Dan Sherman's first communication (1994)
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 10
| Claimant | Dan Sherman, former USAF ELINT specialist |
|---|---|
| Book | Above Black: Project Preserve Destiny (1997) |
| Contact | A "Grey" Sherman nicknamed "Spock" |
| Setting | A communications van at his first program base, shared with another airman |
| Message format | His identifier "118", a five-digit code, and apparent latitude–longitude coordinates |
| Date | Uncertain; between his 1992 briefing and his 1994 discharge |
| Status | Undocumented; Sherman is the only source |
| Topics | Beings & bodies (topic), Secrecy & cover-up (topic), Government programs (topic) |
| People | Dan Sherman |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 120 |
| Year | 1994 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1994 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 11 |
In his book Above Black, the former Air Force electronic intelligence specialist Dan Sherman describes his first assignment in what he calls Project Preserve Destiny. There he says he received telepathic messages from a "Grey" he nicknamed "Spock".[1][3] He says that during this assignment he twice reached a deeper, informal level of contact and questioned the being. After the second time, Spock never returned.[1] There is no documentation of these sessions, and Sherman is the only source.[1][2]
Background
Sherman says that in 1992, during an NSA course at Fort Meade, Maryland, he was told he had been genetically prepared before birth to communicate with aliens. He was then trained, at first with the help of two pills, to "move waves on electronic screens with his mind".[1] He describes the training terminal as showing sine-wave boxes and tones, progressing from numbers to text and "video concepts".[6] Once proficient, he received orders as an "intuitive communicator" in the program.[1]
The work
According to the military writer Blake Stilwell's summary of the book, Sherman no longer took the pills at his first base.[1] His account of the work:[1][10]
- He and another airman sat in a communications van for their shift.
- Each message began with his identifier, 118, followed by a five-digit code, then what he came to believe were latitude and longitude coordinates.
- Most messages were "strings of alphanumeric data", which he relayed through an NSA-monitored computer system while doing his ordinary ELINT duties.
A former intelligence instructor, Mark Louttit, said Sherman's description of the van exactly matched part of the Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (TENCAP) system. Louttit's exchange with Sherman refers to Sherman's ELINT work in Italy and Colorado.[11]
A new "plane"
Sherman says that during one session something startled him and he reached a new "plane" of contact. The being asked whether this was intentional. When Sherman said it was not, it ended the conversation.[1] He says he tried for months to repeat the experience. When he finally succeeded, he asked Spock about the beings and how they communicated.[1] He says his command apparently could not monitor these informal conversations, so he was free to ask what he wanted. After the second such contact Spock never returned, and Sherman was transferred to a second program base.[1] There a new contact, "Bones", proved "more conversational and forthcoming".[1][4]
Asked in 1997 how the contact felt, Sherman said the communication "had a completely different structure" from anything human. He likened it to a tapestry "rich in sensory stimuli": "You can focus in on one part of the tapestry and look at a detail, but at the same time, you can still sense all the color and fabric around the detailed part."[10] He said his first commander "was the only one who seemed to have a clue as to what was going on". He believed that commander had briefed all the communicators.[10]
Dates
Sherman says his involvement in the program ran from his 1992 Fort Meade briefing until he left the Air Force in 1994.[1][2] Since the Spock contacts came at his first program base, before his transfer and his later work with Bones, they probably fall early in that period. The 1994 date sometimes attached to this item is therefore doubtful, and the exact date of the first communication is uncertain.[1][2]
The book
Above Black: Project Preserve Destiny – Insider Account of Alien Contact and Government Cover-Up was self-published and runs to about 147 pages.[5][7][9][10] Sherman promoted it on Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM in November 1997 and at the 1998 International UFO Congress.[4][6] He has also been interviewed on the podcast American Alchemy.[8] Supporters point to his "low-key, straightforward presentation". Sherman said: "If I were to make up a story, it would be a lot more elaborate than this."[4]
Assessment
There is no documentation of these sessions, and Sherman is the only source.[1][2] He has conceded that the messages could have come from a human source rather than an alien, while saying he himself had no doubt.[10]
People and topics
- Dan Sherman — Former Air Force sergeant who claimed in Above Black that he was trained to communicate with aliens.
- Above Black — Dan Sherman's 1997 book.
- Non-human intelligence — A term for intelligent beings of non-human origin, used in UAP legislation.
- U.S. Air Force — The U.S. military service that ran the official UFO projects from 1947 to 1969.
- Project Preserve Destiny — The alleged NSA program Dan Sherman says trained him to communicate with aliens.
- National Security Agency — The U.S. signals intelligence agency, which holds UFO-related intercepts.
On the Timeline
- John Brandenburg's theories (1994) — Engineer John Brandenburg discusses theories tied to his space program work.
- Hynek autopsy rumor (1994) (26 February 1994) — Vallée and a filmmaker discuss a rumor about Hynek and autopsies, calling it disinformation.
See every 1994 event on the UAP Timeline →
Further reading
- UFO documents — NSA · nsa.gov · archived copy
References
- Blake Stilwell, "This airman claims his top secret official duty was to talk to aliens", We Are The Mighty (updated Apr 2021) · wearethemighty.com · archived copy
- Michael Salla, "NSA document supports whistleblower claim of alien UFO communication program", Exo News (Oct 2014) · exonews.org · archived copy
- This airman claims his secret duty was to talk to aliens — We Are The Mighty · wearethemighty.com · archived copy
- Dan Sherman collection — Anomaly Archives · anomalyarchives.org · archived copy
- Dan Sherman, Above Black: Project Preserve Destiny (1997) · barnesandnoble.com · archived copy
- Dan Sherman on Coast to Coast AM, Nov 1997 · artbellarchive-org.pages.dev · archived copy
- Above Black: Project Preserve Destiny (Dan Sherman) — Goodreads · goodreads.com · archived copy
- 'The NSA hired me to speak to aliens': Sgt. Dan Sherman — American Alchemy · podcastrex.com · archived copy
- amazon.com · amazon.com · archived copy
- David Kirby, "Dan Sherman interview and book review", Colorado Daily (18 Dec 1997), via Rense · rense.com
- Mark Louttit, "Louttit rebuttal to Sherman on PPD" (1 Dec 1997), Area 51 mailing list, Ufomind (archived) · web.archive.org
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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