Welcome to this week’s edition of The Intelligence Brief… with the publication of a recent story by The Debrief detailing investigations into the alleged existence of exotic craft in the possession of the U.S. government, this week our analysis will focus on 1) the recent allegations regarding the existence of non-human craft being kept from Congress, 2) what we know about the whistleblower who has made the claims, 3) an analysis of the extraordinary nature of some of the claims, and 4) the non-sensational (but critical) aspect of the story that many have overlooked.
Quote of the Week
“The truth is out there.”
– FBI Special Agent Dana Scully (portrayed by Gillian Anderson).
Latest Stories: Before getting into our analysis this week, a few of the stories we’re covering at The Debrief include how at the heart of the Milky Way, researchers say they have discovered a series of unusual filament structures that provide new insights into a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Elsewhere, Avi Loeb weighs in on this week’s big story regarding alleged craft recoveries of exotic origin. As always, you can get links to all our latest stories at the end of this week’s newsletter.
Podcasts: This week in podcasts from The Debrief, former CNN and Al Jazeera news anchor and host of History Channel’s The Proof is Out There dons the mantle of co-host and dives into the latest UFO news with Stephanie Gerk and MJ Banias to discuss NASA’s UAP investigation and other recent news on The Debrief Weekly Report. Meanwhile, this week on The Micah Hanks Program, I catch up with Ralph Blumenthal and Leslie Kean about their recent story published with The Debrief, as well as investigative reporter and co-founder Tim McMillan about our team’s ongoing investigations into the situation. You can subscribe to all of The Debrief’s podcasts, including audio editions of Rebelliously Curious, by heading over to our Podcasts Page.
Video News: Also on Rebelliously Curious this week, Chrissy Newton spoke with Leslie and Ralph Blumenthal, who discuss their recent breaking news story with The Debrief involving the claims of a former intelligence community insider. Also, if you missed the most recent installment of our all-new series “Ask Dr. Chance,” be sure to watch that and other great content from The Debrief on our official YouTube Channel.
With that all out of the way, let’s turn our attention to the unusual claims by a former member of the intelligence community and why his story–first reported by The Debrief–has become one of the biggest controversies in the media this week.
Bombshell Claim: Craft of Non-Human Origin
On Monday, The Debrief published a story detailing a complaint filed with the Intelligence Community Inspector General, which alleges that information has been illegally withheld from Congress about past acquisitions by the U.S. of exotic technologies believed to be of non-human origin.
Written by journalists Ralph Blumenthal and Leslie Kean, the co-authors of a series of articles that have appeared in The New York Times since late 2017 dealing with the subject of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the article published by The Debrief on Monday focuses on David Charles Grusch, a former National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) employee who claims to have knowledge of efforts to conceal information about these exotic technologies the U.S. possesses.
Several officials that either still work in government, or have done so in the past, are also cited in the article, among them Karl E. Nell, an aerospace executive who recently retired as an Army Colonel, who is quoted in the article calling Grusch “beyond reproach.”
Following the publication of Monday’s article, an interview with Grusch conducted by Australian investigative journalist Ross Coulthart was featured by NewsNation, and the story has seen widespread follow-up coverage by outlets that include The Guardian, New York Magazine, Fox News, Vice, and others.
Needless to say, it’s been an interesting week, as Grusch’s story has added new dimensions to the debate over UAP and to what extent the U.S. government, as well as other governments around the world, might be withholding certain information about it from the public. But what have we learned since the story was published, and what does it tell us about the nature of the claims Grusch and others have made, all of which are now the focus of a formal Intelligence Community Inspector General Complaint?
What We Know About David Charles Grusch
Grusch, 36, formerly worked with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), a combat support agency of the Department of Defense (DoD) tasked with the collection and analysis of geospatial intelligence. Grusch also worked for a time with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the intelligence agency in charge of the collection of U.S. satellite intelligence.
More fundamental to the story The Debrief published on Monday, Grusch also worked in his capacity with the NGA as the liaison to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF), the UAP investigative effort approved by then-Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Norquist in 2020 which served as the predecessor to the DoD’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Grusch is no longer employed within the intelligence community, having left work within the U.S. government in April.
Prior to breaking the story by Kean and Blumenthal on Monday, The Debrief conducted its own investigations into Grusch’s background and employment in government. Speaking with one senior intelligence official who was familiar with both Grusch and his past work with the UAPTF, The Debrief was able to verify that Grusch had been recruited by UAPTF leadership following a recommendation that vouched for his experience in geospatial intelligence, as well as his reputation as an excellent intelligence analyst. In addition to verifying Grusch’s role in the UAPTF’s efforts, the senior intelligence official The Debrief spoke with also clarified that Karl Nell had been assigned to work alongside the UAPTF by the Army.
The official with whom The Debrief communicated, who spoke only on background as they were not authorized to go on the record, emphasized that neither Grusch nor Nell had been selected for the work they did based on having displayed any prior interest in the subject of UAP (additional information about The Debrief’s investigations and the vetting of Grusch and others cited in Kean and Blumenthal’s article are detailed in Part One, Part Two, and Part Three of a series of supplemental interviews we published this week).
Extraordinary Claims: What’s the Real Story?
Predictably, the primary focus of the mainstream media since the publication of the story has been on the claims made by Grusch and others in the article regarding purportedly non-human craft that has allegedly been acquired by the U.S. and other nations over the course of several decades.
However, Grusch also told The Debrief and journalist Ross Coulthart that he had not been shown these alleged acquisitions himself; he had only been provided information that convinced him of the reality of “multiple agencies nesting UAP activities in conventional secret access programs without appropriate reporting to various oversight authorities.”
Speaking with NewsNation, skeptic Mick West expressed doubts about the accuracy of Grusch’s claims, while adding that “it’s possible he’s believing what he’s saying, but it’s an incredible story that really needs some actual verification.”
West and others who have expressed similar views are more than justified for being hesitant to accept the idea that exotic technologies of non-human origin have been acquired by U.S. officials. These claims, by their very nature, are indeed extraordinary. On the other hand, if any conclusive proof were ever provided that could substantiate the details Grusch is now saying he learned about during his time in government, to call it huge would be an understatement: it would arguably be the biggest story of all time, as it would represent one of the greatest scientific discoveries ever made.
Unfortunately, we aren’t at that point yet. In fact, we’re far from it… and so for the time being (and the foreseeable future), Grusch’s assertions remain claims among the many similar assertions made over the decades about U.S. government cover-ups of information it possesses about unidentified flying objects.
So what, if anything, really makes this story any different from similar things we’ve heard countless times already?
An Official Complaint and an Ensuing Investigation
The critical element here has to do with the fact that Grusch has filed a complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General. Unlike past claims involving non-human technologies the U.S. government has been accused of either possessing or at least having knowledge of, in this instance, the claims have been made in the form of an official complaint. The results of the investigation into the complaint could go several ways, one of which includes Grusch being found guilty of making false statements, for which there would also be potentially serious repercussions (i.e., criminal charges).
If, on the other hand, the investigation determines that Grusch is telling the truth, the implication could be that there is some truthful basis to the information he has reportedly provided to Congress and the IC Inspector General. That, in essence, is the main crux of the story that sets it apart from similar past circumstances: the legal elements with respect to the claims, and the implications depending on the outcome of the IG’s investigation.
Some commentators have treated the story as though it somehow offers final “proof” that non-human technologies are not only in our midst, but that they are also being kept hidden away by the U.S. government. The real truth, however, is that we simply aren’t there yet… but depending on where the ensuing investigation may lead, it could still be that this may end up leading us toward gaining a broader understanding—as well as a greater degree of U.S. government transparency—on one of the most controversial and hotly-debated issues in modern history.
That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read past editions of The Intelligence Brief at our website, or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe and get future email editions from us here. Also, if you have a tip or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or Tweet at me @MicahHanks.
Here are the top stories we’re covering right now…
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In a one on one interview, Debrief Co-founder and professional investigator Tim McMillan outlines the steps he and his investigators undertook to fact check the key components of Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal’s latest groundbreaking UAP story.
- Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin
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- Tim Burchett Talks UAPs, Destroyed Data, Honeypots, Whistleblowers and Corruption with Chrissy Newton
In the latest episode of Rebelliously Curious, The Debrief’s Chrissy Newton goes one on one with U.S. Representative Tim Burchett to discuss UAPs, crash retrievals, whistleblowers and corruption.
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Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… yesterday, members of a NASA independent study team that are conducting an evaluation of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) convened for their first public meeting. In our analysis this week, we’ll be looking at 1) the purpose of the independent study group’s gathering on Wednesday, 2) why NASA says some members have been subject to harassment, 3) the team’s desire for better data, 4) AARO’s involvement and its growing cache of UAP […]
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