Do aliens really exist? What about UFOs? Newspaper says US has lied about them

UFOs are short for Unidentified Flying Objects. There has been a lot of speculation among people that UFOs may mean that there is life outside of Earth, maybe even more advanced than humans. But some people also believe that “UFOs” are misidentified objects.

The lifeforms which originate from some place other than Earth are called aliens.

Fun fact: Astrobiology is the scientific field dedicated to the study of alien life. 

For numerous years, the US military deliberately spread false stories about flying saucers and UFOs to hide their secret weapons projects. This was revealed in an investigation by the Wall Street Journal.

Back in the 1980s, the US military created fake UFO photos and stories to cover up the testing of new, highly classified aircraft, such as stealth fighter jets. For example, they gave fake flying saucer pictures to a bar owner near a secret base in Nevada, which helped start local UFO legends.

These fake UFO stories were also used as a kind of “prank” on military officers. New commanders were shown fake photos and told they were part of secret programs studying alien technology. Many believed these stories and signed agreements to keep quiet.

A special US military office set up in 2022 to investigate UFO sightings discovered these long-standing falsehoods but did not tell the public right away. They found no real proof of alien technology but realised the military’s own misinformation had created a culture of paranoia about UFOs.

The false stories were partly meant to confuse other countries, like the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and to protect secret military projects.

In 2023, the military ordered an end to these misleading briefings, but the myths had already caused widespread confusion and conspiracy theories.

The US military still receives hundreds of UFO reports each year, but most turn out to be ordinary objects like drones or balloons.

In short, the US military knowingly spread UFO myths to keep secret its advanced weapons work, unintentionally sparking decades of public fascination and fear about aliens.