Richard Niemtzow's Toulouse remarks (1985)
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 8
| Date | 6 July 1985 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Secrecy & cover-up (topic), Government programs (topic) |
| People | Jacques Vallée, Richard Niemtzow |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 99 |
| Year | 1985 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1985 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 8 |
Richard Niemtzow, a U.S. Air Force physician who later became known for developing "battlefield acupuncture", convinced Jacques Vallée in July 1985 that a secret UFO project existed within the U.S. government, according to Vallée's published journals.[1][2]
Niemtzow
Niemtzow is a radiation oncologist who retired from the Air Force as a colonel. In the early 2000s he devised battlefield acupuncture, a technique using tiny semi-permanent needles in the ear that can be worn under a combat helmet; he established an acupuncture clinic at the Malcolm Grow Medical Center at Andrews Air Force Base and tested the method in Iraq and Afghanistan. Critics have argued that the evidence for it is thin. The testimony notes that he also had a longstanding interest in UFOs, particularly reports of physical effects on witnesses.[2][3]
The Toulouse meeting
Vallée's entry dated 6 July 1985, written after a meeting in Toulouse, France — home of GEPAN, the French space agency's UFO research office — records that "Richard Niemtzow has convinced me that there was a secret project within the US government". Vallée presented this as one of two conclusions he drew from the meeting.[1]
Context
Later that month Vallée learned of the Advanced Theoretical Physics working group being organised by Col. John Alexander, which met in May 1985 to explore whether a government UFO research program existed or should be created. Alexander himself later concluded that there was no such program.[1][4]
Assessment
The remark is known only from Vallée's private record of a conversation, and Niemtzow offered no documents to support it. It adds to the many hints of hidden official interest in Vallée's journals that have never been confirmed.[1]
People and topics
- U.S. Air Force — The U.S. military service that ran the official UFO projects from 1947 to 1969.
- Jacques Vallée — Computer scientist and astronomer, author of the Forbidden Science journals and a central figure in UFO research.
- Unidentified anomalous phenomena — The U.S. government's current term for unidentified objects in the air, in space and underwater.
- Richard Niemtzow — Air Force physician interested in UFO-related injuries.
- Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
- GEIPAN — The French space agency's office for studying unidentified aerospace phenomena.
On the Timeline
- 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.
- Aurora budget line (1985) (1985) — Budget papers suggest the Pentagon planned large spending on an 'Aurora' program.
See every 1985 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- "Was there secret US government research?", UFOs Scientific Research (Oct 2016) · ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com · archived copy
- "Acupuncture in battle? Some experts swear it's possible", Ramstein Air Base · ramstein.af.mil · archived copy
- "Battlefield acupuncture revisited", Science-Based Medicine · sciencebasedmedicine.org · archived copy
- John B. Alexander — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Forbidden Science — the journals of Jacques Vallée (Anomaly Archives) · anomalyarchives.org · archived copy
- Forbidden Science series — Anomalist Books · anomalistbooks.com · archived copy
- Review of Forbidden Science 6 — SFCrowsnest · sfcrowsnest.info · archived copy
- Forbidden Science Dispatches — Tanner Boyle (journal summaries) · tannerfboyle.substack.com · archived copy
Further reading
- Jacques Vallée — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
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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