1985 in UFO history
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📅 Year
Contents 5
| Year | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Events | 5 |
| Decade | 1980s |
| Topics | Government programs (topic), Secrecy & cover-up (topic), Propulsion & physics (topic), Remote viewing & psi (topic) |
| Timeline | 1985 on the UAP Timeline |
1985 in UFO history — the UAP Timeline records 5 events in 1985, mostly about government programs and secrecy & cover-up. People named in these events include Jacques Vallée, Harold Puthoff, Ben Rich, John B. Alexander, Ronald Reagan.
Overview
In January 1985 the U.S. Air Force distributed a fact sheet from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on UFOs and Project Blue Book. It restated that the project had closed in 1969 after recording 12,618 sightings, 701 of them "unidentified." It said no UFO had shown a threat to national security, technology beyond present knowledge, or evidence of being an extraterrestrial vehicle.[1] It added that there were not, and never had been, any extraterrestrial visitors or equipment at Wright-Patterson, and advised callers to contact private groups or local police.[1]
The timeline's 1985 entries suggest continuing private and secret interest. On 20 May the "Advanced Theoretical Physics" conference met at a secure BDM facility in McLean, Virginia, under Energy Department controls. Its aims were to decide whether UFO evidence justified a research program and to seek "direct contact" with UFO occupants.[2] Jacques Vallée wrote that participants came from Los Alamos, the CIA, NSA, Army intelligence, McDonnell Douglas, BDM and Lockheed. See also John B. Alexander. In the summer Harold Puthoff left SRI International to explore "alternative fuel sources" at Jupiter Technologies.[2] On 6 July retired Air Force Colonel Richard Niemtzow told Vallée in Toulouse that a secret U.S. government project studied UFOs.[3]
Two entries concern secret aircraft and space. A 1985 Pentagon procurement document listed an "Aurora" program, with $80 million planned for fiscal 1986 and $2.3 billion for 1987. In 1994 a former head of Lockheed's Skunk Works said the line funded a stealth bomber program.[3] On 11 June President Ronald Reagan wrote in his diary, after lunch with space scientists, that "our shuttle capacity is such that we could orbit 300 people." The timeline reads this as an allusion to a secret space fleet.[2]
Events
- Puthoff leaves SRI (1985) (Summer 1985) — Hal Puthoff leaves SRI to explore alternative energy sources.
- Aurora budget line (1985) (1985) — Budget papers suggest the Pentagon planned large spending on an 'Aurora' program.
- Advanced Theoretical Physics group (20 May 1985) — A secure facility hosts a conference on whether UAP evidence supports a research program.
- Reagan's diary entry of 11 June 1985 (11 June 1985) — President Reagan's diary hints at a large space shuttle capability after lunch with scientists.
- Richard Niemtzow's Toulouse remarks (1985) (6 July 1985) — A retired Air Force colonel tells Vallée there is a secret government UAP project.
People
- Jacques Vallée — Computer scientist and astronomer, author of the Forbidden Science journals and a central figure in UFO research.
- Harold Puthoff — Physicist who co-founded the SRI remote-viewing research and later worked on AAWSAP and To The Stars Academy.
- Ben Rich — Head of Lockheed's Skunk Works from 1975 to 1991.
- John B. Alexander — Retired Army colonel who organized the 1985 Advanced Theoretical Physics group and wrote UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies and Realities.
- Ronald Reagan — 40th U.S. president whose diary and speeches touched on space and alien threats.
- Edward Teller — Physicist known as the father of the hydrogen bomb.
- Richard Niemtzow — Air Force physician interested in UFO-related injuries.
Nearby years
1984 in UFO history · 1986 in UFO history
References
- U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet on UFOs and Project Blue Book (January 1985) — National Archives · archives.gov
- UAP timeline published with Michael Shellenberger's 2024 congressional testimony, entries for 20 May to summer 1985 · oversight.house.gov
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 6 July 1985 and 1985 (Aurora) · oversight.house.gov
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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