative Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) has voiced concerns that America could cede a significant propaganda victory to its rivals if it fails to uphold promises of transparency regarding UAP evidence and potential extraterrestrial life.
"I think it would definitely be a misstep because of what we would be demonstrating to our people," Burlison stated in an interview. "We’re supposed to be the most transparent country in the world to its citizenry and if another country is able to be more transparent than the United States on this topic it would be a blemish on our otherwise pristine legacy on transparency."
Burlison suggested that disclosure of UAP information by a foreign power could lend credibility to what the U.S. has already released. "If a foreign country validates what we release, it will give more confidence to the American people that this isn’t some disinformation campaign or a hoax and I think that would be a good thing," he said. He added, "I’d suggest that if he has access to it and wants to bring it to me, I will be happy to work with to release that information."
The stakes are particularly high given claims that Russia and China may already possess recovered UAP technology. Whistleblower David Grusch, a former staffer for Burlison, has asserted that both nations are in possession of crashed UAP. The South China Morning Post reported in 2021 that China acknowledges investigating UAP sightings and is employing artificial intelligence to analyze them.
Investigative reporter George Knapp released documents in February that he obtained from the Soviet Union in 1991. These documents suggest that while the Soviets publicly denied the existence of UFOs, they were investigating thousands of related reports.
Brazil has also indicated a willingness to engage in transparency regarding UAP. Former Brazilian presidential candidate and defense minister Aldo Rebelo has urged the U.S. to release its files on the alleged 1996 Varginha UFO crash. Rebelo stated that Brazil would reciprocate by releasing its own classified information if the U.S. complied.
